So...you've noticed those commercials with a celebrity doing the voiceover, have you? Yep, me too. But...he's not identified as the celeb he is...so what's the point?
I'm not really sure I understand this myself...but I have some thoughts. One is that, while many people will not recognize the actor behind the voice, many will...and it's just one more way for companies to make their commercials stand out.
Another observation is that "celebrities are cool"...and ad agency folks are, like many of us, drawn to fame and fortune and other "cool" stuff. So...if you had a chance to hang with (insert random celebrity here)...even briefly...or over an ISDN line...and to do it on somebody else's nickel...wouldn't you?
Since I do voiceovers for a living, I do notice celebrity voices. I haven't really made a note of who's doing what... but I thought it might be fun to start doing so now. And maybe to grade them... simply from my perspective as a guy in the biz.
I have no problem, by the way, with celebrities getting work that has traditionally gone to voice talents. In fact, many voiceover folks refer to themselves as "voice actors". I don't, as I don't feel that acting is my strength.
But there are those VO folks who are fairly upset that celebs are stealing VO work from us "regular" voice actors. Personally, I'm more of a "free market" guy. I think it's generally a waste of money. The Today show did a piece recently on how many people were able to recognize celebs doing voice work. Most were not. And, for that reason, I suspect that it's a temporary trend...except for the most recognizable celebrities.
Celeb voiceovers I've heard...and my observations: |
