European communications giant Orange has struck voice over gold with a new line of commercials featuring a distinctly American style of VO delivery. Below are three great examples of the campaign.

In the first video, above. We meet both Apology Nico (who’s always late) and our narrator, who sounds like he’s straight out of the old west. Backed with some low-key, rambling music, there’s a strongly American feel to the whole commercial. Which is odd, because this is a European telecommunications company. You can’t get their services in America even you want to. But, hey, the end result is some great VO work for an American voice talent (or a European voice talent doing one heck of an American accent.)

In the next spot, we meet Matteo, the online romancer. We have the same narrator, the same music, and the same overall approach to the commercials. You’ve got to love the delivery at work here, though. (This spot is hands down my favorite of the three.) I especially love it when the talent says, “… and a little talk, to let them down… gently.” It’s a nice moment in the spot; tender, yet humorous.

The final spot above introduces us to Tania the Party Planner. Once again, the voice talent — who I’ve decided by this point to call “Smokey Joe” — tells us a little bit about her party planning activities. This particular commercial might confuse some audiences the most, as it’s predicated on the knowledge of what a Flash Mob is. (It’s a large group of people who appear in a public place all at once and perform some synchronized activity.)

Despite the slightly more esoteric nature of Tania’s activities, good ol’ Smokey Joe is here once again to tell us about her phone habits. At this point, his voice is familiar and comforting… and that’s what good audio branding is all about, folks.

You wouldn’t necessarily think of a line of canned pasta products aimed at kids as the place to go for voice over work, but Chef Boyardee’s latest campaign has been using some creative VO deliveries of late. So far, there are two ads in this new campaign of theirs — in which children’s forgotten playthings confronting said children — but I suspect more are on the way.

In the first video (above), we see a young girl’s blankey coming to life to call her out on the fact that she never pays attention to him anymore. What I like about the casting choice here is that it would have been easy to go with a soft, sweet voice to represent such a cherished childhood totem, but instead the filmmakers went with a sort of goofy-sounding, slightly acerbic guy’s voice. It’s a nice example of casting against type. Here’s this manly, kind of macho voice coming out of a soft, cuddly, pink blanket. I love it!

What I especially love are the last few lines of the spot, which make me laugh out loud: “Bridget, save it. We know you have a blankey, we know his name is Rick, and I know he’s in your backpack. Now, who wants to snuggle?” With that voice… it’s perfect!

The second spot seems like it was a lot of fun for the voice talent to record. Playing your a barking soldier seems like a great way to get some aggression out, and I really love the line where he yells at the kid, “All this time you sat in the company of that meaty ravioli while I was out in the bush… literally! You outgrew me and left me under a bush five years ago, and there ain’t no ravioli out there, son! Just dirt!” Great writing like that makes it easier to give a great VO performance; can you imagine how many different ways you could deliver that line in the recording booth?

And let’s not forget the separate voice overs at the end of each spot, by a third voice talent. Delivered in a more traditional announcer-style delivery (seemingly with a wink), this short but impactful VO hearkens back to the days of old school advertising, and seeing as how both commercials are done in a humorous, over-the-top style, I think this is one case where the announcer style really works.

I can’t wait to see which childhood memory Chef Boyardee dredges up next!

I’ve been a big fan of Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” ad campaign since it first hit television screens during the Super Bowl. As the campaign has grown to include multiple commercials, print ads, and a brilliantly executed YouTube campaign involving personalized responses to almost 200 of Old Spice’s online fans, I’ve often wished that I could write about it here in Voice Overs of the World. But of course, I write about Voice Overs, and these ads feature no voice over work (except for probably some ADR to fix the spots where the live audio was unusable.) Well, that’s finally changed!

The video above is an internal corporate video from Old Spice and advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy (the firm responsible for the hit ads) that talks about the success of the campaign. It was originally meant to be distributed only within the Old Spice industry world, but — as tends to happen — it has now gone live on the internet.

What’s really great about this video is that after all the hubbub of this multimillion dollar campaign, eventually it ended up providing a pretty sweet gig for a voice over talent, even if it’s not one that was ever meant to be seen by the public. Corporate videos like this are a huge source of income for many voice actors, and they’re a sector of the industry that’s overlooked by many people who are starting out in their VO careers. Because they’re usually never seen by the general public at large, they’re not something people think about a lot, but there are millions of companies out there that produce work like this on a daily basis. A four-and-a-half minute narrative video gig for a huge national company? That’s not a bad day’s work!

Just for fun, below you can watch the Old Spice Man himself, actor Isaiah Mustafa, appearing on The Ellen Degeneres show. And while he’s not a voice actor yet, if you listen to how easily he can switch on his Old Spice voice at will, it seems like he’s a natural for this field.

I’m on a horse.

I never see these ads on television, but they must air somewhere, because they’re all over the internet. Regardless, CompareTheMarket.com’s animated “CompareTheMeerkat.com” ad campaign is a wonderful foray into the world of character voice acting.

I’ve watched a number of these ads online, and I think they’re pretty well done. They go all out with the characterization of Aleksandr the Meerkat, from the thick, heavy accent to the old world-style cadence and delivery. I’m convinced that this is not actually a Russian voice talent, but rather an actor who does a really great sterotypical Russian accent. Either way, his delivery is spot-on.

The commercial above is even more notable from a VO point of view because it features several other voices in small supporting roles. A lot of these ads feature just Aleksandr, but in this spot, I count at least an additional four voices delivering a few words each. Sure, some of them aren’t more than a single line, but hey, who’s going to complain about getting a VO job in something this creative?

And just for the fun of it, enjoy some Meerkat bloopers in the video above. I love the fact that a voice actor got paid to make fake bloopers. How much fun was that recording session?

I love finding videos like these; not only are they lots of fun, but they’re further proof that the internet has completely reinvigorated the voice over field. The latest company to bring voice overs to the forefront of the web revolution? None other than Taco Bell.

Viral videos are an innovative advertising tool that have become a phenomenon on the web over the past few years. They’re typicall  videos that don’t air on regular television (but instead on the internet) and are longer than the usual commercial, and oftentimes they’re only tangentially related to the product they’re advertising. They can be pretty creative, and here are a few examples of some new ones that really hit it out of the park.

Taco Bell’s new series of viral videos is called Super Delicious Ingredient Force, and they’re a parody of the old Super Friends cartoons that I grew up watching. Not only are they incredibly funny, but they feature a large voice over cast. In the first episode (above), you meet the Force, which has 10 different members played by (presumably) 10 different voice actors.

Now, granted, some of the voice actors might be playing two or three characters, but when you add in the narrator and the supporting characters, you’re still talking about at least a half-dozen voice actors or more getting roles here.

I love the performances in these videos. They’re silly and over the top, but they’re supposed to be silly and over the top. Characters like Flex Tortilla and Commander Seasoned Beef (and that narrator!) are delightfully ridiculous, while Chicken Woman, Fantastic Bean, and Captain Enchilada Sauce play with the animated archetypes of the ’70s and ’80s. In short, even though all of the characters are meant to be humorous and goofy, there isn’t a bad performance in the bunch. I have to imagine the recording sessions for these videos were a lot of fun.

These are the first two videos in the series, and Taco Bell has announced plans to launch six of them altogether. That’s a pretty sweet gig for the voice talents involved.

You Quiero Voice Overs!

Sears and Craftsman are teaming up to bring voice overs to the entire country! Okay, that’s not entirely accurate, but in a way, that’s exactly what they’re doing.

So here’s the scoop: Sears and Craftsman have teamed up to promote the new Craftsman mower by hiring someone to drive one of their vehicles across the country over three months. Already a third into his journey, the driver — one Lucas Van Engen from South Bend, Indiana — updates the Craftsman Across America blog with photos, video, and commentary, and all in all, it’s a clever and unique marketing tactic. What’s interesting about it all, though, is that Lucas Van Engen is an aspiring actor. Craftsman was smart enough to make sure to hire a mower jockey that is photogenic and well-spoken, so that when he comes to all these small towns across America and meets and greets people at Sears stores (and is interviewed by the press), he comes across as friendly, affable, and down-to-earth.

The only reason I even mention that he’s an actor is because when you watch his introduction video (above), you can’t help but notice his terrific voice over. Over the course of the three-and-a-half minute video, Lucas talks about home, family, friends, and personal philosophy… a wide variety of topics that paint him as a down home, regular joe. What I love about the voice over is just how down-to-earth it is, though. It really does come across as if he’s just talking off the cuff, sort of commenting on his life and his upcoming journey in a slightly rambling way. I have no doubt, however, that his VO was scripted pretty carefully, or at least outlined to a good extent. He mixes in personal thoughts and insights with some fun (and cleverly crafted) comments on the lawnmower itself; I’m sure Craftsman had some input onto what he says about their product (like calling it the “BMW of lawnmowers.”)

Credit goes to Van Engen for pulling it off like he’s just an everyday guy having a conversation about life and lawnmowers. I think he does a terrific job with the voice over, and it’s an engaging performance that keeps you invested in the video until the end. Sounding really conversational and casual can actually take a lot of work, but Lucas has done a great job with it here!

I’ll probably never get tired of writing about talking animals here at Voice Overs of the World. Why? Well, because they’re such a great source of work for voice over artists? I mean, what better way is there to bring the innermost thoughts of animals and pets to life than through the power of a great voice over?

In the first two ads (above and below), we have a couple of great commercials for Bayer’s Advocate pet medicine. These spots make great use of a talented voice actor who clearly specializes in character voices; more specifically, celebrity impressions. I’m pretty sure it’s the same voice actor in both commercials, and we are treated to some spot-on impressions of some of the world’s most famous actors, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, and Sean Connery.

And then, don’t you know it, right at the end of the commercials pops in a completely different female voice. This actor brings in the more traditional “narrator” voice, telling you what the actual product in the advertisement is. I like the choice of voice for the tagline, too; cool, smooth, and deep. This isn’t the voice of a pet’s concerned mother, but rather an in-the-know voice of authority from the company that makes the medicine.

Next up, we have a great ad from McDonald’s with a pair of talking bears. I don’t know who did the casting for this spot but I don’t think you could have found a more perfect voice for Papa Bear. With a deep, growly timbre that’s reminiscent of a John Goodman/Hoyt Axton type, this voice actor really has a rumble to his voice that says, “I’m a bear.” While the younger voice actor doesn’t get as much screen time (so to speak), he works well with the older voice actor to create a convincing father/son relationship. It’s a fun ad that makes creative use of voice over and features some terrific performances and casting.

Finally, we have this… odd… commercial for 98 FM, which utilizes a talking seal with a randomly Antonio Banderas-ian accent extolling the virtues of “making right now… good.” In the commercial, the talking seal appears in random places and gives people advice on making now “good.” It’s kind of a silly commercial, but I do really like the performance of the voice actor in general, and especially when he says, “Kiss him, you fool!” I have to imagine that this was probably not the most serious day in the recording studio and was probably a lot of fun to record.

They say in Hollywood you’re never supposed to work with kids or animals, bit I think working as an animal seems like lots of fun!

I always love when I can find a great theme for Voice Overs of the World, and today’s theme just happens to be cars. Now whether you’re a car enthusiast or not, there’s no denying that some of the biggest advertising budgets in the world belong to the major car manufacturers. And when you have huge ad budgets, you also often find huge voice overs! Here’s a look at three new commercial spots that all feature prominent voice over work.

First up, we have an ad for the new Jeep Cherokee. This is probably my favorite of the three ads presented here because I think the combination of the haunting Johnny Cash song that’s used as the music for the spot (that’s Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” laid down under the VO) and the excellent voice over really just evoke a mood of strength and patriotism.

I like the delivery of the piece quite a bit, especially because the voice actor doesn’t go over the top. With the driving music and vintage footage behind it, he instead employs a slightly reserved delivery; keeping the gravelly tone to his voice and speaking rather than announcing, but not overplaying it and devolving into caricature or jingoism. This could have been a “Rah-rah, AMerica!” commercial, and instead the whole piece just has a great mood to it, largely due to the voice over.

Next up, we have a commercial for Mercedes, which starts off with a bit of a storytelling style to advertise its product before shifting to a more commercial approach. Notice how the narrator starts off with a more breathy, dreamy tone as the commercial begins heading into a dream world, but then gets noticeably deeper and stronger by the end. Pay attention to how, right around the time the narrator says, “…And being a pioneer of excellence in mobility, now and forever more,” his voice drops into a much deeper register, giving that line a real sense of power.

An interesting side note: the voice talent for Mercedes-Benz is none other than Richard Thomas, who is best known for playing John-Boy on The Waltons, who has gone on to find quite a career for himself in voice overs.

Finally, we wrap things up with Hyundai. Now I’ve talked about Hyundai’s ads before here in Voice Overs of the World, and since they’re narrated by a celebrity (none other than Jeff Bridges), I try not to focus too much on them. But this is great piece for a couple of reasons. First of all, Bridges always does a very nice job with his voice overs (he is an Oscar winner, after all.) But I love the fact that in this particular commercial, he has to say, “Paula St. John Lawrence Lawler Burr Strong Yates Stephenson Callaghan Hunt Milne Thompson Shankley Bennet Paisley O’Sullivan was named after the entire team.” That could not have been easy to get out in one breath!

What car commercial voice overs do you like?

While I don’t usually spend too much time focusing on celebrity voice overs here on Voice Overs of the World, once in a while I stumble across a few that are noteworthy enough to bring up. In this case, I suspect there are an awful lot of people seeing these ads and going, “Oh, who is that? I KNOW that voice!” So I thought I’d shed a little light on the situation!

First up, we have an ad for Bird’s Eye fish fingers from over in the UK. Who better to portray a slightly creepy polar bear stalking you from your own freezer than Willem Dafoe? You have to admit, he does do a great job of bringing this character to life; he really captures that whole “I’m talking to you nicely, but really there’s an undercurrent of menace” approach very well. I love when he says, “Can you help me with something…? What’s this?” with that voice that very clearly knows exactly what this is.

An interesting side note: did you notice how Dafoe pronounces “fish filet” as “fish fill-it”? That’s a good example of an actor matching the regional pronunciation of the location he’s in. Obviously, Dafoe isn’t trying to adopt a British accent, but seeing as how that’s how they pronounce the word ‘filet’ over there, you have to match that pronunciation so as to avoid confusion among British audiences. Just a little glimpse into how international voice overs work.

Next up, we have a commercial for Hotels.com. There is actually an entire series of commercials using this claymation style and this character who’s simply called “Smart.” Well, Smart is actually portrayed by Ed Helms, best known for his roles on The Daily Show and The Office. Helms does a terrific job of bringing that sort of snarky/know-it-all tone to the piece, without actually sounding rude or condescending. That’s actually a hard balance to find, but Helms does a very nice job with it.

What’s great, too, is that in this series of commercials Helms shares voice time with everyone from a girlfriend to a co-worker to a monkey, meaning there are other, non-famous voice talents out there who get the chance to star in a national commercial alongside a celebrity voice. There’s plenty of room for everyone, folks, celebrities and non-celebrities alike!

This last commercial sort of reverses the approach of the last two. Sure, you can see right now before even playing the video that that’s Sir Ian McKellen of Lord of the Rings and X-Men fame on screen. But when you actually watch the video, we hear something else entirely; in fact, we hear someONE else entirely! It’s a woman, describing her dreary day for this public service announcement on aging that’s also from the UK. (About halfway through, McKellen’s voice once again takes over, and while it’s not a voice over per se, you can’t help but marvel at what a wonderful voice he has.)

But the best part abut this ad for me is imagining the recording session for the voice over. I can’t help but picture a nice little British lady showing up to do her session, and then hearing something along the lines of this from the producer: “Okay, so here you’re basically just playing a typical senior citizen, maybe you’re a bit down in the dumps, a bit lonely. So let’s keep it kind of a mix between matter-of-fact and a little depressed; you know, not too dark. Oh yeah, and your voice will be coming from Sir Ian McKellen.”

Where else but in the world of voice overs…?