In today’s modern world, it’s easy to take voice overs for granted. They’re everywhere, from TV commercials to movie trailers to video games. But have you ever stopped to wonder where they came from? How did this now ubiquitous form of communication come to be?In this blog post, we’ll explore the history of voice overs, from their humble beginnings to their current place in the pop culture landscape.
The Earliest Voice Overs
Voice overs can be traced back as early as the late 19th century, when French magician and filmmaker Georges Méliès released his film “Le Manoir du diable.” Méliès himself provided the voice over for the film, which is thought to be the first ever example of one being used.
Méliès’ work would lay the groundwork for future filmmakers who would experiment with using voice overs in their movies. One such filmmaker was D.W. Griffith, who used a voice over in his 1915 film “Birth of a Nation.” The voice over in question was used to narrate a section of the film that depicted the death of President Abraham Lincoln.
Big Names in Voice Overs
As voice overs became more and more commonplace in movies and TV shows, certain actors and actresses began to make a name for themselves in the field. Some well-known examples include Don LaFontaine, who was known as “the king of voiceovers” thanks to his work on thousands of movie trailers, and Paul Frees, who was the original voices of Boris Badenov on “The Bullwinkle Show” and John Foster Dulles on “Dr. Strangelove.”
Voice Overs Today
These days, voice overs are used for a wide variety of purposes. In addition to being used in movies and TV shows, they’re also commonly used in video games, radio advertisements, and online videos. And with new technologies like text-to-speech software, it’s easier than ever before for anyone with a computer to create a professional-sounding voice over.
Voice overs have come a long way since they were first introduced in the late 19th century. What started as a way for filmmakers to add context and narration to their movies has evolved into a staple of popular culture that can be found in everything from video games to online videos. Thanks to their versatility and ubiquity, it’s hard to imagine a world without voice overs—and we wouldn’t want to!