YOU MAY not know his name, but you would certainly recognise some of the voices Azman Zulkiply has performed over his nine years as a professional voice actor.
Remember General Rama, Ejen Rizwan, and Viktor Ong from the Ejen Ali series and movie? How about Bora Ra from the Boboiboy movie?
Azman has also voiced Riq, Krom, Beaks, and Cuckoo in Rimba Racers; and Seri Bibah, Sultan, and Sir Alex Parkinson in The Amazing Awang Khenit.
It’s an impressive resume, considering that it was a skill Azman basically did for fun as a child, and never considered doing as a full-time career.
“I’ve had this habit of mimicking character voices ever since I was a kid,” said Azman. “The interest was there, but I was doing it just for fun, at every opportunity.
“I didn’t think it could be a career. I was not aware that voice acting was a thing until I saw the behind-the-scenes footage of The Lion King when
I was a kid. I saw that there were human beings making these cartoon voices.
“[I realised] there are actually people making a living from doing voices.”
But, there are no schools for voice actors. There is no formal education for those who are interested in taking on voice acting as a profession. So Azman studied animation. During his final year project, he did the voices for his own characters.
“At the time, I also found out that there is a guild for voice actors. Back then, all you need to join was to send in your voice samples. But now it is known as the Guild Of Professional Voice Over Artists, and you have to be a practising professional, or have at least done some paid job within a year to be a part of it,” said Azman.
He recounted how no one knew of him when he first joined the guild, but he did a few odd jobs here and there. He added that the best decision that he made to further his career was to go and meet others in the voice acting profession.
“Find a mentor, I think everyone needs mentoring, especially early on in their careers,” said Azman.
The first bit of advice that he got was to make his presence known. To cold call every opportunity he could find.
“The point of this is to get the studios to have your voice samples. Once they have your voice samples, they can keep them, or share them with their clients.
“Another way to put yourself out there is to go to workshops or auditions. Just go to them regardless of your experience. The whole point is to meet people who are practising the profession,” said Azman.
He also says that aspiring voice actors should look beyond animation when looking for opportunities.
“Realise that the voices you hear on the radio [and] advertisements are local voices. Work is available not just in animation but also in advertisements, even in instructional videos. They all require a voice,” said Azman.
Like many arts, voice acting is a skill that can be learned, practised, and honed. It does not rely solely on talent. “Talent can only get you so far,” said Azman, adding that a deep interest would drive someone to better their abilities more than talent could.
“I think I have a talent for hearing accents. But, I also joined two workshops where I learnt aspects like breathing and the notion of taking your time. At the end of the day, I also realise that voice acting is a team effort.
“No one wants you to fail at a job, so everyone wants to help each other out.” He noted that having a good attitude helps as well.
Azman admitted that doing voice overs for advertisements is what pays the bills. The animation industry in Malaysia is not as big as in other countries, and the game development industry is still on the rise.
When it comes to taking care of his voice, Azman is not that particular. But he wished that more table reading sessions were done before recordings. A table read is a gathering of the cast, writers, and director where they read through the episode or feature. A sort of rehearsal.
“I drink water and I do not eat before recording, to prevent gas. Once while recording, my stomach groaned because I hadn’t eaten. The microphone caught it and the person in the recording booth said: ‘Are you hungry?’”, said Azman.
