Voiceovers can be a career, or a little extra money on the side, but it's always fun! First, forget any preconceived notions that you have about the business. If you are returning from a break from VO... understand technology has completely changed the anture of the animal!
For example, if you want to get into voiceovers simply because people say you have a nice voice... consider this. Voice is less than 10% of what's needed to do voiceovers. VO is a skill that requires training, preactive, and technique. In fact, if your voice is too good, it can work against you, if you are not skilled enough to be transparent. Clients don't want people to notice the voice... they want people to notice the message the voice is communicating.
If you want to get into voiceovers because you think it'll be easy... and won't cost much to get into, you're only partly right. Compared to franchises (like Subway, Curves, etc.) that will be starting a business, and you will need investment capital. You'll have expenses for training, marketing, equipment, etc. just like in any other business. If you can't afford to start a business right now, you can't afford to get into voiceovers right now. However, if that is the case, and you may want to enter the field in the future, DO take advantage of all the free services available to you, to research your possible future career!
If you have been told by an agent or client that you need a demo CD, and you are wondering what to put on it, STOP! You do not want to do your own demo! And any reputable coach I know will not do one for you if you don't have training, because they don't want to take your money knowing that you won't get any work!While it's obviously not their job to get you work they don't want to take advantage of your desire to enter this biz... knowing that you will definitely not get work--since you have nothing to offer yet but a voice (which is worthless without skill.)
Unfortunately, there are a number of unscrupulous cmpanies and coaches who prey on the dreams of wanna-be voiceover talent. For liability reasons, I obviously cannot name any for you. As a rule, I'd suggest you train with individual coaches, rather than big companies. As with mom and pop businesses, they tent to care more about you and your success. I also suggest you avoid voiceover training that studios provide. FOr th emost part (not always) they know a lot about technical, but not as much about VO itself. And you typically should not learn how to be better at voiceover from a coach who does not DO voiceovers! Another red flag... do they have a "curriculum" in which your demo is produced based on a formula? This class + That class = demo? That doesn't really add up! You need a coach who does your demo when you are ready!
Written by Julie2
Listen to Julie2's demo here
http://www.voicesonlinenow.com/
Monday, January 3, 2011
Friday, December 3, 2010
Medical Narration Voice Over
Medical Narration is its own animal. It's a VO genre that presents unique challenges, but also offers great rewards.
One of the greatest rewards in Medical Narration is repeat business. Once a client finds a talent who can confidently and competently rise to the challenge, he usually comes back time and time again. It's not easy for clients to find someone who can do medical narration well. In fact, I've noticed that even many seasoned voice actors and actresses--not to mention some prominent voice coaches who have decades of experience--do not do a very good job with medical narration!
Why? Perhaps because they focus too much on pronouncing difficult terminology correctly-- as if that were the only challenge of medical narration. It's not. Sure, pronunciation can literally be a mouthful, but that's easy to remedy. Find out how to say the words and practice saying them until they roll off your tongue like a fluent language.
The real challenge in medical narration is telling the story. And for good reason. In many medical narrations the terminology is so difficult, and the subject matter so foreign, that even the narrator can't see the story! How can a voice actor tell a story you don't know? Yet if the words are spoken in such a manner that the story is not told, the voice actor loses the credibility in the eyes of the most important listener, the audience for whom the script was written. Whether it be doctors learning about a disease, students exploring biological processes, or patients being instructed on how to use a medical device, presumably, the audience will understand what is being said--even if the voice actor doesn't! And to that audience the voice actor is supposed to be the expert! He or she is the one teaching the information!
So, how can you know the story? There are a number of techniques you can practice. But for starters, don't let the words get in the way. Don't get so wrapped up in the medical mumbo that you can't see past it to the underlying message--the story.
Written by Julie2
Listen to Julie2's demo here
www.VoicesOnlineNow.com
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Directing Voice Talent II
Director prep: First, you need to understand the script and what you want the voice talent to accomplish. A way of clarifying this for yourself is to listen to a performance from a commercial, film, video or TV show that you'd like your actors to emulate in feel, tone and attitude. That gives you a target to aim at. Determine in advance how you'll direct them to achieve that. This will vary depending on your actors' skill, experience and your relationship with them.
Secondly, make sure the voice talent understands what needs to be accomplished. Let your actors in on those little secrets: who is the audience? Are they eavesdropping on a conversation? Listening to a voicemail message? Are they being spoken to directly? How do we want the listener to feel?
Don't ask the actor to produce a feeling or you'll get something forced. Tell them what you'd expect the listener's reaction to be - to cry, to laugh, to reminisce, to be energized, etc.
What thought do we want to leave the listener with? What action do we want them to take? What's the underlying attitude and agenda of the person speaking? Often it's in contrast to spoken words and can add great interest to the spot.
Describe the character(s) physically, psycho graphically and sociologically. Give your voice actors information, so they can understand where each character is coming from.
If you're directing dialogue, explain the "back story" - the relationship and history to the participants. Are they coming into this scene after a fight, or after making love? After a life-threatening experience or a spiritually uplifting one? Have the voice talent emotionally experience the moments before we enter the scene, either by imagining themselves there, or by pulling the appropriate emotions from their own experience, so they're in character from their first breath. Have them ad lib or "read into" the scene. Even the tag reader should hear what's gone before to understand how to read the tag.
If the final commercial will be produced with sounds in the background, often it's helpful to play those sounds over their headsets while they record. If they hear the traffic, or the sounds of a mountain stream, or the fireworks, or the loud music at the club, it will help put the voice talents "on location" so they'll speak with the appropriate volume, projection or intimacy.
Remember that you're doing radio. The audience will only see the characters your actors are creating in their mind's eye. Try doing the same thing. Close your eyes and listen to your talents' delivery. That way you won't base your direction on the way they look, their facial expressions or physical movements. It's kind of like listening to... the radio.
Written by Jeffrey1
Listen to Jeffrey1's Demo
www.VoicesOnlineNow.com
Secondly, make sure the voice talent understands what needs to be accomplished. Let your actors in on those little secrets: who is the audience? Are they eavesdropping on a conversation? Listening to a voicemail message? Are they being spoken to directly? How do we want the listener to feel?
Don't ask the actor to produce a feeling or you'll get something forced. Tell them what you'd expect the listener's reaction to be - to cry, to laugh, to reminisce, to be energized, etc.
What thought do we want to leave the listener with? What action do we want them to take? What's the underlying attitude and agenda of the person speaking? Often it's in contrast to spoken words and can add great interest to the spot.
Describe the character(s) physically, psycho graphically and sociologically. Give your voice actors information, so they can understand where each character is coming from.
If you're directing dialogue, explain the "back story" - the relationship and history to the participants. Are they coming into this scene after a fight, or after making love? After a life-threatening experience or a spiritually uplifting one? Have the voice talent emotionally experience the moments before we enter the scene, either by imagining themselves there, or by pulling the appropriate emotions from their own experience, so they're in character from their first breath. Have them ad lib or "read into" the scene. Even the tag reader should hear what's gone before to understand how to read the tag.
If the final commercial will be produced with sounds in the background, often it's helpful to play those sounds over their headsets while they record. If they hear the traffic, or the sounds of a mountain stream, or the fireworks, or the loud music at the club, it will help put the voice talents "on location" so they'll speak with the appropriate volume, projection or intimacy.
Remember that you're doing radio. The audience will only see the characters your actors are creating in their mind's eye. Try doing the same thing. Close your eyes and listen to your talents' delivery. That way you won't base your direction on the way they look, their facial expressions or physical movements. It's kind of like listening to... the radio.
Written by Jeffrey1
Listen to Jeffrey1's Demo
www.VoicesOnlineNow.com
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Directing Voice Talent
Whether you're a writer, producer, actor, or director, developing directing skills will make a world of difference in your commercials.
Directing is...inspiring, coaching, encouraging, cheerleading, getting inside the psyche of a voice actor and planting seeds so that that voice actor will bring to life words on a page. Good directing not only improves the final production, but it improves the skills of the voice talent being directed.
The result is a more believable commercial. The audience, the client and the station will are the beneficiaries.
Listen to how people speak. The pitch changes that occur when they're happy or depressed, the audible tension when they're under stress, the sound of an angry person speaking with a tight jaw, are all reference points for a good director to have. As your voice talent moves through the commercial, keep asking yourself, "Is this how a person in this situation would sound?" That's the mark you should be aiming for and nudging your voice talent toward.
A common mistake is to ask the voice talent or voice actor to emphasize too many words. This can make it should too much like a pitch or announcer voice and not like a conversation. Sometimes just a small rise in the pitch of a word will make it stand out. Remember, your listener is participating in the conversation. Involve their imagination by not having the voice actor give it all away in the delivery.
Believability starts with the casting. Find the best voice actors you can afford. This will make your job much easier. Instead of telling them how to read the script, tell them why you wrote it the way you did. Let them bring their experience to it. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Be confidant of the performance you're anticipating, so you don't confuse and frustrate your talent by changing direction after each take. However, you may also get interpretations you hadn't planned for. Be open to changing your preconceptions and going with the new direction if it works better than what you had in mind.
Try to make the session fun and keep your voice talent relaxed, even if you and the client may not be.
Written by Jeffrey1
Listen to Jeffrey1's Demo
www.VoicesOnlineNow.com
Directing is...inspiring, coaching, encouraging, cheerleading, getting inside the psyche of a voice actor and planting seeds so that that voice actor will bring to life words on a page. Good directing not only improves the final production, but it improves the skills of the voice talent being directed.
The result is a more believable commercial. The audience, the client and the station will are the beneficiaries.
Listen to how people speak. The pitch changes that occur when they're happy or depressed, the audible tension when they're under stress, the sound of an angry person speaking with a tight jaw, are all reference points for a good director to have. As your voice talent moves through the commercial, keep asking yourself, "Is this how a person in this situation would sound?" That's the mark you should be aiming for and nudging your voice talent toward.
A common mistake is to ask the voice talent or voice actor to emphasize too many words. This can make it should too much like a pitch or announcer voice and not like a conversation. Sometimes just a small rise in the pitch of a word will make it stand out. Remember, your listener is participating in the conversation. Involve their imagination by not having the voice actor give it all away in the delivery.
Believability starts with the casting. Find the best voice actors you can afford. This will make your job much easier. Instead of telling them how to read the script, tell them why you wrote it the way you did. Let them bring their experience to it. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Be confidant of the performance you're anticipating, so you don't confuse and frustrate your talent by changing direction after each take. However, you may also get interpretations you hadn't planned for. Be open to changing your preconceptions and going with the new direction if it works better than what you had in mind.
Try to make the session fun and keep your voice talent relaxed, even if you and the client may not be.
Written by Jeffrey1
Listen to Jeffrey1's Demo
www.VoicesOnlineNow.com
Thursday, November 4, 2010
ESPN College GameDay Comes to Utah
ESPN's "College Football GameDay" is coming to Salt Lake City this week and fans are encouraged to attend all of its shows in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
On Friday, Nov. 5, the ESPN "GameDay" crew of Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Erin Andrews will broadcast segments for "SportsCenter," "College Football Live" and other ESPN shows from the set in Rice-Eccles Stadium from 10 a.m. until around noon.
On Saturday, "College Football GameDay" will begin airing before a live crowd a 7 a.m. The show last for three hours (until 10 a.m. MT), with the first hour on ESPNU and the remaining two hours on ESPN.
Written by Robert Jackson
For full article visit www.DeseretNews.com
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
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