I love observing how other people talk and move when they are in conversation.

One trick I learned long ago, that I do not consider a trick per se, is that to alter one's overall read, you simply change the person you are speaking to.

 

James' idea of putting a photo on the microphone is simply a strong way of creating a truer dynamic between the reader and the listener, which is done by imagining as clearly as possible a real person you know that you might say this to.

 

By having a number of photographs of perhaps your daughter, husband, boss, best friend, your pet, etc., you can allter your read specifically.

 

This works well even when you are being directed and asked to warm it up. Simply switch the person you are talking to and make it someone you are more intimate with.

 

Your feelings for this person should automatically cause some distinguishable changes within your read.

DC Goode: Get Psyched 

 

Interesting stuff by all. I'm stealing it all.

Denny. may I say, you are lovely in chiffon. I'm a taffeta guy myself.

JS' take on the character, their inner life, the scene ... all that acting stuff is monumental.

The physicality implemented is also a big deal and/or deal breaker.

Personally, I have a big challenge in that my current recording space is so small that I really have to "psyche" myself into a lot of that physicality because I can't actually move that much. Which may be why some of my booking ratios leave me wanting. '-)

 

I can vouch for the fact that photos do help.

Years ago, when I studied with Dave Sebastian Williams, he used to hand out a sheet full of "emotions'' and or "feelings" that a character might need. I still refer to it sometimes - especially since "feelings" are something that men (in general) tend to have a hard time connecting with. '-)

 

Easy does it girls - we know. We know.

 

Now if I could just get my "sexy" reads to stop sounding so smarmy/preditor-ish. '-) 

Matt Forrest: Body & Mind

 

It's definitely a combination of motivation, as JS put it, and physicality.

 

If I need an extremely animated delivery, I tend to move my hands and arms and actually BE animated.

 

If I'm a geek - scratch that, if I'm VOICING a geek - I often drop my tongue down into my throat and keep my lips open a bit, to get almost a Pee-Wee Herman kind of sound.

 

I try to picture the character, picture myself as that character, and do what I can to BE that character - whether it's a character in the traditional sense, or as an announcer.

 

Recently when I read a couple lines for a documentary, I was portraying a pre-American Revolution soldier on horseback, who had just arrived at a village after witnessing a terrible massacre.

 

He was a bit out of breath, but not too much. He was energetic but worn, and he had a British accent (because at that point in American history, we ALL did).

 

So after practicing the lines with the accent, I jumped up and down a few times to get a little breathy, put my mind in the soldier's predicament, and read the lines - and the client loved 'em.

So there's a good deal of Meisner going on ... although Meisner doesn't always translate well non-visually.

 

As a voice actor, you need to know your limits and work with and around them.

Andy Curtis: Cork Trick

 

I'm sure it's all very old-hat, but I've found for narration prep that doing 10 minutes of warm-up with a cork every second paragraph works WONDERS for actually warming up and keeping diction on-track ;)

Ed Victor: Gotta Be Quick

 

On the one hand, I can say that when you have the luxury of time to develop a read, or a character, or a motivation (old school) or a thought process - God bless.

 

But the reality of this business is such that most times that is a sheer impossibility in order to stay competitive.

 

Method acting is great! Living in the total submersion of a character - there's nothing better. There is no question.

 

But I've got to tell you, when you're competing against the best in the business and your LA agent is giving you 20 minutes to turn it around or your out ... all the method in the world is often times meaningless.

Lets face it, between the screaming dealer work ... the :80 seconds of copy that has to be read in 59.9, the "make it louder" on the carpet retail ads, the "your voice isn't deep enough" on the motorcycle retailer spots ... all the things we've got to do to make ends meet, the methodology, the years of acting classes and the money spent ... is a mute point.

 

I have an audition to do right now for a national car account. I've got till the morning to submit my read. I've been reading and thinking and imagining how this non-announcer needs to sound. I have time.

 

Get this, the agent actually sent a follow-up message to me and to whoever else got the nod to read for the audition, stating: " If this isn't for you, or even remotely for you, or you can't act to the specs - please don't audition!!!!"

Apparently, she doesn't want to be embarrassed by submitting the wrong picks. Huh.

 

 

But the point I'm trying to make is that sometimes we don't have the luxury of "ACTING" the part.

 

We have to have the experience to do the right thing. Whether it's pinching our hand or screaming or whatever works to stay competitive and get paid.

 

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Matt Forrest: Crazy Expectations

 

Ed, while I'm not at the LA agent-level yet, I have done some national as well as international work, and I totally understand what you mean about the crazy expectations clients have.

 

I've had all the :80 copy, 'make it louder,' 'make it faster' issues you've had, albeit on a smaller scale.

 

In fact, today I was given a script and told to read in a casual NPR-style delivery - and the only way I could fit it into the time they wanted was to race through it faster than the Fed Ex commercial guy!

 

So I understand about quick turnaround and that sort of thing. But I don't think acting necessarily needs to take up that much time.

 

When I read for an audition - whether it's a high-energy concert spot, an unusual animated character, or the Revolutionary soldier I mentioned - I often don't have much time to think about how I'm going to do it.

 

When I get the audition, I try to send it in as soon as I can. In the case of the soldier audition, for example, I turned it around in probably 15 minutes; I didn't spend forever trying to understand 'motivation' and all that. I just put myself in the place of the soldier and read it as if I was him.

 

It's thinking on your feet. Same thing with a concert spot - I try to determine what type of music the artist plays, what type of audience it's targeting, what type of delivery is appropriate for that audience ... and then hope I get it right!

Andy Curtis: Sound More Fun ...?? 

But when a client says "make it sound more fun" ... what the heck are they saying??? I seem to have been able to "get" all the other instructions.. But I'm having real problems with this "make it sound more fun" line.

Have fun! At least may it sound like you're having fun!.

J.S. Gilbert: Audition Prep

 

Not to contradict you Ed, but you have posted on numerous occasions that you tend not to book much work from auditioning. Maybe it would be better for you to not try and cram the auditions in, but to use tried and true acting techniques to make each audition count.

Personally, I wish my marketing skills were on par with yours and I could just dial for dollars. But in fact, I have almost always gotten the bulk of my acting income from auditioning.

 

I deal with the same agents, crazy directions, overwritten copy and in addition, physical limitations that slow me down a bit.

Why not take the next audition and simply say that you will spend enough time prepping it to turn it into the best audition job you've ever done? 

FOR ANDY ...

And Andy, "Make it sound more fun" generally means it was a really funny spot until the client and the legal department sucked all of the life out of it and now we need John Cleese on steroids.

 

Well, maybe not John Cleese on steroids, but someone who can breathe the life back into it. Not necessarily funny, but fun.

Kevin Readdean: Inner Channels

 

Here’s a technique I used on my latest audiobook project:

 

The text included drawing out a variety of contrasts (on one hand / on the other) and consequences (do this / this will happen).

 

To pull this off, I channeled my inner Karate Kid and did the “wax on / wax off” hand movements.

 

Who knew that one day Mr. Miyagi’s sage advice: “Wax on, wax off. Breathe in through nose, out the mouth. Wax on, wax off. Don't forget to breathe, very important ...” would be applicable in the vocal booth?!

Ed Victor: Different For Everyone

 

JS, you're not contradicting me at all. I don't book from audtions, I really don't. It's likely because I'm in Palm Beach and not in LA or NY or CHI, but it doesn't mean I don't try. But I don't rely on it. I can't.

My guy in LA is specifically a trailer agent, and breaking through with the heavy hitters he handles is akin to winning the lottery.

 

The same guys book over and over and over again. You hear them on every single trailer. If it's not one, it's the other. I'm hopeful that one day I will break the cycle.

 

 

Twenty minutes is all you get from the time the audition is received. And the direction is this: "Comedy - hook it up." Or, "Drama - do it!" That's it. It's up to you or me to understand what that means in that world of movie trailers.

Thanks for the nod on the marketing. I am fortunate that my "day job" has been in the ad world for the past 25 years. As far as "dialing for dollars," if you mean because of my marketing skills, guilty as charged and thanks.

 

But as far as picking up a phone and calling a prospect, I never have. In fact, many of my clients I've never even spoken to on the phone.

Again, it could very well be the difference in our physical locations and our own agent relationships. It's different for everyone, and that's what makes this group and the perspectives discussed so great.

 

ABOUT ED ...

Ed Victor is a busy full-time voice actor who serves a roster of national and international clients worldwide from his Whisper Room in West Palm Beach, FL. During a successful advertising career spanning more than 20 years, he worked with top voice over and on-camera talent, and now uses the writing, production and directing experiences from that career in voice overs. Voicing in a variety of genres, his past and current clients include American Airlines, Audi, AARP, AC Delco, Buick, Bosch, Chevrolet, Colgate, Carharrt Clothing, DHL International, Florida Lottery, Florida Hospital, Henry Ford Health Systems, Jaguar, Lear Seating, Michelin Tires, Sheering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, Onstar, Xerox, SM Satellite Radio and more.