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VOICE ACTING Bring The 'Real You' To Your Read, Bundling All Your Life Experiences
 By Dave CourvoisierVoice Actor & TV News Anchor Most foundational psychological theory holds that we present to the world the person we want people to see. Apparently as young humans, the
world seems too daunting for most of us, and we learn early on to
construct a facsimile of ourselves, with a few unique modifications, through which we filter the world. More importantly, though, this facsimile presents a "pose" seen as "you" by everyone else. ENTER: THE DIRECTIONS You've just received an audition from your agent or your favorite
P2P. The directions are longer than the copy, confusing, and
referencing Tim Allen's voice on something he did for Michigan Travel,
or better yet, includes a link to a YouTube video using a voice "we
really like." Your VO coach says:
"Read the directions if you want." The coach suggests, "but in the end, be sure to give them the real you." Many of the best VO coaches will tell you that "the real you" is the only
thing that differentiates you from all the losers auditioning the
same script.
But - uh - wait a minute, is that the real me, or the real me that I've been posing all these years? Your experience says:
"I think I know what this audition really needs. It needs the same ole
delivery that won me that big spot for Trident chewing gum last year,
and besides, it's what I'm really good at. It's the same winning sound I
learned from those years behind the mic as a DJ." Your over-analysis says:
"I didn't spend all that money for VO coaching for nothing. So I'll
whip out a few tricks I learned. Some pacing, some inflection, maybe a
little low raspy character voice. Then I'll punch the client's name
hard, and they'll never recognize the DJ I used to be." But the client clearly says: "He wants me to sound like Mike Rowe on this one, so I'll overlay all of the above with my best Mike Rowe imitation." Now, your confusion says:
"OK, I admit it. I have no freakin' idea how to approach this copy. Do I go with my gut? Do I give them the real me? Who is the real me? Do I apply all the lessons I learned? Or do I just break down and give
them Mike Rowe? SO WHAT HAPPENS? In the end, you chicken out and give them three reads, two-and-a-half of which
they'll never listen to, because they threw out your audition after
hearing - and dismissing - your voice in the slate. Tell me you haven't gone through that mental gyration at some time with copy. Or are you that good that you just know how to deliver each and every
spot that comes your way? Your interpretation is impeccable. Your
prescient knowledge of what the client wants is bordering on
clairvoyant. You're booking right and left, and can do no wrong. Bravo! THE TRUTH I liken it to learning pole vaulting, or piano playing, or BMX racing. You start with some basic talent. You add your life's experience. You get coaching - and learn a couple of new tricks. It's awkward at
first, but practice makes it more natural, and then you go back for some
more tips. You try to think about those tips one by one as you
approach the high bar, the keyboard, the dirt track. It's hard. You
manage some new moves, but can't seem to incorporate them all at once. BRING IT TOGETHER Mechanically at first, you synthesize all the knowledge you've been
given, and you practice some more. Then you practice some more. Now
what was mechanical becomes second nature, and your intrinsic - or perhaps spiritual - understanding of the ethereal principles begin to kick in
with small successes. You throw in some advanced technique. Now you're
reaching higher on the bar, mastering more fingering on the keys,
leaping higher and landing with more control on the track. It's you. But it's a new you. Voice over auditioning is like that. Don't throw out the DJ
entirely. You'll need him or her on the local auto dealership spots. Don't bury the newscaster, he or she comes in pretty handy on e-learning and medical narrations. THE MANY FORMS OF 'YOU' Your high school musical debut as Curly in
the musical Oklahoma may serve you well in audiobooks. They're all part
of the "you" that enters the booth. When your most excellent VO coach admonishes you to "bring the real
you" to your read, he means take your basic talent, add life
experience, and incorporate all the tips you've picked up along the
way - then practice. Practice till you hit the "new you" that can handle
copy when it comes with a client wanting Morgan Freeman on a spot full
of words referencing kitchen cabinets. You might still be posing, but I guarantee you’re a lot closer to the real you. ---------------- ABOUT DAVE
Dave Courvoisier is an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, writer, producer, voice actor, and the main weeknight news anchor on KLAS-TV, Channel 8, the Las Vegas CBS affiliate. He also writes Voice-Acting in Vegas, a daily blog of adventures and observations in a style that’s true to his friendly Midwestern farm roots. Email: CourVO@CourVO.com Web: http://www.courvo.com Blog: http://www.courvo.biz |
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This is spot on. Oh how many times have I read through, analyzed and then in a lot of cases over analyzed the script, marked up the script and then went to record only to be more confused than when I started.
I am grateful to have had some awesome coaches and thank goodness for their knowledge and patience with me and for their tricks (and some "big" things I need to and continue to work on) which come in very handy and are rattling around in my brain all of the time. The thing that I am still learning to do is what I call layering. For example, the coach says something like, "try these few words a bit slower." Okay so I do that then coach adds, "now do the script with a smile," so I add that in. Remembering and then implementing all of the cool tricks and techniques into one read can be really tough. But like you say, it does take practice and a lot of it, but in the end it is so worth it.
Yourself and your experiences + tricks and techniques + practice = a "real you" solid audition!
Thank you, Dave.
-Judy Fossum