Voiceovers

Techniques and Tactics for Success

Janet Wilcox

• Publisher: Allworth
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781621534570
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Acting & Auditioning

Have you ever been told that you have a great voice? Put it to use in a career as a voiceover actor! Veteran voice-over actor, writer, producer, and teacher Janet Wilcox provides the inside scoop on the industry and personal training to help voice-over hopefuls find work in network promos, commercials, documentaries, books on tape, radio, animated films, and more! This rich resource comes with a CD-ROM featuring vocal exercises and interviews with voice-over actors. Readers will discover a treasure trove of useful information, including: Acting warm-ups Vocal workouts Improv sketches Character work sheets Tips for making demos Sample V.O. scripts Interviews with show biz heavyweights Casting insights Advice on getting professional representation Secrets to finding opportunities in traditional and emerging venues And much more! Voiceovers, Second Edition shows readers how to use that great voice to garner cash and compliments.Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

1

The Playing Field

Imagine playing football and having the goalposts placed in different areas each quarter. You would have to think fast to make adjustments to your game strategies. This imaginary scenario mirrors the ever-changing voice-over world. Technology, economic factors, social agendas, and artistic trends modify the kinds of opportunities a voice actor may have.

This is true of all entertainment industries and was portrayed wonderfully in the film The Artist, which explored the transition from the silent era of film to the talkies. Suddenly the protagonist is thrust into an unknown territory because sound has replaced his silent work.

A voice actor has to be a forward thinking individual who can change with the times or will otherwise fall behind. There are some facets of the industry that are constant. Having strong, yet flexible, acting skills can help you transition through the shifting trends.

Keeping your options open by networking with a broad base of industry contacts can bring success as well. Understanding the technological needs of new media and adjusting your skill set can also keep you on track.

I look back upon when I began my career. Voice acting was a hidden gem and wasn’t as widely visible as it is today. Many actors may have worked in radio or transitioned from theater. In contrast, today there is a whole industry that caters to would-be voice actors.

The much-coveted life of a voice-over trailer artist was even explored on screen in the amusing movie In a World. . . . The Internet is full of sites for voice actors and offers portals for productions ranging from podcasts to animated webisodes. A tech-savvy actor can audition and perform from anywhere with the proper skills and a well-equipped studio. The jobs for these types of scenarios range from those paying $50 to union rates with benefits.

An actor must make choices. All acting is about deciding what is the best interpretation of a character for a given script. In the same vein, the actor must decide what jobs and career paths to pursue.

The Forward Pass

Planning for a career takes a vision and knowledge of the winning strategies. Too many actors today want to rush through the process. Laying a firm foundation is essential to having a promising game plan.

Many people ask me about agents. I will explore this later in the book but I can tell you one surefire way to get one and that is to be so good at the craft that you can keep an audience entertained.

The best example I can think of for this is my friend Matt Jones. He studied acting at UCLA, performed theater, and was in a national TV commercial. In addition, he kept up with his training that included lessons at Alexander Techworks. Most importantly, he had suitable survival jobs so he could keep working on his acting career. He kept auditioning and landed a part in a wonderful play called One Night in Miami. . .. Agents came to see it and he landed both a top theatrical agent and commercial agent who also represented voice actors. The agents were so impressed by his theatrical acting that they welcomed him to do VO too.

This is an example of a forward-thinking voice actor—someone who respects the craft enough to work on it while doing survival jobs. With a solid base of skills, he can be flexible and move from VO to stage to screen acting.

Uta Hagen suggested that actors must have respect for acting and treat it with the same reverence as other art forms. It should require serious study and truthful work. Nowadays the same can be said of voice actors wanting to compete at the highest level. Voice actors must revere their craft because it has evolved and become more sophisticated and competitive.

So many voice actors hope to have a top Los Angeles agent. The Hollywood market caters to everything from national advertising to globally-viewed animated features. Sounds pretty cool right? Well, you need patience to get to this place.

Temptations to take shortcuts abound today. Anyone with a mic and a computer program can audition from anywhere—which is fine, but does not ensure success. You have to have strong tech skills to succeed at this work and much of it is non-union. If your goal is to do this kind of non-union work then that’s your choice. Yet know that without feeding your creative side and putting in the time to take your performances to new levels, you may plateau.

Whichever way you want to play it, you will have to balance your artist technique with technologically sophisticated skills in the world of entertainment. Acting, singing, improvisation, and performance outside the booth can help keep you fresh. Taking care to keep up with the latest software and computer trends can give you an added edge to lure clients looking for a fast turnaround performance.

Your career options are shaped by your skill-set, training, and business acumen. Voice actors who take the time to study acting, understand the craft, and can translate those techniques to any number of genres from animation to commercials have an edge. Voice-over artists who have tech skills can easily record auditions and jobs from home, but if they lack breadth of acting training they can be limited to perform only specific acting genres. Of course, a voice actor who has both great technical proficiency and solid acting performance work has the best chance of acquiring a range of clients.

It’s like the difference between a paralegal and a lawyer. Both are familiar with the law but a paralegal has specialized training with less depth. A lawyer has more education with in-depth insights into the legal system and will be paid more.

Who Is Winning?

Since the first edition of my book, many marketplaces have expanded. Often a voice actor must multitask in a world where people do so many jobs at once. For example, there is a great demand for audiobook narrators now. This caters to both union and non-union actors. Often audiobook vendors want actors to record and edit their own work, so knowledge of recording and editing is a plus.

The celebrity presence in the VO industry seems to have grown in leaps and bounds. On the other hand, there are many more opportunities and outlets for actors to secure voiceover jobs. Internet sites allow actors from across America and around the world to audition for everything from commercials to video games. Web casting sites give clients the opportunity to audition as many as 1,000 people or more for one commercial.

Advertisers can zero in on exactly what they want with celebrities who give them a shortcut to their brand identity. Accomplished actor, writer, and VO veteran Fred Melamed played a funny role as a famous trailer voice actor in the movie In a World. . . . He talks about how audiences and advertisers view the celeb VO talent. Melamed says: “Most of the time the public is not even aware that the voice they hear is that of a star they are familiar with. The use of a star often lends more status to the ad agency and the client than the product advertised.”

Celebrities bring a confidence and ease to talking about everything from cars to computers for lucrative union commercials. These union spots provide pay per play incomes that are very attractive. The non-celeb actor must bring the same level of skill, knowledge, and playfulness to their performance to stand out in the competitive field.

Fred Melamed talks about the artistic quality of celebrity performances. He says:

“I don’t think it has changed the way voice acting should be approached. It’s true that the field has now been flooded with stars, anxious to add to their earnings with lucrative VO contracts. That heightens the competition, but I don’t believe that has added many voiceover greats to the talent pool. With some notable exceptions (James Earl Jones, Alec Baldwin and James Spader come to mind), in the vast majority of cases, stars give undistinguished VO performances.”

Every actor will choose a path that leads to a perfect fit, but remember aiming high will give you more options. As Melamed observes, even for a star, acting is the key to creating a strong VO performance. He says: “I would say that my growing visibility as an actor has had the effect of occasionally being made outright offers for VO work without auditioning, and the ability to command more money (working only at multiples of scale, for example) for what I do, but there is not much difference in how I work artistically. I have always approached VO work as a form of acting.”

Postgame Analysis

Since the first edition of my book there have been some major milestones in the VO world. Don LaFontaine, the famous pioneer voice of the VO trailer style, passed away. His trailblazing voice was imitated throughout the industry and defined the style for trailers. Everyone remembers his famous line “In a world . . .” which he satirized in a Geico commercial.

Yet his great work lives on at the SAG Foundation’s Don LaFontaine Voice-Over Lab in Los Angeles. The Don LaFontaine Studio gives many union and non-union actors a chance to perform in a state-of-the-art studio. It also offers opportunities for recording and classes.

The unions SAG and AFTRA merged into SAG-AFTRA to bring TV and film actors together. The Don LaFontaine studio is located in the SAG-AFTRA building in Los Angeles at the present time.

Also since the first edition of this book, two interviewees, Cynthia Songe and Richard Allen, passed away. I’ve kept their relevant advice intact as a testimony to their talent and artistic legacy. After all, the advice of a seasoned performer is always timeless.

There are new scripts in this version in addition to the previous ones. I have found that you can never have enough scripts to read in voiceovers. Classic programs are replayed on cable channels and strong commercial campaigns never go out of fashion. So enjoy exploring all the genres to stretch your acting chops.

Staying current with new technologies is no easy feat. From the moment I write this word until you read my book new gizmos will garner new benefits for voice actors. I can only guess what might come next. Nanotechnologies will no doubt play a role in compact recording equipment and microphones.

You must do what you can to learn about all the newest technologies. Tech skills also help you navigate the world of self-promotion. Social media plays a large role in promotion and free publicity. I can post a comment, audio file, or picture and share it with a large audience in an instant. These tools are essential to your success.

As in the previous printing, I have given you a range of website links to explore. Please understand that this is a starting place—merely the tip of the iceberg. Sites change and disappear, so you must be inventive and use keywords to uncover new sites as the industry evolves.

Find friends who will share their insights and newfound facts. Get inspired by getting out of your comfort zone and pushing the limits. The society, globalization, economy, and technologies will determine how you shift your strategies for success. Stay fluid and use this book as a guide to keep you on track with your training and artistic goals.

Coach’s Huddle

Since my first book, I’ve expanded my own recording potential with a WhisperRoom™ booth, and wrote a second book, Mastering Monologues and Acting Sides: How to Audition Successfully for Both Traditional and New Media.

Researching this second book, I discovered that many actors had turned to the web for performance opportunities. The Internet has opened up new venues such as webisodes and podcasts, giving voice actors the opportunity to explore everything from animated series to personal podcasts heard around the world.

As always, I also have studied consistently and expanded my voice training with the Arthur Lessac technique in an acting and movement class at UCLA Extension taught by Crystal Robbins. It has been an invaluable tool for me and I’ll share more about it in the book.

The techniques I learned also got me through a challenging time after I fractured my ankle. It gave me strong vocal production techniques when I delivered my speech from a wheelchair for the UCLA Extension teacher of the year award. Strong posture, breathing, and consistent practice enabled me to perform a PSA recording from the wheelchair as well. Keeping up with VO workout groups was also invaluable when I had to rush to the Valley with seconds to spare to record a last minute voice-over job.

In short, you train consistently because you can’t predict the weather, temperament of a director, or the difficulties of a piece of copy in a performance. You must be ready to be at your best at any time.

So without further delay, let your own game plan for success begin and enjoy the process!

2

The Rules of the Game

Are you willing to lose your inhibitions and let your voice soar to new heights? Then get ready to play to win the game of voice-over. It requires fast thinking and the ability to quickly make believe. You have to be excellent to be asked to play. Just like when you play a video game, you’ve got to be engaged with full-on concentration, and you may have to play it over and over again to reach your goal.

Keep a playful attitude as you begin to do the exercises in this book. Play them with the same determination you use with interactive games. This book can be treated like an online course without the computer, and in addition, you can study with me on the Internet. You can also do phone lessons. Just go to my website at www.janetwilcox.com and email me for rates if you’re interested in taking lessons. Throughout this book, you’ll also be given a variety of website resources to expand your knowledge at your own pace. Keep in mind that websites can change, so use key words to search for new sites to stay on top of industry changes.

The goal in voice-over is to have a free-flowing imagination. You may not have the benefit of a scene partner like on stage or screen (unless you’re doing multiple character work). You may have to imagine you’re speaking to a real person, rather than standing in a booth and talking in front of a microphone. You don’t have to learn lines but you have to work quickly. Your ability to imagine you’re in the moment, in a real scene, makes or breaks your performance.

All actors must be creative, but as a voice-over artist you have to rely on imagination to make believe you’re engaged in activities. You don’t have the benefit of a lot of movement because you have to stay in front of the mic—everything comes from your mind’s eye. Senses like hearing, tasting, touching, and scent come from your imagination. Your emotional needs and motivations have to be as real as any scene in real life. At the same time you have to remain glued to the scrip...