Free Webinar on VO from All Access

I’ve never listened to one of these webinars, but it features someone I respect, so I thought I would pass it along.

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At first glance, it would seem that a strong background on-the-air would easily translate to a voiceover career, but it’s not quite that simple.

THE CONCLAVE is offering a webinar next WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, from 2-3p CST to discuss the realities of getting started in doing freelance voiceovers, whether it be in providing radio/TV stations with their signature voice or finding work doing narrations and other so-called “industrial” reads.

You’ll acquire information on the nature of freelance voiceovers and what you need to bring to the table in terms of talent, work ethic and equipment.

Join CONCLAVE Board member JAY PHILPOTT, with guests DICK ERVASTI, ANN DeWIG and EMMETT ANDREWS by registering free here.

Homework for Mon., Feb 8, 2010

Your homework is actually on Pages 5 and 6 of your workbook – Read the Script of Your Choice.

This exercise will help you understand if you are hearing your own “voice” and have at least a little understanding of where it might fit.

Record a few commercial breaks off the TV – either using a video or audio recorder. You need about 4 to 8 minutes of commercials so that you can find one that seems “right” for your voice. Pick something between 30 and 60 seconds. (20 seconds at the LEAST)

What you are trying to get is the audio from a bunch of commercials from which you will pick one to transcribe. That’s why you need to record the commercials – on an audio or video format. You need to be able to play the one you select over and over and over until you get the words written down correctly.

Select one spot from what you have recorded for which you think your voice might be suited. Pick a fairly straight forward spot. Do not go for a broad character for this exercise. Also, if you are a male, this doesn’t necessarily eliminate spots that were voiced by females, or vice versa. This is a subjective business after all, but don’t forget to consider that some products are more likely to be voiced by one sex or the other.

What spot you pick will say a lot about how you hear your own voice and capabilities.  Why did you select this particular spot as being suited to your voice?

Calendar Updated

I tracked down the Add/Drop deadlines for the semester and added them to the Master Class Calendar.

Homework for Wed. Feb 3, 2010

I actually forgot to give you your reading assignment – Read Chapters 1-5. They are short chapters. And start listening critically to radio and TV commercials.

Fill in Page 2 of your Workbook – with at least 12 distinct areas kinds of things where a voiceover artist might get paid to do. I gave you the first one – radio commercials. Open your mind and think of all the different kinds of things that talk to you. Where do you hear voices?

The second column is to help you get a jump on the marketing side of the business. Once you have identified a specific kind of work, who do you think might be the one paying for it? An advertising agency? A production company? A film studio? A manufacturing plant? A corporation?

Direction, you can’t handle direction!

This is a kick in the pants! A Jamie Kennedy Experiment with a voiceover talent. Four words “I don’t think so.” Crazy fun! And I don’t know if I would have been as gracious by the end of the session. Perhaps – as the “director” got more and more insane – I would have been treading the water very carefully as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ncVwQ6YmAA

The fun begins!

Get up a few minutes early – grab an extra cup of coffee – and get on over to City College to find a place to park so that you will be in class on time! I will do the same. The first few weeks are the hardest for parking (for all of us). And this year, with new construction starting on several buildings, parking will be worse than ever. So plan ahead!

Bring your homework and be ready to be on the hot seat! I will call on you at some point.

See you tomorrow!

Once again: It takes MORE than talent

If you learn one thing from taking a voiceover workshop or class, it should be that having a great voice and even great talent is not enough to make it in this business. Search back through the posts here (and on my regular VO Blog – isdnvoicetalent) for more on that, but I was reminded of this mantra again today when VoiceoverXtra arrived in my Inbox.

Jennifer Vaughn wrote a great article detailing the OTHER skills you need to make it. We call it “Type A” personalities.

She includes a list of personality traits that are important for success…do you have these attributes?

• quick study,
• flexible,
• self motivated,
• ambitious,
• goal oriented,
• work ethic or work-a-holic mentality,
• overly competitive,
• creative thinker,
• multi-tasker,
• strong/deep desire to achieve,
• firm demeanor (you’re not seen as a pushover).

Read Jennifer’s whole article here: http://www.voiceoverxtra.com/article.htm?id=zqadabt2

First Day Letter

Welcome! Thanks for signing up and I hope you all decide to stay. There are a few things to understand and do before we get started on learning the basics of Voiceover Acting. Please ask me individual questions if you want to discuss how any of the following comments/requirements might prevent you from benefiting from this class.

1)      This is a performance class. That means attendance is critical in assessing your grade. Attendance, submitting assignments on time, being ready when called and participating with a smile on your face and your ego checked at the door: if you do these things you will do well in the class.

2)      If you are not a native English speaker/reader: There is a great deal of spontaneity required in voiceovers. If you first have to translate the words into your native language in order to understand the meaning of the words and then back into English before you are able to read it aloud, you may feel frustrated at times during class participation. You will still benefit from the class. If you feel that you fall into this category, please let me know.

3)      Please fill out the CLASS PROFILE for Monday, Feb 1: this information will help me know what you know and if you have any experience we may all be able to learn from during the course of the semester. Print neatly and fill in as much information as you can. The more I know about you, what you do, and what you like to do, the more I can offer you as an individual.

4)      You will need a method of recording your homework. Because you will have to record on your own for playback in class, you need to have a recording device – standard or micro cassette, mini-disk, CD, digital recorder. Plus, we will record what you do during class on a standard-sized cassette recorder. If you are using something OTHER than a standard sized cassette please come see me after class.

5)      Buy the book and my workbook: “There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is” (enlarged second edition) by Elaine Clark. If it is not in the bookstore, you can buy it from my website at: www.voiceover-talent.com/voinfo.htm. The bookstore will have the Workbook.

6)      You will NOT have a professional voiceover demo at the end of the class: You will have a better idea of where you might fit in the world of voiceovers and you will develop skills to help you in the eventual creation of a demo tape, if and when you are ready to do so. Besides being an Introduction to Voiceover Acting, the size of the class and the limitations of the equipment would prevent any usable demo from being developed during this class.

HOMEWORK FOR MONDAY: Fill out the Class Profile. Details on any particular area of expertise would be good to know.

Go Online and Listen to Voiceover Demos: www.videovoicebank.net is good. Click on Demos/Clients. Then Talent Agency – Union and/or Talent Agency – Non-union. Listen critically. Think about the voices you are hearing. (You could also listen to demos on nearly any talent agency website.) You need to know your competition and what kinds of voices are doing the work. Concentrate on the commercial demos. You also need to start pinpointing your general sound. So listen until you find one or two “voices” that have a similar pitch and quality as your voice. Write down the Name of the talent and the Agency where you found the demo and describe the voice you are hearing. This will be turned in on Monday when I return.

VO Explained in 5 Minutes

This isn’t new, but I ran across the clip on the Working Voice Actor group on LinkedIn this morning.

Blair Hardman explains everthing you need to know about voiceover – and one thing you don’t – in 5 minutes. It’s accurate and funny.

http://www.youtube.com/user/IgniteSebastopol#p/u/5/7ItM7tv0hGs

UPDATE for my Spring 2010 class

UPDATE for my Spring 2010 class: There will be a sub the first day of class, as I have been booked out of town for three days starting Monday, January 25. You will be checked in. Add codes will be given out (if there is room), an audio presentation will be played and homework will be assigned. Class will begin for real on February 1, 2010. If you miss the Monday, January 25th class, and Add Codes have been assigned  that brings us up to cap, you will not be able to stay in the class.

This is an individual performance class and if there are too many people in the class, I will not be able to give everyone the attention they deserve.