GARY MASON

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Getting Started in Voice Over Part IV: Choosing equipment (PT2) – Microphones

Getting Started

Welcome back! 

Hold on to your hats, this is going to be a LONG one.  In the first part of this topic in Getting Started in Voice Over Part IV: Choosing Equipment, we talked about your computer and recording/mastering software (DAW).  In this second part of the post, we’ll talk about the microphone.  Since there is a lot to know about microphones, I’ll dedicate this post to just that single topic.

Recapping the Getting Started in Voice Over series:

  • Sitting and talking to yourself in a small enclosed space all day – Check.
  • Choosing yourself a coach and starting to work with them – Check
  • Fashioned, built or bought a suitable booth for recording – Check.
  • Have, or have gotten, a computer powerful enough to run your DAW – Check
  • Downloaded, installed and learned to use your recording and mastering software – Check

Great and congratulations!

Now what?

Your microphone

Your microphone MAY be the most critical piece of equipment in your whole setup.  While many factors affect the way you sound when recorded (including your voice, duh!) the item that MOST affects your sound is probably the microphone you choose.

So, if you were drooling over microphones at Sweetwater or some other website while you were perusing for booths, DAWS and maybe even computers, you’ll notice there are many, MANY different mics to choose from.  Ask any singer, radio personality or VO artist which mic is best, and you’ll get as many different answers as the number of people you ask.  The REAL, FINAL answer to “Which microphone is best for me?” is: ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE THAT.  Not helpful, right?

While most of us would LOVE to get the coveted Neumann U87 large condenser mic (with a hefty price tag of over $3000), not many of us could afford one when just getting started, and even then, it MIGHT not be the right mic for you.

The idea of selecting a mic is all about FAITHFULLY capturing and reproducing the sound of your voice.  The only real way to know this is: Test several microphones in your price range to see how they reproduce your unique voice.  A tall order, I know…but doable and we can talk about that later.  First, there are a couple things to keep in mind when considering any microphone.

So, what REALLY is a microphone? 

A microphone is a transducer.  A transducer that converts air pressure (sound waves) into an electrical signal that represents the amplitude (level, or sometimes volume) and frequency (pitch) of a sound.  In older analog recordings, those signals were recorded directly to tape, but these days, the signal is digitized (through an analog to digital (A to D) converter) and captured in your computer.  It captures any sound (and to our detriment EVERY sound), but in this case, we are concerned with the sound of your voice.  Well, we are also concerned with the sound of your wife calling for you, your neighbor mowing his lawn and the hum from your refrigerator being transmitted through the structure of your house (yeah, the mic “hears” that too…but I digress).  Anyway, that’s too deep for this post, so let’s assume we are only worried about your voice for now. 

Basic microphone types

There are three basic “types” of microphones, and while there are some specialty mics out there, we’ll concentrate on the three basic types.

Condenser:

This is the type most frequently used for recording vocals, both in music and voice over narration.  A condenser mic uses two charged plates, one stationary and one that vibrates based on the frequency and amplitude of the sound waves entering the mic.  This type of microphone requires a power source (usually 48-volt phantom power supplied either by its own power supply or your interface) to operate, as the plates need an electrical charge.  Condenser mics, while typically producing very clear sound, are fragile and can be affected by temperature and humidity.

Dynamic:

Dynamic mics use a “moving coil” to generate the electrical signals, basically the same way a motor works by moving a magnet between an electrical field.  Because magnets are denser than a plate or ribbon (that one’s next) its response is slower, and therefore does not produce sound as clearly as a condenser or ribbon mic.  They are, however, generally more rugged than either of the other two, so are good choices for a portable mic if you are going to be recording on the go and as a bonus, they are generally less expensive than a ribbon or condenser mic.

Ribbon:

Ribbon mics use a thin “ribbon” of metal (hence the name) to vibrate in an electrical field and produce sound signals.  Because the ribbon is very sensitive to air pressure, they are great for recording sharp smooth and full sounds such as horns.  These mics are in the medium price range, and are extremely fragile.  They can be damaged by temperature and humidity, handling and believe it or not by overdriving them with high amplitude input.  They have their application, but are not typically used for voice over recording.

 Microphone patterns 

Another aspect to consider when selecting your microphone is its “Polar Pattern”.  Polar pattern (or simply pattern) refers to pick-up pattern, or which direction the microphone takes in the greatest amount of sound.  Some mics have switchable patterns, which could be handy in some situations, but for your immediate needs that wouldn’t be necessary.  Again, there are three basic pick-up patters.

Directional: 

A directional mic picks up sound only, or primarily, from the front of the microphone, which is especially helpful if there are unwanted noises behind and to the sides of the mic that you don’t want to capture.  There are actually three types of directional patterns: Cardioid, super-cardioid and hyper-cardioid.  Cardioid is the most popular, and these mics provide just slightly more control in what is captured, and how much, than other patterns.  If your environment has some sources of unwanted noise, you should consider a directional mic.

 

Image Credit: Fluxforge.com

 

A Sub-Genre of directional mics is the Shotgun mic. Shotgun mics use an “interference tube” attached in front of the pick-up, and the thought is that the on-axis sound travels down the tube into the diaphragm, with off axis sound entering the side slots at different times, thus reducing or cancelling the unwanted sound.  In this way, off axis sound is attenuated and the on-axis sound in relationship is stronger.  They have limitations, and if you are considering a shotgun mic you should study them further.  Polar pattern for a shotgun is shown below.

 

Image Credit: Voice Acting Mastery

 

Bi-Directional: 

Also known as a “Figure 8” pattern, picks up sound from both the front and rear of the microphone, while reducing sounds from the side.  This pattern is handy if you are recording two people with a single mic, with one situated in front of, and the other behind, the mic.  This is not an ideal polar pattern if you are doing voice over, as reflections from surfaces behind the mic will arrive out of phase and distort your sound.

 

Image Credit: CCI Solutions

 

Omni- Directional:

As the name implies, this microphone’s polar pattern accepts sound equally from all directions.  As this is how we hear, it produces the most realistic sound, however it will record every stray noise, and all the reflections in the room equally.  You would need to be in a completely sound proof room, or need to record a group of people around a single microphone.  Again, not ideal for voice over work.

 

Image Credit: Learning About Electronics

 

Are you confused yet? 

It’s a lot to take in and understand, but don’t worry, over time this will be easier.  It’s very likely that depending on your recording environment, you will be gravitating toward a condenser microphone with a cardioid pattern for your home booth, and if you intend to record away from your booth (on vacation for example) you’ll want a mic that travels well so you’ll probably select a dynamic mic with (likely) a cardioid pattern as well.  In some travel circumstances, it may be best to select a short dynamic shotgun mic.  You’ll also want some sort of travel “booth”, a topic for another discussion.

At the end of the day… 

The best way to select a mic, is to try out several and see how they sound.  There are a couple ways to do that.  The easiest and cheapest way, is to find a local professional music store, or any store that sells high end professional mics, and see if the salesman will let you come in and sample several.  They may even be able to make suggestions for you.  If you don’t have one of those nearby, see if there are any professional recording studios in your area.  You can usually book an hour of studio time with a professional sound engineer, and they will have every type of microphone available to try.  Short of that, you’ll have to do your research and buy one to see how you sound.  This is by FAR the most expensive way to do it, and you’ll wind up with a lot of expensive stuff you won’t use…but hey, you can always sell them (at a loss of course) to someone else trying to find the perfect mic.

Whichever mic and mic pattern you select, you’ll want one with a “flat” frequency response.  What that means is, in essence, a microphone that is able to capture, faithfully,  sound from the top to the bottom of the audible frequency spectrum.  No microphone does this perfectly, but some are better than others.  What you’ll find is that most drop off in performance near the top and bottom of the range, which frankly is the “sweet spot” in audio since even though very high and very low frequencies are audible, most of us don’t detect a discernable difference below 100Hz and above about 15KHz anyway.  And as we age, that range narrows somewhat as well.

Another thing you’ll find (of course), is the better a microphone IS at reproducing a flat response, the more expensive it is.  Which is not to say just because a microphone is expensive means it’s a good mic.  But the better mics ARE the more expensive ones.  Just be prepared to spend $500 or more to get a good, quality, professional microphone.

In my booth, I am presently using a Sennheiser MK4 large diaphragm condenser mic with a cardioid pattern with a Mojave MA200 (which is also a large diaphragm condenser mic with a cardioid pattern) as back up.

A note about cable quality… 

When shopping for cables, remember that no matter how good your microphone is, if the cable you select to carry its signal to your DAW is sub-quality, then the sound into your recording suite will be affected.  Your cables should be high quality, shielded cables to faithfully carry your audio signals to the A to D converter and into your DAW, and reject stray signals from other electrical/electronic devices.

Cables again – AND – Power sources  

As you are setting up your home studio, you’ll find you have several required cables including digital data cables, analog data cables (XLR from your mic) and power cables to make it all turn on.  Depending on your setup, you may also want monitor speakers, headphones, a remote monitor and eventually a webcam.  All of these cables need to run from one piece of gear to another, and into/out of your booth (again, depending on your setup).  Two things to keep in mind:  You should never run your microphone or digital audio cables alongside your power cables.  The 60Hz (if you are in the US) input power can easily bleed over into your mic cable (even a good, shielded one) creating a low frequency hum throughout your audio.  The other thing to note is that all of your equipment should be plugged into the SAME OUTLET in your home, to prevent a “stray ground” (which can also cause an audible low frequency hum in your audio) from occurring. Invest in a high-quality power strip with enough outlets so you can plug everything into that, and then the strip into the wall outlet.

WHEW! 

Well, THAT was a mouthful!  Thanks for sticking around through the entire article, and good luck finding the right mic for you.  If you have any questions about microphones, or setting up your booth, leave me a message below and I’ll get back to you right away.  If you’d like to connect with a telephone or video chat, I’m happy to spend 30 minutes with you for free to answer any questions or talk more about your fledgling Voice Over career.  Just reach out below and we can schedule a session.

Next Time:

So now you have yourself a SWEET mic, and are ready to dive in and start making BANK!  Well, maybe – You still need to get that warm, vibrant sound from the mic to the DAW.  Next time, I’ll talk a bit about digital audio interfaces.  See ya next week!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!

Please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything!

1000 “no”s

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  It’s said that you have to go through 1000 nos to get to a yes, or kiss 1000 frogs before you find your prince.  The idea of rejection has been with us for a long time.  This week let’s talk about rejection and how to deal with it.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  Yeah, I know I say this every week, but it falls under the heading of “The things that go without saying are the things that most need to be said”.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

FIRST

We say that rejection is just a part of being an actor.  Rejection can really get an actor down, and sometimes that can spiral into the “I’m not meant to be an actor, I should just find a full-time day job” thought process. While it is true that we book only a small fraction of the gigs we audition for, I do not think of the ones I don’t book as a rejection. It’s not a process of rejection, it’s a process of SELECTION. I’ll explain later.

Rejection thinking

The problem with rejection thinking is that it’s negative self-talk. Get rejected often enough and pretty soon you’re thinking you are not worthy.  This thinking makes you feel defeated and tired. It drains your energy, and energy is just what you need for an audition. Pretty soon you are feeling rejected going IN to an audition and at that point your acting career is in a death spiral. Some call this “rejection fatigue”.

Negative Self-Talk

The problem with negative self-talk is that it is much easier to convince yourself of something than it is to convince someone else.  If you are not careful, you’ll have yourself convinced you are a terrible actor.  That can lead to low-effort auditions, and you have a self-perpetuating cycle. You are sure you’re terrible and won’t book a job, go into the audition already defeated, put up a less than stellar audition, don’t get selected and affirm (to yourself anyway) how terrible you are.  Negative self-talk can actually damage your auditions!

Not to be confused with

Just to stop the folks thinking I am being all Pollyanna about this, don’t confuse my eleven part “You’re not getting the f*&^ing job” series with negative self-talk. There is an enormous difference between a healthy understanding of the casting process and thinking you are not good enough to book work.  One is freeing, and the other is a prison sentence. Know that you can both be good enough AND not get the job.

Maybe you are terrible.

The GREAT thing about being a terrible actor is you have no place to go but up.  Go back and look at or listen to your first audition self-tapes and compare them to your latest.  Are you happy with that first one?  If I were a betting man, I’d guess probably not.  My first self-tapes make me cringe when I see/hear them!  But my most recent ones?  Maybe not Oscar worthy, but a WHOLE lot better than those first few.

Each no brings you closer to yes.

Every time you step in front of the camera or sit down behind the mic, you have an opportunity to improve.  I mean, you ALSO have an opportunity to book a job, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.  My point is, if you do happen to be a terrible actor today, every audition helps you become a little better.  Like with many things in life, the more you do something the better you get at it.  Acting is no different. But feelings of rejection make it tough to even GET in front of the camera or microphone (I know, I’ve been there) and that defeatist attitude negatively affects your audition!

Trying to get a job.

Here’s the thing, and it may seem a little non-intuitive.  If you see your auditions as trying to get a job, you’ve already lost half the battle.  Hanging your hat on the outcome of an audition is a recipe for disaster. Yeah, I know you have bills to pay and booking the job is how you pay them, but bear with me here.  If you see auditions as an opportunity to do something you love (act) and to showcase your talent with a casting director instead of as a path to employment, then you’ll enjoy doing them more and be a lot more relaxed and confident.

By the numbers

And remember: There are 100 (or more) people auditioning for the same role.  They will only select one of them. You have a 1 in 100+ chance of booking a particular role.  Ninety-nine times out of a hundred you won’t get it.  If, instead of auditioning to get a job, you audition to provide a CD with a selection of how that role can be portrayed, then not getting the role gets easier. You were not rejected, just not selected.

The Menu

I like to use a menu analogy.  If I go into a restaurant and want to buy dinner the first thing I do (after ordering a drink) is to peruse the menu.  Odds are the menu has a selection of different foods: Beef, chicken, pork, pasta, salads…sometimes even pasta salads. Sometimes I can also choose breakfast items like eggs and pancakes. Usually there are MANY choices.  If I choose chicken, have I rejected beef?  Or Pasta?  Or pork?  NO!  I just selected chicken and tomorrow I may choose beef. It’s the same with auditions.

YOU are the menu item.

When you audition, what you are doing is giving the CD a menu selection.  It sucks to be beef when they want chicken, but it doesn’t mean they don’t like beef or that beef “just isn’t good enough”.  Sorry to all the vegetarians/vegans out there for the meat focused discussion, the same can be said of plant-based food. Stay on the menu long enough and before you know it, they’ll be ordering chicken…or whatever you are.

Lots of reasons

The simple truth is this: There are a of of reasons you may not be selected and most of them have nothing to do with your acting ability. Maybe you are too short, too young, too old, have the wrong color hair.  Perhaps you just don’t have the right chemistry with a scene partner. It could be that the choices you made for that audition are just not what the casting folks were envisioning.  Great performance, just not the one they imagined for that role. It’s not rejection, it’s selection (even if the selection was someone else).

And remember:

Also keep in mind that when you DO book a gig, there are 99+ people who weren’t selected.  That’s both humbling and gratifying at the same time. Even big-name A-list actors are sometimes not selected for roles they want. If you don’t believe me, check this out.

Motivation is the key.

If you understand that you simply can NOT book every role, and that the selection process likely has nothing to do with your acting ability then it is much easier to stay motivated.  And motivation is the key to success here. If you aren’t motivated to audition, then it’s going to take you a LONG time to get through all the no’s to find your yes. And the yes is what we really want because that yes allows us to do what we REALLY love: Perform. And every audition is an opportunity to perform as well!

At the end of the day

Every actor, the guy or gal who started acting today and the people whose names you recognize immediately ALL auditioned for roles they wanted but didn’t get. Sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves that when we don’t book a particular role we are in good company.  The trick is to not think of roles you don’t get as rejection.  Rejection fatigue is real, and that feeling of despair will come across in your auditions leading to that self-fulfilling prophecy of “not good enough”.

You are.

You are good enough. You are talented enough (or on your way to being talented enough). You are just a few no’s away from that yes that will launch your successful career.  You just have to keep pushing, keep auditioning and keep working till the yes arrives!

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over but Didn’t Know Who to Ask!  

You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 4: Self-Tape Auditions

Acting, Setup

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This is week 4 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work.  This week we’ll explore Self-Tape Auditions.

This week

I told you I’d warn you, and here it is.  While VO uses, and has been using for a long time, “self-tape” (or remote) auditions, this has only become popular for stage and on-screen actors recently as a function of the COVID 19 pandemic.  While my VO subscribers may find something useful here, this week’s blog relates MOSTLY to stage and on-screen actors.

The audition

OK, so you’ve submitted and been asked to audition.  That’s GREAT news!  The thing to remember here is: The audition IS the job!  As Bryan Cranston says: If you are going into the audition trying to get a job, you are going for the wrong reason.  You go to the audition to perform. Since the odds of you booking a given job are small, it helps to remember that this is very likely the only chance you’ll have to play this character, so relax and have fun.  Although there ARE some things you can control that may give you a better shot at booking the job.

Before COVID

Way back in 2019 a typical audition was done in-person.  This meant travelling to the location that the casting director (CD) and probably the producer and director have arranged to hold auditions in. Then waiting in the room with all the other actors auditioning until you are called in to perform in front of the production team.  Production provided a “reader” for the characters you were reading against.  All you had to do was prepare, show up, wait your turn, and then perform. (HA HA…”ALL”)

Post COVID

These days, at least for the initial audition, actors are required to self-tape their audition and submit them to casting.  What this has done is forced actors to develop some new skills AND purchase some new equipment, in order to be competitive.  Now you not only need to prepare and learn your role, you need to provide your own reader, have (and understand how to use) your camera (a smart phone could work), have an appropriate background, good sound/lighting and know how to edit video.

You NEED to be competitive

At the end of the day, you are going to need to have good enough quality self-tapes that you are competitive in the market.  No matter how GREAT an actor you are, or how perfectly you portray the character, if your setup and technology are not awesome, you reduce dramatically your chances of booking the job.  Next week we’ll discuss the numbers but know that since your odds of booking any given job are pretty small anyway, anything you can do to improve your odds are worth it.  This is my “home studio” setup:

Location/background

The first thing to know about a self-tape is that anything in the background is going to pull the viewers eyes away from you and will be distracting.  No matter how good your performance is, if the person watching is distracted your odds of booking the role go way down.  You want to be the MAIN feature in the audition, so make sure you are filming in front of a plain background, so the viewer is not distracted.

Color

In addition to being plain, make sure your background is a neutral color.  A quick google search will tell you that neutral colors are “muted shades that appear to lack color but often have underlying hues that change with different lighting”. Examples of neutral colors include beige, taupe, gray, cream, brown, black, and white. Now, for a self-tape you should stay away from black and white as backgrounds.  Black will absorb light and make your tape look dark, while white may wash out the video and make it difficult to watch.  Most CD’s recommend either grey or a muted blue as a background (Yeah I know blue is not on the list).

Lighting

Lighting is very important as shadows on your face or moving around on the background will also be distracting.  You can use a ring light in a pinch but using JUST a ring light is not optimal.  A single ring light will leave shadows on your face, the background and give a weird reflection in your eyes.  Remember that your eyes are what the CD is looking at.  At a minimum you should use 2 lights on either side of the camera at 45-degree angle to your face.

Background lighting

It is also a good idea to have a couple lights that illuminate the background to remove shadows and perhaps a light behind and above your head to give depth. Personally, I use 5 lights in my setup.  Two lights at 45 degrees either side of the camera, two behind me and at 45 degrees to the background to remove shadows, and one above my head and behind me to provide depth and separation from the background (see pjoto of my setup above) . At a minimum three point lighting (2 in front at 45 degrees and one to illuminate the background) should be used.

Camera

These days your smartphone is a great camera for taping auditions at home.  Make sure you are taping with the camera horizontal (unless the directions state otherwise).  You can also find a relatively inexpensive digital camera if you want to use your cell phone for a reader (more on that later).

Tripod

Make sure whatever camera you are using is mounted to a sturdy tripod. You don’t want a shaky video distracting the CD from your performance.  I suggest you invest in a good tripod, because many of the less expensive ones will shake or shudder when you are moving around in front of them.  It should be tall enough that the lens of the camera is at eye level when you are in front of the camera.  Here is how it looks in an audition:

Sound

It is imperative that your dialog can be heard well in your audition.  The built-in microphone on your phone will work in a pinch, but I suggest you invest in a separate mic that can be attached to whatever camera you are using.  Your sound can have an enormous impact on your self-tape so make sure you have a decent mic in your setup.

Editing software

No matter what equipment you are using you will need software for editing.  There are a number of free options or you can opt to buy software to get a bit more functionality.  Either way, you’ll need to find, and learn how to use, some software suite to edit your videos before sending them off to casting.  Personally, I use Davinci Resolve which provides a free version for download that is sufficient for editing self-tapes.  Because sound is also very important, I also use iZotope RX9 for audio editing/mastering.  If you are also a VO artist, you’ll find RX9 very useful for that as well.

Reader

If there is dialog with another character in your audition, you’ll need someone to read against you for the audition.  The absolute BEST way is to have someone (preferably another actor) in the room with you who is behind and to the side of the camera. If that’s not possible, then having a virtual reader is the next best thing.  Using your smartphone for a reader is a reason to have a dedicated digital camera in your setup.  You can use Zoom, Skype, or MS Teams to connect with your reader…or you can use one of several self-tape apps like ActorTrade.  The good thing about many of these apps is you can connect with your reader while still using your phones camera to record the audition.

Reader continued

Important things to remember about your reader are:

  • They are not ever seen on camera
  • Their dialog is clear and can be heard, but is not as prevalent as YOUR dialog
  • They have enough acting ability to give you something to “play against” in the audition. A monotone reading is going to detract from your audition and make it seem inauthentic.

And there you have it!

At the end of the day, do the best you can within your budget to provide a self-tape that increases your chances of booking the role.  Anything you can do to improve the things you CAN control help to remove obstacles to booking work.  But remember, have fun, relax and get comfortable with the fact that his is probably the only chance you’ll ever have to play this character because; You’re not getting the f*&^ing job anyway!

Tune in next week

When we’ll discuss booking work “By The Numbers”.

 If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!  And please feel free to share this blog on social media or with other people you think might enjoy it.

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything – and as a thank you receive a free copy of my E-Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About getting Started in Voice Over But Didn’t Know Who to Ask!

You’re Not Getting the F&^%ing Job! (Series): Part 3: Naysayers

Acting, Encouragement, Voice Over, Wisdom

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This is week 3 in the series relating to the psychology of the business, particularly as it relates to auditions and booking work and we will be exploring Naysayers.

REMEMBER:

Just a reminder here that when I use the term “actor” I mean it to encompass all forms of acting including voice, stage, and screen.  What follows applies relatively equally to all of these forms of acting.

You have a dream

You dream of becoming a working actor, but people around you tell you to “get a real job” (You MAY have to do this to support your dream, BTW) and to stop chasing shadows.  If you harken back to the last two posts in this series, particularly as they relate to “fame and fortune”, you might see why.  These folks will be quick to point out that your odds of becoming an uber wealthy famous actor are small.  To them, that makes this profession not worth pursuing at all.  These are the naysayers in your life.

And they’d KINDA be right

Your odds of becoming rich and famous ARE small…but your odds of becoming a working actor who can support themselves with their acting are MUCH better.  So go back here and explore one more time why you want to do this work.  If your goal (not your dream, your goal!) is to be famous and wealthy, then perhaps you SHOULD reconsider.  However, if you love acting and have reasonable expectations, then you must be able to overcome the negativity of naysayers!

So, what is a naysayer?

Merriam-Webster defines a naysayer as:

one who denies, refuses, opposes, or is skeptical or cynical about something

“There are always naysayers who say it can’t be done.”

No matter what you are doing, there is always someone who will tell you why it is impossible to do it.  Do you think Thomas Edison didn’t have people who told him, for his own good of course, that he’d never create a commercially viable electric light bulb?  Think again!  As a matter of fact, many of the things we use regularly today were thought foolish by “respected people” while they were being developed.  When someone says it can’t be done…they mean by THEM! What the inventors all had in common: Persistence in the face of naysayers!

Who are they?

Naysayers…we all have them…maybe it’s your parents, your kids, your friends or (God forbid!) your spouse/SO. They are the people in your life (and some who aren’t EVEN in your life) who are quick to let you know why chasing your dream is a bad idea.  They are generally well meaning, but cynical.  Perhaps they at one time pursued a dream and it didn’t work out.  Perhaps they have witnessed others fail and suffer for it.  It’s likely, assuming they naysayer is close to you, that they really mean you no harm and just don’t want to see you fail.  So don’t listen to them, but cut them a little slack.

But don’t let them stop you, either

Keep this in mind: Every famous actor you know, whether on stage, behind a microphone or in front of a camera has had people tell them they were never going to “make it”.  Every. One. Of. Them.  On top of that, every NON-famous actor who works regularly and makes a decent living from their craft has as well.  So if you have people trying to tell you that what you are pursuing is not possible, or at least so unlikely it’s not worth trying, then you are part of a pretty illustrious crowd!

So what if people say it’ll never work?

Look, people crapping on your dreams can’t keep you from being successful.  The problem is that listening to naysayers can create doubt in your own mind.  “What if they’re right?”  “Maybe I SHOULD seek a more traditional path”.  Self-doubt is a killer.  Doubting yourself saps your confidence and it will show in your performances, particularly auditions, and ultimately becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Impostor syndrome, or doubting that you deserve your success, is bad enough.  It’s similar to what I call self-doubt, but subtly different.

Self-doubt -VS- Impostor syndrome

To clarify the difference (in my mind at least) between self-doubt and impostor syndrome: I would suggest that self-doubt occurs prior to success and keeps you from achieving it.  Impostor syndrome occurs AFTER you have achieved some level of success but don’t believe you deserve it; it is just a matter of time before you are exposed as a fraud. My focus in this post is on self-doubt NOT impostor syndrome.  Naysayers create self-doubt…or CAN if you let them.

How do you deal with naysayers?

There are some strategies you can employ to deal with the naysayers, dream crushers, cynics, and habitually negative people in your life. Before we go much further, I want to point out that if you are serious about pursuing your dreams and goals, you will HAVE to figure out a way to deal with them.

Don’t share

One of the easiest ways to deal with these folks is simply to not share your dreams with them.  This strategy works well with people who are on the periphery of your life.  Distant relatives, colleagues, and acquaintances.  If you don’t share your dreams, they can’t tell you why they’re unrealistic.  Start by being selective who you share with!

Consider the source

I used to tell my kids: “Consider the source, then ignore them” when people were critical of them.  One good way to weed out naysayers is to look at them and decide if their counsel is even worth anything.  Are they successful actors?  Are they living the life you want to live? Do they even have expertise in the area they are commenting on?  If the answer to any of these is “NO”, then their opinion is not valid or worth your consideration.  Remember: “Never take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from.” (Original author unknown).

Speaking of opinions

Keep in mind that the naysayer’s negativity is just their opinion.  And we know that opinions are like butt-holes.  Everyone has them, and they all stink.  I’m not suggesting you should not seek the counsel of other people who are successful in acting, or you should reject the critique of your teachers and directors.  You just should not pay attention to your crazy uncle who tried to act once and didn’t become an overnight sensation.

Ignore them

This is probably one of the hardest things to do.  We are artists, and as such can be pretty sensitive people.  It stings when people, especially people we love or respect, squash our dreams.  It’s tough not to “get into your head” about what they say which ultimately effects how we perform.  But, if you have shared your dreams, can’t outright discount what they say and value their opinion it is imperative, if you are passionate about pursuing this career, that you ignore them.  Use any constructive feedback you receive to improve your performance, but don’t let their opinion, no matter how much you respect it, stop you from pursuing your dream!

Eject them from your life

This is a drastic step, to be sure, but you deserve to NOT have people around you who constantly criticize your choice of pursuits.  Granted, sometimes ejecting them is impractical such as a parent, child or significant other. In that case, eject them from your dreams.  Refuse to share with them and just decide not to engage with them regarding your acting career.  Basically, let them tell you how wrong you are, smile, nod and then forget what they said and charge ahead anyway.

Remember your vision

When it gets to be too much, step back and remember the vision you have for your career.  Take stock of where you began and where you are now.  Odds are you have made significant strides toward achieving your dreams, but you don’t see them because they are incremental, and you don’t notice the improvement.  Step back.  Take a breath and honestly assess where you are in comparison to where you started.  Recognizing how far you’ve come, and remembering it takes a LONG time to become an overnight success, will help you ignore your naysayers

Surround yourself with encouragers

The simplest and most effective way to overcome naysayers is to surround yourself with people who both understand what you are trying to achieve and who are encouraging. I’m not suggesting you simply associate only with people who tell you how great you are, but people who will honestly tell you what is good and what needs improvement; in a way that encourages you to not only improve, but more importantly to keep trying.

Never give up

Here is the main message in this week’s post: Never give up.  Keep pushing forward toward achieving your dreams.  In the immortal words of Winston Churchill: “…never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”  Don’t let naysayers make you give up.

Tune in next week

When we’ll discuss self-taped auditions.

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There’s no such thing as a free lunch

Acting, General, Voice Over, Wisdom

Well, here we are…

And I’m having to come up with my own topics again. I’m discovering that writing is easier than deciding what to write.  I’m not complaining, but when I decided to start writing a weekly blog, I thought the topics would be easy and the writing not so much.  I confess that I never (used to) enjoy writing, and yet, here I am enjoying it! What I’m not looking forward to is coming up with fresh topics each week, so if there is something you’d like me to write about, leave it in a comment below. Anyway, such is life.  Enough whining, let’s get on with it!

Interesting origin…

In doing a little research into the topic, I found that this phrase, which is common and recognizable, has its origins in the 1800’s USA when bars would offer a “free lunch” to anyone who bought a drink.  Of course, all of the food was very salty, which compelled the diners to buy more drinks.  Eventually there was a recognition that the “free lunch” had hidden costs such as driving a desire for more drinks.

But we’re not really talking about “lunch” here…

I mean, we could be, but speaking more generally it is referring to the idea that everything, even free stuff, has a cost.   And no, I’m not getting political and talking about governments giving people free stuff that other people have paid for.  For this discussion, we are talking about the cost to an individual receiving something for nothing. Bear with me, it’ll all be clear soon.

Everything has a value

If you think about it, everything we have has some value.  It may be monetary value, it may be sentimental value, social value, psychological value…the list goes on.  We start with the basis that everything has intrinsic value of some kind. The scarcer something is, the greater its value.

Opportunity cost

What we are really talking about here is this: Opportunity cost.  Resources are finite, so if you use a resource for one thing, then you don’t have it for another thing.  It’s kind of like the “You can’t have your cake and eat it too” thing. That one always baffled me; I mean… I always thought if you didn’t have your cake, there was no way you could eat it…but I digress.

Sometimes

It occurs to me that this phrase is usually, but not always, true.  In rare circumstances there actually IS such a thing as a free lunch (well, getting something for nothing anyway).  Chances are people who love you have given you food or presents or their time and expected nothing in return.  So, it is not really fair to say there is no such thing as a free lunch, but it sounds better than: There are very few instances when someone agrees to give you something without expecting anything at all in return.

Never look a gift horse in the mouth

Have you heard this one?  My stepdad had this mindset, he even told me when I left for bootcamp: “If the government wants to give you something, take it, even if you don’t want it”.  He took anything that was offered “for free” and never seemed to get ahead.  The truth s you should ALWAYS check out the gift horse’s mouth.  Ask yourself what this “gift” might be costing you.  In most cases, you’ll be able to figure out the cost if you just pay attention.

A couple examples

  • Mom offers to make your favorite dinner Friday evening since you are a freelancer, and she knows you don’t have steady income. What a sweet thing for her to do!  But what is the cost to you? TIME. Time may be the scarcest resource we have, and if you spend time with mom, you won’t have that time to do something else.  Now, spending time with mom while you still have her is also very valuable, but the point is you won’t be able to record that audition or go on that date Friday.  You have to decide whether time with mom is more valuable than whatever else you intended to do (hint: it probably is).
  • You want to go someplace for a quick vacation. You can drive or fly.  If you drive, it may take hours on the road, dealing with traffic and (depending on how far away) maybe even an overnight stay along the route.  Flying may be a lot more expensive, but far faster.  You need to decide if the cost of the airline ticket has more or less value than your time in the car.

Tradeoffs

There are tradeoffs in nearly everything in life.  We make these tradeoff decisions sometimes hundreds of times a day, usually without even thinking about them. If I was going to summarize what I’m getting at here it would be: Think about them.

What’s the catch?

It’s wise to always look at a “free lunch” situation by starting with the question: What’s the catch?  I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase often, and it forces you to look for hidden costs.  In the vast majority of situations where you may be receiving something “free” there is an expectation that you’ll give something in return.  I’ll help you move for free, but you have to feed me and buy the beer.  Or we’ll give you three nights in our beautiful resort if you’ll sit through three hours of high-pressure sales tactics for our time share program.

It’s not always money

Sometimes the catch is money, sometimes it’s time, or maybe even some emotional drain.  The “catch” may be well hidden, but you’d do well to at least find and understand the catch, so you know if it’s worth taking whatever is offered.  Sometimes the free thing is worth more to you than the hidden cost, so it is perfectly reasonable to accept…but it should be a conscious choice.

Your career

As a VO artist or actor (or both) it is imperative to look for and understand the cost of that “free” thing you are considering.  At the very least these things are likely going to cost you time, workmanship quality, money, or reputation.

Getting started

I get it, you want to do VO or start acting in order to earn extra money, not spend a bunch.  I’ve seen countless people on social media trying to get started as cheaply as possible, and I get it.  You’ll definitely have to make tradeoffs in your career in order to start generating income but be aware of the costs of doing so.  Can’t afford a professional booth and want to build a moving blanket fort to record in?  Fine, but know going in that means you’ll wind up having to record at odd hours when everyone else is asleep and spend longer editing/processing afterward.

Training and coaching

This is where I see most beginners make the mistake of not understanding the true cost of either not doing it at all or finding the absolute cheapest training you can find.  This industry requires you to know what you’re supposed to do and how to do it and do it well.  The only way to do that is through training and coaching.  Well, assuming you want other people to pay you for doing it.

Equipment

If you want to be considered a professional VO artist or actor, you just can’t avoid buying professional equipment.  You simply cannot record VO on your mobile device and get hired.  You’ll need a decent microphone, interface, and software to accomplish it.  If you are an actor, while you CAN record good video on your mobile device, without proper lighting, background, and a microphone you will struggle to land paying jobs. The cost of buying equipment on the cheap (unless you are buying good quality used equipment from a reliable person or place) is that your quality is going to suffer.  At a minimum it will require a lot more time to have a good, finished product, and at worst you won’t EVER be able to have a quality finished product.

There are a million more things

There are a multitude of “free” items that you’ll have to assess every day in this business. Make sure that when offered some free service or item you are asking “What’s the catch?” and looking for that hidden cost.  And remember: There’s no such thing as a free lunch!

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Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Acting, Voice Over, Wisdom

Recovered

Well, I am fully recovered from vacation this week and ready to continue the series I started a few weeks back.  This week we explore the idea that “Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD”.

It’s a big idea

Yeah, I recognize this is a voice over and acting blog, and while this topic certainly has relation to those endeavors, as I begin to write it, I am discovering that it is a MUCH bigger topic than just those two areas.  So, excuse me if I stray away from them from time to time.

So MANY ideas

Are you a writer?  Ever written a regular blog?  No?  Well, let me tell you that the two most difficult things related to blogging are:

  • Coming up with what you hope are interesting topics.
  • Assembling your thoughts on those topics in a way that makes sense and doesn’t wander too much.

And there I go…

Wandering already.  See how tough this is?

Seriously

It is an age-old idea, but one that needs to be talked about.  There are just certain things that, although it is possible to do them, are not something you SHOULD do.  I mean, just because you CAN smoke while you fill up your car with highly combustible fuel, SHOULD you?  (SPOILER ALERT: NO).  You COULD walk into the reception area of your local police department sporting you shiny new Glock 9 handgun in an open carry (or even concealed carry) holster, but is that really a good idea?  Again, no.

A lot of things…

There are so many things that it is possible to do that are just not a good idea that it’s overwhelming to think about.  Shouting fire in a crowded theater (no, it is not actually illegal to do this)?  Making bomb jokes at the TSA checkpoint in your local airport (yes, it IS actually illegal to do this)?  Bad ideas.  Standing on the wrong side of the wall at the Grand Canyon so you can get a good picture?  Not the smartest idea.  The world is FULL of things that you CAN do but that really wind up being pretty bad ideas. Many of us learned this as teenagers (yeah, me included) and are probably fortunate to still be around today to read (or write!) this post.

OK, enough procrastinating…

OK, I’m done talking about nonsense, let’s get to the meat of the matter.  In both voice over and acting there are things (like with other areas of life) that are POSSIBLE, but not very smart.  What follows is a partial list of those things I’ve gleaned over the last couple years.  Some of these (and I won’t tell you which ones) I’ve learned painfully through experience, and others by watching (or reading about) others learn them painfully.

Voice Over

There are a number of things related to voice over that are possible but not really a good idea.  Again, this is a partial list and I’m SURE my fellow voice artists can list many more, but I try to keep this blog at around 1500 words, so it doesn’t become TLDR.  If you don’t know what TLDR means, ask your kids. Honestly, if you have other things you think I missed, related to VO and acting or not, I’d LOVE to hear about them in the comments.

Microphones

The selection of microphones these days is astronomical.  I think one of the questions MOST often asked in online VO forums by new or aspiring voice talent is: Which microphone should I use?  The short answer is (really) whichever microphone makes your voice sound the best within your price range.  But there are some that are JUST not professional sounding.  Yes, you can record voice over scripts with your cell phone.  No, you should not record voice over scripts with your cell phone (unless you are doing that to practice pacing and delivery and the quality doesn’t matter).

More on microphones

If you are interested, I have an entire blog post that talks about choosing a microphone for your VO business.  If you would like more detail, take a detour there for a few minutes.  At the end of the day, what seems to work best for most people is a large diaphragm condenser microphone, and they come in ALL price points.  Now, to be honest, a microphone choice is personal, and what works for one person may or may NOT work for another.  In general, a cheap USB mic you can pick up at Best Buy is not a good choice.  Just because you CAN record on a cheap microphone, doesn’t mean you SHOULD (not if you plan on earning a living this way).

Recording space

Like a microphone, you have a LOT of options where to set up and record your voice overs.  And like the microphone the number of opinions on the matter seem to be completely personal.  You can record in your untreated office, you can record in your walk in closet full of clothes, you can record in a blanket or pillow fort.  Sometimes, you even HAVE to record in a less than optimal space.  But at the end of the day, just because you CAN record in an untreated space, doesn’t mean you SHOULD.

Here comes the hate

Like I said, your recording space is a personal thing.  At the end of the day recording in a less than well treated space, when circumstances don’t dictate the need (like recording in a hotel room on travel, when a pillow fort is the best you can do) is just not a good idea.  At best, it complicates your post production processing and at worst it renders your audio unsalvageable which translates to unprofessional and means you won’t book the gig.  So don’t shoot me, but just because you CAN record in a “poor” space, doesn’t mean you SHOULD.

Acting

The list for acting is similar in many ways to the list for voice over.  There are so MANY things you CAN do as an actor that ultimately sabotage your chances and are just not a good idea.  In this day and age auditioning for acting roles has moved to a virtual space.  Rare are the in-person auditions from pre-COVID, so actors are now responsible for recording themselves and “producing” a professional audition video.

Camera

Believe it or not, an actor’s self-tape audition can be done well with a cell phone camera IF it is one of the newer phones with a 4K camera.  In this instance, because you can (and assuming you don’t have money to spend on a more professional camera) you SHOULD use your cell phone to record self-tape auditions.  Make sure your settings meet the spec required, and that you are filming in landscape (horizontal) instead of portrait (vertical).  So, while this blog is about what NOT to do even though you can, here is one that is perfectly acceptable.  Having said that, make sure you are using the best camera you own to capture your self tape!  Oh, and make SURE you have whatever you are using mounted on a nice, stable tripod.

Lighting

You CAN use your overhead (or natural) lighting to film an audition, but you really shouldn’t.  Typical overhead indoor lighting has an orange tint to it, natural sunlight has a blue tint, and having only that single source of lighting will add a lot of shadows to your face and background that will be distracting.  You want casting directors and producers to be able to see your eyes and focus on that…so you don’t want to have any distractions.  Just because you CAN film with your homes overhead lighting or the sun’s natural light, doesn’t mean you SHOULD.  You shouldn’t.

Background

Like lighting, the background you are filming in front of is pretty important.  While you CAN film your auditions in your home without a solid background, you definitely should not.  Like with lighting, all of the things lying around your home behind you are just going to be a distraction to the people viewing your video, and may just get you unselected no matter how good your performance is. Most sources I have found suggest a solid background, usually a light or slate blue color.  Stay away from white (It washes out the video) if you can, and unless you are a whiz with editing, don’t use chromatic green either.  Just because you CAN film with your home’s “natural” background, doesn’t mean you SHOULD.  Again, you shouldn’t.

Editing software

For both VO and acting, make sure you have, and know how to use, professional quality editing software.  For VO, you will be capturing your audio in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and probably editing it in that software as well.  I talk about DAW’s in an earlier blog post, so if you want to learn a bit more about them take a look there.  Suffice it to say you’ll want to use the best software you can afford to edit both your VO and audition tapes.  The software that comes bundled with your computer may do in a pinch, but if you want to provide professional level material you need to get good software.  Just because you CAN use the bundled software that came with your machine, doesn’t mean you SHOULD!

Suggestions

For you budding actors out there, just because I mentioned it, below are a few suggestions for the equipment I use for filming self-tape auditions.  Since I have covered VO equipment extensively in this blog, I am only including video related equipment here.

Lighting:  This is the setup I have, and it works well for me.  I’m not saying, “BUY THIS ONE”, but I want to give you a rough idea of the type of setup you’ll want.  Generally light both sides of your face to reduce shadows and the background from both sides to reduce shadows and give you separation contrast.

Background: While the lighting setup above comes with a cloth background, I found that to be difficult to maintain.  The fabric wrinkles, and those wrinkles create shadows that are distracting.  Instead, I use the frame and hang a large roll of photo paper from it.

Tripod:  I tried several tripods before landing on this one.  It is adjustable, stable, and pretty versatile.   The ones before this didn’t have the same number of adjustable bits, and even more importantly were not as stable.  Basically, they shook whenever I moved.

Well, I’ve gone over!

There is probably a LOT more I could say on this topic but I busted my self imposed 1500 word limit by at least 300 words this week, sorry for the TLDR post this time.  But at the end of the day remember that: Just because you CAN do something, doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it!

 

If you enjoyed this, please leave a comment below to let me know.  If you DIDN’T enjoy it, well, I’d like to hear from you too!

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