GARY MASON

443.624.3014

gary@gary-mason.com

Acting

My Origin Story

Acting, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  So those of you who pay attention will note that I did not post a blog last week.  Sorry.  Anyway, as I was beating myself up about that this week and wondering what I might write about, I thought it might be fun to talk a bit about how I got started as a VO artist and actor (and now podcast producer).  So, here we are: My origin story!

Look, ma – no warning paragraph!

Yep, I deleted it this week since I’m talking specifically about me and not “in general”.  For some of you, that may be the best part of what I post, so I’ll put it back next week.

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

Yep, I am a Star War fan, but I am also a Star Trek fan…so shoot me.  We won’t go back TOO far though.  I could tell you all about where and how I grew up but it’s not that interesting (well, it kind of IS interesting) and this is about the origins of my VO/Acting career, not the origins of…me.  For this blog, we only need to go back to about 2015 or so.

Car rides and Audio Books…

This whole thing started because I enjoyed car trips and listening to Audio Books.  And the two went together very well.  Nothing like getting engrossed in a great story narrated by someone to take your mind off the boring strip of highway and make the trip seem shorter.  I was also an avid reader and thought to myself “I could do that; how hard can it be?”. Famous last words.

It took about a year…

Not to become a narrator, that took longer, just to find out how to go about becoming a narrator!  I Googled and searched and couldn’t seem to come up with anything until my then sister in law showed up one day with her Audio Book Narrator study book and pointed me in the right direction!  I was sure that soon I would be narrating to my heart’s content and raking in all the big bucks. HA!

I signed up for training…

I won’t mention where I started my studies, but I did enroll in a remote voice over class, studied equipment and software along the way, bought my first setup, hung moving blankets from the ceiling and started auditioning for titles on ACX.  Much to my surprise, I actually booked several titles and began producing audio books!  I had arrived!

Here’s the thing…

First, I won’t point you at any of those audio books, because they were not very well done.  My setup was not awesome, and I didn’t really understand audio engineering very well.  On top of that I discovered: This is not as easy as I thought.  Narrating audio books is time consuming, tedious, hard work. It takes (for a new narrator) between 4 and 8 hours of work to complete each finished hour of audio.  And even after all that time I still was not very good at the audio engineering part of the job. So, since I was also still working full time and traveling for work, I decided I just didn’t have the time to devote to narrating and I quit and sold all my stuff.

And then…tragedy.

A couple years later I was in a minor motorcycle accident that resulted in the death of my wife.  Suddenly I was alone with a lot of time on my hands and didn’t really want to be around people.  SO – I started getting set up again but quickly realized, once again, that my full-time job interfered.  But I didn’t quit this time.  Instead, I used what time I had to do some training (mostly on the engineering side) to prepare for my eventual retirement from my full-time job.

And then…worldwide tragedy!

Yep – COVID.  Early in 2020 my full-time job with travel became a full-time work from home job with NO travel.  2020 was my last year of full-time work before retirement. While I still had to work, I found that without a commute (saving at least an hour a day in the car) I had the time I needed to start working as a narrator again.  I bought a professional audio booth, started equipping it and once again began auditioning for, and booking, work.  This time, I didn’t limit my auditions to audio books and instead started looking at short form narration for commercials etc.  I like the short form much better, BTW.

Then one day…

As I was perusing online casting sites, I came across a listing for background actors in my local(ish) area.  I thought: “Well, wouldn’t THAT be a hoot!” and submitted myself…with no real expectation of booking it. Six weeks later I in fact DID hear back from the casting company and they wanted to book me!  I eagerly (and anxiously) accepted, and my on-screen acting career was born!

Dopesick

That’s me in the lower left corner of the screen.  I managed to get bumped up to “featured background” because apparently, I look like an attorney – or I just happened to be standing in the right place at the right time when they needed to fill up the table.  Anyway, it’s my one “in focus” scene in that show.  For those of you who don’t know, a background actor is one of the people moving around in the, well, background of a scene to fill out the scene and make it look realistic. Mostly they are out of focus so you can’t really identify them.

I fell in LOVE!

I was exceptionally fortunate to have my first time on a professional set be on a well-funded production (Dopesick was a Hulu/Disney production) with A-list actors.  If you watched Dopesick (and if not, you should) there are some big names – but no I didn’t get to meet Michael Keaton.  Anyway, I was completely smitten with being involved behind the scenes with a major production and decided on the spot that I needed to become a principal (as opposed to background) actor. I was 60 years old, had a 40+ year career behind me and FINALLY found my passion!

Back to training…

Yeah, acting is hard work too…and definitely requires a skillset I didn’t quite have yet.  Not suggesting I “have” it now, but I am a lot closer today than I was in January 2021 on the set of Dopesick. So, I enrolled in acting classes (and am still enrolled – it’s not really something you graduate from) and after doing a couple more background gigs (We Own this City, Rustin) started auditioning for speaking roles. I’ve had the good fortune to audition for some pretty big roles but didn’t book any of them. Believe it or not, I auditioned for a Scorsese film (MAN, was that anxiety inducing!) and roles on Tulsa King with Sylvester Stallone.  I mention these roles I DIDN’T get because for me it is a win just to get the audition.

I DO book work though!

I’ve managed to work as an actor more than I thought I would.  As you can see by the pictures I’ve worked on some pretty fun productions.  That one in the salmon colored (I refuse to call it pink!) outfit with the wig was just last weekend.  If you are interested, you can see some of the stuff I’ve done (the stuff I am able to share anyway) here. I’m also very excited to report that a short narrative film I was co-lead in will be featured next weekend in the Maryland International Film Festival…my first trip to a festival!

And next on the agenda…

Anyone who has been around this industry for any length of time knows that, because of the on-again/off-again nature of this work, if you want to stay busy you diversify.  And I am no exception. My latest endeavor is as a producer for a true crime podcast that I can’t talk about much except to say I have become well versed in reading court and police documents, locating and contacting people who were involved in one way or another (some of whom didn’t want to be found), corresponding with the perpetrator who is on death row and even speaking to his accomplice who has since been released.  Our hope is to take the podcast forward and eventually produce a documentary film, and perhaps even a narrative film about the event.  Very exciting stuff, I’ll give you details when I can.

And I am still auditioning!

I’ve managed to sign with two theatrical/commercial agents and one strictly VO agent, I still peruse the online casting sites and submit for as many jobs as I can.  I average between 3-10 acting auditions and 10-20 VO auditions a week. I’m up very early (between 4-5 most days) and of course start my day with Wordle (got it in 3 today!), reviewing/responding to emails, looking for roles to submit for and of course everything that goes along with producing a true crime podcast.  I am in an acting class for three hours every Tuesday and even still find time to golf on occasion.  Truth is, I say I am retired, but I suppose I really am not.

So –

That’s my story and I hope you enjoyed reading about how I got started and what I am up to now.  I’d love to hear your story so either shoot me an email or pop it into the comments below!

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!

What does a potential WGA strike mean for “me”? (And when I say “me” I mean you…)

Acting, Politics, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  On the heels of last week’s discussion of SAG-AFTRA, this week let’s talk a bit about the looming threat of a Writer’s Guild (WGA) strike.

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 everyone…but it applies most strongly to union members or those seeking to work on union projects to gain eligibility to join.

What?  A strike?

If you follow entertainment news, you’ll know that all of the major unions are up for negotiation in 2023.  In and of itself, this is not really a big deal because these renegotiations happen routinely every three years.  The renegotiation is normal.  What is rare is when one or more of the collective bargaining units (Unions) have major issues that look like they are unlikely to be resolved during negotiations.  2023 is one of those years, and the WGA in particular has already approved a strike if no agreement can be reached (96% approval to give context).

Who is negotiating?

In the overall scheme of things, there are four main players in this year’s drama.  The Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) – the employers, The Writers Guild of America (WGA), Directors Guild of America (DGA, and Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) – the employees. Each of the three employee organizations negotiates independently with the employer organization.

The landscape

Just to set the stage the WGA contract, or Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) is set to expire on May 1st.  The MBA’s for the DGA and SAG-AFTRA are set to expire on June 30th.  Not reaching an agreement by the expiration date does not automatically mean a strike – most often the expiring agreement is simply extended to allow for continued negotiations.  If, however, the collective bargaining unit feels there is no way to reach an agreement in a reasonable amount of time, then the members may (and this year HAVE) vote to strike.

Historically

Generally, whichever one of the unions starts negotiations first sets the tone for the other unions negotiations.  In recent years, at least the last three bargaining years, the DGA sat down first, many months before the expiration, to hammer out an agreement.  Not so this year. I can’t find anything definitive about who will be the first to negotiate this year, but I will note that the last time the WGA started negotiations (2007) there was a 100-day writer’s strike.  It seems the WGA has most of the “demands” this year, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they kick off negotiations.

What are the issues?

Like any contract negotiation there are many complex issues, but the major one this year, and the one that seems to be setting up the WGA to strike, is residuals.  In particular, defining how residuals are paid for “new media” or streaming services.  Without going into agonizing detail and turning this into a novella, what has happened during and post pandemic is that residuals for writers (and actors, and directors as well) has decreased significantly because residual amounts were mostly negotiated when shows were on networks.

Changing the landscape

A couple things have occurred during and post pandemic that have changed residuals, not ALL related to streaming.  This is not an exhaustive list but seem to be the major points.  Seasons have gotten shorter (~10 episodes vs 17-20 episodes) and streaming services are dropping entire seasons at one time.  Writing staffs have become smaller, show production timelines have become shorter but contracts committing a writer to a show exclusively have not changed. Basically, fewer writers work for shorter periods but are excluded from working on a second show to make up for it.

Residuals

On top of that, how residuals are paid for streaming services are not well defined…if defined at all.  Do you pay residuals when a show is dropped on a streaming service, or when it’s viewed?   What percentage for either of those?  It’s not in writing, so essentially the writers are not getting paid.  Honestly, neither are the directors or actors…which could lead to strikes by those organizations as well – although there is not presently any talk of that.  I think they are waiting to see how the WGA fares – hence why the DGA and SAG-AFTRA are not jumping up to start negotiations early this year.

Add to all of this…

During the pandemic, streaming services were screaming hot.  It comes as no surprise that while we weren’t allowed to actually go out in public, many people turned to streaming services to pass the time.  I know we did.  Also, during the pandemic, sales at theaters declined dramatically.

But the world is back!

Now that the world has opened up again, streaming has declined (not surprisingly) and theater ticket sales have increased but not enough to offset the loss in streaming revenue.  The net result is reduced revenue overall and share prices for studios declining – all at a time when artists are asking for more residual shares.

To combat reduced revenues

You may have noticed services like Netflix are changing their stance on password sharing and are also reducing the number of titles available on their services.  These are cost cutting measures designed to shore up declining revenue.  These measures are detrimental to artists since fewer views and fewer available titles means less residual income.  It’s like a perfect storm.

All of that to say…

If agreement cannot be reached by midnight May 1st, it is likely the WGA will strike. “So what, I’m an actor!” you say?  Not so fast.  A writer’s strike will have an effect on every part of the industry.  Some parts immediately, and some not…but an effect, nonetheless.

What is the result of a strike?

In short, if the WGA strikes that means that for the pendency of the strike there will be ZERO union writers working.  Which means any projects in production are stuck with their scripts and will not be able to adjust for plot holes or changing character arcs.  This is most disruptive for TV series that typically have a staff of writers continuously updating or writing episodes. It affects feature films as well for the same reason, just not as dramatically.

And no writers mean…

In the long run, a writer’s strike will stop or slow productions.  I think we are already seeing this in some small ways as new productions are delaying start till they find out what the WGA will do.  Without writers there are no (or at least fewer) scripts for directors and actors to work on and the ones that are available will not be updated during production.  Either projects will not be made, show runners will have to make adjustments without the benefit of professional writers, or the projects that are completed will suffer in quality.

How does this affect me?

And by “me” I mean you.  And the answer is: It depends.  It depends on a number of factors which we’ll try to explore here, but I caution that each person’s circumstance will be different so take what I say here and apply it to your circumstance.

Non-Union VO artists and actors

Honestly, the idea of a WGA strike affects you the least, unless you are non-union trying to qualify for union membership by working on union jobs. You will still be able to work on non-union independent films during the strike. If you ARE trying to get union work to qualify for membership, expect that to slow to a crawl.  It’s going to take a lot longer for a non-union person to book a union gig.

Union members…

If you are a union VO artist or actor, a slowdown in the number of productions means there are a lot more actors vying for far fewer roles.  Even though the AMPTP is feverishly stockpiling scripts, so work doesn’t stop altogether, new-start productions are going to present a higher-than-normal risk and are less likely to be green-lit. And of course Global Rule 1 prevents you from working the available non-union gigs…unless you decide to go FICORE, which is another discussion altogether.

And it could get worse…

If a WGA strike leads to a DGA or SAG-AFTRA strike as well?  Well, 2023 will be a very bad year for us. I’m not suggesting that is likely, but since the first to negotiate sets the tone, and if the WGA goes first and can’t come to resolution before June 30th…it’s anybody’s guess what could be the result.

I am not Chicken Little…

I’m not running around shouting “The Sky is Falling!”, just discussing what could happen and the potential impacts.  I sincerely hope the WGA and AMPTP can come to an agreement before the deadline and avert a strike, but know how that may impact you if they can’t.

At the end of the day…

Any one of the collective bargaining units deciding to strike will have impacts across the industry and not just for the artists.  Consider everyone who works on a production from the artists to the crew (DP, Gaffer etc) as well as catering, craft services, wardrobe, hair & Makeup, and on and on.  Not to mention consumers who will have no new material to consume! A strike by any of them will be bad for all of them…and all of us.

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!

To SAG or not to SAG

Acting, General, Resources, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  This week let’s talk about the union (SAG-AFTRA).

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”.  For this week, however, what follows applies relatively equally to VO artists and screen actors, but stage has its own union Actor’s Equity.  It’s similar, but eligibility in particular will be different.  One note is that membership in one or the the for the course of a year means automatic eligibility in the other.

SAG-AFTRA

If you’ve been involved in the acting or VO industry for any amount of time, you’ll know that 2023 is the year that all of the unions renegotiate their contracts.  And if you are paying attention to that, you’ll also note that this is one of the renegotiation years where there is a bit of angst. What the angst means is that the unions are not presently pre-negotiating, which means there is some risk of the present agreement expiring without a new agreement, which could lead to a strike.  It’s not very likely, since they typically just extend the old agreement until the new agreement is signed, but because of that some large productions seem to be holding off until a new agreement is in place.  That means there are fewer productions ongoing, and fewer opportunities.  Basically, if you’ve noticed a slow-down in available roles, that’s why.  Let’s talk about what the union is and what it does for artists.

What is the union?

SAG-AFTRA, or The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of television & Radio Artists, is the union that represents actors and VO artists as well as broadcast journalists and radio DJ’s.  It, like other unions, is the collective bargaining group that negotiates with producers to establish salaries, working conditions, safety on set and many other aspects of employment.  SAG was established in 1933 to prevent the exploitation of actors and AFTRA was established in 1937.  The two merged recently, in 2012 to form SAG-AFTRA.  Fran Drescher of “The Nanny” fame, is the current President of SAG-AFTRA.

What is the benefit of the union?

There are definitely many benefits to joining the union, which to many is a significant rite of passage, but there are ALSO some drawbacks.  First, the benefits.  In addition to negotiating contracts membership includes things like a health and pension fund, the SAG-AFTRA conservatory offering training workshops, casting workshops with big name CD’s, deals and discounts for things like hotels and car rental, discount movie tickets, voting for SAG awards (which includes free viewing of the films being voted on), and many others.

The drawbacks

SAG definitely provides some benefits to performers, particularly since performers tend to be self-employed freelance artists who wouldn’t otherwise have access to a pension or health insurance (at least not affordable health insurance). But, Global Rule Number 1, depending on what market you live/work in may keep you from working much.  “Global Rule 1 states: No member shall render any services or make an agreement to perform services for any employer who has not executed a basic minimum agreement with the union, which is in full force and effect, in any jurisdiction in which there is a SAG-AFTRA national collective bargaining agreement in place. This provision applies worldwide” (SAG-AFTRA.org)

Why is that potentially bad?

In short, when you join, you are agreeing to never work on a non-union project again.  If you are not in LA or NYC the number of union productions are going to be low.  And unless you have already established a name for yourself within the industry, read you are a recognizable actor with a good resume showcasing your talent, productions aren’t likely to want to pay for travel and will hire someone local instead.  This is slightly different for voice artists with a professional home setup since they work almost exclusively remotely.  Note that Global Rule 1 for SAG does not apply to work on stage projects and vice versa for Equity membership not applying to work in non-union screen projects.

In short…

If you join too soon, you wind up with a pile of awesome benefits you can’t use because you have restricted access to lucrative union gigs.  It’s something to consider depending on what market you live in or if you are unwilling to re-locate to a bigger market.  Otherwise, you can agree to “work as local” which means they hire you as though you live in their market and all of your travel expenses are your responsibility.  That can sometimes mean it costs more to get hired than you are getting paid.

Well, then, when should I join?

Assuming you have qualified for eligibility to join, which we’ll talk about next, the best time to join is really a personal decision. You’ll have to weigh the pros and cons for your individual situation.  The general consensus amongst everyone I have spoken with is this: Join when you have to. Eligibility to join, once achieved, never expires. Some people become eligible quickly, then remain eligible for decades before joining. How will you know you have to join?  Simple, you’ll get hired for a union gig and because of the contract with the production company they will be forbidden from hiring you unless you join.

How to become eligible

In short, working as a principal artist on a single union contract or as a background artist on three union contracts makes you eligible to join.  How can you work a union contract without being a member in the first place?  The Taft-Hartley act.  This act in part prevents unions from coercing people to join and forbids “closed shops”.  Without going into exceptionally boring legal detail, this means that because of Taft-Hartley a union project can hire a non-union employee for 30 days without the need to join the union. You’ll hear people say they got “Taft-Hartley’d” and that’s what it means.

Must-Join

You’ll also hear the term “must join” bandied about and what that means is the union has granted the 30-day Taft-Hartley exemption to a non-union artist and they have reached or exceeded the 30-day limit.  If you ask the union rep what must-join is, he or she will tell you there is no such thing since you can never, by law, be compelled to join.  They call it must-pay – which amounts to the same thing.  At the end of the day if you have been Taft-Hartley’d into eligibility and have exhausted the 30-day work exemption limit you will not be eligible for a union employment contract unless and until you pay your initiation fee and are up to date on dues – a member in good standing.

What is the cost to join?

Well, first, there are a couple different ways to join.  If you join nationally, which includes coverage in major markets like LA and NYC, the initiation fee is $3000 and annual dues are $227.42 plus 1.575 percent of covered earnings up to $750,000.00.  Pretty pricey.  You can however join as a regional member to reduce initiation fees and regional membership is calculated based on the region so you’ll have to check.  You can find out your regional office (based on your mailing address) by going here and scrolling down to the map titled “Locals”, calling the head office in LA (855-724-2387) or sending an email and asking.

Regional membership

Joining regionally is a lot less for initiation (half or less) and covers you for the entire US EXCEPT major markets like LA, NYC, Chicago, and Atlanta.  Major markets may shift from time to time, so you’ll have to ask what markets are excluded when you join as a regional member.  Doing this won’t stop you from working in the major market, but when you are hired in a major market, you’ll then automatically be billed for the difference in initiation fees.

The dreaded FICORE

You may have heard of FICORE.  FICORE stands for “Financial Core”.  Most people think that becoming a member of FICORE allows you to work both union AND non-union gigs, and in a way that’s true.  In essence, deciding to go FICORE means that you are or were a member in good standing but for whatever reason are resigning from the union.  Of course, you’ll still need to pay annual dues including a percentage of your salary for covered gigs, you will not get a refund on initiation fees, but you will not maintain the same level of protection or be able to use the benefits of being a SAG member.

Why is FICORE “dreaded”?

The sad truth is many productions “look down on” FICORE actors and while they would be allowed to hire you, they may choose otherwise in favor of another member in good standing.  Again, this is a very personal decision, and if you want to go this route, I urge you to speak with a SAG rep and an entertainment attorney to fully understand the implications.

At the end of the day

The decision to join or not join the union is a strictly personal one.  The union can provide actors many benefits and not just established pay minimums and good working conditions…but it may also reduce the number of jobs you can book depending on where you live.  The only really solid, steadfast advice on whether or not join is this: Don’t join until you have to so that you can continue to work the largest number of gigs to build your resume. That time is different for everyone, but you’ll know when it’s right for you.

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!

If I had a Time Machine

Acting, Training, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  Let’s have a bit of fun and think about what we might be able to do if we had a time machine.

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.

We see it all the time

That age old social media question about what age would you go back to if you could.  This is not that.  THIS is about staying the same age you are now and traveling through time.  What would you do?  Who would you talk to?  You can post yours in the comments section below, but here are mine.

Changing history

Nope.  Not interested.  I wouldn’t use my time machine to assassinate Hitler or prevent JFK from being killed or any of a million bad things that have happened throughout history.  Why?  Well, who knows what other potentially worse things may happen as a result. I’m not smart enough to know how my actions might influence future events, so I’d just leave the past as it is…well, mostly.

If I could talk to my younger self

If I had a chance to talk to me, and could convince me that I was future me, I’d only say three things:

  • I’d let me know that I turned out OK and stop worrying about it.
  • Suggest I pay a little closer attention in school (of course…who wouldn’t?)
  • Suggest I not give up on acting so I didn’t have to start over again so late in life.

That’s it…I wouldn’t warn myself about all the stupid mistakes I made or try to change the trajectory of my life, because then I might not be the guy I am…and I am pretty fond of me right now.

The first VO artist

A lot of people believe Walt Disney became the first VO artist when he recorded the voice of Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willy. A lot of people would be wrong.  The very first voice artist was a man named Reginald Fessenden, and I’d try to meet and talk with him.  I’d have to travel all the way back to 1900 Canada to do that.  My goal would be to learn WHY he started recording his voice (he recorded weather reports).  It’s interesting what VO has become today, and it would be even more interesting to talk to the guy who invented it!

May as well meet the master himself

No actor worth his salt would travel back in time without meeting the great Konstantin Stanislavsky. As long as I was checking out 1900 Canada, I should take a quick trip to Russia to meet and study with Stanislavsky.  Of course, it may take a while since I’d first have to learn to speak and understand Russian, but it would be worth it.  I’d train with the founder of actors “inhabiting” a character instead of pretending to be that person.

Moving forward in time…

Not much chance I’d get to actually speak with Walt Disney, but I’d try or at least speak with some of his minions. While he did not record the first VO, he did record the first VO synchronized with animation.  I’d love to hear about how he conceived and executed that.  Well, I also wouldn’t mind picking mister Disney’s brain about a lot of things, including his vision for the future.  No giving away future secrets though!

Even before Disney though…

Since I’d already spent some time studying with Stanislavsky (and learning to speak Russian) it’s probably a good idea to head to the US and see if I couldn’t hook up with Lee Strasberg for a while and learn Method Acting, which is of course an offshoot of the teachings of Stanislavsky.  Most modern acting disciplines are based on Stanislavsky’s work, and The Method is one of them.  How cool to study with both men one right after the other?

And while I am in the 1930’s

May as well see if I couldn’t get a chance to work with the prolific Mel Blanc.  As a matter of fact, Mr. Blanc is regarded as the most prolific voice actor in entertainment history.  He voiced so many cartoon characters it would take the rest of this blog just to list them, but of course some of the most famous are Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, and Daffy duck.  A couple coaching sessions with him would be an amazing experience and couldn’t help but offer an improvement for me.

Jump forward to the ‘50’s

A stop in NYC is in order where I’d enroll in classes at HB studio in Greenwich Village.  I mean, just hanging out in The Village in the 1950’s would be cool enough but learning directly from one of the greatest contemporary acting teachers, Uta Hagen, would put the icing on the cake.  Hagen’s technique, also based on Stanislavsky’s teachings, draws from an actor’s personal life and uses those experiences to substitute or transfer them to the character.  Her method wants the actor’s essential self to show through the performance of their character.

And no trip through time would be complete…

Selfishly I would also jump FORWARD from today 10-20 years just to see if I ever win that Oscar.  And no, I wouldn’t want to know the date of my death.  That’s just scary and creepy.

We can do a lot of this WITHOUT a time machine!

While it would definitely be fun to travel through time (if only) and learn from some of the foundational people in the worlds of acting and VO…it’s possible to do that travel through books and today’s acting classes.  Sadly, not many of the great voice actors wrote books about their trade (at least not the ones I mention above), although Mel Blanc did write a memoir called “That’s not all Folks” which could be a fun read.  If you are interested, what follows are some books by these famous teachers.  If not, then stop reading now.

Stanislavsky

The most recommended book by Stanislavsky is “An Actor Prepares”.  If you don’t read anything else by him, read this one.  If you enjoy it you can follow that up with “Building a Character”, “Creating a Role”, and “An Actors Work”.  You can’t go wrong with Stanislavsky but remember to use it as a basis for understanding later work by those who learned from him directly or from those who learned from his students.

Strasberg

Not quite as prolific a writer as Stanislavsky, he did pen a couple of useful books.  The first, and probably most important for actor’s studying his “Method” would be “A Dream of Passion: The Development of the Method” followed by “Acting: A Handbook of the Stanislavski Method”

Hagen

The most contemporary word on acting comes from Uta Hagen. Many actors like her teachings because it falls somewhere between the external and internal aspects of portraying a role.  The two books to read by Hagen are “Respect for Acting” and “A Challenge For The Actor”.  If you want to up your acting game, these are great books to do it with.

Thanks for coming along!

It was fun to take a short trip back in time to meet and talk with some of the greats of our industry.  Even though they’re not still with us, you can definitely learn a lot by reading what they wrote about the art of acting.  And the simple truth is all of these techniques are still being taught.  Most acting teachers base their exercises on one or more of these famous teachers!

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!

Blogs actors and VO artists should be reading

Acting, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  If you like reading this blog, here are a few more you might consider following as well!

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.

Always learning

Acting and voice over (VO) are two dynamic fields that demand talent, dedication, and continuous learning. Whether you are new to the industry or have been doing this for a long time, if you want to stay ahead of the game you should be on a quest for continuous improvement. One way to do that is to subscribe to blogs in the genre you are working in.  There are numerous blogs dedicated to providing the latest information, tips, and resources to help build your career or maybe just to be entertaining. Here are some of the best blogs that actors and VO artists should follow.

The Voices in my Head

Informative, helpful, humorous.  Josh Alexander has been in the business of VO for a while, and he’s become very successful.  He’s also a whiz at marketing your VO business.  Check out The Voices in my Head blog, and if you like it subscribe. Note that it appears Josh has taken a short (?) sabbatical in publishing (last published December 28th, 2022) but there is plenty of content to keep you satisfied till he returns.

Backstage

OK, so backstage actually calls their blog a Magazine, which at one point in time it actually was.  Backstage is one of the most comprehensive blogs for actors and VO artists, providing resources for everything from casting calls to career advice. The blog covers topics such as acting techniques, auditions, and industry news, and provides a platform for actors to showcase their work and connect with other industry professionals.

Voice Over Xtra

Voice Over Xtra is less a blog and more a VO focused news service. The site is dedicated to the voice over industry, and provides VO artists with the latest news, information, and resources to help them build their careers. They cover topics such as recording techniques, marketing strategies, and industry news, and provide access to a community of VO artists and industry professionals.  While it’s not actually a blog, per se, it’s useful to subscribe to their newsletter to get plugged into the latest news and events for VO artists.

Actors Connection

Actors Connection is an acting school that also hosts a blog dedicated to providing actors with resources and tools to help them connect with industry professionals. The blog provides information on auditions, workshops, and industry events, and provides actors with access to a community of fellow actors and industry professionals.

The TL;DR Voice Over blog

John Gardner’s TL;DR Voice Over Blog doesn’t publish on a regular schedule, but it’s definitely worth subscribing so you see it when he does.  John is a VO artist with a down to earth vibe and a real sense of humor. Most of his blogs center on his journey as a VO artist and are helpful when you just want a laugh or to realize your struggles are not yours alone.

SAG-AFTRA

How can we talk about acting and not mention the union!?  SAG-AFTRA doesn’t actually publish a blog, but there are frequent articles related to acting and of interest to actors regardless of your union affiliation.  These articles are available through Feedspot, which is linked above.

The ACX Blog

If you are an audiobook narrator, or want to become an audiobook narrator ACX Blog is for you!  This blog, from the biggest audiobook creation website – which is affiliated with Amazon and Audible – is chock full of useful insights for the world of audiobook narration.  It covers everything from setup, SPECS and equipment, to running a small business and what it’s like to be a freelance narrator.

Acting Magazine

Like other acting sites mentioned, Acting Magazine is more a…well…Magazine thank a blog.  The site provides info on acting, auditions, casting directors, talent agents, SAG-AFTRA, theatre, voice-over & more!  It’s definitely worth following!

Nethervoice

The Nethervoice Blog is written by VO biggie, Paul Strikwerda. Paul has been writing about voice overs, freelancing, and personal growth for almost twenty years. As he says; “The Dutch are known for their directness, and I’m not afraid to speak my mind and stir the pot. I’m here to teach, challenge, inspire, and entertain you…We have much to talk about!”  Subscribe to Paul’s blog and you can’t go wrong!

Monologue Blogger

Every actor needs a couple monologues in their back pocket, right?  Sure they do!  Monologue Blogger provides creators (actors, directors, producers, influencers, teachers) with thousands of free scripts, monologues, plays and scenes.  Check it out, especially if you are on the hunt for the perfect monologue for you

Karen Commins Blog

Karen is another giant in the audiobook industry and she has a lot to share with you.  She actually hosts two separate blog streams: One for Narrators and one for authors. Both are useful and informative for either, so you’ll have a lot to read.  Karen also hosts a useful website for aspiring narrators: The Narrators Roadmap which is filled with TONS of useful information for anyone who wants to strike out as an audiobook narrator.

Nick Dunning Blog

Nick Dunning’s Blog is filled with ideas and suggestions to help shape your acting career in surprising and delightful ways.  This blog will benefit you at a very cool level starting right now. Nick Dunning is a leading actor, holistic high-performance acting coach, BBC-produced screenwriter & creator of ‘ACTivate the A-List Actor Activation Method’.  Check it out.

Findaway Voices Blog

Like ACX, Findaway voices is a platform where authors and narrators can come together to create audiobooks and distribute them.  Unlike ACX, Findaway is not constrained by Amazon and Audible, so they can distribute to a far larger audience.  Findaway Voices Blogs provides narration news, product updates and special announcements from Findaway Voices.

This is just a smattering of some of the best blogs that actors and VO artists can and should follow to stay ahead of the game. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just starting out, these blogs provide the latest information, tips, and resources to help you build and improve your career.  Take a look and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.  Happy reading!

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!

Useless facts and Trivia

Acting, General, Voice Over

Welcome back!

And thanks for reading!  Let’s just have some fun this week.  Here are some useless facts and a bit of trivia that actors should enjoy.

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.

Behind the scenes

If you’ve ever been on a sound stage, in a studio or on a TV or movie set, it’s fun to see all the things that go on behind the scenes.  The average “civilian” consumers of entertainment have no idea what kind of things go on in making that entertainment.  What follows are just some fun bits of trivia and not a few useless facts for you to digest. Let’s start with a couple big ones. WARNING: There may be spoilers ahead!

Armageddon

Who doesn’t love a Bruce Willis movie about a bunch of hard charging, hard partying oil drilling roughnecks being launched into space to land on a meteor to drill a hole and save the world?  Well, not many people apparently as Armageddon was a very successful film.  But here’s the thing: Did you know that NASA shows this film during management training? Because it is so accurate?  No.  New managers are supposed to see how many errors they can find.  To date more than 160 have been discovered.

The Godfather

It’s iconic.  Anyone who loves gangster movies has seen the first Godfather movie at LEAST once (personally I like to watch it at least once a year.  And I LOVE the seven hour long cut where the scenes are arranged chronologically across all three movies). If, like me, you’ve watched this movie several times, you may have noticed Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) holding a cat in the opening scene.  That cat was a stray found on the lot who apparently took a liking to Brando so he just became a part of film history.  The cat’s purring was so loud at times, Brando had to ADR some of his lines.

Interstellar

I confess I haven’t seen this one, so I can’t comment on the content of the movie, however here is an interesting tidbit.  I think we all know that making a feature film is expensive and time consuming.  Apparently in this film there was a scene filmed in a huge cornfield.  In order to pull off the scene the producers actually GREW a huge field of corn, shot the scene then sold the corn for profit.  Imagine having to plant the field, tend the field and then wait for the corn to grow before shooting a scene.  That’s dedication.

Star Trek (1966-1969)

For all of us who grew up watching William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy conquering the “final frontier” the technology was pretty far out for the viewers in the 1960’s.  Phasers, transporters, communicators…doors that whooshed open as you approached them.  Fun stuff for youngsters like me at the time.  And the recognizable sound of those doors whooshing?  The Foley artist used the sound of a flushing toilet in a Russian train.  Who could have known?

Titanic

Leo and Kate…what a great couple.  The majority of this movie is set in 1912.  Of the total run time for this film…a whopping 3 hours and 16 minutes…the 1912 scenes comprise a total run time of 2 hours 40 minutes; the exact amount of time it took the Titanic to sink. And the scene where the ship collides with the iceberg?  That runs just 37 seconds…the reported amount of time the actual collision lasted.  Attention to detail!

Pulp Fiction

This is, of course, the film that brought John Travolta back out of semi-obscurity.  In one scene, his character Vincent plunges a needle on a syringe into his scene partner Mia’s (played by Uma Thurman) chest to revive her from an accidental overdose.  The film was shot with Vincent violently pulling the needle out and then it was run in reverse in the final cut.  My question is:  Did they actually insert a needle into her chest for this scene?  Since every scene is shot multiple times from different angles and with different lighting, I’d say having a needle inserted and removed from your chest over and over is true dedication.

Psycho

This classic movie depicting a hotel owner who keeps his mother’s dead body in the attic to talk to, and who tends to snuff out his guests, was rife with controversies at the time of its filming.  One of the many was a flushing toilet.  Yep, prior to this somewhat shocking film it was considered taboo to show a toilet being flushed.  It was only three years earlier (1957) that a toilet was shown on screen at all in the TV series Leave it to Beaver.  Like slashing Janet Leigh’s character Marion Crane wasn’t quite shocking enough!

Star Wars

We can’t mention Star Trek without also mentioning Star Wars. Casting shows and movies is a bit of a fine art.  The writer, producer and director definitely have a character in mind for each role, and they sift through (sometimes) hundreds of auditions to find just the right person to fill each role.  The lovable character of Han Solo was one role that was tough to fill…they searched for seven months.  As part of the audition process the casting team uses a “reader” to feed lines to the auditioning actor and at one point Harrison Ford was called in as a reader.  They liked his delivery of dialog so much they cast him as Solo, and the rest is history!

The Matrix

A complicated computer program plugged directly into people’s brains to keep them from realizing they are just a set of biological batteries for the machines that run the world.  Keanu Reeves as “The One”.  What’s not to love about this classic movie?  And Sushi too.  That’s right, those scrolling characters depicting “The Code” that runs to hide reality from humans are Sushi recipes from the cookbook of the wife of one of the production designers.

007

OK, this isn’t A movie, but a movie franchise, and we are only going to focus on the part of the franchise where Sean Connery plays the dashingly handsome and debonair Bond…James Bond. Since the actor began balding at the ripe old age of….17…Connery wore a toupee in every James Bond movie where he played the lead actor. This may disappoint some of the ladies for whom Connery was a heart throb.  Sorry ladies, I warned there may be spoilers.

Fight Club

Some of you probably already know this one, but it’s kinda fun so here ya go.  A meek, stressed-out automobile recall specialist played by Edward Norton (does that job even really exist) who is never named (although he does adopt a number of aliases in the film) creates an alter ego, Tyler Durden (played by Brad Pitt). They go on to create a “fight club” where men pummel each other in basements and warehouses across the city.  Beyond the little-known fact that both Edward Norton and Brad Pitt both learned to actually make soap as part of their preparation for their roles, watch closely and you will see a Starbucks cup in every scene (with permission from Starbucks).  The director, David Fincher, was poking fun at the chain because he thought the ubiquitousness of a Starbucks on every corner was a bit much.

Gone With the Wind

Vivian Leigh, Clark Gable…a love story for the ages.  Strange, since love is pretty much destroyed in the film… “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn” and all.  It’s a great movie, but here is the fun bit.  When the film depicts the burning of the plantation, Tara, as part of the Civil war General Sherman’s “March to the Sea” it was ACTUALLY the first scene shot for the film. Huh?  How can that be?  How did they burn down the plantation BEFORE filming?  Truth is, the scenes that depict the burning of Atlanta, including Tara, were actually old movie sets that needed to be removed before building sets for this film.  So they burned them and filmed it…all before the first actor was cast.

Well, there you have it

Some fun little bits of trivia and little-known facts about some of our favorite films.  I hope you had as much fun reading about them as I did researching them to write this.  I know, not a lot of “meat” this week…but hopefully you’ve had some fun.

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.

Looking for your next great non-fiction read? Only 2 days left to check out this promotion: Become Inspired. Become You.

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!