GARY MASON

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gary@gary-mason.com

Training

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!

Lean on me

Acting, Encouragement, General, Training, Voice Over

A BICYCLE?

Last Christmas my girlfriend, Karen, bought me a bike.  Yes, I know, I’m 60 years old.  It was the first time in 50 years I have received a bicycle as a gift.  You see, she loves to ride, and I was like “Meh”.  So, she bought me a (NICE) bicycle for Christmas so we could ride together.  It was sweet and made me smile BIG.

But…hills…

And more importantly, knees.  Mine.  And they remind me of being 60 every day…even when I’m not on a bicycle.  On the days I rode with her two things happened:

  • She had to stop way sooner than she wanted to because…well…my knees hurt.
  • I’d have a really hard time walking without pain for two days afterward.

I really wanted to enjoy it

I mean, it worked when she got me started with golf and skiing! Riding is something she really enjoys, but, alas, I just didn’t.  Well, that’s not completely true, I DID (mostly) enjoy riding with her.  It just HURT…bad.  Like, lots of pain relievers afterward bad.  So, I would ride, be down for a couple days and she would wind up truncating her ride to accommodate me.

I was also slow

Probably because my knees hurt so badly, but we “hardly” rode together anyway.  We’d arrive together and leave together…but mostly I spent a lot of time watching her backside (not a bad thing now that I type it out loud, I suppose) getting farther and farther away until she disappeared altogether.  Eventually she’d notice I was nowhere to be seen and come back for me and we’d put the bikes back on the rack and head home.

She would get excited…

Several days a week she would wake early, which is an indication of how much she enjoyed riding all by itself and ask, “Are you up for a ride this morning?”.  Many times, I would cringe (internally of course).  I always felt bad saying no, because I know how much she likes it and I appreciate her wanting to share her passion with me.

There’s also kind of another reason I wanted to go

Secondary for sure, but a reason, nonetheless.  You see, sometimes Karen can be a little clumsy (sorry hon).  A couple weeks ago she took a tumble over the side of the trail, down a 3-foot embankment into a bunch of poison ivy.  She was going very slow and trying to turn a corner.  Oooops.  I probably wouldn’t have been able to stop her fall, but I COULD have helped her back up…and if it was really bad, I could have called an ambulance so she wouldn’t be lying in a ditch waiting for someone to come by and notice her.

I jest…a little

Actually, I make it sound a lot worse than it is.  While it is true, she can be a little clumsy, emphasis is on “little”.  For the record, she is a smart, funny, capable, and accomplished woman.  But the bruises up and down her leg accompanied by huge patches of poison ivy rash attest to the fact that when she IS clumsy, she is clumsy GOOD!

Anyway…

Because of the poison ivy oils on her clothes, helmet and gloves, day before yesterday we headed out to the bike shop to get new ones that weren’t covered in poison ivy oils.  Yeah, she tried washing them, but her confidence was low, and who doesn’t like new stuff, right?

I went with her

We had other errands to run anyway, so we went together.  Mostly we go places together anyway…I mean, I LIKE hanging out with her after all.  The point is, while we were at the bike shop, I saw a shiny new E-Bike in the window.  Curious, I started asking questions about it.

E-Bikes…a gift to bad knees

What is an E-Bike?  I’m glad you asked!  Essentially, an E-Bike is a bicycle that incorporates an electric (the E in E-Bike) motor that “assists” the rider in pedaling.  Honestly, I’d heard of them before but thought they were like those little electric scooters you can rent for getting around in the city.  I never considered them because I didn’t need a fancy, expensive, electric motorcycle.

Test ride

Once the salesmen explained it to me, I thought…hey, I should give one a test ride.  So, I did.  Let me tell you folks, those things are a GAME CHANGER when it comes to old people and bicycles. I didn’t ride long, but I was sold pretty much right away.  Being a guy, of course, I wanted to see how fast I could get it to go, so I went behind the strip mall where the bike shop is and rode back and forth several times.  WOW…I got that bike up to 40 MPH uphill! (Not a big hill, but still).

Some details

OK, so the bike does NOT ride itself, you definitely need to pedal so you still get good exercise using it. It has four “speeds” or levels of assistance, and in the highest it will assist you up to 28 MPH (in the model I was on…there are several models).  It’s almost like another set of gears.  It just makes pedaling a little easier (in the higher modes a LOT easier).  So, obviously, I bought it.

And then we went riding

Not a long ride, just about 40 minutes, but for the first time THREE things happened:

  • I was able to easily keep up, and not struggle with hills (she had to tell me to “back off” because I was making her nervous being so close behind her)
  • She wanted to quit BEFORE I did.
  • I was not only able to walk the next day but play 18 holes of golf…without medicating!

Frankly, it feels pretty miraculous.  Now I WANT to ride as much (if not more) than she does!

What does all that have to do with voice over and acting?

Again, glad you asked!  It occurred to me that sometimes you just need a little help to get over the hump.  As much as we’d like to be independent and accomplish things on our own, In the immortal words of Bill Withers:

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
– Lean on Me; Bill Withers 1972

You can’t go it alone.

I guess that’s not really true, you CAN.  But why would you? Honestly the road to success in both acting and voice over is long, and mostly uphill.  Going it alone is going to be rough and take a LONG time if you try to be a one-man (or woman) show.  As Mr. Withers says: “We all need somebody to lean on” (Bonus points if you just sang that to yourself).

Where do I get help?

You are FULL of great questions today!  I’ve written about some of these before, but there are a lot of places you can get the help you need. What follows are some ideas, but I’m sure you can come up with a few more:

  • Get a coach.

    • It doesn’t matter whether you are an actor or voice artist, a coach will be able to help you improve your chops. Even A list actors see a coach regularly.

  • Take a class.

    • Google can be your friend here, no matter where you are you have access to the classes you need. Find something local and attend in person (assuming your region allows it now) or find virtual classes around the world.

  • Find a Mentor.

    • This one can be a little harder but reach out and get to know people who are more successful than you in your field and see if they might be willing to mentor you. This is not an invitation to pester people, and emphasis is on the “get to know” part…so it takes time to establish, build and maintain these relationships…but it’s worth it.

  • Seek out an expert.

    • Having trouble dialing in your audio?  Find an audio engineer who can help you get your audio right.  No matter what the issue, there is likely someone more knowledgeable who can help.

  • Farm out part of your production.

    • No time to proof your work?  Hire a proofer, or an editor, or an engineer.  You don’t need to be a one man show.  If you’re not a mechanic, you wouldn’t hesitate to hire a mechanic, right?  This is no different.

You see where I’m going…

Trying to do everything on your own is possible, but it can be frustrating and a lengthy proposition.  Sure, you’ll have to pay some people for their time and effort, just like you want to get paid for yours, but the investment is worth it.

Sometimes, they just want to help.

I recently was having trouble with my audio quality.  I am not an audio engineer, and to top it off my hearing is not great thanks to 20 years in the military around weapons (LONG before hearing protection was a priority).  I contacted an audio engineer I “met” on Facebook and offered to hire him to help me out.  He spent several hours listening to my audio and tweaking my settings until it is now really great…and in the end he wouldn’t charge me for his time. I’ve also gotten a lot of help (both free and paid) from Don Baarns with my DAW setup (Don is a Studio One Wizard) and from Josh Alexander with marketing as well.

I’ve gone long this week

But here’s the takeaway:  Sometimes everyone needs a helping hand.  Whether it’s climbing a hill on your bike or working out what’s wrong with your audio.  There is no shame in asking for help when you need it.

You just call on me, brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on.- Lean on Me; Bill Withers 1972

 

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!

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything!

FORE!

Encouragement, Getting Started, Training, Voice Over

Welcome Back!

Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us!

Golf

If you know me, you’ll know that if the question is: Golf? The answer is always: YES! Like voiceover and acting, I started golfing later in life. WOW was that a mistake!  I am now working diligently to make up for lost time by playing as many rounds a week as humanly possible.  Just this past 4th of July weekend I played Friday, Sunday, Monday, AND Tuesday.  Notice my weekend began on Friday and extended through Tuesday…when you are no longer working that “day job” your weekend can be as long as you want it to be!  And just to rub it in, I just booked s tee time for TODAY as well.

I’m not very good at it, though

I mean, I guess for someone who has only been playing the game for a little over three years, I’ve done alright but I am at the point now where I typically shoot in the high 90’s or low 100’s.  For those of you who golf, you’ll know that this skill level will never get me qualified for the PGA.  Or any other tournament for that matter.

Nonetheless, I enjoy it

Now, the people on the tee behind me, waiting for me to clear the fairway (HA – the fairway – it’s a mythical place where balls never land!) are probably not having nearly as much fun as I am, but this post is about ME and golf, not the frustrated golfers behind me.  I enjoy the challenge of it all, and the aspect of competing with myself each round.  Every time I tee up on the first hole I am trying to improve on the game from the day before. Sure, it’s great to have a lower score than the people you’re playing with, but in reality, you are competing against yourself out there.

And THIS weekend…

I managed to do JUST that. I broke 90…yes, that’s right, I shot an 87 yesterday!  Again, not going to qualify me for the PGA, but it was definitely a personal best.  Sure, I still sliced the ball into the rough, the sand and even the trees (Trees are not my friend on the course, as pretty as they are I wish they’d just cut them all down), but somehow I managed to hit some really good approach shots that got me close to the pin on my second (or third on the longer PAR 5 holes) shot.

And how did I do that?

Simple, lessons. That’s right, after I joined our local club, the Springfield Golf & country club, I quickly signed up for lessons with one of their pros.    And then I hit the driving range a couple times a week to practice what he was teaching me.  And then I played as much golf as I could.

I hate it when things wear out…

I’ve been steadily improving (last year I was hitting 110-120 and the year before that…well, you don’t want to know).  So this weekend, I needed a new golf glove because the one I was using developed a hole in the palm, so I headed to the pro-shop and picked up a new one.  By the time I finished the round, the NEW glove had a hole in the same place.  I thought “cheap gloves” and yesterday returned to the pro-shop to complain and maybe get a new glove.

One Thing…

Of course, one of the club pros was there, and when I explained to him what was going on he asked me a few questions about where the glove was wearing out and what type of wear.  He actually walked down to the cart to look at the old glove…great customer service at this club!  The first thing he said was: “Your glove shouldn’t be wearing there at all, show me your grip”.  You see where this is going, right?  I was gripping the clubs wrong.  He looked at my grip, made one suggested change, and sent me on my way.

AMAZING!

It’s amazing to me how JUST changing the grip changed my game!  Balls were (mostly) flying straight and a lot of them actually landed IN the fairway.  For those of you who golf, and like me rarely hit from the fairway, I am here to tell you that hitting from the short grass is MUCH better.  Anyway, the point is, all I had to do was change the way I was HOLDING (vice swinging) the club for an improvement of about 10 strokes.

Here’s the thing…

Voiceover is much the same.  No, you should not be recording from the fairway – far too much background noise as the people teeing off behind you will NOT be happy.  But like golf, a career in voice over is not as easy as it seems it should be.  I mean, in golf all you’re doing is smacking a little ball around in a field, and in voiceover all you’re doing is speaking into a microphone.  Seems like they should each be pretty easy to accomplish – until you try them.

Lessons!

The lessons helped in golf, and they help in voiceover AND acting as well.  Just like you can’t simply buy a set of clubs and start competing on the links, you can’t just buy a microphone and start recording professional voiceovers that people will want to buy.  You are going to need to get training.  There are numerous ways to get the training you need, from pre-recorded video lessons like Masterclass (better than nothing, but not the best since you don’t get direct feedback), to structured coursework like you’ll find at Edge Studios to in-person or virtual group classes like you’ll find at Such a Voice, right down to one-on-one training with a personal coach like Scott Burns. Take lessons, it helps!

Coaching…

Taking classes is good, but it is not enough to finish classes and then just jump in.  Individual coaching is a necessity in this field.  Each person is different, and structured classes, while needed, will not address individual adjustments.  A personal coach will be able to find that “one thing”, like my golf grip, that needs attention and help you make the correct adjustments.  And no, your grip on the microphone will not need to be adjusted because…never, never, never…hold the microphone in your hand!

Time…

As with almost everything in life, improving your voiceover or acting skills takes TIME.  If you are frustrated with where your career is at, start by giving yourself a break, then a coach, and then time to practice what you’ve learned.  Over time your performances will get better and better, until one day, you’ll be hitting under 90 every round!

A quick aside.

Thanks for reading to the end, but if you’re looking for something else to read, why not take a look at a couple of the promotions running through book funnel now:

A New Dawn – Non-Fiction / How To & Instructional and Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Mega Non-Fiction Promo – Non-Fiction / How To & Instructional, Non-Fiction / Inspirational, and Non-Fiction / Self-Help

There are a LOT of great titles in these book promotions, you are almost guaranteed (ALMOST) to find something that strikes your fancy.  And if you haven’t already gotten it, you’ll find my book, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Getting Started in Voice Over, But Didn’t Know Who to Ask, in both of them.  Happy hunting!

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!

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything!

 

Skiing and Voice Over…or…DON’T GIVE UP!

Encouragement, General, Getting Started, Training, Voice Over

Welcome Back!

Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! I know you were eagerly awaiting a post last week, but as I mentioned week before last, I was in Salt Lake City, Utah for my M-I-L’s 80th birthday.

UTAH

Have you ever been to Utah?  No? Neither had I till my met Karen, who grew up just outside Salt Lake City.  Man, what a beautiful place.  If you didn’t know, SLC sits in a VERY flat valley surrounded by gorgeous mountains.

This picture does not do it justice

We had a really great time this trip, and the birthday party was a HUGE success.  It’s really nice to celebrate a milestone birthday with someone and see how many people love them.  Happy Birthday mom!

A Funny Story

Yeah, I know this blog is supposed to be about Voice Over, I’ll get to that…but I have a funny story to tell you about one of my first trips to Utah.

You see, Karen grew up there (as I mentioned) and with perfect mountains all around, it is easy to understand why someone would become a skier.  Karen did.  I, on the other hand, grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and while Cleveland definitely has some things to offer (like Lake Erie!) the one thing it does NOT have is a mountain.  Hardly even a hill.

I was not a skier

But, when I started to date Karen, I agreed to give skiing a try since she liked it so much.  She got me hooked on golf, but THAT’S another story.  Anyway, we headed to Wisp (in MD) and I took about ½ day of lessons and practice on the bunny slope…and I was HOOKED!  I actually got the point where I could:

  1. Turn
  2. Stop
  3. Get ON the lift without falling
  4. Get OFF the lift without falling.

I was sure I was ready for the Olympics!  Well, not really, but I was CERTAIN I could do this skiing thing!

And then…Utah

So we were heading out to visit her mom in the winter and we decided we needed to bring all of our ski stuff so we could spend some time on the slopes while we were there.  It would be an understatement to say I was not prepared for what faced me there.  Just in case you weren’t aware, with an elevation of under 4000 feet,  Marsh Mountain in Garrett County Maryland (where Wisp Resort is located) PALES by comparison to the 11,000+ feet of the  Wasatch Mountains situated to the East of SLC and Snowbasin Ski resort, where Karen took me because they had “easy slopes”.

This is NOT your mama’s ski resort!

First, when you ski on the East Coast, it is a simple affair of getting on the lift, getting off the lift, skiing to the bottom, then getting on the lift and going to the top again.  If you want to go to a different slope, you just get on a different lift at the bottom…well, for the most part.  At any rate, it is SIMPLE.  At Snowbasin, you need a MAP.  Depending on where you park, you’ll probably need to SKI to the first lift, and then choose a run to take, then get on a different lift and head to another run.  You can easily get lost working your way around the mountain.

SLOPES!  HA!

The very first thing I noticed when we got out of the car and started to head downhill was:  There are no “slopes” on this mountain, and it is NOT a “hill”.  I found myself staring straight down (or so it seemed to me) a cliff.  Well, I suppose straight down is technically a slope, if you’re a mathematician:  I was far less worried about math, and a LOT more worried about dying on the mountain that day.

It MAY be a guy thing…

I don’t know, but when Karen and her friend gracefully headed down the “slope” (I’ll just call it that from now on I suppose), nice and smooth and at a reasonable pace, there was no WAY I was going to chicken out and not head down myself.  I refused to be shown up!

My skis

When I bought my shiny new skis, I told the 20-something guy helping me at the ski store that we were headed to Utah.  He selected the perfect pair of skis for me to ski in Utah.  Karen questioned the wisdom of the extra-long skis he chose, but I told her he assured me they were perfect.   If you’re a skier, you know that “extra-long” can be translated to “Very fast and difficult to control”.  **NOTE TO SELF**: Never listen to a 20-something ski guy when you are approaching 60 and just getting started.

WOW – They were FAST

If I even THOUGHT the word slope, my skis were headed downhill FAST and with a mind of their own!  I won’t bore you with details of each hill, just know that I spent more time trying to stand up on a steep angle and get my skis back on than I did actually skiing.  Karen and her friend, sadly, spent more time standing at the bottom of the hill laughing at me.  Even on the fall where I apparently broke a rib.  Skiing can be dangerous for an old brittle guy like me.

Exhaustion…but

By the time the girls were ready to quit, I was beat up, sore and exhausted.  I could barely stand.  Remember how I mentioned you need a map and could easily get lost?  Yeah, well we were about 3000 miles and several slopes/lifts away from the car.  Maybe not 3000 miles, maybe more like 3…but it FELT like 3000.  I was done, but I had to ski for another HOUR to leave.  I had no choice but to keep going or die on the side of the mountain.

What does that have to do with Voice Over?

I’m glad you asked!  The story of my first ski trip to Utah seems unrelated, but it reflects my (and I suppose many of your) journeys in Voice Over.

In the Beginning….

No, not Charleston Heston, but when we first start out in voice over, or any new endeavor really, it’s like that first day for me at Wisp on the bunny slope.  We take some lessons, get some coaching…and then one day it seems like we “get it”.  We can turn, stop, get on and off the lift without wiping out. It’s a great feeling, we MIGHT even book a small job and feel good about ourselves!

But one day…

But then, as we gain confidence, we “head to Utah” where we can begin trying out the big slopes.  Those higher paying Voice Over jobs.  Suddenly, we are competing with pros, people who have been doing this for years.  And then we spend a lot of time falling down and trying to get back up.  Thankfully, those seasoned pros aren’t standing at the bottom of the hill laughing at us, well, except on Facebook when we ask dumb questions that have been answered a million times.  Anyway, it feels like they are sometimes.

And then you may feel “done”

Or maybe not, but likely so.  Your legs will be shaking, your chest on fire from a broken rib…you may feel like you can’t continue, and you never want to do this again.  OK, not literally, but you get the point.  You may come to a point where you just want to throw in the towel and find something else to do.

DON’T

That’s right don’t do it!  Keep on going!  I know it’s not like you are stuck on the side of the mountain with no choice but to “keep skiing” but keep skiing anyway.  Make it back to the relative safety of the car.  Drive home, put your feet up, have an “adult beverage” or six (if you’re into that), and then gear up the next day and try again.  Maybe not the next day, maybe, like me, you need a week or so to let the fractured rib heal…take the time you need to get re-centered and then head out again.  Get some coaching, get a practice partner, find a mentor…and keep chugging along.

It gets better…

It really does.  Like with any other thing you try to do, at first you are pretty terrible at it, then you get good enough to be encouraging, then you hit a slump and THEN you start to be GOOD at it.  Giving up means you never get to the GOOD stage.  Personally, I look forward to the day I consider myself good at Voice Over…well, and skiing…AND golf…but again, that’s another story altogether.

 

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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Slow Days

Encouragement, General, Training, Voice Over

Welcome Back!

Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us!

Slow Days

A long time ago when I was stationed in Charleston, SC I used to joke that local licensed drivers were issued a calendar every year to let them know which days were slow days, and which were stupid days…and that the reality was every day was a stupid day.  No offense to Charleston drivers here, I was young and stupid myself those days, so it was really all me.  As it turns out, I’ll be heading down to the Charleston area next weekend to visit my daughter and have a look at my property to start building, so I’ll let you know if traffic is still the same.

What does any of that have to do with Voice Over?

Nothing really, but when I decided to write about slow days in this business and some ideas of how to deal with them, that came to mind.  Probably BECAUSE I’m headed down on Friday and have been thinking about it.

Slow Days (CONT)

What I really want to talk about this week is what we can do as independent artists when things slow down, as they seem to have done this week.  The truth is, auditioning and recording are not the only things our businesses need, and having some slow periods is actually pretty useful for you to catch up on some of the tasks you’ve been putting off.  Below are some ideas for you to consider, in no particular order.

Marketing

Yes, I know it is a dirty word, but when you are not busily auditioning or recording for clients it is a PERFECT time to do some of that marketing you’ve been putting off.  I’m no marketing expert, but I can think of two off the top of my head.  If you lack experience or confidence in your ability to market, maybe taking some marketing training would be a really good idea while you have the time.  Check out Joshua Alexander’s website for training opportunities.  He’s been at this a while and really knows his stuff. If he doesn’t tickly your fancy, maybe Marc Scott is your guy.  Either of these guys can help you jump start your business.

Start Local

If training is not your gig, then the easiest way to start marketing yourself is to reach out to businesses in your own community to see where they may need help.  Think about radio stations for example.  Do they hire local talent for their radio spots?  Any advertising agencies or production houses in your area?  Introduce yourself and let them know you are available to help them.  Remember: You are not trying to “sell” your services, you are both trying to establish relationships AND looking for places where your services will help your prospective clients.  Marketing is not about what clients can do for you, it’s about what you can do for them.

Work on a new DEMO reel

Have you been thinking about getting into a new or different genre of VO?  Now is a good time to start working on putting together a demo reel to highlight your abilities in that genre.  Maybe you want to do character voices for animation or branch out into audio books or e-learning.  While things are slow, it is a perfect time to broaden your horizons into something new.  Which leads directly into…

Training/Coaching

Yep, I know those are dirty words, but maybe now is the time to devote some time to training.  If you are looking to branch out into something new, you’ll need to catch up with the latest trends in that genre, and you’ll definitely want someone to coach you in preparation for recording a new reel.   If nothing else you’ll learn whether or not you have what it takes in that genre, and at the end of the day you could just have a shiny new demo reel to use in that first suggestion (Marketing).  Just make sure you are working with someone who is working in, and has experience with, the genre you are aiming for,

Improve your space/equipment

It may seem counterintuitive to invest when times are slow, but slow periods are a great time to take care of some of those annoyances in your setup, or to upgrade equipment or software.  You never want to change equipment in the middle of a hot run and learning new or upgraded software takes time.  Do it while there are not lots of auditions pouring in.  Maybe you need to add more acoustic treatment to your room, or have been wanting to build that awesome booth to move out of your spouses walk-in closet; now is a great time for that.

Start blogging/Write a book

You don’t think you have it in you?  Neither did I.  And here I am writing a weekly blog.  To be totally honest, I do struggle at times to come up with topics to write about, but there always seems to be SOMETHING to say.  You can even get some great ideas from reading other peoples blogs.  Now, before you get the idea I’m suggesting you plagiarize your favorite blogger, what I am suggesting is that a lot of the time reading other blogs give me things to think about which leads to new topics.  You could even put a new “spin” on someone’s topic, or spin something wholly different from it.

Wait…write a BOOK?

Yeah, write a book.  I did, and I did it by writing a weekly blog and then bringing together all of them that dealt with the same topic and then smoothing them out into something that flowed better.  I never thought I’d be a published author, but here I am and it was easier than I thought (don’t get me wrong, I didn’t say it was EASY…just easier than I thought it would be.)  Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it.

Learn something new

Not very accomplished at engineering your audio; maybe relying on a professional engineer to do that for you?  Why not take some online lessons for audio engineering?  If you are a Studio One or RX8 user, Don Baarns is pure gold! He offers a couple recorded series for S1 and RX, but he can also be booked for one-on-one individual coaching to help you not only improve your audio quality but to understand what your software is doing.  He is priceless.

Take an acting class

Believe it or not, as I have written about before, voice over, no matter what the genre is acting as much as it is for stage or film.  It may not seem like it, but every time you get behind the mic you are playing a role.  Acting classes help you learn how to break down a script to find the subtext, which is what clients REALLY want the audience to hear.  Especially if you are working in audio books, acting classes are invaluable.  And if you’re like me, it COULD lead to an actual stage or film acting career to go along with your VO.

Unclutter your space

I know, not fun.  But neither is sifting through piles of paperwork trying to find that one invoice that either needs to be paid or for the client that needs to be reminded to pay.  An uncluttered desk makes working easier, and if you clean it up and file everything, next year when it’s tax time life will be a LOT easier.

Catch up with past clients/contacts

Now would be a good time (OK, ALWAYS is a good time!) to reach out to past clients and contacts just to see how they’re doing, see if they need any help and most importantly; Keep YOU on the top of their mind so you are the first one they think of when they DO need something.

ALWAYS something to do!

No matter what you decide to do during slow periods, there is always SOMETHING to do to keep your business moving forward. Don’t let slow periods discourage you; take advantage of them to get all the things you have been meaning to done now o they are not hanging over your head later when things pick back up!

 

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The Producer and Coaches Perspective

General, Training, Voice Over

Welcome Back!

Thanks for reading, and if you are a new subscriber; Welcome and thanks for joining us! I wouldn’t normally post a guest blog so closely with another, but this week I am breaking all the rules.  Below you’ll find an article written by my VO coach Scott Burns.  Along with coaching, Scott is a producer, AND VO artist himself.  He writes below from the perspective of coach and producer.  I hope you enjoy this insight from Scott!

Intro…

Gary, thank you so much for inviting me to share my perspectives of not only being a Voiceover Coach, but that from my perch as a producer as well.  I’ve been so fortunate to have been able to work on both sides of the glass over the years and the experience has lent favorably to how I approach auditioning.  Instead of the, “Here I am…I hope they like me” approach, I’ve adjusted it to, “How can I help them hire me?”

Who’s listening, anyway?

Most audition listening parties involve the audio engineer who’s going to produce the commercial, narration or animation project you’re reading for.  Thus, I tend to aim my reads towards the engineer who has probably already built the basic soundtrack or pieced together the video timeline. If I provide them with what they’re looking for, instead of, “Here’s me reading the words just as you punctuated including the typo,” there’s a better chance my read might persuade them to slip it into their “Selects” folder.

So how DO you provide reads they’re looking for?  This where self-direction comes into play. In essence…you become a coach.

Back in the day…

There was a time when voice actors were invited to audition by traveling to a local recording studio, mingle with other talent in a waiting area, be handed copy to familiarize themselves with and eventually be escorted to a room, “where the magic happens!” The audio engineer would adjust the microphone to your height, make sure to point out the volume adjustments for the headphones, then shut the heavy door with a whoosh…leaving you to settle in to the sudden yet comforting silence.

There were benefits to in-person auditions…

While you’d lament that you should have actually familiarized yourself with the copy rather than spending way too much time ‘catching up’ with fellow VO talent in the lobby, you knew the engineer would offer the opportunity for you to do a second take if the first one lacked luster.  You might even have the ad agency’s creative director there to offer clarity as to what they’re wanting to hear.  Ahhh…the good old days.

NOT anymore…

Now of course we’re going it alone. Just you, the foam and lot of ambition.

And how DO you stand out?

So how CAN voice talent know if their performances are actually resonating with their intended target audience of producers, writers and casting directors?  Are all the workshops and classes they’ve invested in are paying off?  What guidance IS there to know if they’re turning in flawless auditions or not so off the mark their reads are set aside for the ad agency’s office Holiday Party for a good and hardy laugh?

Sadly, there are no guarantees to assure you’ll book a job, even if you have checked all the boxes for ‘perfect presentation.’  You just have to take solace in the fact that, in voiceover, “It’s not rejection…it’s selection.”

Remember, they WANT you to be the one!

Casting directors and producers WANT you to be good!  They have a lot at stake to find the perfect candidate for a project that’s probably 89% done, but just needs the cherry of your vocal performance to top it all off.  The last thing they want to do is suffer listening through countless lousy auditions, putting them in a foul mood and questioning why they got into advertising in the first place.  (Mother wanted them to become a dentist to begin with and now here they are…trapped…with nary a trace of Novocain to numb the pain!)

Bad auditions….

Based on my experience from casting spots for the ad agency I produce for, you’d be amazed at just how MANY bad auditions are submitted regularly.  Not just from the Pay to Play sites either…but from various talent agencies.  I’m not sure if some actors feel like producers can get an essence of what they’d sound like on the commercial simply by reading into their iPhone while standing in the kitchen…or if we can make the leap of “here’s what I’d sound like reading your heartfelt public service announcement” while auditioning from my car.

If you can’t be in a perfect space, do the best you can…

Mind you, I’ve auditioned from my car!  I’ve even booked a job where I’d auditioned from my car! So yes, there are exceptions.  I just had the presence of mind to utilize a great quality mic in a secluded part of the town I was visiting.  I lucked out of course, but had I done the read with the window down and car in motion as the young person was apparently doing for her audition it’s doubtful my submission would made the first round of cuts.  (The holiday party folder, yes.)

P2P sites…

In the case of Pay to Play sites, take heart in knowing that around 80% of the auditions submitted are pretty bad. So even though you’re competing globally, the chances are if auditioning skills are GOOD, your reads will consistently float to the top.

Even from talent agents…

With regards to auditioning through talent agencies, here’s a few things topping my PEEVES list you’d be wise to avoid doing.

 

  • Mislabeling your file. Some projects require a ton of organization to keep all the names and roles straight.  So if it’s requested you label your file: Anncr_PatSmith_VOagency  and the talent labels it: Pat S.   (or some other variation), then there’s a real good chance that file is going to get lost in the shuffle or tossed to the trash.
  • Sending a file that’s NOT an mp3. Wav, Aiff, Mpeg4 or anything other than the industry standard mp3 just tells me you’re a novice and might be difficult to work with.  (OK I’m not that harsh really…but it is annoying)
  • Loosely edited files. I’ve had auditions come in where you click to play and don’t hear anything until about 5 seconds in.  IF the reader sounds decent enough, I’ll go ahead and trim it down for the listening party participants…but that’s an added step I can’t guarantee many producer/engineers would have the time or patience to do.
  • Unmanicured audio. I’m not asking that you run your audio through every de-clicker, lip smacker and breath sucker plug-in on the market…but DO trim, clean and make it sound as broadcast ready as you possibly can.  Remember that a lot of other talent are taking these extra steps necessary to present their vocal wares, so you’re being compared.

They won’t listen “through” the bad audio

More and more we can’t rely on the decision makers to ‘connect the dots’ as to how you might sound on their commercial, narration or game project.  In years past they might hear an audition come through that was less than stellar quality-wise…but they were told, “Oh he’s on vacation and did this over the phone for Jenny at the front desk.  We’re lucky she had her cassette recorder handy!”

It has to be good NOW…

Today it’s do-or-die.  You’ve got to knock them out of their socks and off the chair from the moment they hit play.  Remember too that your audition is a marketing tool.  If your voice isn’t right for the particular project they’re producing…there’s a chance you’d be PERFECT for another one they have in the works.  Again, speaking from experience here as the owner of the company I work for actually said, “Oh wow…not for this spot, but keep her in mind for another spot I’m writing.”

OK, so how do we knock their socks off?

“So, Scott, you’ve told me what NOT to do. How about something TO do that will help me when I’m sitting all alone in my Self-Director chair?!”

Well, I’d honestly suggest you consider investigating a variety of well-respected industry professionals to help with a tune up every couple of months or so.

“But Scott, wouldn’t that take clients away from you?!!”

“Not for long,” I’d reply.  Because I always provide candy for performances well done!

Learn from those that have gone before you.

No, of course that’s not the case…Zoom meeting calls don’t have that feature on their platform yet.  But I do believe it’s wise to seek the opinions of others in the voiceover industry.  We all have different doors used to enter this business and perspectives may vary on how to manage one’s way through their voiceover career.  One thing’s for sure, working with a person who’s learned ‘on the job’ their entire career can shave years off yours having to do the same.

At some point, you HAVE to audition…

Mind you, I’d caution against OVER coaching yourself!  I’ve seen cases where some people settle into a comfort zone and as long as they’re “in school” they’re excused for not booking work.

Again, tune ups are fantastic!  With the ever-changing trends in advertising, it’s good to stay fresh with what’s booking.  The onus is then on the performer to apply which methods and techniques work best for them.

KEEP PRACTICING!

In closing I’d say the best way to achieve greatness and dazzle producers with your auditions is to continue reading everything around you ALOUD.  It helps build your memory muscles for eye-to-brain-to-mouth functionality, breathing and more. Truth be told I talk to myself while driving to work every morning.  It helps me develop different character voices and keeps my improv skills nimble by reading billboards, signage on trucks and most everything I observe along the way. So far I’ve been lucky not to be pulled over by the Nut-Job Police.  Give it time.

Scott Burns is a highly sought-after coach and demo producer with voiceover credits including Nintendo’s Super Mario Games (Bowser), Nickelodeon, Amazon, Miller Beer, Microsoft, T-Mobile and more. Burns day job includes casting and audio production of radio  commercials as well as video projects for the Seattle area advertising/marketing agency, Destination Marketing.

Thanks Scott!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Voice Over from my friend and cvoach Scott.  He brings many year’s experience to this craft, and has helped me immeasurably to become a better VO artist.  If you’re interested in possibly discussing coaching opportunities with Scott, or to book him for a VO gig you might have, you can reach out to him through his website: Book Scot Burns.  Thanks for reading, see you 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!

If you haven’t already, please feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss anything!