It’s finally here! We’re officially launching our VoiceActing BLOG. We’ll be posting our thoughts and comments on a variety of voice acting issues from time to time. And we invite you to participate by posting your comments, suggestions, thoughts, challenges, etc.

Unlike a Forum, this is a Blog (short for “Web Log”). You can only post follow-up comments to our original posts – and we hope you do. Your comments can include your opinions on the topic in our main post and even links to other sites, if you like.

Our goal with this BLOG is to help voice actors at all levels of experience to be better at what they do, so they can better serve their clients, receive fair compensation for their work, and get the recognition they deserve.

We look forward to having you join us.

As always, you can contact us “off-blog” by e-mail at info@voiceacting.com or by phone at 858 484-0220 M-F, between 10am-5pm Pacific Time.

James Alburger & Penny Abshire

Last December we started offering conference calls with the intention of helping our students – and anyone else interested in voiceover – to become better at what they do. Some of our calls are free while others have a minimal charge. Our first call in December was “Demos A-Z” followed in January by our first “Demo Demolition Derby.” We had more than 150 people on the “DDD” call and we evaluated 25 demos during the 4 1/4 hour call. It was so popular that we’ll be doing it again several times this year. Subscribe to our e-lists at www.voiceacting.com to make sure you get the notices.

Our next call will be this coming Thursday, February 5th and is called “Auditions: A Necessary Evil.” OK, so the title isn’t as clever as “Demo Demolition Derby,” but it still makes the point. During the 1-hour to 90 minute call, we’ll be discussing auditions from several perspectives and offering some tips and suggestions that will, hopefully, help your audition stand out from the crowd. We’ll also play and discuss a few “losing” auditions during the call. Its not too late to join us – just click on the link at the top of the home page at www.voiceacting.com.

After the call, we invite you to return here to leave your comments and to let us know if the call was of any help to you. We look forward to having you join us.

James and Penny

Joni Wilson - The lady with the answers!

Joni Wilson is an amazing teacher and does she ever know her stuff! For 90 minutes she explained the “mechanics” of our voices and how it actually works! We use our voices everyday (most of us, to make a living) but I was surprised by just how much I DIDN’T know about my voice and how to properly care for it! For those lucky enough to have been on this free call – WOW what value you got!

We’re planning more conference calls on a variety of voiceover topics. If there is someone you would like us to interview, or if there’s a topic you’d like covered, please send an e-mail to info@voiceacting.com. We offer several FREE conference calls, and some we do charge a minimal fee. When we launch our Conductor’s Club this summer, you’ll be able to access every call we offer (both free and fee calls) for much less than it would cost to subscribe to the individual paid calls – plus you’ll get access to Penny and me (James) when ever you need us.

From my weekly post on Voiceoveruniverse.com in the Positive Thinkers UNITE Group

For those of us who are Star Trek fans (and there are a lot of us), the arrival of a new movie bearing this name is right up there with the anticipation of Christmas morning!

Yes, I do count myself a member of this ever-expanding group. I don’t attend conventions or dress like a crew member, but since falling in love with the Starship Enterprise and her crew when the show began in 1966, I’ve always enjoyed the rich characters and hopeful stories of this franchise. When my husband and I were first dating in high school, it was our TV show of choice and we always had to watch it before we left for our Saturday evenings out.

Our country was in the midst of tumultuous times when the first show was aired. America was at war in a far-away land, we had lost a charismatic young president, and protesters marched in the streets. Civil unrest was tearing at the fabric of our country, the Vietnam War was taking our young men from us and the sexual revolution was in full-swing.

When the new Star Trek arrives in theaters this week, America is again at war in two foreign lands, the nation has just elected a young, charismatic president, and the protesters are in the streets. Leonard Nimoy (Spock) has been quoted as saying, “Star Trek began during a time of great upheaval. There were antiwar demonstrations. There was political turmoil. There was social unrest. The world was a mess. A lot like it is right now.”

When the show debuted it was a flop! It was only after syndication reruns that it grew into a cult hit. I have often wondered over the years just why Star Trek is so beloved by so many. But I think I’ve always known.

Here’s what I believe and why I will always be a fan: Star Trek is about hope. It’s about the dream of peace in a world that no longer has war or poverty – a place where everyone is counted as equal. This Utopian dream of perfection may seem far-fetched, but for me it’s a wonderful, positive look into the future instead of dreading what might come next. It’s also about exploring all possibilities – no matter how dangerous or intimidating they may be – to boldly go where no man has gone before!

It also portrayed a crew that genuinely loved and cared for each other. How many times did Kirk or Spock, or any of the rest, offer to give up their lives to save one of their comrades or the entire crew? Just about every episode, as I recall.

The shows (first and second generation) always addressed timely political issues. Does anyone remember the episode where two characters – both with painted faces (one side white and one side black) were fighting each other? It was based on the fact that one was white on the right side and the other was white on the left side, without a doubt a comment on the civil unrest our country was going through at the time. Even though I already knew it, it just further demonstrated that judging someone by their skin color was (and is) completely ridiculous!

So, say what you will if you aren’t a fan of Star Trek. But for those of us who are, we know why We Are, and shall Always be, Fans.

Live long and prosper, my friends.

Penny

Arrgh! How can I get these voices to shut up??

Some days it seems those voices in your head gnaw at you constantly with wonderful little insights like, “Why did you make that mistake, you idiot? What’s wrong with you?” Or, “Don’t even try that audition, they won’t like you anyway – you really aren’t that good – you don’t want to embarrass yourself, do you?” Or, the ever-popular, “You are never going to make it in this business; there are too many other people out there who are better than you!”

Sound familiar? It should. We all have these voices in our heads. One of the things that help us achieve success is how we deal with them. I’ve found over the years that if I try to ignore the negative voices, they just get louder – screaming in fact – for attention! So I have developed a couple of techniques to give them the attention they crave and keep them under control.

#1
Acknowledge they exist and are very real to you. They are real and they’ve been hurting you for years! When they offer their opinions, calmly tell them, “Thank you for sharing . . . now GO AWAY, I’m doing it anyway!” I often do this out loud, but I wouldn’t suggest it in a public place….

(Or as one of my British friends put it, “You should wave as they walk by, but don’t invite them in for tea!”)

Two things will happen when you do this. Because they are now being acknowledged (given a place on the stage so to speak), they will become quieter with their negative input and will eventually stop all together.

#2
Give them jobs. I was recently asked by a student how to get rid of the voices or at least quiet them to some degree. I asked him, “Why not just give them each a job? If they have something constructive to do, then they will have neither the time nor the inclination to abuse you.”

Think about your own, personal voices for a moment knowing that we each have similar voices that speak to us. They are sometimes referred to as “The Committee.” For example:

1. The JUDGE who cheerfully points out every single mistake and reinforces our insecurities at every turn. He takes great delight in this power.

2. The MOM. She only wants to protect us and she tells us it’s okay not to try. She soothes us and gives us permission to “just be safe, dear” and by doing so, nurtures us away far from the path of success.

3. The DRILL SERGEANT. He tells us we are good for nothing – basically a waste of skin! And he does so with extremely abusive and hurtful language designed specially to cause the greatest degree of pain.

4. The CRITIC. He points out what we’ve done incorrectly but (unlike the Judge) he encourages us to try again. (I love my critic – she keeps me going in the right direction)

5. The CHILD. He’s just plain scared. He can’t take the first step and is practically paralyzed with fear. This voice generally represents a traumatic event that may have happened in your childhood. Or your child may be one that just wants to play all the time instead of doing the necessary work.

There are many other “voices”, but these are the some of the most dominate voices in my head. Yours may be similar or completely different. There are others like; the cheerleader, the prankster, the bully, the teacher, etc. Who populates your “Committee?”

When you are developing characters for your scripts, think of how you can use each of these voices. What does your “Judge” sound like? What does his look like? What is his attitude? What is his vocal placement? How does he hold his body when he’s passing out his judgments? After you have a feel for him then start thinking about where he might fit in your stable of characters. He might play the role of a politician, a professor, a banker, a doctor, or attorney, even a police officer.

What does your “Mom” sound like? Is she young or old? Does she have high energy or is she very quiet and shy? How does she hold her body when she is taking care of you or protecting you? Is she an upbeat young mom who is telling an audience about peanut butter? Is she genuinely concerned about her child and his safety? Is she a lonely spinster whose only children are her cats? Would she do anything to protect them?

How about the “Drill Sergeant?” Maybe he or she is an abusive boss or parent, the chairman of the board, the bully who used to beat up on you on the playground, the head master of your school, your mother-in-law…..?

Your “Critic” could be a counselor or therapist, a teacher, a religious leader, or a caring and trusted friend. It’s probably someone whose opinion you value greatly.

And the “Child?” She may be scared, but she loves to play! If you can capture your inner child, and give her full permission to play – WOW! You have a plethora of characters to choose from!

Get the idea? If the voices are there any way (and they surely are), why not use them to help you create wonderful, believable characters for your voice work? If you are (or are going to be) an accomplished voice actor, you must learn the importance of having rich characters from which to choose when you approach any script. Using this method, you won’t have to imagine the characters – you already have an entire cast of them living between your ears!

No one on this planet knows your voices better than you do. So, take some positive action – TAKE CONTROL of your voices!! They’ll be thankful for the “work” and (ultimately) so will you – for the work they bring you!

Food 4 Thought (from my Positive Thinkers UNITE group at www.voiceoveruniverse.com)

When was the last time you went to a movie in the middle of a work week, in the middle of day, for no other reason than you wanted to?

Now, if you work for someone else – doing something like this could cause some problems. But if you are self-employed, it might be something to consider.

Today (Thursday) at 11:55 a.m. I forwarded our phones to the answering service and Jim and I left the VoiceActing Academy and went to the movies. We saw Star Trek. Now, I’d seen it the week before with my hubby, but being the self-proclaimed “Trekkie” that I am, I was all for seeing it again. We bought popcorn and drinks and even a package of candy and settled back in our seats to enjoy pure entertainment for the next 2 hours. It was wonderful.

Did we have work to do back at the office? Of course. Did we feel guilty about sneaking away to enjoy a few hours of entertainment in the middle of the day? Not one little bit!

As entrepreneurs, we sometimes feel we are obligated to work on our business 24/7. I know that very often I’ll work all day here at the studio and then most of the evening I’ll work on my laptop while I’m watching TV with my husband (which he hates, I might add). But there’s just SO much work to do!!

So, here’s a suggestion for you.

TAKE A COUPLE OF HOURS OFF.

Just pick something you’d really like to do for a couple of hours – put the answering machine on and DO IT! It might be a movie, or a manicure, or a massage, or playing with your kids in the park, hitting a bucket of golf balls, or going for a long walk. Just make it something you will really enjoy. Put it on your calendar and plan a day for it. This “movie day” has been on our calendar for the last week and I had it to look forward to for all that time.

You’ll find that when you return from whatever you’ve decided to do you will feel re-charged and in a much better frame of mind. I promise you that your business will not dissolve if you leave for a couple of hours.

Today I am very grateful we went to see Star Trek. Not only did I get to experience a movie I really like with a good friend, relax and leave my work behind for a while – but the popcorn was really yummy!

Food 4 Thought (from the Positive Thinkers Unite group at www.voiceoveruniverse.com)

by Brett Blumenthal
(This is a very well-written piece I found recently on a Yahoo blog. Thought you’d all appreciate its wisdom)

Although we like to think that the people in our lives are well-adjusted, happy, healthy minded individuals, we sometimes realize that it just isn’t so.

Personally, I’ve had moments where I’ll be skipping through my day, happy as can be, thinking life is grand and BAM, I’ll be blindsided by someone who manages to knock the happy wind out of my sails. Sometimes it is easy to write it off and other times, not so much.

Maybe you are a positive person, but when you are around a certain individual, you feel negative. Or, maybe you have an idealistic view of the world and when you are with certain people, you are made to feel silly, unrealistic or delusional. Or, maybe you pride yourself in being completely independent and in control of your life, but when you are around a certain family member, you regress into a state of childhood.

Some of these situations, and yes, these people, can have a tremendously negative impact on our lives. And, although we are all human and have our ‘issues,’ some ‘issues’ are quite frankly, toxic. They are toxic to our happiness. They are toxic to our mental outlook. They are toxic to our self-esteem. And they are toxic to our lives. They can suck the life out of us and even shorten our lifespan.

Here are the worst of the toxic personalities out there and how to spot them:

1. Manipulative Mary: These individuals are experts at manipulation tactics. Is a matter of fact, you may not even realize you have been manipulated until it is too late. These individuals figure out what your ‘buttons’ are, and push them to get what they want.

• Why they are toxic: These people have a way of eating away at your belief system and self-esteem. They find ways to make you do things that you don’t necessarily want to do and before you know it, you lose your sense of identity, your personal priorities and your ability to see the reality of the situation. The world all of a sudden becomes centered around their needs and their priorities.

2. Narcissistic Nancy: These people have an extreme sense of self-importance and believe that the world revolves around them. They are often not as sly as the Manipulative Marys of the world, but instead, tend to be a bit overt about getting their needs met. You often want to say to them “It isn’t always about you.”

• Why they are toxic: They are solely focused on their needs, leaving your needs in the dust. You are left disappointed and unfulfilled. Further, they zap your energy by getting you to focus so much on them, that you have nothing left for yourself.

3. Debbie Downers: These people can’t appreciate the positive in life. If you tell them that it is a beautiful day, they will tell you about the impending dreary forecast. If you tell them you aced a mid-term, they’ll tell you about how difficult the final is going to be.

• Why they are toxic: They take the joy out of everything. Your rosy outlook on life continues to get squashed with negativity. Before you know it, their negativity consumes you and you start looking at things with gray colored glasses yourself.

4. Judgmental Jims: When you see things as cute and quirky, they see things as strange and unattractive. If you find people’s unique perspectives refreshing, they find them ‘wrong’. If you like someone’s eclectic taste, they find it ‘disturbing’ or ‘bad’.

• Why they are toxic: Judgmental people are much like Debbie Downers. In a world where freedom rings, judgment is sooo over. If the world was a homogeneous place, life would be pretty boring. Spending a lot of time with these types can inadvertently convert you into a judgmental person as well.

5. Dream Killing Keiths: Every time you have an idea, these people tell you why you can’t do it. As you achieve, they try to pull you down. As you dream, they are the first to tell you it is impossible.

• Why they are toxic: These people are stuck in what is instead of what could be. Further, these individuals eat away at your self-esteem and your belief in yourself. Progress and change can only occur from doing new things and innovating, dreaming the impossible and reaching for the stars.

6. Insincere Illissas: You never quite feel that these people are being sincere. You tell a funny story, they give you a polite laugh. You feel depressed and sad and they give you a ‘there, there’ type response. You tell them you are excited about something and you get a very ho-hum response.

• Why they are toxic: People who aren’t sincere or genuine build relationships on superficial criteria. This breeds shallow, meaningless relationships. When you are really in need of a friend, they won’t be there. When you really need constructive criticism, they would rather tell you that you are great the way you are. When you need support, they would rather see you fail or make a fool of yourself.

7. Disrespectful Dannys: These people will say or do things at the most inappropriate times and in the most inappropriate ways. In essence, they are more subtle, grown up bullies. Maybe this person is a friend who you confided in and uses your secret against you. Maybe it is a family member who puts their busy-body nose into your affairs when it is none of their business. Or maybe, it is a colleague who says demeaning things to you.

• Why they are toxic: These people have no sense of boundaries and don’t respect your feelings or, for that matter, your privacy. These people will cause you to feel frustrated and disrespected.

8. Never Enough Nellies: You can never give enough to these people to make them happy. They take you for granted and have unrealistic expectations of you. They find ways to continually fault you and never take responsibility for anything themselves.

• Why they are toxic: You will spend so much time trying to please them, that you will end up losing yourself in the process. They will require all of your time and energy, leaving you worn out and your own needs sacrificed.

All of these personalities have several things in common. 1) the more these people get away with their behavior, the more they will continue. 2) Unfortunately, most of these people don’t see that what they do is wrong and as a result, talking to them about it will fall on deaf ears, leaving you wondering if you are the crazy one. 3) Most of these people get worse with age, making their impact on you stronger with time.

Frankly, life is too short to spend your time dealing with toxicity. If you can, avoid spending much time with people who are indicative of these behaviors and you’ll feel a lot happier.

Have you encountered these personalities? What have you done? Any personalities you would add?

It’s taking a little while for us to get used to our new Blog. But, we’re getting there. Within the next few weeks we’ll be moving our AOVA Newsletter content to this Blog. That will mean that when you sign up to receive our posts by e-mail or RSS (real simple syndication), we’ll be able to stay connected much more efficiently.This post is more of a test than anything else. I’m a pretty computer-savvy kinda guy, but this blogging thing is new to me. It’s taken me a few weeks to find the time to choose the right look for our Blog and to discover all the little ideosyncracies of how it works. It’s actually pretty amazing – not to mention pretty simple to use, once everything is set up.

But getting back to our plans…

As I mentioned, we’ll be moving the newsletter content over here, but that’s just the beginning. Some time this summer, we plan to launch the VoiceActing Academy Conductor’s Club. This will be a membership area of our www.voiceacting.com web site. But fret not… we’re not going to be charging an arm and a leg (or your first-born child) just to be a member. We haven’t set the pricing for this yet, but we promise it will be very reasonable – and as with most of what we do, you’ll get much more than you pay for. That’s just the way we work.

The Conductor’s Club will probably have at least two or three membership levels. The first level will be a FREE membership which will essentially be a subscription to our posts. Another level will include access to Penny and me (Jim) for those times when you need help with your home studio, finding copy for your demo, or getting some quick coaching for an audition or project you’re working on. We haven’t heard of anyone else doing this, and we expect it will keep us pretty busy. Details on how this will work will be posted on the web site when we’re ready. The final level of the Conductor’s Club will be for on-line training and will include personalized coaching. We know that in these very strange economic times, many of you simply cannot afford to travel to attend one of our workshops – or any other workshop for that matter. So, we’ll be coming to you via video training and personalized coaching calls. We’re putting together a very affordable program to help you learn and master both performing and business skills.

And, finally, there’s a new edition of The Art of Voice Acting coming out in 2010. OK, so that’s more than a year away, but I promise you the 4th edition will be the single most comprehensive book on voiceover ever! It will come in at almost 400 pages and will contain tons of new material from top professionals, plus new techniques, tricks of the trade, and a new CD. There will be a major announcement about this when it’s ready to hit the book stores. In the mean time, if there is anything – or any body – you would like me to include in the 4th edition, by all means send me an email at info@voiceacting.com to let me know your ideas.

But, I’ve saved the best news for the end…

If you’ve been with us for awhile, you’ve probably been to one of our VoiceOver International Creative Experience (VOICE) conferences. You have?  Excellent! Because we’re going to be doing it again in 2010. We’ve just set the dates – June 2-5 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, once again. If you’re reading this before June 10th, 2009, you’re getting the inside scoop – because our official announcement won’t be going out until the 10th. The official announcement will go out through John Flourian’s www.voiceoverxtra.com web site. John’s been a great advocate for us and he’ll once again be at VOICE 2010. In case you want to get a sneak-peek, you can simply click on the hexagon on the home page at www.voiceacting.com. Our new VOICE 2010 web site is under development and should be ready to launch in a few weeks. Penny and I are VERY excited about VOICE 2010. We already have some amazing workshops lined up – and more to come. Start saving your pennies… You’re not going to want to miss VOICE 2010.

Until next time…

Stay in Character

James Alburger
info@voiceacting.com
858 484-0220

by Penny Abshire

“Mommy, listen me a picture!”

This was a common phrase heard in our home when my two sons were little. They were asking to play their favorite game of pretend with their mom.

I’d take their little hands and we’d sit down next to the record player (yes,I actually had a record player……) and I’d put on something classical – Vivaldi, Mozart and Mussorgsky were their composers of choice even though at the time they had no idea who’d written the music.

Author’s Note:  The links and music used in this article are courtesy of YouTube.com.  I suggest when listening to the examples you don’t watch the accompanying video.  Let your own imagination create the visuals.

Then we’d all lie down on the floor and close our eyes. As the beautiful and visual musical notes of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” (or any other piece I may have chosen) came spilling through the speakers, we’d take turns making up stories about the images they brought to our minds. (Click on the link to hear this wonderfully visual music as you read below)

“I see lots of baby duckies running around, trying to find their mommy ‘cuz they’re lost!”, said Ben, my 3 yr. old.

“I see a herd of horses running through a big field and the sun is shining and the sky is very blue has lots of white clouds.There are cowboys trying to catch them – but they can’t because the horses are too fast,” offered his older brother Tim, who was 8 (and had been playing this game for a while).

“I see children riding inner tubes down a snowy hill,” was Mom’s contribution.

While it was a very simple game, it taught them something so critically important in life: The ability to visualize. And they couldn’t get enough of their favorite play time with Mom

My little boys are grown now and have daughters of their own. My oldest called the other day to say that he’s started to play this game with his 3 yr. old and is amazed by the vivid pictures she conjures up in her imagination. He also told me that he still uses this “game” to help him find solutions to problems in his career as an artist. My youngest says he uses this method quite often when he needs an innovative solution for one of his engineering projects.

My reason for sharing the story of “Listen Me a Picture” is that I have discovered this exercise can be used very effectively by voice actors when we need to visualize a scene or create a character.

Here’s the 3-step process I’ve developed to prepare for a voice over audition or performance using music. This process obviously can’t be used at a live audition or when you’ve just been given a script in the studio – but if you are rehearsing and auditioning at home, I think you’ll find it very helpful.

Step #1: Let’s say I’ve been given a script describing the luxury and ambiance of a fine dining restaurant. First I read through the words and then I think of the kind of music I generally hear playing in that sort of restaurant.

I’ve decided that soft, relaxing light jazz will fit the bill nicely.

Then I search for what I’m already hearing in my head. I have an extensive music collection and The VoiceActing Academy has an unbelievable music library, so finding just the right thing is never a problem. But say you don’t have that resource. There’s always the Internet. You can find so many things on YouTube, Pandora, iTunes – the list goes on and on.

Step #2: After finding just the right piece of music, I read through the script again to get a feel for it as I listen to the melody. Then I put down the script, close my eyes and imagine the scene – no speaking, just visualization.

This is a beautiful place with soft, ambient lighting and rich, dark wood on the walls – mahogany, I think. The intimate booths are covered in a soft golden fabric and accented beautifully with dark chocolate leather. The temperature is just right for dining – comfortably cool. It is a busy evening here.There are several couples in the booths, but the sounds of conversation are intimately hushed. Lovely music from a live jazz quartet fills the room as the aroma of steaks and seafood cooking on a mesquite grill float seductively in the air.

Step #3: Once I get a very vivid picture of the restaurant in my mind, I open my eyes and read through the script again – no music. Then I turn on the music, close my eyes and imagine who I am (as the speaker of the words) – my character. I let the music inspire the images.

I can see myself very clearly as I listen to the music. I’m 35 years old, tall and dressed in a classic little black dress. It’s short and displays my curvaceous figure, long, tan legs and dangerously high black heels. My blond hair falls gently to my shoulders and caresses my bare back. A single string of pearls adorns my neck and simple pearl earrings enhance my perfect makeup.This is my favorite restaurant. I feel at home and welcome here. The chef always makes his specialty just for me. The men who bring me here are all handsome, rich, and very successful. Tonight, I am with a CEO of one of San Diego’s largest businesses. When we walked through the door – heads turned.

I continue to listen to the music until I am fully in the scene and I am completely in character. Sometimes it happens quickly – other times it takes a few minutes – but it always happens. Now that I fully understand (and feel) where I am and who my character is, I can pick up that script and give a truly inspired performance.

Can you see why? Because it’s no longer me saying the words. My character is so real to me at this point, that what she is experiencing and what’s she’s describing is completely real. She knows exactly what to do with the words that have been written for her. And it was the music (and the visual message it inspired) that took me there.

As a further example, click here to hear an example from the website of Mr. A’s – one of San Diego’s most exclusive restaurants. The copy on the website lends itself to a well-written radio spot so give it a try while you listen to the music.

Let’s say you’re asked to voice a commercial for a sports equipment store. Soft jazz definitely won’t give you the feel you need for a high energy, in-your-face commercial. For this you’ll need something to match the tone. The Fight Song for your favorite team may be a good choice (Go Chargers!). And here’s a great one for getting the blood pumping. I’m so excited! by the Pointer Sisters. Or perhaps a rock song, dance music or even exciting and a majestic soundtrack like Independence Day might be good for discovering this type of character and scene.

The same can be said for scripts that call for a great deal of compassion or emotion. Perhaps it’s a piece for a hospital, or a cancer treatment center, or a promo for a new child abuse prevention program. Anything with lots of strings is generally good for emotional content. I’ve found the soundtracks from Out of Africa, Somewhere in Time and Missing are especially nice for evoking powerful emotions.

Or maybe a script where you need to capture the innocence of a child. I can’t think of a better example than the Theme from Forrest Gump.

Need great suspense? How about the theme from Jaws?

If you need the mood of complete happiness – anything by Jean-Jacques Perrey will do, but Baroque Hoedown is probably the most familiar – especially if you’ve ever seen the Electric Light Parade at Disneyland.

Steven Spielberg is a genius when it comes to the music he chooses to compliment his movies and evoke emotions in his audiences. His composer of choice is John Williams, who has written the majority of musical scores for Spielberg productions – including, ET. If you’ve seen it, you know how much the music told the story. Mr. Williams has scored many other films that have all left me with an emotional memory. Movies like Superman, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones, to mention just a very few. In many ways, it was his music that made the movies so enjoyable. Just imagine any of those films – without a musical score! It is a very important part of how we connect with a story.

Listen to the piece you’ve chosen – really let yourself feel what the music is saying to you and what images it creates, apply those images and feelings to the words, and you’re on your way.

A couple of things to consider:

• If you choose soundtracks that are extremely familiar (say the theme from Star Wars) and it’s impossible to hear it without seeing R2D2, C3PO and Luke Skywalker popping into the forefront of your mind, it’s probably better not to use it for your visualization. You’ll need your own, original thoughts, images and emotions for the best results.

• You may find such an exceptional piece of music to express the emotion for an audition that you may be tempted to include it in the audition when you send it in. I would strongly advise against it. Just because the music speaks to you does not mean it’s the same music that might be running through the mind of the copy writer or that the final production will even include music. Besides, in most cases, they just want to hear your dry voice track. Use the music to capture the emotion but don’t include it as part of your audition.

Although it may seem to take an enormous amount of time to complete this process that’s not so once you have a collection of music you go to regularly. All together, it may take 5 or 10 minutes to process. And isn’t it worth 10 minutes of your time before you do an audition if it will increase your chances of actually landing the job? There are so many beautiful pieces of music in this world! And they are all right there, at your fingertips – waiting to inspire you. The more you listen to the music before you record your tracks, the more chance you’ll hit a bull’s eye on your very first read through.

Using music to discover emotion and character for a script is simply another technique for you to try. It’s one of the most powerful tools I have. I know it’s only logical that it may not work as well for for everyone as it does for me. But you will find that by adding this tool to your VO tool box, and giving it a try, you may just find yourself an even more versatile and well-prepared actor.

Thursday evening
June 11th, 5 pm to 6:30 pm
(Pacific Time)

Jean Ann Wright and MJ Lallo are co-authors of the newly released book, “Voice-over for Animation.” Jean interviewed dozens of animation pros. MJ contributed her extensive animation experience and handled the audio production for the CD. This call is all about creating characters and what it takes to perform as an animation voice actor.

We record all of our free conference calls and make them available to those who register. We actually send you a link to download an MP3 file of the call so you can refer to it time and time again. But the only way you can get access to the recording is to be registered for the call.

To register for FREE click HERE