ABSTRACT

A TWIST OF A WORD You will notice that the better commercials and voiceover work do not sound like someone “doing” voiceover work. They sound like your best friend talking to you-comfortable, friendly, and most of all, not “announcery.” A good performer can make even bad copy sound reasonably good-and what they can do with good copy is truly amazing. Create an emotional, visual image in the mind of the audience with a twist of a word. A slight change in the delivery of a word-a shift of the nuance-can change the entire meaning of a sentence. Speaking a word softly or with more intensity, or perhaps sustaining a vowel, making the delivery crisp, or taking the inflection up or down can all affect the meaning of a sentence and its emotional impact in the mind of the listener. These are skills that are acquired over time and are all basic acting techniques that help to create an emotional connection with the audience. To be an effective voice performer you need to discover the qualities and characteristics of your voice that will make you different from all those other voices out there. Keep developing new techniques. Keep practicing and studying the work of others in the business. Find your unique qualities and perfect them. Learn how to make any piece of copy your own, and you will be in demand. Remember, it’s not about your voice, but what you can do with it. CLASSES One frequent observation that has appeared in discussions of this book over the past several editions is my repeated recommendation for continued training. The necessity to keep up with business trends and constantly hone performance techniques cannot be over-emphasized! It is impossible to take too many classes! There is always something new to be learned. Even if you leave a class with only one small piece of useful information, that small gem may someday pay big dividends. The same is true of books and articles. You will be amazed at where you can find a tip or trick that will help you create a believable performance. There are four types of classes that are most valuable for the voiceover performer: acting, voiceover, improvisation, and business. Acting classes will give you opportunities to learn about directing, dramatic structure, comedic timing, stage presence, emotional delivery, and innumerable other fine points of performing. Voiceover classes will give you opportunities to practice your skills on-mic and study new techniques with personalized coaching. Improvisation in voice work is common with dialogue or multiple voice copy and is an essential skill for commercials, animation, video game and other niche areas of the business. This type of training helps improve your spontaneity and ability to adapt quickly. You will also learn skills that can be applied to character development and copy interpretation. And

because the nature of voiceover work today is largely entrepreneurial, it is imperative that you have at least a basic understanding of fundamental business skills. I truly encourage you to take some classes, attend a workshop, or even spend a few days learning from the pros at a voiceover convention. Continued training is an incredibly worthwhile investment in your performing career. I promise you will learn a lot, and you might actually have lots of fun. Here are some of the places you can find classes:

• Community theater groups are constantly in need of volunteers. Even if you are working on a crew, you will be able to study what goes on in the theater. Watch what the director does, and learn how the actors become their characters. Don’t forget that voice acting is theater of the mind-without props, scenery, or lighting.