ABSTRACT
The Director in the Front Row of Your Mind As you study voice acting you will develop instincts as to how to develop your character, deliver your lines, and create drama in your performance. These instincts are good and necessary for a professional performer. However, if left at the level of instincts, they will limit your ability to find the nuance and subtlety of the performance-those seemingly insignificant things that make the drama powerful, the dialogue interesting, or a comedic script hysterical rather than just humorous. All voiceover copy is written for the purpose of communicating something-selling a product or service, providing information, education, or expressing an emotion or feeling. No matter how well-written, it is not the words in and of themselves that convey the message, it is the way in which the words are spoken that ultimately moves the audience. It is the details of the performance behind the words-the nuance-that allow a performer to bring a script and a character to life. And behind every performer, there is a director. Somewhere in your mind is a director. You may not have realized it, but that director is there. Allow your director to sit front row, center in your mind-in a big, overstuffed chair-so he or she can objectively watch your performance to keep you on track and performing at your best. Voiceover copy is theatrical truth-not real-life truth-and your internal director is the part of you that gives you silent cues to keep you, or rather, your character, real. As you work with copy, you will find a little voice in your head that tells you, “Yeah, that was good” or “That line needs to be done differently.” The director in the front row of your mind is the result of critical thinking. He or she is the part of you that keeps you on track, helps you stay in the moment, and gives you focus and guidance with your performance. Think of this director as a separate person (or part of you) who is watching your performance from a distance, yet close enough to give you cues.
