ABSTRACT
Acting is Acting is Acting … Sort of If you’ve watched any TV, seen a movie, or sat through a play, you are, no doubt, aware that not all acting is equal. Some actors are brilliant, some are so-so, and some … well, just don’t belong on stage or in front of the camera. So, what is it that makes the difference between a brilliant performance and one that gives new meaning to the word mediocre? The answer lies largely in the talent and ability of the actor to understand and apply the dozens of techniques and skills necessary to create a compelling and believable performance. If the actor has not mastered the essential elements and techniques of performance, the audience will sense that something is wrong. Over the many years of teaching voice acting workshops, we’ve boiled down the essence of acting for voiceover to Seven Core Elements that we refer to as The A-B-C’s of Voice Acting. Traditional acting classes for stage, film, and television teach many of these concepts, but not quite the way you’ll learn here. Take a look at the title of this chapter again. I’ll wait. You’ll notice that the title includes the words effective performance. Voiceover work is not about what most people think of as “acting” or performing. To be effective, an actor in any genre must create a sense of drama. Merriam-Webster defines drama as “a situation or series of events in which there is an interesting or intense conflict of forces.” In other words, drama is what gives a performance the appearance of believable reality. Any actor can deliver words from a script, but to be effective, an actor must develop a sense of the drama. All drama contains elements of conflict,
humor, mystery, emotion, and feelings. Drama also creates tension, suspense, and anticipation for what will happen next. As you learn how to apply the concepts in this book, and more specifically, in this chapter, you will begin to learn how to create compelling, believable, and real characters in the mind of your audience. That’s what an effective performance is all about. So now the question you should be asking is: “How do I create drama?” The answer is simple in concept but complex in execution. The answer is: “You must make choices and you must commit to those choices.” The Seven Core Elements of a performance are all about making choices.
