Vox Daily

Getting into major online news wires like Google, Yahoo!, and MSN is easy when you work with Voices.com to promote your story.

Have you heard about our press release service?

Getting your name out there is what we do best, and we're pleased to announce our new press release service, an essential product for any voice talent who wants to:

• Make headlines overnight
• Gain more visibility online
• Share their story with the world
• Reach a larger audience
• Dominate the search engines
• Introduce new services
• Announce a big contract
• Be affiliated with The Official Voice Marketplace, Voices.com

We know this industry inside out and we're adamantly dedicated to attracting clients who need voice-over recordings.

We perform this role as the voice industry leader every day.

Now, let us do this for you on a personal scale, and watch as windows of opportunity present themselves via the press, voice over work, and much more!

Interested?

Learn more about how we'll help you to meet the press here.

Cheers,

Stephanie

In the first installment, we addressed some general points designed to help the newcomer decide whether to pursue a VO career. If you do, great! We'll now take a look at your next steps, a bit more specifically.

Back to School

As I mentioned before in my first article, some degree of training is essential, and it should happen before you begin creating demos and trying to market your services.

It should also happen after those steps as well, as in any other field, VO education is an ongoing process.

If you don't have any acting experience, I highly recommend looking up a local community theatre organization and volunteering; most such outfits are always looking for new faces.

You'll likely learn absolutely nothing about microphone technique or how to fit an overwritten piece of ad copy into 30 seconds, but you will gain valuable experience using your body and voice to tell a story and/or sell an idea.

'Informal' or 'Ongoing' education programs are another great way to dip your toes into the acting waters. Many of these programs will even have an introductory-level voiceover class or two, so get to Googling and see what's available in your area.

In addition to the general acting training referenced above, you need to have plenty of practice reading scripts; you can gain a lot of experience by drawing on exercises found in books.

If you've already got a basic voice-recording setup with a microphone and computer, record yourself reading scripts, ad copy from magazines, even stories with different characters. Practice this and listen back until you're hearing a performance that brings the copy to life.

A note: I'm betting that some of you are reading the above and thinking, "look, Dave, I know you mean well, but I've got loads of natural talent and have been 'acting' and creating characters since I was in diapers, so I hope you don't mind if I plan to skip the whole classroom-experience bit."

If so, then please know that I don't mind in the slightest. You can (and certainly should) draw on your natural abilities when performing VO work.

My point is that if you haven't had training from a bona fide teacher, it will eventually show in your work. (Again, if you happen to be the exception, and find that you're able to be successful in VO without putting in the work, then more power to you*.)

Momentarily putting aside my earlier point about not being in VO for the money: you're proposing to enter a field wherein, when you're working steadily, you can (potentially) earn as much as a working attorney or physician.

The latter two occupations require going to school for eight, ten, twelve years (or more) after high school.

There's no legal requirement that you attend any sort of formal classes to be a voiceover artist... but you do have to have the same level of commitment as those professionals.

If you like the idea of a self-taught CPA doing your taxes, or an untrained mechanic working on your car, then by all means plow ahead in that same vein.

A Seat at the Table

Regardless of how much or how little training you've had, a resume' of acting experience does little when it comes to landing VO jobs. You've got to bring something to the table, and that something needs to be your demo.

In fact, you'll need several demos in different categories, and each of them needs to stack up against pros who are already working steadily.

However, before we put the cart too far in front of the horse...

Don't get too impatient; you need to be ready to perform before you get started creating your first demo. If you've been practicing and absorbing information from VO pros, then you can start putting materials together for the demo.

While you might want to concentrate on completing one demo category at a time, it's important to know what the main ones are: Commercial, Narration, and Character.

There are others, such as radio/TV imaging, subcategories of Narration like Medical, Scientific and Corporate, etc., but let's stick to the basics for now.

Finding material for a Commercial demo is easy; while you can contact studios and ad agencies to search for old legitimate advertising copy, you can also find the same material in any magazine or newspaper --- it's simply formatted differently.

Look for copy that mirrors the better ads you've heard on radio and TV; by "better", I mean copy that stands apart from the same old advertising cliches, and grabs the listener.

Narration material is equally easy; go to the website of nearly any large company, and you'll likely find an "About Us" or "Mission Statement" section. It's not uncommon for that same material to be used by the company for training and promotional audio, so take advantage of a ready-made resource.

That's all for now!

Thanks for reading,

David Houston

* This is in no way meant to demean or belittle those successful VO artists who have avoided the theatrical acting route; they deserve their success and certainly don't need me to tell them how it should be done. However, even those VO folks will tell that you've got to educate yourself --- or be educated, by a qualified teacher --- about the business and craft of voiceover.

Who are the two new faces of the Voices.com experience? Click here to find out!

When you think about it, Voices.com is really all about how business people and organizations connect with voice talents for work opportunities.

It seems so simple when you boil it down.

Voices.com provides voice talent with powerful opportunities to market their voices while also giving business people the tools that they need to search, hire, and collaborate with qualified voice professionals quickly and easily online.

While the concept is straightforward, we're not satisfied with merely providing you with text, resources, and a fancy website.

We want to give you an experience...

So, to meet those ends, we've created a new means to share more of our vision with you; a vision that will heighten your experience and liberally sprinkle it with zest.

Meet Ad Man and Voice Girl, representative of the quintessential Voices.com experience.

Ad Man embodies the characteristics of all people who seek voices for their projects and Voice Girl represents all voice professionals promoting their talents at Voices.com.

Ad Man and Voice Girl will be making appearances on the Voices.com website, on blogs, and of course, throughout the media.

Their experiences are reflective of everyday business activities at our website, inspired by the spirit of innovation, motivated by passion and enthusiasm so contagious that nearly everyone will come down with an exciting case of Voices.com.

Keep your eyes out for Ad Man and Voice Girl...

Cheers,

Stephanie

How do you treat your customers?

When you are working for a company or an organization, how do you treat your customers after you have worked for them?

While you are courting them for business or in the middle of a project, your best behavior is required.

The way you speak about your clients, whether in person or through other means, truly demonstrates your level of respect for them. It also paints a picture of your professionalism and how you may treat future clients or business partners.

It's easy to chock people and businesses up to 'this guy' or 'that tech company'. When we do that, we do not recognize those people or organizations with the dignity they deserve, especially in a business relationship where rapport and trust means everything.

Trust can be achieved by maintaining a healthy, positive business relationship. That means that you know when to use discretion and that you recognize boundaries when necessary, in other words, refraining from making negative comments to colleagues, regardless of how minor, if you want to protect your working relationship with a customer.

Just taking a minute to stop and look at things from a different perspective.

Isn't it refreshing to be of service to another living, breathing human being?

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Need help uploading audio to your Voices.com Studio? Follow this step-by-step tutorial and learn how to upload, tag, and feature your demos.

How do I upload or add a demo to my Voices.com Studio?

Your voice-over demo is the single most important element of your personal website. To get started, here's a quick refresher on how to upload a demo.

Step 1: Record and save your voice-over demo on your personal computer as an MP3 file. If you haven't recorded a demo yet, click here to download the free PDF guide on how to make a voice-over demo.

Step 2: Login, and visit the Studio. Click on the "New" icon to add a new demo. Browse your hard drive and choose a voice-over demo that you want to feature from your personal computer.

Step 3: Choose 'audio' as the file type. After that, assign your demo to an appropriate demo category using the handy drop down list provided for you.

Step 4: Add a descriptive title that best reflects the nature of your demo, i.e. Commercials, Real Estate Listings, Telephone Prompts, and so on.

Step 5: Spice up your search results with some keywords in your Tags box! This is your opportunity to really promote your vocal performance on a demo-specific basis. Type in adjectives, separated by commas for best results.

*** Check the box that says "Feature this Demo" to feature it in the Featured Talent Categories ***

Step 6: Click on the "Save and Upload" button. Your voice-over demo will now appear in your Studio as well as on your Voices.com website.

Now you're done!

Best,

Stephanie

We're teaming up with the Rosetta Project to help build up their database of languages and dialects for generations to come. Want to join us?

People often speak about leaving a little piece of themselves behind once they are gone.

Some build time capsules and hide them in their attics, some people donate to institutions to construct a physical monument, and many invest their time in those around them.

The Rosetta Project, a not-for-profit organization, is giving you the opportunity to leave more than just a your name on a plaque; it's giving you an option to leave an audio legacy for others to discover, study, and apply.

Last week, I posted an article about the Rosetta Project.

Since then, I've been in touch with the Rosetta Projects Archive Director, Laura Buszard-Welcher, Ph.D, a wonderful lady who is greatly looking forward to working with us. I've also been in contact with JD Leahy. JD is responsible for collecting and managing the audio for the archive.

I let them know that we were extremely interested in contributing to the project and would be happy to send audio samples from those who wanted to participate.

When the collection of voice samples is complete, we will ship the CDs to the Rosetta Project headquarters in San Francisco, California and submit on behalf of Voices.com voice talent.

Does this sound like something you would like to be a part of?

Regardless of your language, dialect, or accent, all voice recordings are welcome. So, if you speak English, that's OK! I was concerned at first that many may see this as just a collection of foreign languages (that is, foreign to English), but I want to assure you that EVERY language is to be represented.

Please note, this project is meant to document NATIVE speakers of respective languages and dialects within languages. That means no acquired accents or performances - just your natural voice.

Now, here's how we're going to make this work :)

If you are interested, send an email to me with 2 files in it: Your voice recording and a Word or Text document, including the following:

• One :30-60 recording in .WAV format of your natural speaking voice in your native tongue.

• Name the file like this: firstname_lastname_language_dialect.wav

Example: john_doe_english_liverpool.wav

• A word document or text file (.txt) containing:

- A transcription (written version) of your audio recording
- A description of the recording submitted

In your Word Document or Text File, fill out the following fields to help document your recording:

• Title
• Contributors (please specify if they are the interviewer, speaker, transcriber, recorder, etc)
• Any information about the publisher if relevant
• Short description
• Date recorded
• Subject language (Language of interest)
• Any other dialect names or alternate language names
• Information about the sound recording: bit depth, sample rate, where recorded, length, original format (if any), digital format, date digitized (if applicable)
• Your mailing / postal address
• Additional comments, including natal ethnicity, particularly if you have emigrated to a place where your accent is rare.

I suggest that you copy and paste the outline above into your document to save on typing and to best organize the information.

Once they have received your gift courtesy of Voices.com, the Rosetta Project will send you a letter in the mail requesting permission to archive and share your contribution on their website.

For this reason, it is of particular importance that you include your mailing address in the Text file that accompanies your voice recording.

In the brief time that it takes to produce a short voice recording and information sheet about your recording, you'll be well on your way to securing a place in the world for centuries to come.

Ready to get started?

Remember, this call for submissions is only open at Voices.com until December 31st, 2006.

At that time, we will compile all of the recordings and documents, master the audio and courier the CDs to the Rosetta Project.

Those who submit to the Rosetta Project via our website will be acknowledged publicly at Voices.com for their participation.

In order to participate, you will need to (if you don't already) have an account with Voices.com. If you need to set up an account, you can do so by visiting our website and selecting the membership that works best for you.

Looking forward to receiving your email :)

Best,

Stephanie

P.S. If you want to help spread the word, link to this post on your blog, website, or tell family and friends about it via email. There's an option to email this post to them at the bottom of the page.

Trish McTaggart of Sydney, Australia, is charming the North American market with her authentic Aussie accent. Most recently, Trish raised her profile by global proportions and joined Voices.com, the world’s leading online voice marketplace.

Welcome to the world of Trish McTaggart, a non-union, Australian voice-over talent.

Trish’s first foray in voice-over occurred in Canberra, employed as a lead radio announcer.

While working in the nation’s capital, an Australian broadcast guru handed Trish the telephone number of a contact in Sydney, New South Wales, and before long, Trish McTaggart was on her way to a new career in training television and radio presenters as well as voice elocution.

Trish McTaggart studied voice-over extensively, which has lead to the acquisition of several work contracts for clients in both Australia and abroad. One recent international endeavor consisted of recordings for Demowolf.com based in Canada. Trish is the official Australian voice-over talent on the Demowolf.com website, narrating flash tutorials.

When Trish is not training aspiring presenters or recording voice-overs for clients, she allocates time to work on projects of a more personal nature, narrating videos for friends. Currently, Trish is recording a voice-over about the history of war veterans. This voice recording will be promoted at information booths and in educational kiosks.

Trish McTaggart’s professionalism and understanding of the human voice has granted her a distinct advantage when interpreting copy and delivering a message.

Trish’s business philosophy is to complete her work on time and deliver it well at a great rate for her clients. Most importantly, she feels that work is something one should enjoy, a sentiment that manifests itself in each performance Trish creates.

Best,

Stephanie

Learn how to get started in voiceovers with colorful advice from pro voice talent, David Houston.

The more people I meet, both online and in person, the more I talk about my VO business.

Always be networking!

A natural result is that I’m increasingly presented with the question:

“How can I get into doing voiceovers?” or “what’s your advice on getting started?”

I’ll do my best to sum up my answers to these questions here.

Before I do, let me acknowledge that there are already dozens of excellent articles on this topic to be found online, many written by voice talents and producers with more experience and wisdom than yours truly.

Still, I’ve found much of their sage advice to be true from direct experience, and hopefully my own take on this subject will be of value to anyone asking the question(s).

So, off we go...

It's Not About Your Voice.

Usually accompanying the "how do I start" inquiry is the qualifier "People tell me I have a great voice!"

The good news?

If you're being told this, odds are that those people are correct.

The bad news?

The reason they're probably correct is that most people have a "nice voice", that is to say, a voice of reasonably pleasant tonal quality that doesn't send the listener into crippling spasms.

The worse news?

Having a "good voice" means virtually nothing with regard to having a successful VO career.

I've received countless compliments on the quality of my voice; while I accept them as sincere, I know full well that the reason I have a voiceover career is that I've learned how to use that voice.

If you don't have any acting experience or training, get some. Whether it's a ketchup commercial, an instructional tech video, or an animated Pixar blockbuster, the skills you need to bring to the mic are those of an actor.

This is Serious Stuff.

Another aspect of the Big Question is that it's often asked earnestly but wistfully; you can practically see the questioner's gauzy vision of getting up in the morning, sitting behind the mic for an hour or so, collecting a fat paycheck for the session, and taking off the rest of the day... or even the week.

Just to be sure, there are voice talents for whom that's a normal day; that list is pretty short, though, and getting on that list requires lots of time + lots of work + a bit of luck. (Not to mention that those guys stay quite busy.)

How much time? How much work? How much luck?

The answer, as with so many things, is different for everyone; in pretty much every case, however, it means focusing on developing your skills. It means spending time marketing your services.

In other words, even if you only want to work in VO part time or "on the side", you still have to take it seriously, develop your craft, and pursue the gigs; and to get those gigs, you'll need to convince the (potential) buyers of your services that you're a dedicated professional. (That's getting ahead of the game a bit, however. Moving on...)

This is Fun Stuff!

Lest you think at this point that I'm a curmudgeon about this stuff, think again! This is one of the most fun jobs imaginable, and even the little annoyances are far outweighed by the rewards.

By "rewards", I'm not even referring to money; most VO talents will never earn millions upon millions of dollars.

This is all the more reason to love what you do. (If the odds against earning vast riches are putting you off of this whole VO thing, or if you've only considered VO because it seems like an easy way to rake in big bucks, you might as well stop reading now.)

I mention the hard work involved because it's true, but hard work doesn't have to mean drudgery. Enjoy yourself! Listeners (that is to say, potential clients) can tell, and are more likely to look your way.

Having worked at a number of radio stations, I can confirm that there are times when non-professional voice talents are asked to read copy for commercials and/or PSAs.

It happens, especially when deadlines are looming, or when an advertiser chooses to voice their own copy. What often happens is that an otherwise literate and intelligent person delivers a reading that suggests they're still learning the English language. Flat, monotone, devoid of rhythm or pace.

This isn't to put down people for not having instant pro voiceover skills; in fact, most people aren't used to reading text aloud on a regular basis, and even though the words may leap off the page and tell a vivid story when they read it with their eyes, they have trouble getting their mouths to perform that same translation.

As a voice artist, your job is to take words from a page and give them life. This brings us back to the need for... acting skills!

Words are not mere conveyances of data, they're (potentially) living things that need your help to be fully realized. Even if you don't have formal training (yet), take a chance when you read!

Use your vocal range; it's probably wider than you think. Exaggerate, overemphasize, even yell! If the read doesn't seem right, try something else! It's always easier to tone it down from "exciting" than to build it up from "dull".

Do Your Homework

No matter from where you're starting out, be it absolute beginner or somewhat-experienced, you have an advantage going in: the research has pretty much been done; all you have to do is look it up!

Okay, that's perhaps not quite as easy as I've made it sound; it still takes time and focus, but you can find a great deal of information online regarding the VO world. Do a Google or Yahoo! search for "voiceovers", "voice talent", "voice acting", and look through the results.

I should recommend a few resources which have been invaluable to me, and will be for you as well: The Yahoo! Voiceovers group, and the VO-BB discussion boards. Both are forums populated with several bona fide professional VO artists; the archives for each group are a treasure trove of information on every aspect of this business. Be polite and try not to bump into the furniture.

That's all for now.

This is but the merest tip of the iceberg when it comes to "getting started" advice for voiceovers. Do some research, keep the right attitude, hone your skills; You'll be on the right track.

Best of luck!

David Houston

P.S. Read Part II of Getting Started in Voiceovers here.

Anna Russell, a singer who instilled a humorous appreciation for the opera in a variety of people and the musical community, has died.

I was reading a blog this evening called TheGlitteringEye and discovered that one of the voices I had heard on the radio many a happy (and humorous) time, had passed away this Wednesday.

That woman was Anna Russell, the inspiration of many and the comedic companion for numerous students of voice over the years.

Anna Russell, a contemporary of the late musical comedian and piano player Victor Borge, was blunt, brash, and knew how to 'let 'er rip'.

Her recordings, available in vinyl form at my alma mater, were played on the CBC occasionally, satirizing the great divas, arias and operas of masters long buried in their graves.

Anna Russell was born in my hometown, London, ON Canada on December 27th, 1911. She lived here on and off in Canada (in Unionville, Ontario to be exact) and in her later years, resided in Batemans Bay, New South Wales, Australia, with her adopted daughter, Deirdre Prussak until her death this week on October 18th, 2006.

Her lengthy life could be attributed to her sense of humor and love of life.

Do you have any memories of Anna Russell that you would like to share?

Best,

Stephanie

What is a voice over faux pas, how does a voice talent commit one, and just how easy is it to take a 'false step' in this industry?

As the French would say, first declared in the late 17th century, a "faux pas" is a "false step".

In today's world, according to one of my Mac widgets, Oxford American Dictionaries, a faux pas is defined as an embarrassing or tactless act or remark in a social situation.

There are many faux pas in society, for instance, you would never ask a woman if she is pregnant, even if she appears to be so. Likewise, you wouldn't assume that because someone is attending a function with someone else that they are romantically involved.

Faux pas can crop up in relationships, at social events, within occupations, and in business.

Not to be left out, there are opportunities for blundering in the entertainment and voice industries as well. To be fair, more of these oops moments happen to celebrities and actors in Hollywood, but voice talent are not immune.

One item I can think of off the top of my head is that a voice talent should not misspell the proper name of a potential client in an audition situation.

While this may seem more like commonsense and easy to avoid, there are a number of people miss the mark, even some who call the client by a name or respond with an application to work for a different company other than the company to whom they are applying.

I've also heard that it is improper to mispronounce a company name or the name of someone you are interviewing in a podcast or on the air. Even worse is not introducing them at all.

You're probably thinking, "Of course it's wrong!", but there are people out there who don't take the extra time required to go over such things before hitting the microphone full-steam.

Drawing on something I read a couple of years ago, a voice talent's voice should not air on two or more rival radio stations in the same listening area at the same time. If you can share anything more about this, please leave a comment.

Faux pas can be avoided, and care is absolutely of the essence.

Prevention is the key to ensuring that embarrassing or tactless incidents do not occur.

Do you have any stories from the field to share about Faux Pas in the voice industry?

Is there anything that people new to the industry should avoid?

Best,

Stephanie

Getting your name to the top of the major search engines is key to your Internet Marketing strategy. Here's a tutorial that will guide you through 5 simple steps on how to get your Voices.com website listed in Google & Yahoo!

1. Update Your Voices.com Profile.

Google and Yahoo! love fresh, up-to-date information.

This information is used to help build your listing in the search engines.

Every time you update your website or Voices.com profile information, Google and Yahoo are notified to revisit your website and take note of the changes you made.

Update My Profile Now

2. Select Your Featured Talent Categories

Both Google and Yahoo! find your website by linking from page to page on the Internet.

By including your name in the Featured Talent Categories, you are guaranteed to provide Google and Yahoo! a link to follow that leads directly to your Voices.com website.

3. Add Your Voices.com Website to Other Directories

You can build "link popularity" by submitting your website to other directories. Here is a key directory you can submit your Voices.com page to:

Add your Voices.com website to DMOZ

4. Trade Links with Voices.com

If you have another website or personal blog, consider trading links with us. Trading links is a surefire way to establish trust in the eyes of Google and Yahoo.

Trade links with Voices.com

5. Press Release Distribution Service.

Order a press release package from Voices.com! Your press release package includes professional copy writing, editing, and distribution throughout our trusted media channels and to networks of journalists online. Each press release is between 300 to 500 words in length; each one putting your best foot forward. We understand you and the business of voice-overs. We're here to help you meet the press!

I trust you have found this information helpful. Keep us posted on your progress in the search engines.

Cheers,

David

If you're a Premium or Preferred member at Voices.com, you have the ability to be showcased in a variety of Featured Talent Categories; invaluable pieces of real estate for your voice online.

Each Premium and Preferred voice talent at Voices.com has the opportunity to feature their voice-over demos in niche-specific categories linked off our home page.

These categories run the gamut including voice-overs for Television, Radio, Characters, Business Presentations, Translation services, Videogames, Telephone, Music production, and more.

Here's a snapshot of the Featured Voice Talent Categories at Voices.com:

Now that we know where the categories are linked from, let's look at how to add them to your account.

The way to tell if you have already featured your demo is if the box in the column called "Featured" is checked.

If your demo is not featured, you will need to simply "Edit" the voice-over demo listing that you want to feature. You can feature demos right away in "Edit" mode by checking the box that says "Feature this Demo", then save your changes.

When you have successfully featured your demos, your name and voice-over demo will be featured in the category of your choice.

Best,

Stephanie

Did you know that between fifty to ninety percent of the world's languages are predicted to disappear in the next century, many with little or no significant documentation?

The Rosetta Project is a global collaboration of language specialists and native speakers building a publicly accessible online archive of ALL documented human languages.

The Rosetta Project About Us page best sums up their cause.

Could you imagine the world incurring a loss of between fifty to ninety percent of its current languages? It could happen; many languages are already unspoken, dead, and forgotten.

That's some serious stuff, but the Rosetta Project has some serious help, too.

Supporters of the project include Stanford University Libraries, The National Science Foundation, The National Science Digital Library, and The Long Now Foundation.

By the very nature of your profession as a voice talent, it is your duty to help preserve language, dialects, and accents. The Rosetta Project is a noble cause that will serve generations to come, documenting living and extinct languages... but only with your help.

If you speak an endangered language or know someone who does, visit the Rosetta Project to contribute in any way that you can to catalog the language and ensure that it is remembered, and perhaps, spoken or studied, for centuries to come.

To date, the Rosetta Project provides over 100,000 pages of content and has documented over 2,500 languages. The project is the largest of its kind on the Internet.

Join in the crusade by visiting The Rosetta Project here.

Best,

Stephanie

Don't miss The Masters Advanced ADR/Looping Event with Pat Fraley in Los Angeles on January, 21, 2007 (updated).

The good news is pouring in!

Students who have participated in this dynamic event are now reporting in with the news of ADR work in Seattle, Vancouver, San Diego, The Bay Area, Denver, Phoenix, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Charlotte, Toronto, NY, and Boston.

There is not a region in North America that doesn't hire actors and voice people to do ADR/Looping for film and video projects.

Sure, LA is the MECCA for ADR work, and other cities aren't looping Disney's next Blockbuster – but anime, documentaries, industrials, and independent films all need ADR, and there are Post-Production Houses to meet their needs spread across the US and Canada.

There is work available to those who are trained. What better way to introduce yourself to the powers that be by letting them know you have been trained by the best in the country in the best facility in LA?

Thanks for the class!! I just did my first paid looping/ ADR session in SAN DIEGO.
Lisa Renee Pitts, LA Talent

I'm booked at Skywalker ranch all day today for a Looping/ADR session on a Warner Bros. Feature for KBA. Thanks for the great instruction and giving me a leading edge!
DC Goode, Sacramento Voice Talent

The Master's ADVANCED ADR/Looping Event

This is an all-new ADR/Looping Event designed to take you to the heights of ADR skills. In ONE DAY, you will learn all you need to know about Group ADR Work and Re-Voicing.

Conducted by a team of Masters who know how to get it done:

Terri Douglas: Leading casting and ADR session Queen, casts and conducts sessions for films like Disney's Chicken Little, The Haunted Mansion, The Cat Returns, The Wild, Santa Claus II and III, and ON and ON and ON. She'll be guiding the participants through the exact methods she uses on the stage for Disney.

Ned Lott: Senior Manager of Disney Character Voices, involved in directing and casting ADR Sessions for Disney/Miyazaki projects such as, Howl's Moving Castle, Porco Rosso, Whisper of the Heart, along with casting involvement on The Chronicles of Narnia. He'll be teaching how to re-voice characters on the screen.

Eric Thompson: ADR Engineer who will guide the technical side of the event with the expertise that can only come from over 20 years of experience. Eric has engineered the ADR for hundreds of diverse films and TV projects, ranging from Ghostwriter, Sin City, Empire Falls, Hustle & Flow and Sideways to lighter fare like The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl and Garfield 2.

Patrick Fraley: Voice-Over Talent, Teacher, supplying inside skills and techniques from his 30 years doing voices for feature films such as Disney's Toy Story II, Monsters Inc., Chicken Little, The Wild, and Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. Along with Ned, he'll be sharing his method of re-voicing characters up on the screen.

Pat Brady: LA Voice-Over Talent Agent, is the Co-chair of the Animation Department at CESD L.A. On the ADR/Looping front, she works daily, booking actors with Barbara Harris and Leigh French to name a few. Pat has been an agent for 26 years, and is one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry in regards to working the ADR / Looping / Sound-Alike aspects of voice-over. Pat is donating time to spend with us for a Q&A Session.

Event Highlights

- Work on LA's Premiere Professional ADR Sound Stage. Wilshire Stages in Los Angeles, where the producers and directors of major films and television programs choose to do their post-production with a collection of FRESH animated and live action feature films splashed up on the screen.

- Learn Advanced Re-Voicing, Special Techniques & Insider Tricks, and Ensemble Work.

As an encouragement to travel into Los Angeles, I'll “pickup” gas money, or at least a leg (or ankle) of air travel by taking $100.00 off this event.

If you are interested, please get back to me (Pat Fraley) ASAP, as enrollment is limited.

Cost: $795. FOR YOU, $695. Check, Cash, Credit Cards - payment schedules arranged upon request.
Place: Wilshire Stages. 640 South San Vicente Blvd., LA 90048
When: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM on January 21, 2007.
Workshop is limited to around 16 participants (sign up now! This will fill rapidly).
To Enroll: patfraleyteaches (at) aol.com or call 818.400.3733

I'll recommend accommodations near the Sound Stage, and help you figure out transportation.

Regards,

Pat Fraley

Pat Fraley has been kind to share his experiences onset at the filming of a Walt Disney movie this past week. Find out why ADR should be in your voice talent utility belt!

I'd like to share my day working at Disney on the upcoming film, Wild Hogs, starring Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, John Travolta, and William H. Macy.

I arrived at the huge, comfortable and famous Stage B at Disney Studios about a half hour early.

This is the facility Walt himself had created for all of the audio recordings of the talent for the classic animated features.

Just knowing that the voice talent for Alice in Wonderland, Lady And The Tramp, and Peter Pan used this stage, is exciting.

It's an incredible building. Back in the 40's, Walt knew that he would be up against the Burbank Airport, and the sound of planes overhead.

Walt Disney literally had his people create a "building within a building," and NOTHING gets through the walls.

Now, I've been working ADR (Automatic Dialog Replacement) jobs since it was called Looping. But going in and meeting up with the rest of the group always makes me feel like a "side man" getting a gig with Benny Goodman's Band. There were 18 of us, and the core loop group are very special people indeed. I was in awe working with these artists.

From the very first cue, where we were required to wander about the stage and create the sounds of people milling about a small-town carnival, I was impressed. These pros know how it's done. I was struck by how LOUD everyone was, and how each time they would speak, they would reveal interaction, and relationship. One actor would ad-lib, "Where's Eugene?" Another would come back with, "Well, he's with you, right?" And somebody about 10 feet away said, "Check the Ferris wheel!"

What struck me was that not only did they create relationship, but the actors were never more clever than what you'd hear at an actual small town carnival. Skilled ADR performance makes movies better than what was filmed. It's not always about replacing damaged tracks (a plane goes overhead, etc.). It's about having a "second shot" at getting something right, and making the tracks more evocative.

When it came time to re-voice some of the characters on the screen, I was relieved as I'm called into re-voice Tim Allen's exertion sounds for Buzz Lightyear. I did all of them for Toy Story II, as Mr. Allen gets bored with that kind of work. So I felt like I was on "safe ground." That was until the director set up my first cue: Tim Allen's character getting hit in the crouch with a baseball.

After about four takes, my veins were pulsing on my temples, and I was happy to stagger back to a couch and take a breather. Not for long. We were up and down, re-voicing the background characters, matching some of the principals for lines, and sound, creating crowd walla, and generally yelling our heads off for most of the day. Since there's a lot of Hells Angels and bikers in the movie, it was a throat-ripper.

It's really wonderful work, however, and one of the most creative jobs in voice over. There is ADR work all over North American, too! Every voice over talent must have these skills.

Aside from group work, about a dozen times a year, I'm called into re-voice something - a commercial, a farm animal, or a few lines on an Anime project.

If Batman were a voice talent, he'd have ADR/Looping in his utility belt.

The problem has been that a talent can only learn ADR skills by doing it with some very complex equipment, a sound stage, and skilled instruction.

That's why I was convicted as a teacher to put together an event that would teach participants all they need to know about ADR in one day under the very best circumstances.

You can read about my ADR/Looping Masters Event by clicking here.

Thanks for allowing me to share my day at Disney with you, Stephanie.

You Pal in LA LA Land,

Pat Fraley
patfraley.com

We've had some great articles submitted lately for publication on the VOX Daily and Casting Voices blogs. Check out this one about using audio on websites!

If you've ever wondered how to convince a client that they should have audio on their website, you need to read Elaine Singer's article, Sound Off or Sound On, That is the Question.

Elaine Singer submitted her article last week to the Casting Voices blog. This blog has an audience comprising of people who are looking for voice-over services.

To read Elaine's article about audio on websites, click here.

Thank you again to Elaine for sharing her insight!

Best,

Stephanie

There are times in your day when sometimes all you need is a break or a distraction to rejuvenate yourself - these little actions can even save your life. How do you relax in the midst of a busy day?

We've all been there.

Bombarded by work, email, phone calls or tedious tasks.

Some of us find time to relax on weekends, but the majority of us need a little R&R periodically throughout the week.

MSNBC.com did a little researching on the topic with an editorial called "Relax or Die: Lack of Weekend R&R puts Hearts at Risk". This article suggests that those who are not able to (or just plain don't try to) relax on the weekends are more likely to die from a cardiovascular disease, such as heart disease or stroke.

Researchers in Finland studied a group of nearly 800 workers for 28 years. Their study reveals that out of their subjects, those who failed to find time to recover from their workweek on weekends were more likely to eventually die of cardiovascular disease.

The theory, as related by Dr. Mika Kivimaki, the leader of the study, is as follows:

If people are not able to relax periodically or on weekends, plaques can build up in their arteries (major channels that blood is pumped through), leading to blockages (bad), which contribute to potential heart attacks and or strokes (dangerous and often fatal), a culmination of events known in the medical field as underlying atherosclerosis.

This may take years to build up, and there are many factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease. However, this study did not take the usual suspects that lead to heart risk into account such as cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, inactivity, or mental and emotional strain such as stress or depression.

I'm not a doctor by any means, but I think that we could all take small steps each day to avoid stress or at least counteract it.

What can do you to relax when you are at work?

A brisk walk on a lunch break, deep breathing exercises, laughing, prayer, and surrounding yourself with calming elements, for example, family photos or ambient music, are excellent ideas.

Cut down on caffeine, think positive thoughts, and take a minute for yourself when you need one.

Something that I do every so often is visit a blog that is completely unrelated to the voice industry.

My sister-in-law Lisa, a graphic designer, introduced me to a series of blogs from the design industry that she researches on a regular basis.

While she prefers to gather information and ideas, I just let the colors, patterns, images, domesticity, and design layouts entertain me and alleviate any minor stresses that crop up.

If you need to get away for a minute or two and can't leave your desk, try visiting a few of these design blogs.

Take a moment to admire the artwork, designs, and creativity.

Here are a few that I peruse when I need to chill out or grant myself a break from mental acrobatics:

Decor8
Print and Pattern
Oh Joy!
Design*Sponge
Daily Candy

For the most part, these blogs and websites will be appealing to a female audience. Perhaps for the gentlemen, it might be something more along the lines of sports, business, or hobbies.

Maybe reading VOX Daily is a part of your relaxation routine... if so, I'm glad to be of service!

How do you relax at work?

Is there anywhere specific online you go to that helps you to unwind?

Looking forward to your comments!

Cheers,

Stephanie

Garth Collins, narrator of NASA’s “History of Flight” series and Microsoft Vista’s promo videos, joins forces with the industry leading voice marketplace, Voices.com.

Garth Collins, the voice of several blue chip companies, started his voice-over career while working in broadcast radio as an on-air talent. A video producer, who heard Garth on air, requested that he narrate a video for him, thus commencing Garth’s career as a professional narrator and voice-over service provider.

Many people know Garth’s voice from television documentaries, particularly the TV documentary “Bound By Courage (The 9-11 Story),” and for voicing a series of Intel television commercials featuring the singer Seal. Garth Collins had made a name for himself in the narration arena as well as in the commercial realm.

Garth was recently chosen to be the narrator for NASA's "History Of Flight" series and the narrator for the launch of Microsoft Vista’s promotional videos. Just yesterday afternoon, Garth completed a project for electronics giant Panasonic, lending his vocal talents to their line of Toughbooks Laptops.

Garth Collins has a voice that you will readily recognize as one that you know and trust.

Garth is currently developing an online community for professional voice talent and creative business owners to discuss the voice-over industry, giving them an opportunity to sound off on issues related to voice-overs. The “Sound Off” forum will be launched sometime in Fall 2006.

Best,

Stephanie

Meet the Malay voice actor who is dubbing Robin Williams' role "Fender" in the Malay version of the CGI film "Robots".

Surprised to hear that the voice acting role that was written specifically for Robin Williams in the feature CGI animated film Robots is now being performed by someone across the ocean and in the Malay language?

Well, as we've discovered before, it's no secret that audio content can be translated and localized to meet the needs of an audience.

Take Fox TV's lineup in Japan, for example. There are dubbed versions of the popular television series 24, Lost, and Desperate Housewives, to name a few American programming exports.

Films are also dubbed for audiences in countries that speak languages other than those spoken in a given program or film. The practice of making international cinema and audio visual content accessible to all through dubbing has been around for decades - but, that's another story :)

Now, back to the Malay version of "Robots".

An article was published by The Star Online eCentral in Malaysia about AC Mizal, a singer, emcee, and actor, stepped boldly into the sizable shoes of Robin Williams' when voicing the character Fender, a comical robot whose speedy vocal deliveries are matched only by his hilarious sense of humor.

The voice-overs took roughly 3 weeks to record. According to AC, he decided to perform the voice acting role of Fender in part because his children were enamored with the movie and he was inspired to try something new.

Sources say that the Malaysian-dubbed version of the hit movie Robots will premiere on Star Movies, Astro Channel 42, on Oct 29 at 10 p.m.

Do you have a favorite dubbed movie? Is there anyone out there who has dubbed for film or television?

Cheers,

Stephanie

What do you get when you combine themes from Rocky and Bullwinkle, the magic of old-time radio, and a legendary voice actress?

Breaking news!

June Foray, among other prominent voice actors, will be lending her talents to the award-winning sci-fi podcast, The Radio Adventures of Doctor Floyd, a weekly, 5-minute family friendly podcast that receives on average 45,000 downloads a month.

This Sunday, October 15th, June's voice will grace the podcast on the Season Five premiere episode of The Radio Adventures of Doctor Floyd, starring in the role of Susan B. Anthony.

“To say this is a ‘big deal’ for us is putting it very mildly,” says show co-creator Grant Baciocco. “Anyone who listens to our show can instantly tell how much love we have for Rocky & Bullwinkle. To be able to read lines with the legendary June Foray, is a dream come true.”

To learn more, read the Radio Adventures of Doctor Floyd press release at Podcasting News or visit the Doctor Floyd Website.

Happy listening,

Stephanie

Curious about the business side of voiceovers? Head down to Dallas, TX this October and attend a workshop that is strictly business with Bettye Zoller of VoicesVoices!

Is your calendar open this October 28th? If so, and if you're in the Dallas area, pencil in a workshop with Bettye Zoller of VoicesVoices on Saturday October 28th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The class is called: THE BUSINESS OF VOICEOVERS: STRICTLY BUSINESS!

You'll find out where the jobs are, how to obtain agent representation in many U.S. regions, how to work via Internet sites such as www.Voices.com and get in the game today.

You'll be able to explore new voiceover genres, including telephone messaging, videogames, websites, podcasts, and much more. You will also discover how to quote for voiceover work on a per project basis.

Bettye will send you home with a wealth of materials, all included with your participation fee of only $235. A deposit of $100 will hold your place.

As this class is open to a small group, Bettye encourages you to enroll now before this workshop is sold out.

The location of this workshop will be revealed only to paid participants to avoid walk-ins.

If for some reason you can't make the October Business of Voiceovers: Strictly Business workshop, you'll get another chance to attend on Saturday December 2nd, 2006.

Best,

Stephanie

What's going in voice-overs this October? Click to find out!

October 12 - Small Group Workout (VoiceOne)

October 13 - Intro: Starting Out (VoiceOne)

October 14-15; 21-22 - By the Book (VoiceOne)

October 15, L.A. - The Advanced Masters ADR/Looping Event (Pat Fraley)

October 18, California - Basic All-Animation VO (Dolores Diehl)

October 19-26 - Audio Books 1 (VoiceOne)

October 21, Toronto - The Voice-over Workout (Mike Kirby)

October 21 - Sketch Comedy (VoiceOne)

October 24 - Stepping Out (VoiceOne)

October 27, Dallas - THE BUSINESS OF VOICEOVERS: STRICTLY BUSINESS! (Bettye Zoller)

October 27-28 - Musical Literacy (VoiceOne)

October 29 - On-camera Audition Workout (VoiceOne)

October 30 - December 18 - ADR / Looping II (VoiceOne)

About the Instructors

Dolores Diehl

Dolores has performed for, and has taught voice acting to more than 100,000 men, women and children in live classes and professional audiences of from 6 to 700 people. Dolores has also taught on Closed Circuit Educational TV and across the Country by phone. She teaches and directs her Basic Voiceover Workshops in Commercials, Animation, Narration and Audiobooks, and manages all of her other workshops, from intermediate through professional levels, personally selecting the Directors.

Pat Fraley

Patrick Fraley has created the voices for over 4,000 characters, placing him among the top ten performers of all time to be cast in animated programs. He has taught voice over for 30 years and holds his workshops in L.A., San Francisco, and New York. His is the only character voice curriculum ever to be accredited at the university level. He holds an MFA degree in Acting from Cornell University, and is a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers of America.

Mike Kirby

Mike Kirby and Associates will teach you everything you need to know to begin a career in commercial voice work. This workshop is a survey course of the commercial voice industry taught by professional Performers, Directors, and Producers. All sessions are in-studio on microphone. Personal work in session will be recorded to CD for home review. Class size is limited to 8 Performers. Everyone welcome.

VoiceOne Elaine Clark

Elaine Clark is an award winning actor, director, producer, certified teacher, playwright and the author of the quintessential voice-over book, There's Money Where Your Mouth Is, in addition to being the owner/founder of Voice One. As an actor, she is a member of SAG and AFTRA, having performed in hundreds of voice-over and on-camera commercials, industrial narrations, video games, cartoons, film and made for television movies. She also serves as an audio engineer, casting director, and multimedia & anime director.

Bettye Zoller

25 years as a professional recording studio singer and voiceover talent! Let Bettye show you how to start or jump-start your career! Bettye has been a private voice coach for nearly 30 years. Jingle / studio singing (and coaching for singing performers and songwriter-singers) are by private lesson appointments and periodic workshops.

If you can perform a number of distinct accents, you've positioned yourself well to record voice-overs not only on a national level, but on the world stage as well.

In the international marketplace, it is very important for organizations to be able to both globalize and localize their product information and service offerings.

That being said, the information presented to their target audiences is only as effective as the means by which it is communicated.

For our purposes, the vessel or means of communication is via a voice talent performance; in essence, a voice-over recording.

Now, when I refer to localization, I mean that a given accent and manner of speaking matches or correlates with a particular group of people in a geographical area.

An example:

If I were writing a French Canadian script for an audience located in Montreal, QC, I would make sure that the terminology I use is familiar to French Canadians living in Montreal. Not only that, I may employ unique speech and formation characteristics indigenous to the French Canadian language and relevant cultural references to help my audience identify with what I have written.

Going one step further, I would hire a native French Canadian voice talent from Montreal who embodies the characteristics I am looking for to convey the copy in a meaningful and direct manner accessible to all French Canadian speakers in Montreal.

Sound like a plan? That, my friends, is localization in a nutshell.

Localization is conveying a message to people in a specific geographical location implementing language and concepts that they can understand.

Certain accents have become staples and are relied upon heavily every day. For example, RP English (or BBC English / top of the scale), Neutral American (NPR or prime time national news), Parisienne French, and Canadian (CBC or prime time national news) are all members of an elite club of corporate, global accents.

This doesn't come as a surprise. The most neutral accents found in each country are usually prized above regional accents as is the case with many languages where a "high" or "official" version is preferred to dialects spoken in rural or isolated areas.

One classic example is the Italian language. Italian, when spoken in Rome or in other large Italian cities, does not vary significantly, whereas the Italian you hear in the foothills of the mountains or on the coastline may be dramatically different, in both pronunciation and meaning.

When someone is hiring a voice talent to record, they are often looking for a clean, polished voice with neutral or non-affected accents. These sought after accents as noted above (BBC, NPR, CBC) come with a host of benefits, including perceived authority, intelligence, trustworthiness, and professionalism to name some.

Other accents remain more elusive. Due in part to a lack of demand or market, these accents are requested less often.

Accents can reveal information about an individuals geographical location, ethnicity, socio-economic background, and education. If we only examined the nature of accents from an anthropological point of view, we'd be seeing a fraction of the picture that we're meant to view.

Accents are not always predestined and meant solely for those who live in their district... they can also be learned or acquired.

This is where opportunity knocks, and the world, with your voice, can become yours.

Last month, Pat Fraley and his fellow accents masters conducted a workshop called Accent on Dialects Masters Event, a workshop where talent learned about how to identify their own dialects, how to recognize properly executed dialects, tried their hand at British, Irish, German, Russian, and N.Y. accents, and received a bounty of resources on how to prepare for and perform dialects foreign to themselves as well as recordings of their voices on a CD from the workshop.

One of the largest markets for dialects (or accents) today is in performing voice overs for videogames.

If you can acquire several key dialects, you'll be able to work globally and land more diverse roles.

Have you ever acquired an accent to perfection?

Best,

Stephanie

There's some buzz going around that Google is going to buyout the mammoth digital video hosting website, YouTube. Find out why this acquisition may be a boon for voice actors.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Google has been in talks with YouTube, discussing the potential of overtaking the popular video website that allows people to upload video content to the web for mass distribution and observation.

The figure we're looking at? $1.6 Billion.

This isn't the first foray Google has made into the world of broadcast and multimedia. Remember this? After announcing that radio advertisements were soon to be on the Google menu, it isn't much of a surprise that video advertisements would be next on the search engine company's to-do list.

Video is a visual medium with an audio component. When the tape is rolling (or animation is generated, for that matter), the natural progression is to include voice-overs, wouldn't you agree?

If Google buys out YouTube, the world will see more advertisements and in turn hear more voice-overs to accompany those ads online.

This potential acquisition could be a major boon to the voice industry and another product offering in your toolkit of services.

If you're interested in keeping tabs on this story or would like to learn more, check out what Marshall Kirkpatrick had to say about the Wall Street Journal's report on Google's speculative acquisition of YouTube at Michael Arrington's website, Techcrunch.com.

Keep your eye on this one. I know we are!

Cheers,

Stephanie