VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[SteVO]

To act or not to act? THAT is my VO question for today. In the interest of beating my inner "radio guy" to death once and for all two things have become apparent. First I need some intense tutoring from my voice over guru. Second I need some acting lessons. Funny thing. An acting class just opened up. The theme? Character Voice. Hmmmm that may have a place on my schedule. I even had the most ridiculous idea of trying some inprov. Remember now. I'm a middle aged guy getting into this for fun and part time. No profit intended. I've heard the demos from people who frequent these forums. None of you are in danger of any competition from me. Still I want to do it right. I want to have pride in my performance and I want potential clients to get the best I have. So the acting class can't hurt, eh? Others have been down this road? OR DOES IT ALL COME NATURAL?
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"I'm thinking...and it hurts"

[Philip Banks]

Never had a VO class or acting class in my life, do not have a mentor, Guru, Swami or Yogi, have not read any books on the subject of VO work or acting, never attended a seminar, presentation or break-out session.

Some inner beast enables me to do what I do. Some may believe I do it badly, some will be underwhelmed, some will worship at my feet but the majority will not give a flying toss if indeed they are even aware that I exist.

You have been given a field. You must plough it, sow it, fertilize it and then wait to see if what you have planted grows. It's your field, do it your way and get what help you feel you need along the way.

At this point, my father who was a Yorkshireman would take his pipe out of his mouth, use it to point at you and say sternly "Think on!"

[Deirdre]

Philip is English, and they are all natural actors. It must be something in the air.

I say GO FOR IT.
Acting classes never hurt unless you have a lousy teacher.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[bobsouer]

Deirdre,

I suspect it's actually in the water, and how they ... um ... flavor it.
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Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
Source Connect, phone patch, pony express

[SteVO]

Hmmmm maybe this "flavored" water is just what I need.
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"I'm thinking...and it hurts"

[Bailey]

I would suspect that one of Philip's edges in the VO industry is being able to speak English correctly.
That being said, acting skills are necessary for developing a character to enforce an idea. But if you can't speak well enough to get the message across, you haven't accomplished a thing.
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"Bailey"
a.k.a. Jim Sutton
Retired... Every day is Saturday, except Sunday.
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AOVA Graduate 02/2004 ;
"Be a Voice, not an Echo."

[CarynClark]

Acting classes are key, in my opinion. A character voice class is pretty specific though, but it certainly cannot hurt. Scene study and improv classes are good ones to take whenever you are able.
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Caryn Clark... The Hip Chick Voice!

"A positive mental attitude and having faith in your ability is quite different from being irresponsible and downright stupid." - Dave

[Bruce]

What Caryn said.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Monk]

Also, see what local theater community theater company is around.

I act onstage at Taconic Stage, Ghent Playhouse and now the MacHaydn theater. It's a blast. I'm in Damn Yankee's at the MacHayden right now and getting to play two characters, Old Joe Boyd and the commissioner. Last month was a Neil Simon Play, Prisoner of Second Avenue playing the lead Mel.

A good cast and director will bring out the best in you if you have it.
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Company, villainous company, hath been the spoil of me...

www.monksvoice.com

[ccpetersen]

Agree that acting and scene study classes are a help. They give you some solid basics to complement and enhance what you already have.
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Charter Member: Threadjackers Local 420

[todd ellis]

[craigcrumpton]

I believe that a core part of being an actor/performer is that you never stop learning. Actors should always have a desire to improve their craft. Become satisfied with your level of skill and ability and you risk becoming stagnant and uncompetitive.

But that's just my humble opinion.

SteVO, if you're just intending to do VO "for fun and part time," I don't see much reason for you to invest in classes and workshops. I do it for fun and part time too, but I also do it for the income.

At your level, if you really want some instruction to improve your craft, look into auditing acting classes and workshops. You can audit many of them one time for free (or at a fraction of the cost, as I did the first time I took Bob Bergen's workshop).

You can also learn a lot about voice acting for free via the web, thanks to helpful blogs and youtube tutorials.

You mentioned taking a class on character voice. For me, that would depend on who was teaching it and how much it cost. I mean, what work does the instructor have to their credit? Do they have samples of their character voice work you can listen to online prior to the class? Have you gotten recommendations from other actors for the class?

And I do believe improv is helpful because it forces you to think quickly and creatively. It's also very helpful for auditions.

However, in character voice acting I've observed even VO vets struggling during workshops. They're either too accustomed to doing whatever type of non-character read it is that they specialize in or they just don't have the imagination or creativity to do it believably.

And I must also add that Philip is an exception. Voice acting does not come natural for a lot of us. We may be good at reads (commercial, industrial, narration, etc), but voice acting (specifically doing drama and comedy) can be much more nuanced than stage or on-camera acting because you're using only your voice.
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[SteVO]

I'm getting some varying opinions on this. I like it! It gives me lots to consider while moving forward. I also want to re-enforce my stance on the my pursuit of VO in general. Part time as in not a career. Most everyone on this forum does VO as a primary source of income. I want to do it for fun but do it right. I believe I have some some great tools with in me to be good at VO. I need some fine tuning. I'm very hesitant to release any of my voice work until I can be totally OK with it myself. I took Scott Shurian's workshop here in Salt Lake City and got enough out of it to know I want him to help me to the next level. The guy is a solid pro. Acting classes, I think, are a way to get me out of myself more. Like I said...I want to beat my inner radio guy to death. Whenever I get in front of the mic radio guy is still too prevalent. Radio is NOT VO. Did radio. Don't want to do radio anymore. The income part of all this is secondary. Obviously I don't want to do it for nothing but when someone does hire me and wants to pay me I want to make sure they get a quality VO. This forum is the best thing I could have found.

Gee whiz I used to really like radio guy. I won't miss him, though.
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"I'm thinking...and it hurts"

[Lance Blair]

Acting is just projecting your personality, nothing more, nothing less. All of the great actors have great personalities. They're also not normal.

I suppose taking acting lessons can make one more interesting or complex or experienced as a human being. Certainly, it helps one strengthen what you've already got, but you've got to have "it" first. It's a brain thing. Painters don't make great accountants, and poets are lousy race car drivers. Having a good voice is immaterial for VO. It's like expecting to be a great football player because you have strong thighs or being a novelist because you can type.

If you want to be a thespian, be a thespian. If you want to be on camera, the stage, or on the mic...take extra credit courses at the Night School of Your Life.

I see my self as having decent ability, and under no delusions whatsoever that intensive coaching can coax me to grandeur.
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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[SteVO]

I see.
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"I'm thinking...and it hurts"