VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

ccpetersen · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 7:43 am Post subject: volunteering VO?

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and she mentioned a group called Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. Apparently one volunteers one's voice to read textbooks and other materials that are made available to the visually impaired. I was thinking of volunteering some time reading for them -- has anybody here ever worked with them? Any commentary?

Not that one needs a reason to do good works, but I always feel like I should give something back to the community and this seems like a good way to help others.
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Lizden · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:01 am Post subject:

Although I've never done it, I know several VO's who have.
Like you said, it's a great way to give back, and great practice it seems!

L.
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Dave · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:06 am Post subject:

I think its a very worthwhile endeavor and would get involved. However, I tried to volunteer locally but they told me they had too many people on their roster already... so I wasn't needed.
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Deirdre · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:12 am Post subject:

This is a great way to help out folks who need our talents. I know quite a few people who read for the blind, whether it's for between-gigs practice or as an ongoing gift.
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Lizden · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:23 am Post subject:

Does reading in French to my disabled Mom everyday count?
YEP!
Right now: "Le testament français" by Andrei Makine

Liz
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Deirdre · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:27 am Post subject:

Liz, your road to heaven is paved with printed pages.
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Lizden · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:38 am Post subject:

Oh, PLEASE!
My halo has been in the shop for YEARS!!!!! Rolls Eyes

Ya do what ya gotta do!
(alcohol helps!) Inoccent

L.
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anthonyVO · 14th Avenue Joined: 09 Aug 2005 Posts: 1470 Location: NYC

i did it for a short while (before the babies) and I know another guy who did it for about a year or so. Good work and good people.

BUT, BUT, BUT it is NOT practice for VO work as their requirement for reads are very different and much flatter than you would for pro VO - especially their science and math books (since most of what you'll be doing is textbooks). So do it for the good work, but not for "practice."

PEACE.
-Anthony

indymandy · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:22 am Post subject:

Funny, I just got back in my studio from my weekly read (for the reading impaired) of the Indianapolis Business Journal. Sure, I do it so I can give back, but I get some 'selfish' benefits, too: it keeps me in touch with the local business community. Contacts from corporate marketing departments, ad agencies, PR firms, etc. are often mentioned. I know what big projects are going on in the city, who's got money (or not), recent corporate reorganizations, and niche events that gather new contacts for me like fish in a barrel.

Plus, I go to the PBS TV station to do it. You never know who you'll meet.

I also count it towards my 30 minutes a day of reading out loud, especially since it's an hour-long program.

Win-win all around.

~Amanda

Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:25 am Post subject:

i've had this bookmarked for a long time, though never investigated in depth the site or the org.:

www.assistivemedia.org

tho i did read this (yoiks!):
>>We have auditioned many voice-talent applicants and have selected very talented individuals possessing an exceptional skill at verbal interpretations with various English dialects to provide an aesthetic multicultural variety of narratives.<<
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ccpetersen · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 9:30 am Post subject:

Yes, my friend mentioned that the reading skills are somewhat different than for VO, depending on what's needed. Since I have a math/science background, I would probably end up reading more textbooks in those areas. They did say, however, that they also do literature and that those books are a little "looser" than for technical areas. It never hurts to read stuff out loud, no matter for what, I would guess.

I'm going to go down for their orientation this week or next and see how it pans out.
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Kasbah · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:50 am Post subject: Re: volunteering VO?

anthonyVO · 14th Avenue Joined: 09 Aug 2005 Posts: 1470 Location: NYC

http://www.rfbd.org/

glittlefield · Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 5:39 pm Post subject:

I've been doing this for almost a year here in Maine and have to add to Anthony's statement above about this not being good practice for VO work. I came up in radio and by virtue of that business, learned to talk for only a couple minutes at a time. Currently, I'm reading newspaper articles on the weekend and sometimes they're very long (one fella on the staff refers to those as "thumbsuckers").

So I'd have to say that it IS good VO practice! It's good for learning endurance and pacing; for learning how to read and interpret copy practically COLD; and, in some cases, learning how to read poorly-written copy. Smile

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anthonyVO · 14th Avenue Joined: 09 Aug 2005 Posts: 1470 Location: NYC

Interesting point of view, Greg. Thanks.

Is that RFBD though? I thought they only did textbooks.

-Anthony