VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[Philip Banks]

One of the best ways to find the road to success is having the courage to discover what lies on the road to failure. Many people know that this is not a negative approach, it helps you grow and encourages you to confront your demons. The worst thing that can happen is that you save yourself a lot of wasted time, money and energy persuing something that is not for you.

A good way to approach this exercise is with a pen and paper. Write your answers to each question having given it a great deal of thought. There are no right or wrong answer so you can't cheat and if you try to fool anyone you will only be fooling yourself.

1 - Why you? There are 1,000s of voice overs out there, mostly bad. What sets you apart from them?

2 - Big deal, you come from a radio/acting background. The audience won't believe an actor or a DJ. How are you going to make a piece of copy believable?

3 - Name the voice over you are trying to emulate, the one you idolise and then ask yourself which is easier - to be the 2nd A.B Vox or the first you?

4 - How much technology do you need to sound great?

5 -If you walked into a building would the person who met you be surprised to learn you are the voice or would it be obvious?

6 - The job with the bad tempered director, inept sound engineer, over written copy and stressed client turned out bad, why?

7 - Do you get mad when another voice appears to get all the work that is rightfully yours?

8 - Why do total strangers compliment you on the way you sound and the way you communicate?

9 - How much have you learned from other voice overs (not including coaching) in the past month?

10 - Tomorrow you leave your other sources of income behind you to make a living exclusively from voice overs. How do you feel?

11 - Have you set yourself clearly defined targets and goals for your career? What are they?

12 - The project is all about your voice. Explain why?

13 - As marketing is not about your talent and skills what is your gimmick?

14 - How many other voice overs would you recommend? Your reputation is on the line, happy with that?

15 - How many prospective new clients have you contacted this week?


All of the above questions are designed to make you really think. The answers are for you only as some are personal. It's not so much about what makes you tick as helping you find the voice over artist within. You will soon find yourself asking more questions.

[glittlefield]

Nice list, Banksey. Thanks for the periodic mental tweaks. I have to admit that, in most instances, I'm not only easily intimidated, but tend to psyche myself out. That's poison in such a competitive field as this.

In all honesty, hanging out here and listening to what everyone here is doing is my daily exercise of forcing myself to stay on the horse and not talk myself out of something I know I can do well. My wife told me the other day that I need to get an ego, so I consider that part of my voiceover career building routine. If I can't advocate for myself, then no one will.
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Greg Littlefield
VO-BB Member #59

[Deirdre]

My Dad is the great list-maker and has passed attribute that on to me.

Bankey's #11:

[Philip Banks]

We need to have around us people we trust. Knowing we are good enough is one thing, having a naive opinion of our abilities and unrealistic expectations is another.

A voice over placed the following on a web site in order to get some work. "With my considerable experience of voiceover and radio presenting work, you know it would make sense to enlist my services! What’s more, I can prove it.

I have performed voiceovers for all manner of corporate videos/DVDs - everything from vehicle towbars to the NHS, plus much more besides - and am comfortable operating in my native English as well as in French and German".

In my opinion and the opinion of a number of other people, as a voice over he sucks. That's not to say he has no potential and with some guidance he could do ok, it's just at the moment he brings nothing to the party.

We have to grow up very quickly. If Deirdre tells me I'm not ready yet, that my character voice demo sucks it costs me nothing. If a producer or director finds out I'm not ready yet and my character demo sucks it will cost me money for a long time. Why? Because he's unlikely ever to tell me but he will tell everyone else!

[asnively]

Edited to remove comments that some found offensive.
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Cystic Fibrosis Forum

[patfraley]

Dear Banksey,

What an excellent list.
1 - Why you? There are 1,000s of voice overs out there, mostly bad. What sets you apart from them?

Your style. True style is realized by the combination of three elements:
1. Flaunting your skills
2. Flaunting your limitations
3. Hiding your limitations

2 - Big deal, you come from a radio/acting background. The audience won't believe an actor or a DJ. How are you going to make a piece of copy believable?

The audience believes actors and DJ all the time. Dick Clark said, “the key to success in sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it licked.”

3 - Name the voice over you are trying to emulate, the one you idolise and then ask yourself which is easier - to be the 2nd A.B Vox or the first you?

It's not a matter of ease. The harder road, is authenticity. It's the only road that doesn't dead end.

4 - How much technology do you need to sound great?

Exactly.

5 -If you walked into a building would the person who met you be surprised to learn you are the voice or would it be obvious?

That depends on what you look like. I'm the best looking, thinnest guy on the radio. Daws Butler was under five feet tall.

6 - The job with the bad tempered director, inept sound engineer, over written copy and stressed client turned out bad, why?

Bad direction, poor sound, bad writing, and an unskilled client. Harrision Ford refers to his job as, “an assistant storyteller.” How much responsibility can a talent take?

7 - Do you get mad when another voice appears to get all the work that is rightfully yours?

There is nothing that we “rightfully” deserve. We all deserve death.

8 - Why do total strangers compliment you on the way you sound and the way you communicate?

I get complimented by strangers when I sound phony. When I'm using my theatre voice.

9 - How much have you learned from other voice overs (not including coaching) in the past month?

I learn from the other teachers I hire. It's not quantity. It's a little quality.

10 - Tomorrow you leave your other sources of income behind you to make a living exclusively from voice overs. How do you feel?

When I left my day job, it was long after I could have, and it felt just fine. Katharine Hepburn said, “when your groceries aren't on the line, your shoulders drop three inches.”

11 - Have you set yourself clearly defined targets and goals for your career? What are they?

Always the same; To meet my family’s needs. To my knowledge, in all of the Old and New Testament, there is no work in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek for “career.” Just “work”.

12 - The project is all about your voice. Explain why?

It never is. No exception.

13 - As marketing is not about your talent and skills what is your gimmick?

Marketing is all about talent and skills. The gimmick is effectively presenting your style (content) with an evocative, meaningful brand (form). It's about combining and progressing your style using the four pillars that support the Temple of Voice Over Business: Marketing, Advertising, Promotion, and Public Relations.

14 - How many other voice overs would you recommend? Your reputation is on the line, happy with that?

Every single voice over talent I've ever met. Truly, the worst can be perfect for one job. It's a matter of how many times I would recommend them.

15 - How many prospective new clients have you contacted this week?

Here's a more productive question: How many Little League games did you attend wherein a prospective client's kid was pitching?

[Philip Banks]

[Jowillie]

Some of the previous posts could be construed as rude, contentious, in poor taste and possibly libelous. Even if you don't mind or you even encourage others to directly pull quotes or work off your website and ridicule it openly, it may still convey an image unacceptable to others (maybe even a potential client).
Besides, I may not be able to speak fluent French or German, but I can probably make you think I can!

(Tongue fully planted in cheek)

[Philip Banks]

We're safe though as being rude is a matter of opinion, being contentious is the hallmark of mature debate, one can only publish a libel if it defames not if it defines and surely making wild claims is fraud .............. Or is it marketing?

[mcm]

[Philip Banks]

[Jowillie]

[Deirdre]

[bobsouer]

[dhouston67]