June » 2007 » The Voiceover Boblog

Mel Blanc with David Letterman

Posted June 30, 2007 by Bob

My thanks to my buddy Charlie Glaize for emailing me this remarkable piece of television history. This is from 1981 or thereabouts.

Category: General, People | Comments (2)
The New Voice123.com is coming July 9

Posted by Bob

According to the official blog of the Voice123.com team, the new Voice123.com v. 2.0 will be unveiled on Monday, July 9, 2007. They also note:

IMPORTANT: Since this is a major system upgrade, please note that Voice123â€™s website will not be available from Friday, July 6th at 10:00 pm ET until Monday, July 9th at 5:00 am ET. During this upgrade, the site will not be accessible; you will not be able to answer leads or access your profile. Therefore, please plan ahead if you need to use the system around those dates.

You can find more information about the new features here.

Category: General, Tools | Comments (0)
Bobbin’s voiceover booth is complete

Posted June 29, 2007 by Bob

Bobbin Beam and her husband have completed the do-it-yourself voiceover booth as she’s documented on her blog, including photos. And she’s also posted a cost analysis of the project. 28 hours. And, even including the extras, a bit over 2 grand. Remarkable. Thanks for sharing all of this with us, as you’ve gone through the process, Bobbin.

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Kudos to my friend Joe, part 2

Posted June 28, 2007 by Bob

Joe Rodriguez, a talented voice actor from New Jersey, has just provided the voice for a gripping little movie called 2/30. Really good work, Joe. Really good.

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Terrific article on voiceovers from Electronic Musician

Posted by Bob

Electronic Musician is one of the magazines targeting the Do-It-Yourself musician, a category that is growing by leaps and bounds these days. And they cover other home studio applications from time to time. My thanks to my friend Brian Haymond for pointing me to this excellent article about home studios and voiceover work. You find not only the article, but photos and illustrations. Very good stuff.

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Words of wisdom from my friend Dave

Posted by Bob

Dave DeHart is a very talented voiceover guy in Houston, TX. He’s formulated a statement he calls Dave’s Law. I thought it well worth sharing with you, so I asked his permission, which he has kindly granted.

Dave’s Law: The degree to which anyone beats your price into the dirt should always be directly proportional to the speed at which you run away from the idiot!

Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (2)
A look at one of the truly great voices

Posted June 27, 2007 by Bob

With thanks to my friend Chuck Davis for posting the link on the VO-BB, here is an old television clip featuring the late, great Ernie Anderson.

Category: General, People | Comments (2)
Kudos to Pat Duke

Posted June 25, 2007 by Bob

Pat Duke, a friend from the VO-BB, has just received a really nice write-up in Screen Magazine. Good for you, Pat!

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One rose and ten thorns

Posted June 23, 2007 by Bob

Would be one way of describing our time today in Winston-Salem, NC as 11 of us voiceover artists had a delightful time of lunch, conversation, bowling, conversation, listening to demos and more conversation. With us were a couple of guys just getting started in voiceover work, Neil Williams and Brett Mason. As well as working professionals Willie Edwards, Vance Elderkin, Bob Bair, George Washington III, Bill Campbell, Brian Hart, Donovan Corneetz, me and the rose of the bunch, Kara Edwards.

We had a great time both at the restaurant…

Where, after we finished a delightful meal together, Brian Hart demonstrated first his brilliance at solving word puzzles and then his technique with his prize for finishing first…a new microphone?

After lunch we traveled just a couple of miles to the AMF Bowling alley in Winston-Salem.

After bowling, during which Brian Hart got first place (there’s no end to this man’s talent!), we gathered in the quietest corner of the alley we could find and spent some delightful time listening to demos, talking about marketing, and sharing stories of lessons learned and ideas to try.

After nearly 7 hours of fun, which seemed to just fly by, we all headed back to our respective homes around the state of North Carolina…with plans to do this again in a few months!

Category: General, People | Comments (4)
A Learning Opportunity in Boston

Posted June 22, 2007 by Bob

If you live in or near Boston, and you’d like a solid grounding in the tools you need to do voiceover work, my friend DB Cooper will be teaching a set of classes on Saturdays, starting July 7th at C.P. Casting. Full details are available on the C.P. Casting web site. If you take advantage of this opportunity you’ll be studying with a great lady and a brilliant talent. You won’t regret the experience.

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Do you voiceover in NC?

Posted June 21, 2007 by Bob

If you live in the Carolinas and either do voiceover work or are trying to get started doing voiceover work, you are invited to our lunch and bowling get-together this Saturday, June 23, 2007 in Winston-Salem. If you are just learning about this opportunity, please send an email to our meeting organizer, Donovan Corneetz, at success [at] doncopro.com. Do it right now while you’re thinking about it. Donovan will send you back an email with details about where and when, and how to find the Village Tavern restaurant in Winston-Salem, our starting point at 11:00 AM.

I look forward to seeing you there.

(Update: We’ve made the VOX Talk podcast again. It’s all the way at the end. Thank you, Stephanie!)

Category: General, People | Comments (2)
Moose and Squirrel

Posted by Bob

My good friend Charlie Glaize sent me this link today. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Category: General, People | Comments (2)
A look behind the scenes

Posted June 20, 2007 by Bob

Karen Commins is a very talented voice actor living in the Atlanta area. She provides us with a peek at her studio, which I must say looks absolutely fabulous.

By the way, Karen blogs about her voiceover work and life as well. Very much worth your time.

Category: General, People | Comments (2)
A podcast you don’t want to miss

Posted June 19, 2007 by Bob

Voiceover Experts is a new podcast for folks involved in the voiceover business. Hosted by Julie-Ann Dean, this podcast is very well done and chock full of good information.

Category: Blogging, Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover | Comments (0)
A lesson, of sorts…

Posted June 17, 2007 by Bob

My friend Dan Nachtrab sent me this link today.

If you work in voiceover on either side of the glass, I’m sure you found that both painful and hilarious. By the way, this is from the same folks who brought you Door to Door Voiceovers.

Update: The lead actor (the director) is Brent Chapman. The site that’s responsible for these videos is Promo Alliance.

Category: General | Comments (6)
One of those voices

Posted June 16, 2007 by Bob

He’s heard on movie trailers and television promos all over the place, and now you can learn more about him thanks to YouTube. Who? Ben Patrick Johnson.

My thanks to my friend Brian Haymond for posting this video on his blog and thus helping me find it.

Category: General, People | Comments (2)
Voiceover training for my Canadian friends

Posted June 15, 2007 by Bob

Deb Monro is not only a talented voiceover artist, she also teaches voiceover techniques. Her latest newsletter notes the following dates and locations for her Mic & Me workshop series:

Calgary â€“ August 26/27 (Creating Voices 1) (Private/demo sessions Aug 24 or 28 near sold out)
Regina â€“ Sept 8/9 (Audition Voice Over Workout) (private/demo sessions Sept 7th still room)
Edmonton â€“ Sept 15/16 (Audition Voice Over Workout) (private/demo sessions Sept. 17th)
Vancouver â€“ Sept. 22/23 (Audition Voice Over Workout)
London (UK) â€“ Sept. 28,29,30 & Oct 1 (Audition Voice Workout, The Voice Biz & Private Sessions)
Toronto â€“ October 13/14 (Audition Voice Workout) (Privates available Oct. 12)

Details about these classes are available at Deb’s website.

Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover, People | Comments (0)
Questions, I get questions

Posted June 13, 2007 by Bob

Quite often in fact, I get questions about what it’s like to study privately with Nancy Wolfson, given that she’s in Los Angeles, CA and I’m in Charlotte, NC. Here are a couple of recent examples.

Johnny George wrote me a few days ago to ask:

Hi Bob,

I am interested in working with Nancy. Iâ€˜ve done a couple of Webinars with her and Anna and Iâ€™m trying to budget some $$ this summer for coaching with her. Please elaborate on her style, her caliber and any particulars that would help me in making the decision and how I can best get my most bang for my buck.

I appreciate your time and insight.

Here’s my reply:

Johnny,

Nancy is one of the most out-going, expressive and vivacious people I’ve ever encountered. At the same time, she’s very real and direct. Even though she has lived many years in California, Nancy is one of the most honest and unpretentious people I know.

So, if you want to study with someone who will tell you the truth, consistently; while filling your brain with almost too much information to process in one sitting, she’s the person for you. On the other hand, if you need to work with someone who will treat you with much gentleness and move through things very slowly, she’s probably not for you.

The other thing to know is that Nancy’s coaching is totally based in reality and practicality…stuff you can put to use now…not someday by and by when you’ve managed to internalize it enough.

While I don’t live in Southern California, I am friends with a number of working actors, voiceover folks and other professional talent out there. I know that among those (at least those I know) she has a sterling reputation as one of the very top of her field.

In my view, while I wish I could study with her in person, I’m thrilled with the phone patch experience. It’s worked great for me.

I hope that helps answer your questions. If you wish to send some follow-ups, please feel free.

And Cookie Colletti wrote to ask:

Bob:
Could you tell me more about studying with Nancy? Does she do classes over the internet? What exactly does she teach? I live in So. Florida and we have a “superstar” v/o artist/teacher here…but she’s very hard to get to commit to classes. I’ve studied with her on and off and she even produced my commercial demo, but I really want to learn more…including branding, what’s right for me, marketing myself, etc…..Anything you provide would be helpful. Thanks alot.

And my reply to Cookie:

Cookie,

I live in North Carolina and Nancy is in Los Angeles so we work over the phone. Here’s what studying with Nancy is like, at least for me:

She provides some copy and concepts a few days in advance of each time we’ve scheduled a class. Then, I call her at the appointment time and we talk through what she’s provided. Sometimes she wants me to work on the copy. Sometimes we spend more of our time talking through the specific concepts and ideas.

Nancy is a ball of energy and a wonderfully encouraging person. I’ve been a working voiceover professional since 1983, but she has helped me tremendously with practical, immediately useful ideas that I’ve been able to incorporate in the way I approach auditions and work from the very first lesson.

You can get a lot of good information at her website: http://www.braintracksaudio.com

Please let me know if you have additional questions.

I hope these questions and responses are helpful to you. And please remember, if you tell Nancy that you decided to study with her because I recommended her here, I get a free lesson from her. Whether you mention anything or not is, of course, entirely up to you.

Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover, People | Comments (2)
Actor’s Tool-Kit #12

Posted June 12, 2007 by Bob

If you’ve been keeping track, yes, we’ve skipped a few. That’s because the skipped articles are focused on people searching for on-camera and on-stage work and as such have limited value for us in the voiceover world. So, here’s #12:

THE AUDITION PARADIGM

by Bob Fraser

I am often asked about auditioning – “what’s the secret?”

There really aren’t any secrets, but there is a checklist. Here is my memory word, a word you can use to make every audition more successful – by going through the checklist.

The word is PARADIGM.

PREPARE. Preparation usually involves several steps. Here are just a few: Know what you are auditioning for. Ask questions, get information, listen carefully.

Familiarize yourself with the script (if there is one). If there is a script (or sides), study the character and make a couple of solid choices as to how you will perform it. If there is no script, but you have a general description of the character you are trying out for, again make some choices. Plan your trip to the place where the audition is taking place. Have your outfit picked out. Make sure you have gas in the car – or correct change for public transportation. Plan the day ahead of time. Give yourself plenty of time to get ready (hair, make-up, etc.).

The number one element in a successful audition – that most casting directors point to – is preparation.

ARRIVE EARLY. This is VERY important. When you arrive early you accomplish two crucial things: First, you are “on time.” This is a must in our industry. People who show up late are a pain in the ___ (fill in your choice of body part). Producers hate late. Directors loathe the lackadaisical. Other actors don’t like it much either.

Casting directors are unlikely to form a favorable impression of you if you are late. That’s because if you are cast (on their recommendation) and then you show up late for production, they will get yelled at. CD’s don’t like getting yelled at. They are unlikely to recommend you if you are late. (Don’t “sign in” early as this will cause problems. Get there and wait nearby.)

The second thing that happens when you arrive early is you have time to do the next part of a successful audition which is…

RELAX. Being relaxed is important to your results. If you are keyed up, stressed, rushed or still coming down from the trip to the audition – it will cost you. Almost everybody needs some time to “get ready.” Only you can know how much time you will need, but whatever it is – that’s how early you have to get there.

There are about as many techniques for relaxation as there are humans on the planet – so I’ll skip listing them. The bottom line? The relaxed actor is the more successful actor. Why? Because if you are relaxed, you help relieve the natural anxiety the casting director, producer and director are also dealing with in the audition process. Oh, yes, it’s tough on them too. If they don’t get it right it can ruin an entire production. So, believe me, they are stressed. Relax and the whole world relaxes with you.

ACT. A lot of actors forget the purpose of an audition. The CD’s, directors and producers are looking for a performer – which means it is important to perform. This is another reason to relax. It’s easier to remember to do the job when you are at ease.

DEAL. Every audition is just one of the many you will have in your career. If you are a normal human being you will “fail” 80% of the time. Not just at auditions either. The best piece of advice about this failure business is given by one of the richest men in the world, Bill Gates; “If you want to be more successful, double your failure rate.”

The most difficult thing to ‘deal’ with in the entertainment industry is the inevitable – “I didn’t get it.” – realization You must understand that this is going to be the case much more often than not. Rejection is not an easy thing to deal with, but if you want to be a successful actor you must learn to deal with it. It’s a central part of a professional acting career.

As I have pointed out, more than once, even successful established actors are rejected a lot. Every time a part is being cast (say, Batman or Scarlett O’Hara) there are hundreds of professional, money-earning stars who are dismissed as possibilities and dozens of others who meet with the producers and find out later that – “I didn’t get it.” Dealing with rejection is crucial to your eventual success. So, deal with it.

IMPRESS. If you accomplish the goals on this list, you will impress the people doing the casting. You will be considered a “pro.” Professionalism is the word you want attached to your efforts. This will happen if you are on time, prepared, entertaining, relaxed and able to deal with the inevitable rejection that follows most auditions. That’s your goal in every audition – to impress them with your professional attitude.

Even if you don’t get this one, when you impress the CD, the director or the producer with your pro attitude, they will think of you for something else. Guaranteed.

GRACE. Gracious people have the edge. We like them, we trust them, we want to work with them. Be polite. Remember people’s names. Be helpful. Listen carefully. Follow directions. Don’t impose your ‘neediness’ on the CD. You will always leave a good impression if you are gracious to other people in the business. Think Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn.

Your mantra should be; “I’m nice … to other people.”

MANIPULATE. If you hope to succeed you will probably need to manipulate somebody.

Of course, there is only one human being you really have any control over – and have any hope of manipulating: Yourself.

If you are a poor planner, you must manipulate your mind set to correct this deficiency.

If being turned down puts you in a deep funk, you must manipulate your reaction.

If you panic, you must manipulate your mental state until this is no longer a problem.

In other words, don’t waste a minute of your time trying to find the “reasons” behind someone else’s decisions and attempt to change her mind. Take a step back from every ‘failure’ and discover what needs manipulating in your own actions and
reactions.

You can only change the world by changing yourself.

That’s my audition PARADIGM.

Is it easy to do all these things? No way. If it were easy, everyone would be a successful actor and they’d have a difficult time finding people to type up annual reports for $6.75 an hour.

But make no mistake, you can accomplish all you want, once you set your mind to it. Of course, the important words in that last sentence are “set your mind to it.”

Go ahead. You can do it if you really want to.

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Category: Career Advice, General | Comments (0)
Kudos to my friends Moe and Kara

Posted June 11, 2007 by Bob

On CNN.com today you’ll find an article featuring comments from two of my good friends, both of whom also happen to be brilliant voice talents. Kara Edwards and Moe Egan. Ladies, you rock!

Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (2)
Taking a positive approach

Posted June 10, 2007 by Bob

Not only is Rodney Saulsberry a tremendously talented voice actor, he’s a superb marketer. Just check out his latest appearance on YouTube.

Not only is Rodney doing an excellent job in this video of helping you understand why you might want to buy a copy of his book Step Up to the Mic, he’s also making use of the power of the Internet by posting this video on YouTube and then letting his friends know about the video. And now, I’m passing that word along to you, too.

Rodney, seriously, I’m deeply impressed. And I hope you don’t mind, but I’m taking notes all the time.

Category: General, People, Tools | Comments (0)
Bobbin’s do-it-yourself voiceover booth is finished!

Posted by Bob

Bobbin Beam emailed me this morning to let me know that she and her husband Pete have finished their do-it-yourself voiceover both project. You’ll find the story and photos of their finished work on Bobbin’s blog.

I’m looking forward to the next post in the project with cost details, but in the meantime, everything looks terrific. Good for you, Bobbin. And thanks for letting me know it’s done.

Category: General, People, Tools | Comments (0)
Dansville, NY

Posted June 9, 2007 by Bob

I’m in upstate New York on a business trip for a week. Knowing that I would be here, I emailed Peter O’Connell to see if he might be willing to make a bit of a drive so we could have lunch together today. He was game, and since he knew the area well, suggested Dansville, NY as a spot that was about half-way between Buffalo (where Peter lives) and Binghamton, where I’m working this week.

We met up for an early lunch a nearly 2 hours of very pleasant conversation at the Sunrise Family Restaurant in beautiful, downtown Dansville.

As you can see, Peter was happy to be there.

And so was I.

I’m wearing my new VO-BB.com T-shirt, with a design in honor of the work both of us did (with help from a bunch of other folks) for our troops in Iraq, on the Memorial Day countdown for Freedom Radio. (And yes, my picture is more blurry than Peter’s. That’s because I have that effect on cameras, even my own.)

Peter is a very talented voiceover guy, and under the thin veneer of snark and sarcasm he sometimes shows to the world, he’s a very decent and generous guy. He even paid for today’s lunch. By the way, you can get Peter’s take on the day on his voiceover blog.

(edited to fix typo)

Category: General, People | Comments (6)
NC VO get-together gaining steam, you’re invited too

Posted June 8, 2007 by Bob

Our planned get-together in Winston-Salem is only 2 weeks away! We hope you see you at 11:00 AM on Saturday, June 23rd. Details are posted just a bit further into this blog. We’re inviting anyone involved in voiceover work, part-time, full-time, even just trying to get started, to join us…especially if you life in the Carolinas or one of our neighboring states. So, if you know anyone else living and voiceovering in the area, please pass the word.

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Bruce the genie

Posted June 7, 2007 by Bob

My friend Bruce Miles has been picked up for a third year playing a genie in a television commercial. Since it’s on YouTube, you get to see it too.

Category: General, People | Comments (2)
Branding Webminar from Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino

Posted June 5, 2007 by Bob

In spite of some technical glitches in the first couple minutes, there’s a boat load of excellent thoughts and advice from Nancy Wolfson (with whom I’m currently studying) and Anna Vocino about how to present yourself as you build your voiceover career in this Voice123.com webinar that’s available now through YouTube.

Category: Career Advice, General, Getting started in Voiceover | Comments (0)
Getting the most out of your Voiceover Talent

Posted by Bob

One of the newest members of the VO-BB is Tom Test. Not only is Tom a talented voice actor (listen to his demos here to see what I mean); but he’s also a thoughtful and insightful writer.

He’s assembled six superb articles on this page under the general heading of “Tips on Getting the Most Out of Your Voice Talent.”

Thank you for this excellent stuff, Tom.

Category: Career Advice, General, People | Comments (0)
Peter Cullen video on TransformersGame.com

Posted June 4, 2007 by Bob

Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime, is featured on a short clip in the Videos section of the official site for Transformers: The Game. A hat tip to Kristy for posting the link to this first, at her board VoiceChasers.

And thanks to my buddy Charlie Glaize, here’s the interview he’s linked below, from YouTube.

Category: General, People | Comments (2)
Kudos to my friend David

Posted June 3, 2007 by Bob

My friend David Houston, who actually lives in Austin, just landed a national (cable) television commercial narration. You can read about it on his blog, if you’d like to follow-up. And David, I love to see success stories like this. Good for you.

Category: General, People | Comments (0)
Bobbin’s booth – it’s a punch list now

Posted by Bob

As you may know, a “punch list” is the list of things yet to be completed on a construction project. Check out Bobbin’s latest update to see her punch list as she and her hubby work their way toward completing this fascinating project.

Category: General, Tools | Comments (0)

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