Inside Voiceover—Cutting-edge Insights + Enlightening, Entertaining News for Voiceover Professionals

The LEGO® Movie," trailer was released yesterday and features a truly stellar voice cast. We're not always fans of celebrity casting, especially when they cast "celebrities" who have no business doing voiceover nor the required imagination for it, but not this time....

When you have both Morgan Freeman AND Liam Neeson, as well as "Michelangelo" and "Michaelangelo" in the cast, along with Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, and Nick Offerman, how can you go wrong? Looks like a fun premise, with a very unique assemblage of superheroes, and isn't a "unique assemblage" just what you'd expect from LEGO?.

By the way, the highlight of the trailer is Will Arnett's homage to one of our favorite superhero portrayals ever. (Just watch the trailer.)

This article does a good job explaining why actors and other artists need frustration to motivate them and help them push through to their next creative breakthrough:

"Before we can find an answer to anything, sometimes before we even know what the question is, we need to be disappointed, we need to be convinced that the solution is never going to appear. We need to have wrestled with the problem and lost the battle, because it is probably only after you have stopped searching that the answer will arrive."

If you're an actor, feeling frustrated comes with the territory and is part and parcel of the creative process. You can't move forward without it, so better to recognize and accept that it is just a necessary part of being an actor.   

For those that would have you believe that voice acting is easy, this winner of Oscars, Emmys, BAFTA's and other acting awards too numerous to mention, would beg to differ.

While we're sure that Dame Helen will knock it out of the park in "Monsters University," as she always inevitably does, she recognizes that voice acting requires an additional set of skills IN ADDITION TO having strong acting chops. And if Helen Mirren, with her remarkable and wide-ranging acting background and experience acknowledges that you just can't walk in and "wing it," what makes some aspiring voice actors with zero acting background and ability think they can?

If have two-minutes of stand-up comedy (only non-blue stuff) ready to go...or are willing and ready to put your on-screen acting chops out there on display for the whole world to see and judge, have we got a contest for you! You have until July 12th to get your submission together. Make sure to read all the details. You can watch the videos for contest information and rules, but definitely NOT for acting tips.... 

Speaking of the performances in the accompanying videos (except for the Asian actor, who's not bad; just miscast)...we refer you to this recent excellent article from AV Club on why foreign actors are consistently beating out American actors for all the starring roles on TV, "The accent grave: Why don’t Americans play Americans on TV anymore?" http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-accent-grave-why-dont-americans-play-americans,95717/

Our take on this contest, if you're a really good actor, why not give it a shot? You probably won't win the contest if you aren't Disney Channel-material, but you never know who's watching. As everyone knows, Jennifer Hudson was famously eliminated from American Idol fairly early on, but Steven Speilberg was watching. He contacted her about playing the role in "Dreamgirls," that she eventually went on to win an Academy Award for...Just sayin'....

Amen, brother! This is one of the most frequent problems we encounter, even with trained voice actors who have been around a while and should know better. As Charlie Sandlan, a well-known, NY-based acting coach says in his latest post, you have to be willing to "jump off the cliff." We find that many actors seem to be afraid to even step off the curb. 

He also correctly points out you cannot "wing it" in acting. Being able to deliver an outstanding performance all goes back to having a sound technique, a solid grounding in your craft and confidence in your training. If you don't have confidence in your training, get better training,

Expert advice on how to approach recording audiobooks in general, along with some creative tips on how to handle tricky pronunciations from award-winning audiobook narrator, Arthur Morrey.

By the way, don't let the line in Arthur's bio that he "started work on audiobooks six years ago," fool you. He's not just some guy who one day suddenly decided to become an audiobook narrator. (We're pretty sure that the authors mentioned wouldn't entrust their work to a some total VO newbie.) Arthur has been honing his craft as a actor, singer, performer, educator, playwright and screenwriter for decades. 

And  while age discrimination isn't as blatant in voiceover as on-camera, because, in theory, you're supposed to be cast according to the age you sound like; not the age you really are, it still happens. 

Just remember that you are NOT obligated to provide your age under any circumstances, unless as the article points out, you're a minor, in fact producers, casting directors, talent agents, clients, etc. are expressly prohibited from asking, although many do. Also be aware of online casting sites that ask you to enter your age. If it's a required field on their form to sign up, contact the site administrator and raise hell. 

Entertaining interview with veteran British voice actor, Joanna Ruiz, who has lent her voice to characters ranging from kids to elderly grannies for kids' cartoon series, as well as commercials and corporate narration.

She provides advice for aspiring voice actors on getting started; shares her method for finding new character voices; and observes that to succeed as a voice actor, "versatility and persistence are qualities almost as important as an accommodating larynx," with which we totally agree.

Let's hope that the Princeton scientists don't figure out how to print 3D voice actors any time soon...

Kidding aside, some pretty amazing stuff created with a $1000 printer and more importatntly, the results of this experiment have promising implications with regards to being able to create inexpensive lab-grown replacement organs that are not only as good as, but better than the originals! Wouldn't it be ironic if the "Six Miiion Dollar Man" turned out to be the "Six Hundred Dollar Man, especilally when adjusted for inflation..?

"Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement: “It’s only fitting that this extraordinary collection of puppets, costumes, props, and more should find a home in New York, where imagination and free expression are part of the fabric of our city, and where anyone who’s watched an episode of ‘Sesame Street’ sees the inspiration provided by the vibrant neighborhoods and characters that make our city so extraordinary.”

As Kermit would say, "Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!" As if we needed one more reason to visit NYC, but ths is a pretty darn cool one. 

Okay, so you know how all the articles you read nowadays on how to market yorself as an actor advise you to self-produce your own projects? And how most voice actors say, "I get how on-camera and stage actors can self-produce an internet show or a play, but how the heck can I do that?" Here's how...

Yes, the animation is crude, BUT probably on par with some of the cartoons you watched as a kid. Some talented, creative people out there are figuring out innovative way to use these tools, create online cartoons, generate a lot of online buzz, and end up with offers to create more content. Why shouldn't you be among them? Yes, you have to have some serious talent and acting chops to pull this off to make it work, because bad animation + bad writing+ bad voice acting will yield you nothing. But we know plenty of talented, clever people who are just sitting around waiting for their agents to send them auditions. Most of these tools are inexpensive, some are free. If it costs you nothing to try, why don't you? 

Excellent advice from LA agent aka "Secret Agent Man" on what actors should and should not spend their money on.

What he says about keeping websites simple is dead on; don't blow money on unecessary stuff that won't help you book the job. Nor should you spend on fancy folders or elaborate packaging to get your submission noticed by agents. According to this one, it won't.

We've lost count of how many conversations we've had over the years with confused actors who described having conversations with agents exactly like the ones described in this article. In fact, we've had a few of these agents ourselves. Actor marketing expert and coach Gwyn Gilliss absoultely nails "Agentspeak" and helps translate into plain Englis what an agent really means when he or she says certain things to you. 

It's not unlike dating, when at the end of the date, a guy or girl will say "I'll call you" or "I'll be in touch" when he/she really has no intention of calling, but they don't want to hurt the other person's feelings. The only difference, is if you persist, in a constructive way, with an agent who has turned you down in in the past―by demonstrating that you are capable of learning, improving and willing to do 90% of the work―you may overcome their initial resistance and end up as a client eventually. On the other hand, if you are as relentlessly persistant about wanting to prove yourself to someone you may have dated once, you could wind up with a restraining order against you...

Clever, simple  way to list your voiceover demos on iTunes that maximizes its marketing potential and makes it very easy for anyone to access and listen to your demos.

Our one quibble...with rare exception, as many of you know, we discourage voice actors from including their pictures on their demos, so we'd replace the picture with your logo, or an icon of your artwork. 

Yes, we realize that everyone's images are all over the internet, and if someone really wants to see what you look like, it's not hard to find out. BUT demos are about impressions, and if the first impression is that you look like a 45-year old woman, they may less willing to cast you as a 27-year-old mom, even if that's what you sound like and you'd be perfectly cast for the role. Often times casting decisons come down to you and one or two  other actors, so why give them an easy reason for excluding you from consideration?

In this recent interview that the always interesting and phenomenally-talented, Billy West, did with The List UK he discusses his career, and what the future may hold for "Futurama," now that it looks as though it may not be renewed for another season. It seems like Matt Groening may be considering going the same route that the creators of "Arrested Development" did, and producing new episodes available via an online subscription channel like Hulu or Netflix. 

Make sure to scroll down the page and check out the video of Billy from last year's appearance on Penn Gillette's "Penn's Sunday School" webcast. If you haven't seen it already it's well worth your time. It's amazing to watch him transition from one character into the next, so seamlessly and fluidly, and he also discusses his process and the inspiration behind his characters in greater detail. If you want to catch glimpse of how he went back and forth between Ren and Stimpy, make sure to check it out. Happy happy joy joy!

Interesting interview with Laura Bailey a versatile game voice actor who has been in many well-known games, but whose voice you might not recognize from one game to the next. Laura discusses how being versatilie and relatively obscure can work to a voice actor's advantage.

When asked whether voice actors resent not being recognized for their performances, Laura gives a thoughtful answer that we've also found to be true, “I guess sometimes it feels a little sad that the work you put into it may not be as acclaimed just because your name isn’t as famous. But that’s what we signed up for as voice actors. I don’t think anybody – well, that’s a lie – I don’t think most people got into this industry to become famous. A lot of [screen] actors, that’s their goal. It’s not to act, but to be famous.”

Professional voice actors become voice actors for the love of the work. If you want to be a voice actor for any reason other than that, and your passion for the craft is not your primary motivation, you might want to re-think your career path...

Invaluable advice for all actors, from acting coach David Dean Bottrell, that we believe not only applies equally to voice actors, but probably, doubly.

All excellent suggestions for things you should be doing habitually to improve your acting abilities: paying attention, reading, listening, learning from the best, and living your life fully. Even better news is that these are all free activities (or at least relatively inexpensive ones)!  

He makes an interesting observation about how reading uses the same part of the brain that you use to act. It's also true that the better reader you are and the richer your imagination is, the easier your job of analyzing scripts and making interesting acting choices becomes. 

As the old showbusiness saying goes, "Never work with animals...or children." Tell that to ATT spokes guy, Beck Bennett who is cranking out successful commercial after successful commercial with groups of 'em!

As Mr. Bennett has wisely learned, sometimes you are going to be working with kids, so enjoy it and make the process as fun and comfortable for them and you, as possible.

To make sure that you get the best performances you possibly can when working with kid voice actors, NYC-based audio enginer/sound designer, Stephen Schappler, shares some valuable insights, tips and tricks he has learned from recording projects with kids for companies such as Nickelodeon and PBS.

The amazing Pat Carroll, as talented as ever and going strong at 86, performs the Ghost Host's opening lines from the Haunted Mansion to an auditorium of delighted and cheeriing fans at "Spooky Empire's Mayhem," a major horror fanfest that took place in Orlando over the weekend..

What a treat to see this accomplished actor give these very familiar lines her own unique twist, and most impressive is that she does this reading stone cold.

Ms. Carroll, you are an inspiration to voice actors everywhere!

Find out the latest on the documentary that John is executive producing, "I Know That Voice,"about the "art of cartoon voice acting." 

For the project, John and his co-producers recorded 160 hours of interviews with many of the best animation voice actors in the business. He's currently in the process of editing down to 90 minutes, and according to John, "it’s everything you ever wanted to know about voice acting and the animation industry but were afraid to ask... the movie’s really like a valentine to the industry, to the people who’ve really helped me become a successful actor. It’s really about them; these people who are the unsung heroes, if you will, of the entertainment industry. They fly under the radar and they deserve a little kudos and they deserve a round of applause."

We can't wait to see (and hear) it!

Smart advice from clinical psychologist and best-selling author, Dr. Meg Jaye on how on how to best deal with and learn from confidence-robbing situations.  

And if you are an actor or voice actor (or in any of the perforning arts for that matter), you have to be able to deal with these types of situations, no matter how ego-crushing they may be and learn to bounce back, because you will INEVITABLY encounter them. In fact, resilience should be the first skill they teach you in Drama school. It NEVER gets easy, but you can get better at it, grow a thicker shell and learn to bounce back more quickly over time. 

How? The four do's and don't's listed in the article are an excellent place to start.

An excellent, well-researched article with some practical and inexpensive fixes for improving the sound of your home recording environment; it's much better than 98% of the "How To Record From Home" articles out there that tend to be either too simplistic or way too technical for most voice actors. This one is well worth reading and offers practicable ideas that actually seem to work.

We like the incremental approach and the sound clips that she included for each different adjustment she tried. It's an especially good article for those who may be renting and need to record clean voice tracks, but are unable to make any permanent changes to their space and are looking for portable, cheap and not too clunky solutions.