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VOICE OVER TODAY - February 11, 2002
Published
by EDGE STUDIO
New
York training - 212-868-edge
Washington
DC training - 202-398-edge
Connecticut
training - 203-374-edge
Tele-Training
- 888-321-edge
demos. training. guidance. CD duplication. resources.
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WANT WORK? visit www.edgestudio.com/representation.htm
NEED SCRIPTS? visit www.edgestudio.com/scripts.htm
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UPCOMING ISSUE:
Taxes and voice-over -- can you deduct training?
THIS ISSUE INCLUDES:
1.) Repeat customers
-- get them with these practice tips.
2.) Marketing? Here's a workshop that impresses casting
professionals.
3.) Want national work? This workshop helps you get there.
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1.) REPEAT CUSTOMERS - GET THEM WITH THESE PRACTICE TIPS
What would you do
if someone you hired failed to perform as well as
they had claimed?
Well, you probably would never hire them again.
First-hand, I've seen voice-over artists forget this scenario. For
example, producing a commercial for Gillette, I needed a mid-aged
conversational female voice-over artist. I heard a woman's demo that
had this type of delivery - so I hired her. She was incapable of
reproducing the delivery demonstrated on her demo. Oddly, she
wonders why I haven't hired her back. I eventually hired another
voice-over artist.
Repeat customers can
be a significant source of your income. Plus,
they often refer you to other production studios. So ensure that
you sound as good as you do on your demo. If you sound worse than
your demo, you are misrepresenting yourself - and damaging your
career.
To prevent this, you
must practice. And to help, we've assembled
practice methods for you.
1. Record your practice
sessions and later play them back to
critique. (Note: do not critique your performance during recording,
as it is impossible to concentrate on both simultaneously. Play the
part of the voice-over artist at first (concentrating on your
delivery), and later play the part of the producer (concentrating on
your performance). If you do not practice this way, you're liable
to miss your mistakes, therefore reinforcing bad habits.
Note - when practicing
"basic technique", do not record more than 30
seconds worth of copy without listening back. If you are reading
incorrectly, and you read for a long duration, the incorrect delivery
will become reinforced.
However, if you are
practicing "duration training" (such as audio
books, narrations, biographies, documentaries, etc.), then you must
practice reading for long durations.
2. Use the "3
Levels of Training," as described in the Industry
GuideBook (excerpts and ordering information at
www.edgestudio.com/guidebook/htm). They are:
a. Practice each technique one at a time, until it is reflexive.
b. Once this has been
mastered, practice techniques simultaneously
until your delivery sounds natural.
c. Finally, incorporate
character, emotion, variety, and creativity
into your delivery.
3. Practice reading
scripts to groups of people, as this will prepare
you for reading in front of producers, engineers, clients,
scriptwriters, etc. Libraries, schools, radio stations, and some
organizations offer reading for the blind and reading for children.
Here are where scripts can be found:
Commercials - magazine
advertisements are a great source of practice
scripts - advertising agencies often use the same scripts for magazine
as they do for radio and television advertising. For scripts
appropriate for your voice, look in magazines which interest you to
find copy for practicing.
Narrations - transcribe
a documentary, biography, audio-book,
voice-mail, etc. Or use the copy from an encyclopedia or training
manual. Even reading a newspaper is helpful.
Note: over 1,500 practice
scripts (divided into 21 categories such as
audio-book, telephone messaging, children's, commercials, etc) can
be purchased for $19 at www.edgestudio.com/scripts.htm
4. Mimic professionals.
This will increase your ability to mimic
producers when they vocally suggest how they want you to deliver the
copy during a recording session. The best way to do this is to record
a professional voice-over (using a small recorder), transcribe it,
and then mimic it back into your recorder. Then listen back to both
recordings to ensure they sound the same.
5. Practice with as
many various styles (characters) as possible, as
this will increase your ability to take direction, find the
appropriate character, and open up the doors to more diverse work.
For example, during one practice session, try a child's script, an
audio-book, and then a telephone messaging systems.
6. Practice the art of reading in your natural voice, as many
producers desire unaffected voices (also known as natural and
conversational). This technique will teach you a lot about your own
voice, and how challenging it can be to use on command.
To do this, record
your own natural conversation (while speaking to
someone). Then transcribe it. And then re-record yourself reading
the transcription. Listen back to both recordings - they should
sound identical. If they don't, you have more practicing to do.
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2.) MARKETING? HERE'S A WORKSHOP THAT IMPRESSES CASTING PROFESSIONALS
Interested in audio-books,
cartoons/animation, and/or a well-rounded
resume?
Then check out this workshop:
Accent Acquisition
Workshop: learn 6 accents in 6 classes: $300
includes all 6 classes
Instructed by Sam
Chwat, Director of New York Speech Improvement
Services - dialect coach for Robert DeNiro in CAPE FEAR and THIS BOY'S
LIFE; Willem Dafoe in his Oscar-nominated role in SHADOW OF THE
VAMPIRE; and Marcia Gaye Harden for her Oscar win in POLLOCK; Julia
Roberts, Andie MacDowell, Jude Law; and many other stars.
6 Saturday classes,
10:00 a.m. - 12 noon
April 6, April 13, April 20, April 27, May 11, May 18,
An impressive resume builder...
Offered by: Edge Studio
Location: New York Speech Improvement Services
253 West 16th Street, Suite # l-B
Between 7th and 8th Avenues
Fee: $300 includes all 6 sessions
Registration Deadline
- March 22nd , 2002 **Seating is limited to 10
participants, and based on a first pay, first serve basis.
Call 212-868-edge or toll free 888-321-edge
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3.) WANT NATIONAL WORK? THIS WORKSHOP HELPS YOU GET THERE
For most recordings, even a slight accent can turn off a casting professional.
Accent Elimination Workshop
This seminar focuses
on identifying the most obvious features of your
accent, and creating strategies for your acquisition of Standard
American (Non-Regional) English.
Each participant will
acquire a comprehensive understanding of his/her
accent and the means necessary to acquire non-regional American
English speech.
The focus will be
on establishing a self-study program for losing your
accent.
Instructed by Sam Chwat, Director of New York Speech Improvement
Services - the nation's largest company of licensed speech therapists
specializing in accent elimination, Standard American English, and
professional speech and voice improvement. He taught Julia Roberts
and Andie MacDowell to lose their Southern accents before their film
careers began, and counts among his clients Robert DeNiro, Kathleen
Turner, Jude Law, Isabella Rossellini, Tony Danza, Jon Bon Jovi,
Patrick Stewart, John Leguizamo, Roberto Benigni, James Gandolfini,
and many other performers.
Choose one date:
Saturday, March 9th
2002, 10:00 a.m. - 12 noon
Thursday, March 21st 2002 from 7 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Offered by: Edge Studio
Location: New York Speech Improvement Services
253 West 16th Street, Suite # l-B
Between 7th and 8th Avenues
Fee: $79
Registration Deadline
-February 22nd , 2002 **Seating is limited to 10
participants, and based on a first pay, first serve basis.
Call 212-868-edge or toll free 888-321-edge
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ADVERTISEMENT
The 2002 edition of
the Audiobook Reference Guide, from the publisher
of AudioFile magazine is worth checking out. This comprehensive
sourcebook to the audiobook industry, the guide provides contact
information for 600 audiobook publishers, wholesale and retail
distributors, creative, manufacturing and support services.
Check out the new
section on Voice Talent -- and sign up for YOUR
listing in the 2001 Edition.
Call 800-506-1212
or visit www.audiofilemagazine.com to order your
copy now. Just $24.00 (inc. s/h). For info on the Voice Talent
listings email jennifer@audiofilemagazine.com.
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HAVE A DEMO? We're
always searching for new talent.
Please mail us your CD demo to: Edge Studio, 251 West
30th Street, suite 9-fm. NY, NY 10001 USA
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Voice Over Today is an Edge Studio publication
- advancing voice-over careers since 1988 -
www.edgestudio.com
888-321-edge
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To advertise, email info@edgestudio.com or
call 1-888-321-edge
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