more Voice Over Today past issues




VOICE OVER TODAY – January 23, 2005
Helping Voice-Talent Build Careers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Published by EDGE STUDIO
www.edgestudio.com
     New York training - 212-868-edge
     Washington DC training - 202-398-edge
     Connecticut training - 203-374-edge
     Tele-Training - 888-321-edge

established 1988
member Better Business Bureau

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHAT IS EDGE STUDIO?

Voice Over Career Building
- training, evaluations, demos, marketing resources, guidance, duplication

Production Studio & Casting
- commercial and narration productions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

HOME STUDIO and MARKETING CONSULTATIONS
Available via telephone and in-studio.
$85. Call 888-321-edge.

PRACTICE and DEMO SCRIPTS
$19 www.edgestudio.com/scripts.htm

CONVERT YOUR DEMO to MP3
$40 for one demo, $10 each additional demo.
Call 888-321-edge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS ISSUE INCLUDES:

1.) Ready To Advance Your Voice Over Career?
2.) Attention Talent Agents and Acting Instructors
3.) Part 3 Of The 'WORD EMPHASIS' Series

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1.) READY TO ADVANCE YOUR VOICE OVER CAREER?

in NEW YORK
MARKETING NON-UNION Seminar: $79 - January 26, 7pm-9pm
PROMO Workshop: $79 - February 2, 7pm-9pm
CHARACTER & ANIMATION Workshop: $99 - February 28, 6pm-10pm
DO VOICEOVERS FROM HOME Seminar: $79 - March 2, 7pm-9pm
ADVANCED CHARACTER & ANIMATION Workshop: $99 - March 7, 6pm-9pm
COMPREHENSIVE 3-DAY BREAK-IN EVENT: $999 - March 11, 12, and 13, full day
ADVANCED TECHNIQUE Workshop: $99 - March 30, 6pm-9pm

via TELE-CLASS
DO VOICE OVERS FROM HOME Seminar: $79 - February 21, 4pm-6pm

in WASHINGTON DC
INTENSIVE-TECHNIQUE EVALUATION workshop: $15 - March 3, 6pm-10pm
MARKETING NON-UNION Seminar: $119 - March 4, 9am-11am
DO V.O. FROM HOME Seminar: $119 - March 4, 11:30am-1:30pm
PROMO AND IMAGING Workshop: $119 - March 4, 2:30-4:30pm
TELEPHONY Workshop: $119 - March 4, 5pm-7pm
AUDIOBOOK INTENSIVE Workshop: $159 - March 5, 9am-1pm
ADVANCED AUDIOBOOK Workshop: $159 - March 5, 2pm-5pm
CHARACTER & ANIMATION INTENSIVE Workshop: $159 - March 5, 6pm-10pm
ADVANCED CHARACTER & ANIMATION Workshop: $159 - March 6, 9am-12pm

in CONNECTICUT
INTENSIVE-TECHNIQUE EVALUATION workshop: $99 - March 8, 3pm-7pm

INTERESTED?
Please call to participate.
Call us weekdays 9-5 EST at 888-321-edge (3343).

IN THE BROWSING MOOD?
www.edgestudio.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ADVERTISEMENT

An essential tool for those working in audiobook narration-the Audiobook
Reference Guide is worth checking out. This comprehensive sourcebook to
the audiobook industry has over 375 listings for audiobook publishers,
producers, and directors-with their contact information.

To order your print copy now for only $49.95 (inc. s/h), call AudioFile at
800-506-1212 or visit www.audiofilemagazine.com

Be sure to check out the section on Voice Talent-and sign up for YOUR
listing in the online edition. For info on the Voice Talent listings email
guide@audiofilemagazine.com or visit www.audiofilemagazine.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2.) ATTENTION TALENT AGENTS & ACTING INSTRUCTORS

Edge Studio invites talent agents and acting instructors to participate
in our Intensive Technique Workshop free (for those out of the NY and DC
area, we invite you for a free training session via telephone).

This is an opportunity to participate, review, and hopefully create
alliances with us. Alliances may be as simple as referral programs, and as
exciting as cross-learning opportunities for those training.

If interested, please call us at 212-868-edge or email us at info@edgestudio.com
(so we can learn about you, please provide us with your promotional material
(website, brochure, resume, etc).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3.) EMPHASIZING WORDS - PART 3 OF 4: THE DRAMATIC PAUSE

Part 1 of this series discussed how "A Little Goes A Long Way".
Part 2 discussed raising pitch, instead of increasing volume, when emphasizing words.

PART 3 of 4: The DRAMATIC Pause

Shakespeare did it so well: “To be……or not to be.” Since his time, voice over artists and actors have been using the dramatic pause to enhance their vocal delivery. Some do it well. Others, well…not so well.

The are three things to understand. First is that dramatic pauses help emphasize the following word or phrase. For example, in McDonald’s commercials, a voice over artist says, “Did somebody say…McDonald’s?” By adding a dramatic pause before McDonald’s, the word is emphasized.

Second, while the word “dramatic” connotes a lengthy pause, a short dramatic pause, often called a “beat,” is generally preferred in voice over work. For example, “To be…or not to be.”

Third, in most instances, the use of too many dramatic pauses becomes repetitive. Use them sparingly.

Following are practice examples. Experiment emphasizing different words by adding dramatic pauses before them. A dramatic pause can be added before ANY word in these examples…so be creative. Also be sure to sound natural. And as always, be sure to record yourself and playback so that you can review your performance. (If you do not record and playback, you may not notice mistakes, in which case you may end up reinforcing them.)

EXAMPLE #1

BURGER KING – Radio Commercial

“A burger is not a burger unless it’s from Burger King.”

In this example, you can justify a dramatic pause before any word…even before, “King.” For example, if there were four burger restaurants in town, you would not advertise Burger Palace, Burger Works, and Burger City. Instead you would advertise Burger…King (with emphasis on “King.”).

EXAMPLE #2

DINERS CLUB – Radio Commercial

“After 30 days, most charge card companies give you a warning. But at Diners Club, we give you another 30 days. We understand that sometimes a three-day business trip turns into three weeks, and by necessity, you could use some extra time to pay your bill. That’s why we always give you the convenience of an extra billing period to pay when you need it, interest-free. Call us at 1-800-2-DINERS. We’ll answer all of your questions, no extra charge. Diners Club. Breaking the plastic mold.”

In this example, experiment using dramatic pauses in different places. Make the script interesting by employing dramatic pauses.

EXAMPLE #3

TAMPA, FLORIDA – Visitor’s DVD

“At first glance, visitors in Tampa will see an abundance of excitement. Take your time, though, and appreciate its combination of Old World charm and contemporary settings. Hi, and welcome to Tampa. You’re about to discover one of the greatest vacation spots in the South. Perhaps after watching this 20-minute presentation, you’ll come visit us at the Tampa Tourist Center. Ready? Let’s begin. Fine dining, extravagant shopping excursions, legendary nightlife and world-class attractions lead the list of things to do while vacationing here. Tour guides, concierges and local Tampa “experts” share their insider information on how to make your stay a memorable one. Only five minutes west of the train station...”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE A DEMO?
We're always searching for new talent.
Please email your MP3 demo to: demosubmission@edgestudio.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAVE A WEBSITE?
Adding active links on your website can expand your profile while
increasing search-engine results. Take this opportunity to add a link to
Edge Studio. Visit www.edgestudio.com/link.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WANT TO ADVERTISE in Voice Over Today?
Results have been great!
Email info@edgestudio.com or call us weekdays 9-5 EST at 888-321-edge

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

TO CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
send an email, with your old email address in the subject line to:
VoiceOverToday-change@edgestudio.com
for example:
from: joe@new-address.com
subject: joe@old-address.com

TO UNSUBSCRIBE
send a blank email to:
VoiceOverToday-off@edgestudio.com

TO CONTACT VOICE OVER TODAY'S MANAGER
send your message to:
listmaster@edgestudio.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Copyright 2005, Edge Studio, LLC. All rights reserved. This article is
protected by United States copyright and other intellectual property laws
and may not be reproduced, rewritten, distributed, re-disseminated,
transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast, directly or indirectly, in
any medium without the prior written permission of Edge Studio, LLC.