Both Sides Of The Glass

Today’s guest blogger is Kara Edwards. Kara is a talented and successful voice actor who resides in Florida.

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘working from both sides of the glass’. For anyone not familiar with that phrase it describes (in relation to voice over) a person who works as a talent and an audio producer (the ‘glass’ being the wall that separates the talent and producer during a typical session).

I was so fortunate to have been trained many years ago as not just a voice actor, but also an audio producer. I spent several years producing radio shows- my job included producing liners, sweepers, features, commercials…you get the picture. I’ve always thought knowing both sides of the job helped me understand, as an actor, what the producer needed from me.

If you’ve ever read my blog before, you know I like to draw parallels between different parts of my life and voice acting. Recently, I had just such an occasion.

My photography instructor invited me to the studio this week to stand in as a live model for one of his other students who was learning about portraits. (I’m using the term ‘model’ lightly- I was really just a warm body) I jumped at the chance, because I always try and see the bigger picture. The way I figured it, I could listen to everything my instructor said to this other student and apply it to my own photography.

While I did learn a lot about the technical side of photography, what struck me was how important it was for the photographer and me, the talent, to be comfortable with one another. Here was a relationship in which we both wanted something from the other (both of us wanting the pictures to turn out well), and the best way to achieve this was to communicate clearly, and relax around one another. (The instructor pointed this fact out on more than one occasion!)

In voice over, we don’t always get to see the people we are working with. We don’t get to make eye contact and shake their hand. So, we have to find ways to communicate and relax while over the phone, over ISDN, or over e-mail. As voice talent, if we aren’t relaxed- it will show in our voice, just like stress will show in our face during a photo shoot.

So, how to relax and get comfortable with a stranger you can’t see? It’s easy- It comes down to something as simple as having the confidence to be yourself. If you are confident in yourself, the producer will be confident as well. When you are both confident, you can then establish trust- trust that the other will do their job to the best of their ability. With trust and confidence, magic can happen!

Now back to that ‘glass’ I mentioned earlier. Knowing how the audio will ultimately be shaped, being able to respond to producer lingo in an educated manner, offering suggestions when the director is ’stuck’- all of these are examples of how having experience on both sides of the glass will make you a better voice talent.

Does this mean you have to be trained as a producer? No. But, taking an afternoon to go to a local studio to see how things are done will certainly help you as an actor! The more we understand about each aspect of the business, the more equipped we are to be wildly successful!

Kara Edwards-Voice Talent

Popularity: 4%

The Commercial Read

Emotionally connecting with the target audience should be the primary objective of the successful commercial. So any commercial audition should be prepared with this fact in mind. So how does one accomplish such a feat, when, aside from the writing and production of an ad, voice actors have no control over content, editing and music in the final production mix.

The voice talent must realize he/she must build that connection and catch the listener’s attention. The stakes are very high. Let’s imagine a national TV campaign, class A spots, where the media buys are being invested to the tune of millions and facial coding and focus groups are used to determine an ad’s effectiveness.

What do you have to work with? The script, of course. If you successfully engage with the words to ensure that the ad resonates with as many listeners as possible; that is the ultimate goal. It might also help to do some homework, by taking time to research to the client and/or product, and understand the mindset of the target demographic.

So what’s the story? The voiceover artist must deliver the specific message to the audience in a clear and concise way. Another way of improving the clarity of a message is to carefully choose one’s delivery, the attitude, pace, and pitch and volume that stays true to your sound.

Like with conversation, a script read without personality or that actually sounds like it is being read lacks appeal. And there is a fine line between having personality and distracting from the gist of the ad. It is often difficult to keep the message in the delivery on the right side of this fine line.

Avoid the overuse of personality that may drown the message. Too much humor or drama in the read can sound forced and hard for listeners to relate to and they’ll mentally tune out. Trying too hard to inject personality into an ad can be just as damaging as having no personality at all.

Using contrast in delivery can often draw in the attention of listeners to the ad. Be mindful that the execution of a read for a radio spot will be very different than that for television. Remember that radio is theater of the mind and can sport sound effects, brand music and sometimes other voiceover that may be competing with other ambient noise or conversation, whereas in TV spots, there’s a picture story being told and yours is the “voice under” the video, and is more like that of a narrator.

It is essential to give the auditor a reason to listen to your vocal delivery to book the job. Chances are, they’ll listen to the first 6-10 seconds of your audition. Your delivery has to have the edge to get through, to ultimately appear amongst the sea of different ads that listeners are bombarded with daily.

This is best achieved by building that emotional connection with the listener in a simple and concise manner. Voice actors who can successfully convey a story, and the intent in a script with intonation and realism will connect with the audience, because the listener won’t feel like or realize they are “being sold”. And that is what helps make for the success of the ad campaign, and what books the voice talent the job.

Bobbin Beam, Voice Actress, is a freelance voice talent from Southern California who records and delivers her own voice recordings for commercials, animation, corporate narrations, television documentaries, promos, audio books, podcasts and on-hold messages for advertising agencies, film, multi-media and broadcast production companies for large and small businesses around the world. Beam works from her Escondido, California-based home recording studio.

Popularity: 3%

Procrastination is Poison

How many times a month do we hear ourselves utter the phrase, “I’ll get to it tomorrow”. I’ve been guilty of it. We all have. What we do about it? Take action! Action is the cure for the poison of procrastination. Even the slightest bit of action seems to scare procrastination away.

As a voice actor, discipline and focus are an integral part of being successful and is needed to ensure projects are completed in a timely manner to create and maintain a foundation of trust with each client.

The greats have known this for a long time. The esteemed writer, historian and teacher, Thomas Carlyle asserted that, “Our grandest business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what clearly lies at hand.” Renowned English philosopher John Locke remarked that, “The actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts.” Procrastination blocks our personal magnetism; it weighs us down, bringing upon us negative, counterproductive feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety. It robs us of opportunity and prevents us from enjoying our successes by filling up precious space in our minds with what we have failed to do! Even describing it sounds depressing!

So I challenge you to pick one thing, just one thing, you have been putting off and begin to take action. As you do, you will feel the negative power of procrastination dissipate and you will exude a new-found level of joy and confidence. Make this a habit and see how your life transforms! Now if you’ll kindly excuse me, I must get back to the task at hand… right after I let my dog out!

Popularity: 3%

Can You Deal With The Stress?

Starting a business is one of the most stressful things you can do. It will affect you mentally, physically and emotionally. You need to be strong to deal with this kind of stress, and you need to have someone to turn to for support.

Are You a Survivor?

There are some people who always seem to make it in the end, regardless of what life throws at them. You need to be the kind of person whose response to things going wrong is to work harder and get it fixed, not someone who cries and goes into hiding.
Many entrepreneurs say that this, more than anything, is the secret of success. You need to be a ‘never say die’ kind of person. You need to be always ready to try again, no matter what gets thrown at you. Remember that it’s not when things start to go wrong that you fail – you haven’t failed until you’ve given up.

Be Prepared to Work Hard

If you’ve been doing a standard nine-to-five job, you’re probably used to a world where it’s someone else’s responsibility if the work doesn’t get done – you work as fast as you can for the hours you’re told to, and if it’s not done on time then it’s the manager’s fault for not hiring enough people. When you work on your own, though, there’s no-one to blame – the buck stops where it starts, with you.

Do you have a Start-up Plan?

A Startup Plan is basically the list of everything that must happen to get the business up and running from the initial idea to scouting locations to securing vendors to getting licenses to stocking the shelves to opening the doors to marketing and advertising to managing growth and on and on.

A Startup Plan is not as detailed as a business plan. It is essentially the “to do” list for starting a business, though it is every bit as important as a business plan because the Startup Plan serves as the blueprint for getting the business up and running.

Trying to launch a business without a Startup Plan is like taking a trip along a curvy, mountain road without a map, driving at high speeds, while wearing a blindfold. You will eventually arrive at some destination, but it’s likely to not be the destination you had in mind and your trip will be anything but smooth.

Create you startup plan with a simple spreadsheet and build out from there. Start by simply listing everything that you can think of that must be done to launch the business. Once you have the list break down each task into individual action items, assign each item to a responsible party and set a target completion date. A task without a deadline will not get done.

You Need to Satisfy The Customer

When you run a home business, you can’t afford to lose any customers. You need to always be nice to them, trying to meet their needs. You have to remember that you’re the most senior person they can talk to in this organization, and you have to act like it – when there’s no-one other than you to handle complaints, you have to either give in to customers at every opportunity or watch them take their business elsewhere.

Do You Really Love Doing Voice Overs?

If you don’t love what you do, then sooner or later you’re going to want to stop doing it – and when you run a home business, that’s difficult. Besides, you can’t run a home business if you’re always sitting and thinking about how great it’ll be when it’s the weekend. The only way to succeed in home business is to be absolutely sure that you really love what you’re doing. If you can think of another job you’d rather have, then you’re in trouble.

Popularity: 4%

Scott “Scooter” Fortney’s Studio Cam Session

Check out Scott “Scooter” Fortney as he creates characters for an educational video game.

Popularity: 28%

Catherine Campion Makes Her Living Doing Voice Overs

Popularity: 26%

How Can Improv Classes Help Voice Over Talents?

The definition of Improv, short for improvisation, is a form in which one does not use a script or predetermined ideas for dialog, direction, or movement.

By using improvisation in your training as a voice over talent, you are allowing your natural creativity to expand. Improv helps you to be true to yourself and be more like yourself while in the booth.

Improv allows you to tap into your intuition and instincts. You, as the voice over talent, you can react honestly to copy and deliver a great read. Improv affords you the ability to be comfortable with yourself and your style, which will ultimately make you more comfortable with the mic.

When you are true to yourself and have confidence in your ability, you will be able to handle any form of copy or situation you are placed in for the audition.

A simple technique exercise is to create a story around a single word. For example, use the word “dog”. Now, create an entire story around the word “dog”. Create a sad story and tug on the heartstrings of your audience. Then, create a funny story that will make your audience laugh. Allow your emotions to flow freely through you so that your audience can feel what you are feeling. When you can act on your own feelings and instincts, you’ve just accomplished the tasks of being yourself.

Popularity: 3%

Getting Voice Over Work Through Social Networking

Who knows you? The answer to that question is priceless! In business, as in life, it is not so much who you know, but who knows you! Your success depends upon it. Harnessing the power of Social Media Marketing can propel your business and personal exposure to enviable levels, providing a medium with which to engage others all over the world who share similar interests, develop crucial networks, and formulate powerful relationships, leading to increased traffic, leads, and Search Engine Optimization.

Michael Stelzner shares these results from a 2009 study on Social Media Marketing and how marketers are using it for business growth, “By a long shot, Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn, and Facebook were the top four social media tools used by marketers with Twitter leading the pack at 94%. You Tube and similar video sites came in 5th” (2009, p.19). Like it, love it, or lump it, Social Media Marketing has clout and so can you!

Here’s a brief synopsis of Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Oh, and lest I forget to mention it, all of these sites are free! Twitter is a phenomenal tool that makes connecting with others easy while keeping content short and to the point. Micro-blogs, called “Tweets” are limited to 140 characters in which people respond to the question, “What are you doing?” or simply state what’s on their mind at the time.

Twitter also allows “ReTweets” in which others can repost “Tweets” that may be of value to their followers, making your message go viral. Twitter also has fantastic applications to enhance your Twitter experience and is simple to access and use via texting, instant messaging, or the web.

LinkedIn is another terrific networking vehicle, connecting professionals all over the world. Your network becomes infinite, consisting of your connections, the connections of your connections, their connections, etc. You create and manage a profile depicting your experience and accomplishments. You can invite, search, and recommend people. Professionals use the site as a means to network, collaborate on projects, recommend potential leads, post job listings, and find talent.

Facebook has taken Social Media Marketing to a new level! Users can search for, become, and confirm friends. You can post everything from your thoughts, to demos, photos, videos, blogs, and more. A fantastic networking tool, Facebook allows users to create a personal profile, create and join “Fan Pages” promoting various interests (ie. your voice over business), and is a wonderful medium to connect with other entrepreneurs. It can also be accessed and used via texting or the web.

YouTube is an awesome tool that is used to create and share video footage with others. YouTube video links can be shared via Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook, making it a potent medium for exposure! The videos on YouTube span the entire spectrum from ridiculous, to entertaining, to instructional. Why not post a video of you recording a voice over for a client?

The voiceover business is highly competitive, and as a voice over talent, it’s imperative to effectively and efficiently market yourself and your business. The only investment required is the time you are willing to spend engaging others, sharing your personality, and providing value. You get what you put into it. So go ahead! Take advantage of every opportunity to network with other voice talents and potential customers, make some new friends, and find some old friends along the way too.

Stelzner, M.A. (2009). Social media marketing industry report: How marketers are using social media to grow their businesses. Retrieved online August 13, 2009, from http://www.whitepapersource.com/socialmediamarketing/

Popularity: 4%

Do’s & Don’ts of Podcasting

Podcasting for online business is essential for success and allows you to develop a more personable relationship with your customer. Though traditional advertising owns a very respectable place in the media world, podcasting permits your customer to get an idea about the face, voice and life of your product or service. Additionally, when the podcast is of decent quality, it gives your company a competitive edge of professionalism. The customer becomes acquainted with you personally and it establishes a greater level of trust and value in your product or service.

So here are a few do’s and don’ts of podcasting so that you can maximize your efforts and distinguish yourself from the competition.

The Do’s:

Make it Professional: Whether you’re podcasting from the basement or in a recording studio, there is no reason that your podcast should not have a professional sound. There is nothing worse than having a dog barking or a baby crying in the background. It is very distracting and the listener will more than likely turn off your podcast in midstream. There is software that can be used to filter noise from the background and will increase its clarity, so there is no justification for poor quality audio podcasts.

Add it to iTunes: Pretty much anyone has either an iPod, an iPhone, or some other device that allows them to listen to podcasts on the run. By adding your podcast to the iTunes media gallery, you will ensure great exposure for your product or service.

Content Counts: Even though your audio quality is important, you must offer quality in your content as well. By offering content that is detailed, informative and/or engaging, your audience will appreciate the extra effort it took to create the podcast.

The Don’ts

Stay on Topic: Don’t stray off your topic of discussion. If your podcast is focused on pet grooming it wouldn’t been appropriate to rant about your political point-of-view. While some of your listeners may agree with your political opinion, the fact is the listener is expecting to learn about pet grooming. You may simply lose listeners if you do not stay focused and on topic.

Silence Your Ramblings: Don’t stay unnecessarily on a single point. You don’t want to bore your listeners by rambling on and on as they will not tolerate redundancy. Additionally unfilled silences or unsure “umms” and “errs”, will make your listeners move on to the next podcast. You have to keep the recording active and always use audio editing software to remove dead air or repeats. It will give your podcast a professional feel.

Ignore your Audience: Don’t ever ignore your audience. They are your next customer. Provide them with a way to contact you and allow them to give you feedback. This can be on a blog, a personal email, a forum, or a social networking site. By using good podcasting methods, you will definitely be successful.

I would like to announce the upcoming launch of “League of Extraordinary Talent.” This dynamic group features entrepreneurs of creative services come together from all over the world to share ideas. This includes, but not limited to, voice talents, business coaches, writers, musicians, graphic artists, SEO experts, etc. Stay tuned for more information.

Popularity: 2%

Voice Over Warm-Ups

Using tongue twisters as a vocal warm-up exercise is an absolute must for anyone who uses their voice professionally.

Popularity: 19%

Next Page »