voice - over voice actor what it’s like behind the mic Yuri lowenthal and tara platt Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic by Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt Bug Bot Press 1335 N. La Brea #2233 Hollywood, CA 90028 [email protected]; http://wwwBugBotPress.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. Unattributed quotations are by Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt Copyright © 2009 by Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt Edition ISBNs ISBN 13: 978-0-9840740-0-6 ISBN 10: 0-9840740-0-7 Cover design, layout and typesetting by Cyanotype Book Architects Illustrations by Jerzy Drozd. Photographs by Boris Kievsky. Printed in the United States of America Printed on recycled paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lowenthal, Yuri. Voice-over voice actor : what it’s like behind the mic / by Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt. -- 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. LCCN 2009931112 ISBN-13: 978-0-9840740-0-6 ISBN-10: 0-9840740-0-7 1. Voice-overs. 2. Voice-overs--Vocational guidance. 3. Voice actors and actresses. I. Platt, Tara. II. Title. PN1995.9.V63L69 2009 791.4’023 QBI09-600111 WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic “As professionals, we attempt to recognize talent and integrity. Yuri and Tara are heads and shoulders ahead of their contemporaries. Their combined integrity and work ethic, along with a strong acting aptitude, keep them on their own personal and joyous track for success.” • Harvey & CatHy Kalmenson, Kalmenson & Kalmenson, Inc., Voice Casting & Instruction “In my eight years of coaching actors of all levels, I have never seen such a comprehensive and clear explanation of the ins and outs of the voice industry. Yuri and Tara offer up a book that is not only easy to follow, it’s also in-depth, inspiring, and funny at the same time!” • Dallas travers, Founder of The Thriving Artist Circle & Author of The Tao of Show BuSineSS “Lowenthal and Platt delve deep into the world of voice acting, with stories from behind the mic and trenchant observations from fellow performers. They bust the jargon-packed world of loop groups and walla work, voice matching and phone patching. They have produced an excellent road map of the surprisingly wide world of vocal performance, including unexpected areas like studio socializing, the ethics of networking, audition tips, and even health and hydration. The result is an invaluable guide to professional voice acting, from two of its leading stars.” • JonatHan Clements, Author, Schoolgirl Milky criSiS: advenTureS in The aniMe and Manga Trade “Whatever Yuri and Tara say, I wholeheartedly disagree with. They’re a couple of shysters. And if you believe that, then I am Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht. Buy this book, you maroons!” • JoHn Dimaggio, Actor, fuTuraMa, gearS of war, halo 3 Table of Contents Acknowledgements......................................................................................9 Dedication.................................................................................................11 Disclaimer..................................................................................................13 Foreword by Paul Jenkins............................................................................15 Introduction...............................................................................................17 Chapter 1: SO, WHAT IS VO ANYWAY?.............................................23 And … We’re Rolling … 23 What It Is 24 Where Can You Find Voice-Over? 25 History and the Different Kinds of Voice-Over 26 Chapter 2: YOU REALLY WANT THE JOB, BUT WHICH ONE?...31 So Many Delicious Flavors ... 31 Animation 32 Video Games 38 Film/TV 40 Commercial or Promo 42 Narration 44 Chapter 3: FINDING YOUR VOICE.....................................................47 Know Your Voice 47 “So How Do I Find My Own Voice?” 49 Adjective/Adverb Quality List 50 “But I Like How That Guy Sounds!” 52 “People Tell Me I Sound like So-and-So …” 54 A Healthy Voice is a Happy Voice 55 Know Your Boundaries 56 “I Use My Voice All the Time. How Hard Could It Be?” 57 Chapter 4: BEFORE YOU GET TO THE AUDITION.......................59 Creating a Character – the Acting Part of Voice Acting 59 The Importance of the W’s: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and hoW 62 Playing with Speed, Pitch, and Volume 64 Impressions and Timing 67 Professionalism 67 Be Willing to Play 72 Fight Sounds/Efforts 73 Yelling/Screaming 74 Your Diaphragm and Breath Control 74 Breathing: Just Do It 75 Reactions 76 No, Seriously – Just Do It 76 Warm-up Time 77 Chapter 5: THE AUDITION ITSELF...................................................83 This Is the Fun Stuff 83 Expanding Your Comfort Zone 84 Making Bold Choices 85 Using Your Real Voice 87 Taking Direction 88 Working with the Material: Be a Detective, a Miner, and a Gardener 91 What’s Not on the Page: Improvising at an Audition 97 Ask Questions in the Audition Room 99 Auditioning from Home vs. Getting in the Room 101 Chapter 6: THE BOOTH......................................................................103 Where Your Friend (the) Mic Lives 103 The Proper Distance from the Mic 104 P Pops, Popper Stoppers, and Blowing a Take 107 Watching Your Volume 109 Mouth Noises: Clicking, Smacking, and Gurgling 109 Not Just Your Mouth: Shuffling, Rustling, and Squeaking 112 “What’s That Stuff in the Booth with Me?” 115 “What’s That Sound?” 118 Be a Conscientious Camper 119 Chapter 7: THE STUDIO.....................................................................121 “How’s the Studio Different from the Booth?” 121 Don’t Psych Yourself Out 122 “What Do Those Guys/Gals Do Anyway?” 125 The Director 126 The Engineer 126 The Producer 133 The Client 134 Chapter 8: YOUR HOME BOOTH......................................................137 “So How Do I Set Up My Own Studio? What Do I Need?” 137 “So What’s Your Home Booth Like?” 141 Changing Technology and the Future of VO 143 Chapter 9: WHAT TO DO TO GET STARTED................................147 Be Prepared: The Way of the Boy Scout 147 Read Much? 149 Start Small 150 Your Routine 151 Classes, Classes, Classes 153 That Shiny, Happy Thing We Call the Demo 154 Staying Prepared 155 Ready, Set … GO! (No, Seriously, Go) 157 Top VO Cities 159 Chapter 10: THE DEMO.......................................................................161 Your Calling C[ar]D 161 Fake It ‘til You Make It 162 Play to Your Strengths 166 The Commercial Demo 167 The Promo Demo 171 The Animation/Video Game Demo 172 The Narration Demo 174 Making Your Demo: Costly, but Worth It 175 Short and Sweet 178 Chapter 11: AGENTS/MANAGERS & PERSONAL MARKETING..............................................................181 “Who’s in My Corner?” 181 “Do I Need Representation?” 182 “Where Do I Find Them?” 184 Self-Promotion 101 185 What to Do with Your Demo 186 Web Site 187 Postcards and Business Cards 189 The Mailing: Ships out to Sea 190 Network, Network, Network 191 Swag 193 Your Contact Info 194 Union/Nonunion 195 Chapter 12: PRACTICE MAKES PERMANENT..............................199 Script Notations 200 Time Code 200 Line or Loop Number 201 Mouth Movement 201 Hitches 203 Practice Script and Copy Section 205 Commercial Copy 205 Animation Scripts 208 Video Game Script 210 Promo/Trailer Copy 211 Narration Scripts 212 A Fun Exercise: The Phrasinator! 216 Chapter 13: HINTS, TIPS, & PARTING THOUGHTS....................219 How to Stock Your Pantry 219 Tara & Yuri’s Short List 222 Resources 225 Standing on the Shoulders of Giants … 227 And That’s a Wrap! 229 Glossary of Terms....................................................................................231 References................................................................................................241 Index........................................................................................................243 Author Bios..............................................................................................253 Acknowledgements This book would never have been possible without the gener- ous help of our fellow VAs, our friends, our families, and most of all our fans. And here’s to those who really got their hands dirty: Jennifer, Juan, Stephanie, Candace, and Jonathan, who read what we had written and gave their honest opinions so that we might bring you, the reader, the best possible book. Tod and the gang at Thomson-Shore, you helped demystify and yet romanticize the process of actually printing a physical book. To our fantastic design team Scott and Sarah at Cyanotype, for making things, well, look so darned good. To Casey and Rudy for making us look cool on the intarwebs. To Boris for so much more than the pretty photos you took of us. To Jerzy for finally turning us into what we’ve always wanted to be: cartoons. To Paul for writing a kick-ass foreword. To SomeAudioGuy for taking us to technology school. To Dallas for lending guidance and support. To Wil for being a trailblazer whose path we could trust. To Dr. Bear for making a last-minute house call on the book. To our amazing and immacu- late editor, Candace, for catching all our little oopsies but not messin’ with our style. So thank you. Thank you to the wonderful team of people who actually made this book possible. 9