Voicebank.net’s VoiceRegistry Blog

Pat Fraley’s “ER Improv and Critical Mic Technique” workshop

I went to Bob Souer’s blog the other day and came across this post. Thanks Bob for always being in the know!

-Tracy Pattin

The ER Improv and Critical Mic Technique Clinic

Pat Fraley is leading a day long workshop to help you get a couple of critical skills to the next level on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at Buzzy’s Recording Studio in Los Angeles. All the details are on Pat’s site including price and registration information.

Pat Fraley may not be a doctor, he actually holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree, but he’s never lost a script on the stand in 34 years of performing and teaching.

Looking good there, Pat.

http://bobsouer.com/blog/2008/05/21/the-er-improv-and-critical-mic-technique-clinic/

Voice Registry Podcast-Tracy Pattin talks to NPR’s Brian Unger

Brian Unger is a comedian, writer, producer, and commentator. Unger was an original contributor to The Daily Show, from 1996 to 1998. Currently, he provides regular commentary for the NPR show Day to Day and guest hosts MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann. He also hosts the Discovery Channel show Some Assembly Required with University of Virginia Professor of Physics, Lou Bloomfield.

right+click here to download podcast (9.2 MB)

NPR’s Brian Unger Talks About His Daily Show(Jon Stewart) Beginnings and His NPR Career

Four years ago I met Brian Unger at Video Box Studios in Los Angeles, when he was working on a pilot project. I hadn’t seem him in a couple of years until one evening I was channel surfing and clicked over to MSNBC and Countdown with Keith Olbermann. And there in Keith’s chair was Brian filling in! Seems Brian Unger is everywhere; Television news, radio (NPR’s Day to Day) and hosting on Discovery Networks (Some Assembly Required) among others. (new Assembly episodes begin June 18th).

In my podcast interview with him tomorrow (Tuesday, June 3rd) he talks about the differences between working in radio verses television. “With radio news you have to be more intimate, when you do television news you shout.”

He got his start at NPR when his mentor, Jay Kernis (head of programming for NPR D.C. then) wanted Brian to bring a less traditional, Daily Show style, to NPR.

Check out part 1 of tomorrow’s interview with Brian Unger.

-Tracy Pattin

Why you should get more than just a “.COM” after your name.

If you are serious about the VO world and making it big, you need to know that marketing yourself WELL is an important part of getting to be successful. As much as you hear “It’s a small world”, don’t forget that you are part of a very BIG (and competitive) industry. There are many ways to market yourself, and nothing beats personal networking. By that, I mean hitting the streets and asking all your friends and family to get you in front of people who can get you exposed.After personal networking, the second best way to market yourself is using the internet and ALL its tools available (ie. personal website, email, 3^rd party website, and blogging).

The internet is the fastest way to get your name out there in a hurry. I am going to explain the importance of registering a good “Domain Name” for yourself to maximize your internet exposure when having a personal website. Your domain name should be something easy to remember. When you meet people for the first time and tell them what you do, you want them to have an easy time remembering your website address. For instance, if your name is Garrard Meinhard and you only have “garrardmeinhard.com” as a website, It would probably benefit you better to get a catchy and memorable domain name for people to easily remember without writing it down. If you are a versatile voiceover artist, a domain like “tonsofvoices.com” would be a lot easier to remember than just using your regular name. While trying to select a catchy domain name, try to stick to these basic rules:

1. Easy to spell

2. Easy to pronounce

3. Stay away from using numbers

4. If possible, have it say what you do

Now test it. Get opinions from others! Strangers should be the most honest with you since they have nothing to gain or lose by being straight with you. You want to know if they’ll remember a web address 2 hours later when they get home, so ask them if they think it’s easy to remember.

If you don’t have your personal name already registered as a domain, make sure you get that done right away if it’s not already taken. Park the domain under your other web address so people get redirected automatically to the site that is easiest for the public to remember.

Spread your new web address far and wide and keep getting it out there. The internet is the sales tool that never quits 24/7, but it’s up to you to get it exposed.

Chris Miyamoto

Voicebank.net

Sales/Tech

Bob Bergen Talks About “All Things Animation” on New York’s 101.1 FM

I just got this email from Marian about Bob Bergen’s New York radio interview Friday May 30th:

-Tracy Pattin

Just a ‘heads up” if you’re in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area (or know someone who is), and have access to NYC Radio Station 101.1 FM, tune in this Friday, May 30th, at 8am! Bob Bergen will be interviewed live, on-air, in the studio, discussing “all things animation” on The Morning Show with Dan Taylor.

Marian

AFTRA Reaches Tentative Agreement with AMPTP on Primetime Television Contract

LOS ANGELES (May 28, 2008)—The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists—the nation’s second largest performers’ union, representing 70,000 members, including approximately 52,000 working actors—has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on a new three-year primetime television contract (Exhibit A of the AFTRA Network Television Code). The agreement is subject to approval by AFTRA’s National Board and ratification by the union’s membership.

Read the full news release from AFTRA.org here.

- Stewart Wilson-Turner

Voice Registry Podcast-Tracy Pattin talks to BBC Senior Producer/Director Kate McAll

Kate McAll has been a BBC Radio producer of features, documentaries, poetry and drama for 20 years, making programs for BBC’s Radio 3 and Radio 4. She now is a BBC radio Senior Drama Producer in Wales. She recently produced and directed The Highest Tide (written by James Lynch) at Video Box Studios in Los Angeles. It airs on BBC radio Tuesday June 4th.

You can listen to The Highest Tide as it goes out on BBC radio by clicking on listen live, or click listen again to listen to it up to a week later.

Right + Click here to download podcast (7.1 MB)

BBC Producer, Director Kate McAll Talks About Hiring American Voice Talent

Just over a month ago, I was project coordinator for the BBC radio play, The Highest Tide (written by Jim Lynch) airing this June 4th on BBC Radio. It gave me a first hand experience of the radio play process. The BBC’s Senior Producer Kate McAll came all the way from Wales to produce and direct the project. It’s a play about a boy’s awe with the sea and how it changed his life. Since this was an American novel, The BBC hired American voice talent (Katherine Helmond, Forrest Landis, David Selby, Kirsten Potter, Missy Yager).

Check out my podcast interview with Kate McAll (Tuesday May 27th). She talks about the process of directing, how she found her American talent and what she looks for when casting voice actors.

By the way, you can listen to the radio play live (go to the BBC radio website) on June 4th. It will be on the BBC radio site for one week after to listen at your leisure.

-Tracy Pattin

Recording Engineer Segues into Voice Directing

I met Juan Carlos Bagnell (a.k.a. Some Audio Guy) when he began commenting on the Voice Registry podcast/blog site. I was particularly interested in the fact that he’s adding Voice Director to his recording engineer career.

-Tracy Pattin

Here’s a little background on Juan Carlos:

After studying Theater, Dance, and Psychology in college, SomeAudioGuy (Juan Carlos Bagnell), made the logical jump to recording engineer. This year marks a decade of recording, the last three years of which dedicated almost exclusively to casting, commercial voice over, and radio production in LA. And now Juan Carlos is parlaying his vast recording engineer background into voice directing.

TJP: What is voice directing?
JC: I think of directing as assisting. Often actors are cast for a particular skill or attitude, so I’m usually just there to help fill in the gaps. I try to anticipate any questions the actors might have, and try to help with scene, context, and relationship to other characters (almost always recorded separately). I’m there to make sure the performance stays consistent, and I also try to make sure that the actor is taken care of (especially with video game sessions).

TJP: Why are you so passionate about video games?

JC: I never grew out of comics? LOL! I think we’re seeing gaming taking its first baby steps as an emerging art form, and that’s really exciting to me. It’d be like if someone had just invented painting or photography, and we’re getting in on the ground floor. When my parents went to arcades, all of the games were about reflex and memory (check out ‘King of Kong’ for example). As gaming evolved it included story lines, but it’s only been recently that we could even store the human voice on game cartridges and discs, let alone realistic performances. This last year has been really exciting watching companies like Bungie, Bioware, and Valve deliver intelligent, stunning, and engaging content with great story lines, characters you care about, and fantastic performances.

TJP: What about animation?
JC: To the same token, I think we’re seeing a generational shift in animation as well. Whereas before animation was “just for kids” we’re seeing some great content being produced for audiences across the board. DC and Marvel are both producing very savvy direct to DVD features, sort of acknowledging that their audiences are probably more mature, and I’m continuously impressed with Pixar’s ability to address very mature concepts in a way that’s friendly to kids and satisfying to adults.

TJP: Any tips for voice talent looking to get into animation and video games?

JC: Take classes. Take workshops. Start a workout group and invite animation actors and producers. Do everything you can to meet the people performing in and producing animation and video games. Also, doing a little research for your auditions is key. Throw out your notions. If you see “cartoon” and think Scooby-Do or Thundercats, you might miss that the producers are wanting “Blade Runner”. If you think games are for kids, you might miss that the producers are looking for “Black Hawk Down” or “Fight Club”. I’m not saying you need to play every game or be an animation expert, but knowing just a little about what type of game (first person shooter, real time strategy, role playing, etc), and what genre the game or show is (action, horror, sci-fi, party/social, fantasy), can help tremendously in nailing a role. Hey Google is your friend right?

TJP: What’s the latest in the video game industry and the opportunities in voice over?

JC: Geez! What to say? It’s just so huge, and it’s only going to get bigger. We’re into our 3rd or 4th generation of people that have never known a world without gaming, and games are generating blockbuster income. Where there’s money, there’s interest in making more. Look at Halo 3 (2007’s best seller). It did $170 million it’s first DAY (Spider-man 3 did $150 million it’s opening weekend), did $300 million it’s first week, doubled XBox console sales the week it came it out, and generated almost 4500 YEARS of man-hour online game play it’s first month. I can’t think of any movies that drive that kind of following. All arguments of “games as art” aside, that’s extreme success. Heck, we’re seeing Wii’s in retirement homes, Xbox 360’s in military simulation, and PS3’s in scientific research. 2008 is going to be a banner year for game development, and the opportunities for actors will be better than ever.

So, What Does It Take? Longtime Voice Over Teacher, Producer, Director Bill Holmes Shares His Mojo Secrets

As you may know, Bill Holmes is a friend and colleague of mine in the voice over industry. Check out my Voice Registry podcast interviews with him. He has generously agreed to guest blog for me as I was out of town over the past weeks. Here’s his take on being a successful voice talent. Thanks Bill!

-Tracy Pattin

Hello voice over actors. I’d like to toss you some info that might be helpful to your voice over careers. If you decide you want to get into this very competitive business whether you’re a veteran actor or just a beginner here’s a couple of pointers.

1.You need to workout. I’m talking about working out your voice over muscle. I’ve been doing voice overs for the past 28 years and I still work out everyday. I am fortunate enough to be auditioning just about every day. That is my workout.

2. If you are just starting out and don’t audition a lot, read out loud everyday into a microphone or tape recorder or your computer. Anything that will let you hear what you’ve done. Just grab an ad from a magazine and practice with those. They’re just like radio copy. That is the best way to gage whether or not you have a believable read. This is a very tough business so you need to stay sharp.

3. If you’re not sure about your own reads at home try to get into a workout group or an audition class. If you’re a beginner take a class. That will give you a better idea of how to get started. There are many teachers out there. You may have to go to a couple different ones before you hit on one that makes you feel comfortable. But that is the key.

4. Find someone that makes you feel comfortable behind the microphone. There is no right or wrong way to do this. There’s the way you do it.

5. Voice over is basically a set of choices that you make for the copy that is on the page in front of you. Some choices are better than others. As you’re practicing at home you will realize which ones are weak choices and which ones are strong choices. That’s why you’re practicing at home. Hang on to the strong choices (the more specific ones) and get rid of the weak choices (the general ones). Go with the choices that make you feel comfortable behind the microphone. That’s who they want to hire. Whoever seems the most comfortable.

Well there you have it. A little bit of my mojo to share with the world. I hope it helps.

-Bill Holmes