Actually, there is a way that you can kind of have your cake and eat it too. Simply stick to a simple schedule….nothing fancy or complicated. Literally block out specific time during the day when you work on your training or marketing….Then go out and have fun in the sun…AFTER you’ve finished your work.

I’m working on a simple scheduling technique that I’ll be releasing soon (maye today or tomorrow,) that will increase your productivity by at least 400% AND give you plenty of free time!  Don’t believe me? Well, just check back….

AND….Be sure to sign up to the newsletter on this page to keep up to date and to get free videos, tutorials and reports that I don’t always put on the blog.  Maybe this scheduling technique/report will be one of those bonuses. 

I’ll let you know the regular schedule I’ll be doing them live. So, if you want to participate…ask questions, etc, you can. Or you can always watch the recorded video of the broadcast. I’ll have the all archived and they’ll cover all the different aspects of Voice Acting. Plus, we may even throw in some craziness and fun to break things up from time to time! 

It’s coming….tick, tock…this week….maybe tomorrow….

Mike Mortensen here….back in the saddle after taking some time to take care of some family matters.

I’m chomping at the bit and ready to dive back in and get things rolling! Sorry to leave some of you in the dark, but as they say, sometimes, sh#t happens!

Stay tuned…a lot more posts and videos coming up soon!  MM

And to answer your questions, I put together a short video to walk you thruogh the simple 5 step technique (that you’ve already done successfully…probably more than once in your life!) Let me know what you think…please leave a comment or question!

I’ll be emailing you regularly (if you’re on the mailing list…if you’re not, you can sign up at the upper right column of this page.) I’ll let you know when I’m going to be on live, so if you have questions or comments you can ask then and get answers right away…even follow up questions.

So sign up for the newsletter, if you haven’t already….you just need to leave your email address in the form on the upper right column of this page, and we’ll be talking soon!

I thought I should post it here as well, since it really could save your
next audition or recording session. I hope it helps you out!

So, I was holding auditions this morning for a commercial
I’m producing and this guy comes running in just as we
were about to end.
 
**He’s all disheveled…says he was running late. (No apology,
just said he was running late.)…. No-No #1 – ALWAYS
Be On Time…(or better yet, a bit early)
 
**As he’s signing in, he’s finishing up a milkshake. (This is
actually 3 separate No-No’s all in one:
- Don’t eat or drink anything real cold before recording
as it will tighten your vocal chords
- Don’t eat or drink anything dairy before recording as
it will create a thick mucous in your mouth and will make
your voice “smack” whenever you open your mouth.
-  Try not to eat RIGHT BEFORE a recording. (This guy’s
burping and hic cupping proved that!)
 
**And the 3rd Big No-No (actually the 5th, in this example) -
This guy was wearing a watch that was real loose on his
wrist, so every time he moved his arm, you could hear the
watch sliding around, so we had to re-record. NEVER
wear loose jewelry or anything else that can make noise
during a recording session.
 
Needless to say…he probably wasted a trip to the studio
for his audition. Although he didn’t sound bad and I
probably could have used him…. I won’t. And I probably
wouldn’t use him again in the future just because of this.
 
I shouldn’t say that…and who knows, maybe I will use him
after some time…but remember that you only get ONE first
impression.

I’ve included the video to walk you through the chart and expound on some of the steps along the way. So, go ahead and set aside about 30 minutes to really absorb the info and download the actual document to keep for future reference.

You can find the downloadable document below the video…Just right click the link, and “save as”. I hope it helps…

BTW – Don’t forget to leave any comments or questions…on any of the posts you find here. Also, if you have ay specific questions, please feel free to email me at mike@mx2solutions.com. I’ll try to not only answer your question, but maybe even include it in an upcoming video or webinar!

(You may have to give the video a few seconds to load…it’s a big file)

Click here for the Voice Over Success Blueprint

Live Streaming by Ustream.TV

This is actually written for Voice Over Directors…from a Voice Over Actor’s perspective, but it’s always good to get a feel for things on both sides of the microphone!
_________________________________________________________

Advice for directors and producers, written from the perspective of the voice-over actor. Intended to improve the recording session experience. Use this article as a crash course, or to tune up your directing skills. These tips apply to voice acting of all types. The terms voice-over actor/voice-over talent/talent/actor are used here interchangeably.

When you are in the director’s chair at a voice-over session, the process can sometimes become a struggle for both you and the talent.  You have a vision you need to share with the voice actor, a person who knows far less than you do about the product, message, or concept.  At the same time, you hired that actor to bring his or her own unique skills to the project.  Unlike the making of a film or a stage production, you do not have weeks to rehearse and analyze the script.  The studio clock is ticking and that alone adds an element of anxiety to the recording session.

The following tips apply well to both in-person and long distance sessions. Because I want to bring you more than just my own opinion as a voice actor, I have enlisted the help of some of my talented voice-over friends.  The opinions of Diane Havens, JS Gilbert, Bill Painter and Kevin Cooke are included here.  As artists we may not reach consensus, but I am including the areas where we find agreement.

THREE QUESTIONS YOU MUST ANSWER FOR THE ACTOR

For the actor’s sake, always supply this information: Who is speaking?  To whom are they speaking?  How are they speaking?  When you answer these three simple questions for the talent, communication is well underway and confusion is reduced drastically.

1) Who is Speaking?  Diane Havens: “The first thing I expect to hear from a director is the role the voice will have in achieving the intended impact.  Make everything into a role, because that’s what it is — who is speaking?  Neutral bystander?  Impassioned preacher?  Wry humorist?  Helpful teacher?  Caring nurse?  Smiling enthusiast?” 

If you are not getting the performance you want, it is sometimes helpful to imagine and suggest an alternate idea.  For example, the script may call for the role of the fairy queen attempting to calm her warriors.  If that’s not working, suggest the actor play a life coach teaching mediation to stressed-out execs.  Any number of roles may produce the voice you need.

2) To Whom are they Speaking?  The age, gender, geographic region, and socio-economic group of your intended audience all factor into an effective performance.  I would be a very poor voice actor if I used the same voice delivery for an arthritis medication and the National Football League.  Communication is everyone’s goal, so help the talent develop an accurate mental picture of the audience.

3) How are they Speaking?  Provide clear descriptive words like “excited, surprised, reluctant, certain, exasperated.”  The greater variety of words you can provide, the better you will be able to communicate the ideal you are hearing in your head. 

Bill Painter: “I’d recommend hitting the books. Keep a good dictionary or thesaurus at hand — and use it.  The more accurate your description, the more likely an actor will be able to understand and deliver exactly the tone you’re after.  Use colorful, terse, meaningful adjectives.”

Descriptive words will tell the actor how they feel but not WHY they feel that way.  This is important because actors like to dig up their own emotions to apply to the scene.  “Backstory” is an acting term referring to who the character is, how they feel, and why they feel that way. Backstory provided by the director in voice acting can sometimes serve to confuse rather than to clarify.

JS Gilbert:  “Often the director will provide way too much backstory to the actor.  Backstory doesn’t often work because I have analyzed the copy on my own and determined my own set of ‘who and why and what and where’, which may not process well with the backstory a director may give.  For example, I may have determined that I am an avid user of a frozen enchilada dinner and the commercial calls for me to extol the virtues of the product.  I create a backstory that has me speaking to my friend Charlie who occasionally has to fend for himself at dinner time.  The director starts giving me direction like, ‘Pretend that you work in the supermarket and you’re telling a shopper about the great things you’ve heard.’  This breaks up my organic process, but more importantly, it does little to relate what in fact the director is hoping to get from my read.  This often can happen when recording video games and animation to the point where instead of direction, the talent is simply getting fed the entire storyline and plot.”

So allow the voice actor to arrive at his or her own authentic emotion.  It does not really matter what excites him or why.  What matters is that genuine excitement is expressed in the voice.

THREE THINGS THE VOICE ACTOR HATES

1) Line Reads: A ‘line read’ is when the director says the line and instructs the actor to repeat it exactly, as a parrot would.  “No, no, no, instead of I LOVE the way YOU smell baby, say it like this, I love the WAY you SMELL baby.”  You may have a very legitimate reason to phrase something precisely.  In that case, explain this to the talent before they start recording.  You are the boss and we will gladly give you what you ask for.  But you could ask for a line read, and then ask for a different interpretation. You might be pleasantly surprised by a new twist.  The problem arises when you feed a voice actor your delivery line by line, and we can’t help but wonder why we were hired in the first place.

2) Vague and overused phrases: As the best example, the word “conversational” is overused to the point where it has lost meaning.  Instead of saying, “Make it more conversational”, it would be helpful to say something like, “Toss off that last phrase like it’s something you’ve discussed a million times”, or “I don’t feel like you are speaking directly to me.”

3) Too many cooks in the kitchen: Directorial input from several people is confusing and very hard to follow.  A strain is added when we must interpret the meaning and weigh the reactions of different personalities.  We appreciate the director who remains the spokesperson for the group, summing up the input from the agency and the clients and whoever else might be involved.  We prefer to take direction from just one person.

THREE THINGS THE VOICE ACTOR LOVES

1) Specificity:  We love it when you are specific.  Kevin Cooke: “Things I love?  Producers who tell me why they want another read.  I’ll read all day to get it right but if they don’t provide even a nugget of information as to what they want different from the last read, we’re stuck.  Like saying, “That was good, let’s do it a couple more times.”  I’m going to pretty much do it the same way, thinking they liked it but want a few more similar reads in order to hit gold.  I find myself rereading it more than 3 or 4 times, and then I realize the “That was good” comment really wasn’t true!  Flattery will get you nowhere – quite literally!  What specifically do you want to hear that you’re not hearing?”   The voice actor will also appreciate specific audio references like a voice clip you might provide.  A reference to the talent’s demo or to their audition is always very helpful.

2) Context before we record: If you are able to provide any context to the project before we begin the recording session, please do.  A draft of the script, a character description, an answer to any of “The Three Questions”—all of this is useful, nerve calming, and welcomed by the actor.

3) Receptivity:  Actors are trained to be open, receptive and present in the moment.  Remaining “open” means you might surprise yourself and everyone else with something unplanned and perfect.  We adore the director who is also open and receptive, who lets us play and allows the unexpected to enhance the process.  Bill Painter: (referencing a favorite director) “His genius was his absolute lack of what I call pride of authorship.  He didn’t care if the words weren’t exactly what he’d written; he was committed to the best possible message, and if it was the result of an actor’s input, so be it.”  Remember that creative gems are forged in an environment of receptivity, so keep an open mind!

Because I want to bring you more than just my own opinion as a voice actor, I have enlisted the help of some of my talented voice-over friends.  The opinions of Diane Havens, JS Gilbert, Bill Painter and Kevin Cooke are included here.  As artists we may not reach consensus, but I am including the areas where we find agreement.

THREE QUESTIONS YOU MUST ANSWER FOR THE ACTOR

For the actor’s sake, always supply this information: Who is speaking?  To whom are they speaking?  How are they speaking?  When you answer these three simple questions for the talent, communication is well underway and confusion is reduced drastically.

1) Who is Speaking?  Diane Havens: “The first thing I expect to hear from a director is the role the voice will have in achieving the intended impact.  Make everything into a role, because that’s what it is — who is speaking?  Neutral bystander?  Impassioned preacher?  Wry humorist?  Helpful teacher?  Caring nurse?  Smiling enthusiast?” 

If you are not getting the performance you want, it is sometimes helpful to imagine and suggest an alternate idea.  For example, the script may call for the role of the fairy queen attempting to calm her warriors.  If that’s not working, suggest the actor play a life coach teaching mediation to stressed-out execs.  Any number of roles may produce the voice you need.

2) To Whom are they Speaking?  The age, gender, geographic region, and socio-economic group of your intended audience all factor into an effective performance.  I would be a very poor voice actor if I used the same voice delivery for an arthritis medication and the National Football League.  Communication is everyone’s goal, so help the talent develop an accurate mental picture of the audience.

3) How are they Speaking?  Provide clear descriptive words like “excited, surprised, reluctant, certain, exasperated.”  The greater variety of words you can provide, the better you will be able to communicate the ideal you are hearing in your head. 

Bill Painter: “I’d recommend hitting the books. Keep a good dictionary or thesaurus at hand — and use it.  The more accurate your description, the more likely an actor will be able to understand and deliver exactly the tone you’re after.  Use colorful, terse, meaningful adjectives.”

Descriptive words will tell the actor how they feel but not WHY they feel that way.  This is important because actors like to dig up their own emotions to apply to the scene.  “Backstory” is an acting term referring to who the character is, how they feel, and why they feel that way. Backstory provided by the director in voice acting can sometimes serve to confuse rather than to clarify.

JS Gilbert:  “Often the director will provide way too much backstory to the actor.  Backstory doesn’t often work because I have analyzed the copy on my own and determined my own set of ‘who and why and what and where’, which may not process well with the backstory a director may give.  For example, I may have determined that I am an avid user of a frozen enchilada dinner and the commercial calls for me to extol the virtues of the product.  I create a backstory that has me speaking to my friend Charlie who occasionally has to fend for himself at dinner time.  The director starts giving me direction like, ‘Pretend that you work in the supermarket and you’re telling a shopper about the great things you’ve heard.’  This breaks up my organic process, but more importantly, it does little to relate what in fact the director is hoping to get from my read.  This often can happen when recording video games and animation to the point where instead of direction, the talent is simply getting fed the entire storyline and plot.”

So allow the voice actor to arrive at his or her own authentic emotion.  It does not really matter what excites him or why.  What matters is that genuine excitement is expressed in the voice.

THREE THINGS THE VOICE ACTOR HATES

1) Line Reads: A ‘line read’ is when the director says the line and instructs the actor to repeat it exactly, as a parrot would.  “No, no, no, instead of I LOVE the way YOU smell baby, say it like this, I love the WAY you SMELL baby.”  You may have a very legitimate reason to phrase something precisely.  In that case, explain this to the talent before they start recording.  You are the boss and we will gladly give you what you ask for.  But you could ask for a line read, and then ask for a different interpretation. You might be pleasantly surprised by a new twist.  The problem arises when you feed a voice actor your delivery line by line, and we can’t help but wonder why we were hired in the first place.

2) Vague and overused phrases: As the best example, the word “conversational” is overused to the point where it has lost meaning.  Instead of saying, “Make it more conversational”, it would be helpful to say something like, “Toss off that last phrase like it’s something you’ve discussed a million times”, or “I don’t feel like you are speaking directly to me.”

3) Too many cooks in the kitchen: Directorial input from several people is confusing and very hard to follow.  A strain is added when we must interpret the meaning and weigh the reactions of different personalities.  We appreciate the director who remains the spokesperson for the group, summing up the input from the agency and the clients and whoever else might be involved.  We prefer to take direction from just one person.

THREE THINGS THE VOICE ACTOR LOVES

1) Specificity:  We love it when you are specific.  Kevin Cooke: “Things I love?  Producers who tell me why they want another read.  I’ll read all day to get it right but if they don’t provide even a nugget of information as to what they want different from the last read, we’re stuck.  Like saying, “That was good, let’s do it a couple more times.”  I’m going to pretty much do it the same way, thinking they liked it but want a few more similar reads in order to hit gold.  I find myself rereading it more than 3 or 4 times, and then I realize the “That was good” comment really wasn’t true!  Flattery will get you nowhere – quite literally!  What specifically do you want to hear that you’re not hearing?”   The voice actor will also appreciate specific audio references like a voice clip you might provide.  A reference to the talent’s demo or to their audition is always very helpful.

2) Context before we record: If you are able to provide any context to the project before we begin the recording session, please do.  A draft of the script, a character description, an answer to any of “The Three Questions”—all of this is useful, nerve calming, and welcomed by the actor.

3) Receptivity:  Actors are trained to be open, receptive and present in the moment.  Remaining “open” means you might surprise yourself and everyone else with something unplanned and perfect.  We adore the director who is also open and receptive, who lets us play and allows the unexpected to enhance the process.  Bill Painter: (referencing a favorite director) “His genius was his absolute lack of what I call pride of authorship.  He didn’t care if the words weren’t exactly what he’d written; he was committed to the best possible message, and if it was the result of an actor’s input, so be it.”  Remember that creative gems are forged in an environment of receptivity, so keep an open mind!

The folloing is a great lesson for any voice or on camera talent. Do your research on who you are providing your voice acting skills. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the following….

CBS SPORTSCASTER Greg Gumbel was recently in a Fort Lauderdale courtroom.

Gumbel is suing TV producer Paul Douglas Scott, owner of Encore Television Group, claiming Scott tricked him into hosting a series of Internet infomercials.

The suit charges that Scott told Gumbel he would be announcing introductions for educational programming. Instead, Gumbel says his introductions were used in infomercials for time-shares, magnet therapy and other products.

Gumbel wants money and the videos’ taken down.

According to the Miami Herald, Gumbel claims he did not see any script for any of the content that appeared with his introductions. He just got paid to read intros – five hours work, $50,000, he alleges.

Gumbel should count his blessings then that his talk leading into “The Economic Report” didn’t take viewers to a money shot.

“It’s not anything that our company has breached or done wrong,” Scott said. “It’s just a contract he wants to get out of.”

Scott approached Gumbel and his agent, Barry Frank, in 2007, the suit says. Gumbel did not know, however, that the Florida Attorney General’s Office had recently reached a settlement with Scott and his companies prohibiting them from “making false representations regarding programming, sponsorships, affiliations and airtime.”

In 2008 Gumbel says he was paid $60,000 more for an additional day of work.