Voice Over Success Formula

Sad news in the world of Acting and Voice Over…

32 year old Brittany Murphy, who starred in movies like Clueless and Girl Interrupted, as well as the voice of Luanne in the animated series King of the Hill, (in which she won a 2005 Annie Award for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production), was found unconscious in the show, early this morning by her mother.

After a call to 911 from her Los Angeles home, paramedics were not able to revive her and she was transported to Cedars Sinai Medical Center where she was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest at 10:04am.

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So, I’ve received the emails and comments on the blog…and I really appreciate your input! This is great feedback!

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!

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Hey… Just a quick reminder that I’m trying to get on Ustream as much as possible to do live videos. I also record them, so you can watch later.

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!

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I just shot this out to everyone on my email list…(If you want to stay in
touch and get the latest news, offers and tips that you don’t always
find here on the blog, just leave your email address in the form in the
upper right column of the blog.)

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.

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So…. For years it always rubbed me the wrong way when I’d see famous actors getting these awesome Voice Over roles for big Disney or Pixar animated movies or series…or for major, national ad campaigns. I always thought that the famous actors should just stay in their own field and leave the “voice over” jobs to the Voice Over pros.

But recently it hit me. Since I’ve really started blogging and coaching so much more…I’ve been heavily emphasizing that this is Voice Over ACTING…Not just a disconnected voice, over some cartoon or visual imagery. It’s ACTING…and in the truest form!

So…That being said…I guess I really have no right to be upset or deny a fellow actor the right to practice his or her craft. We’re all in the same pool…just different areas. And if you really want to look at it as: “The glass is half full”, this is really a great wake up call to a lot of the seasoned voice actors to step it up…go back to get some more training/coaching…expand your offerings, etc.

Whatever the case… Don’t let this deter you from pursuing the dream and becoming the absolute best and most successful Voice Actor you can be! Bring on ALL contenders! Famous actors or not! 

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