Nancy Wilson’s teleseminar, Psychology of Characterization, is now available in the membership section of the Such A Voice website www.suchavoice.com. For our subscribers who still haven’t had the opportunity to participate, you can download and listen to the recording by accessing the membership website. For this, and additional voice over training content, click the following link. http://sav.suchavoice.com/member-login/
For our nonsubscribers, the following summary will share with you what you missed.
Nancy covered deep preparation and how to bring uniqueness into an audition. She covered the prep work necessary to allow a voice over talent to perform at peak levels. She shared her personal story of breaking into voice overs and what she learned about acting as a skill.
Deep preparation means development of dutiful commitment to practice. The benefits of deep preparation include the freedom to act, in the moment, once the performance starts. In a nutshell, extreme levels of repetition and rehearsal enable the actor to execute off the cuff when the recording begins.
Nancy shared how her earlier work as a disk jockey allowed her to perform many commercials from a spokesperson perspective. She then tried her hand at a more advanced level of voice overs. The feedback she received uncovered the importance for skill development as an actor. Voice acting, after all, is acting.
Voice over actors need specific skills to achieve quality performance. Introspection, for example, enables a voice over actor to develop a keen sense of their natural responses to stimulation. Great voice over professionals can identify their individual emotional reactions to specific kinds of circumstances. This knowledge can aid the process of getting into character. When a script sets up a scene, the voice over professional can recall how they would naturally feel in this circumstance based on the introspection exercises they have done.
A second important skill is referred to as “becoming alive.” Voice over careers have many highs and lows. Great voice over actors should learn to feel these highs and lows very deeply. This process enables to the voice over pro to tap into the emotional energy that translates into a quality performance. Noted actors such as the late and great Robin Williams were masters of this skill.
Most people become methodical and committed to habits and routines. This behavior kills creativity. Routines and habits are great for efficiency, but they do not bode well for creative juices to flow. Becoming alive means feeling an excitement for a moment at hand. It also means the discipline to let go of the past and the future.
Nancy also covered the two main forms of commercials; spokesperson and Character Spot. Most commercials will come from either of these perspectives.
Spokesperson style commercials allow the voice over talent to perform from the perspective of a narrator. This viewpoint distinguishes the voice over person as an impartial observer of the company, product, or service. The opportunity to communicate emotional influence is present, but the spokesperson maintains indirect involvement.
Character spots, on the other hand, require direct emotional connection. Commercials from the viewpoint of a customer testimonial are classic examples. When we hear the commercials in which a husband, wife, child, or customer acknowledges appreciation for the benefits of a product; we are hearing first person voice acting. Character spots are considered the most difficult types of voice overs to do.
Nancy also covered a variety of the philosophies for acting taught by acting coaches. The Meisner technique, for example, builds upon bringing the actor back to his or her emotional impulses. This process of acting exploits instincts. The fact is all good acting comes from the heart. When actors are in anticipation of remembering their lines, waiting for their turn, and remembering what to do; they are not in the presence of mind for quality acting.
Casting directors who select actors for movies indicate that “acting in the moment,” is a key sought after skill set. Casting directors look for this skill in auditions.
In summary, deep character work is what turns the voice over professional into the voice over artist. The more you can forget everything other than the performance itself, the more effective you’ll be.
If you are not a current subscriber to the suchavoice.com biweekly training series, click the link below to learn how to participate in our ongoing training for voice over actors. We offer quality training on many voice over disciplines taught by active working professionals.
https://www.suchavoice.com/voiceover/teleconference.cfm
