Do you remember when you were young and you used to play? Little kids role play all the time. They seem very intent on their goals, the land of make believe is strong in their heads, and yet it’s EASY. They can flip from emotion to emotion. In other words, they’re very good at ‘living moment to moment’. And that’s what voice actors strive to achieve – having a sense of freedom with our connection to the script. Truly living (or ‘acting’) in the moment allows for a sense of spontaneity in your reads, and a sense of play. It also helps give our reads more dimension.
In the grown up world of work, bills, and multitasking, sometimes we can get so tied up with our responsibilities and our goals, that we forget to play. When is the last time you really had fun? Believe it or not, going out and really having fun can sometimes do wonders for your voice over reads. With voice over (and perhaps many other areas of life) we must sometimes remind ourselves to enjoy each moment, and to love what we do.
Often times, when we are learning the art of voice overs, or any new skill, we have to really concentrate on that new skill set. There is frequently a certain amount of tension involved, and work that must be done to truly understand how to apply ourselves to what we’re doing. And yet if there is a lot of tension around that desire to really ‘nail’ a read, it can really get in the way of connecting to the fun, the humor, or even the sense of vulnerability that being in the moment of that read should have.
Of course there are a wide range of tones and feelings in various voice over scripts, and the word ‘play’ may not seem to suit all of them. Sometimes we might lead with a sense of drama, or a sense of seriousness, or professionalism. However, being able to connect with openness, bring in a sense of ease, and allow for spontaneity can still be a huge part of finding a winning read when working in VO. This is why learning how to master and eliminate tension is such an important part of learning to really connect with our work. (Please see my past blog article about connecting to breath which will also help with this.)
One of the things I find very helpful in releasing tension and freeing up these reads is very simple. SHAKE IT OUT! Simply shake your body. Shake your hands, shake your head, shake your feet, jump a little. It’s energizing and releases tension. It can connect us to that sense of play and spontaneity again. Vocal warm ups can also be really great. Singing, going up and down in pitch, doing trills. All of that really helps energize, engage, and activate in a way that can be playful and freeing.
Also, bring a sense of play into your approach of working with scripts. There may a set of descriptive words that describe the tone and feeling of the read. Play around with them to keep yourself from getting locked in. How much range can you find? Can you get more serious? More playful? Can you turn on a dime to find more levels? Play around with who you’re talking to. How does it feel or sound different when you’re talking to your brother, your mother, your son? Your best friend? Can you play around with location? What if you have a very intimate sounding read? How would it sound if you were in a church? Or staring at the stars? While playing with these elements it can also help you find the choices that may end up being most effective for the piece you’re working on!
Having this sense of freedom, and ability to change it up, will help you when working with directors as well. It helps keep you from sounding stiff or over-rehearsed, and puts you in a place where you can more easily take direction.
Our job as VO artists is to bring life to our reads. When a voice over artist is truly having fun with what they’re doing, we hear it, and we gravitate toward it. This is why so many coaches frequently remind their students to smile. When we fully embrace and live our own lives, it also helps us to embrace the life of the script.
Aria McKenna is an award-winning actress who has worked in films, TV, and the stage. She’s also a sought-after voice talent who has worked for major brands like Disney, Chevy, Fiat, Chanel, Yokohama, and more. You can find her work at ariamckenna.com.
