Voice Acting Exercise #1: The Rollercoaster

Benefit: Breaks the monotone delivery

Imagine your voice is on a rollercoaster. Read a script inflecting up and down, either from word to word or every few words. At first, don’t worry about the musicality of the script. This voice acting exercise help you explore your vocal range and encourage you to play with inflection. Be sure to record your practice and listen to it. You’ll be very surprised at how it sounds more natural than your very first read. Do it several times and notice the added benefit of really finding the musicality in the script. As you do it, be willing to go as low and as high in pitch as you can. Mix in medium range vocal tones as well. This feels uncomfortable and unnatural when you’re doing it, but like many of my students, you’ll be surprised at how the script read will sound a lot more interesting! It may feel over the top, but if you’re willing to do this behind closed doors, when you’re in the booth for an audition, you won’t be as afraid to express yourself and use your vocal instrument to its maximum ability.

Voice Acting Exercise #2: Speak to a child

Benefit: Breaks the hard sell

I have taken VO workshops at the SAG-Aftra union offices here in New York City. I studied with  successful VO artist, Sara Krieger. In her workshops, she often imparts the direction to “speak to a 5 year old.” I find myself using this technique for many of my students here at SAV and it has proven to generate much improved deliveries. From my own coaching experience, I have added to this voice acting exercise. Select a few scripts (narration and commercial) from the SAV Script Catalog. Record yourself reading each one as if you are talking to a 5-year-old child, a teenager, someone your age, and then a senior citizen/grandparent figure. Notice how your tone changes. Often, students who have trouble expressing their nurturing side, sound much more compassionate when they speak to a 5 year old. And the best part? They are simply explaining not selling. I can also hear my students escaping what initially sounded like a monotone delivery.

Voice Acting Exercise #3: Crazy Eddie

Benefit: Brings energy to your read

I trained on how to read a teleprompter. My instructor, Darlene Benjar, at the SAG-Aftra Union offices, where the class was held, learned a technique from her own training that she refers to as Crazy Eddie. Years ago, in the 70’s and 80’s, there was a well-known car salesman, Eddie,  who would appear in his own television commercials. He called himself Crazy Eddie because he expressed his over-the-top enthusiasm for his deals on cars, by physically jumping around, flailing his arms about, and using exaggerated facial expressions. As VO artists, sometimes we’ll approach copy with low energy. Read your copy a few times like Crazy Eddie, then go back and read it again as YOU. Guaranteed, you’ll see an increase in your energy too, but just the right amount.

Enjoyed these voice acting exercises from Rosemary? Check out our YouTube channel for more voice-over tips! Also, don’t forget to watch the video for 3 Voice Acting Exercises To Practice In Your Free Time and listen to voice-over professional Rosemary Chase in action!

Be sure to also join in on the conversation and see what’s trending on the Such A Voice Facebook page!

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Getting to know one another before your first voice-over coaching session

Here at Such A Voice, we assign you a technique coach once you have selected and purchased your SAV voice-over package. After you have scheduled your voice-over coaching sessions and connected with your coach via Skype, you’ll meet each week to work together. SAV’s online voice-over training program is flexible and allows students to work around their other commitments. Since the voice-over coaching is done over Skype, it doesn’t matter where you or your coach live. In fact, some of our coaches work outside of the U.S in places like Spain and Germany! We have staff who can work with students both nationwide and internationally.

How I get to know my students before their first voice-over coaching session

Every coach has their own approach when it comes to learning more about their students. I email my new students a self-assessment worksheet before the first session. This two-page questionnaire asks the student more about what got them interested in voice-overs, what their current job is, and how much time they have to dedicate to voice-over training. I love reading these questionnaires, especially when students give lots of details. It gives me a good understanding of their background. It helps me to know how to begin and where to focus. Best of all, it makes me even more excited to work with them because I feel like we’ve already met!

Communication is Key

Coaches have to be good listeners while students need to be good communicators. If a student can express the struggles they are feeling along the way, the coach will be able to flesh out which techniques work best and help navigate their student to connect authentically to the copy. While your coach is following the SAV curriculum, we are free to personalize the voice-over coaching sessions for the student, focusing on areas that require more attention. SAV coaches also bring their own VO experiences to the sessions. My background inspired me to write an article for the Such A Voice blog about voice-over practice exercises you can do outside of the booth. It’ll be posted on the blog in June, so keep an eye out for it!

Be Prepared

It helps to be prepared in order to make the most out of your voice-over coaching sessions. As a coach, I make sure my students and I are connected on Skype at least a day before our first session.I have my email open and my phone close by in the rare case that any technical issues arise with Skype. I also have the lesson and scripts open on my computer to readily follow along with what my student is reading. As a student, you should prepare the same way so you and your coach can make the most out of your time together. In addition, you should have completed your homework assignment and be ready to access the lesson at your fingertips so you’re ready to work!

Enjoy it

Before your first voice-over coaching session, get your mind and attitude set to have fun! When you are reading for your coach, this is the place to try everything. One of my most important objectives when working with a student is to create a safe space. I once had an influential instructor in college teach me a valuable lesson. She said, “If you’re not failing, then you’re not pushing yourself.” Express different ways to read the script, let go of inhibitions, put your entire body into the reads, and play! If you keep yourself buttoned up we’ll hear that in your voice. So don’t be afraid to try new things because there are no mistakes in your voice-over coaching sessions, only more opportunities to practice!

A Final Word

The VO industry consists of many talented, independent, and self-motivated artists. As a student, it’s your responsibility to train, develop your self-directing ear, practice, create your home studio, market yourself, and audition for gigs. Such A Voice offers support in all these areas. Your technique coach is your mentor. They help guide you according to the grainline of who you are. We are here to teach you the principles of the craft and most importantly, we are a part of your team here to support and encourage you to carry on with your voice-over career. We are always on your side rooting for your success. We love to hear about your successes, so please stay in touch!

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We’re also on YouTube! Check out the video for this post:

                                                                                                              About the Author

Rosemary Chase is a NY-based SAG-AFTRA union actor and voice-over artist. She has been featured on numerous television and feature film projects, including such hit shows as “Elementary”, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, and has appeared in several episodes of “Saturday Night Live”. She has voiced projects for GE Capital, Fidelity, a variety of dubbing projects, and a short film (playing an on-air radio personality). She landed her first feature animation film playing a loveable cow, Theodora, in “Pup 2 No Good”. Rosemary’s long list of diverse acting training from local studios around her NYC neighborhood include stand-up comedy at The Comedy Cellar, improv at Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and Meisner Training, at MN Studio. To learn more about Rosemary’s journey as a voice-over artist, visit www.rosemarychase.com.

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Looking for voice-over work

It’s a large portion of one’s voice-over career pie, so my first piece of advice is to enjoy the search! Make a personal game of how to get voice work by setting up daily or weekly challenges, keeping track of how many people you have contacted in one day, upping that number by the following week, calculating results on follow-ups, etc. Don’t forget to celebrate your successes! Finding ways to stay motivated in the search is a huge part of success.

Most of us do not start our VO careers with agency representation.

Showing an agent you are able to obtain work experience through your own marketing efforts can serve you well when being considered for their talent roster. Even if you are freelancing with a few agents, your search for work never really stops. Why? Because you will get audition opportunities for projects that either come to the agency directly or through casting breakdowns that agents have access to. This leaves several avenues to explore on your own.

Pay-to-play websites

This is an option I recommend, especially to voice-over artists just starting out. It’s a good idea to continue keeping an active profile on at least one pay-to-play website, even after you have gained substantial work experience, because you always want to maintain a few good channels of potential VO income streams.

Casting Directors

A relationship you definitely want to develop is one with any casting director who books VO talent. I suggest searching for casting directors located in your home state first, so if they reach out to give you an audition or just want to meet you in person first, you can actually get to the physical studio. After exhausting all possibilities locally, then branch out and research how to get voice work elsewhere. Always look up the company website first, checking the menu for anything related to “talent.” Most companies will include a link which specifically directs talent on how to submit demos. If the company doesn’t indicate how to submit your demos on their website, then I suggest contacting them via email or phone call to express interest in sending them your demo. I believe in asking first, not just sending materials to that general contact info@ email address. If you don’t receive a reply after a week, then call the office, stating the date you sent the inquiry and letting them know that you are simply following up on your request. After reading Jillian Nielsen’s article about how to get voice work by following up with voice-over clients and agencies, I have a new mantra: The magic is in the follow-up!

Facebook and LinkedIn are great ways to connect with other VO talents.

The first VO job I booked was directly off my first commercial demo and it came through a Facebook connection. I never even met this contact in person, but he listened to the commercial demo I had posted on my Facebook wall. Not long after, one of his business contacts, who owns a commercial video production company, asked him whether he knew anyone who does voice-over work. The job was for a drive-in movie theatre in upstate New York. So post your demos on your Facebook page to start the buzz that you do this work!

Set up a LinkedIn profile and don’t be shy about trying to connect specifically with industry professionals who do the hiring of VO artists. It may take a little research to know who hires for animation features or which advertising companies have an in-house VO department, but once your research has answered these questions for you, hit up new LinkedIn connections. Once someone does accept you request, send a short message thanking them and asking if you can forward them your demo.

VO work from your day job.

Consider if the place where you work may have some voice-over opportunities and pitch your services to your boss. If they have a demo to listen to, it may be easier for them to see your vision. Opportunities about how to get voice work may be right in front of you at your day job!

Your efforts may not show results right away.

One day, I emailed my materials (headshot, resume, and demo) to a long list of production houses in the New York area. A year and a half later, one of those companies contacted me for an audition which I booked. When this company contacted me, I didn’t remember them at first, and asked how they heard about me! They said, “I’m not sure but we have your resume and demo here.” So be professional and remember who you contact by keeping a log. Lesson learned on my part, I now keep an Excel spreadsheet!

Take what you know about your voice and pitch it to the companies and places you feel are a good fit.

It is important to know your sound. If you have an upbeat, perky voice, it’s not likely you’ll get an audition for a Christian Dior perfume campaign, however, your voice may be just perfect for that healthy snack for kids! When you’re searching for work, aligning your sound and services to the product or story can produce results. Start locally. Visit your local retail stores, speak to store managers. Learn to ASK for what you want, and you’ll be amazed at how people just love to let others know that they know someone…

For more inspiration on how to focus your efforts in your own backyard as well as some personal success stories check out Ratana Therakulsathit’s article, How to Get Voice Work: Networking Can Help Kickstart Your Career.

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And don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel for more tips about voice-overs. Here’s this week’s blog video:

                                         About the Author

Rosemary Chase is a NY-based SAG-AFTRA union actor and voice-over artist. She has been featured on numerous television and feature film projects, including such hit shows as “Elementary”, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, and has appeared in several episodes of “Saturday Night Live”. She has voiced projects for GE Capital, Fidelity, a variety of dubbing projects, and a short film (playing an on-air radio personality). She landed her first feature animation film playing a loveable cow, Theodora, in “Pup 2 No Good”. Rosemary’s long list of diverse acting training from local studios around her NYC neighborhood include stand-up comedy at The Comedy Cellar, improv at Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and Meisner Training, at MN Studio. To learn more about Rosemary’s journey as a voice-over artist, visit www.rosemarychase.com.

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Here at Such A Voice, we offer different voice-over packages, some that include producing one or two demos. Our talented script writers, Brendan Carty and Bekka Burton, write scripts especially for you! They use a questionnaire called a script form to aid and inspire our students. The script form includes questions about your favorite products, eateries, public figures, and more. As a technique coach, I help students to use their form, beyond the script-writing process, and create a wheelhouse of go-to emotional connections.

It’s important to know the term method acting. It’s a way to express emotions authentically by connecting to real experiences in your own life. There may be a time in your voice-over training where you have a breakthrough or aha! moment. This happened for me during a voice-over workshop. From a cold read (seeing the script for the first time without practicing it), the copy appeared to emphasize the importance of taking care of your teeth, while really it was geared towards selling toothpaste. Can I get excited about toothpaste? No, not really, but when I saw the phrase, “taking care of your teeth,” I thought about an accident I’d had where my teeth were greatly compromised and I had to endure years of dental work as a result. Emotions don’t necessarily change or go away when you revisit an experience. When I read this copy cold, I had to mean it on the first try. Knowing all I had been through with numerous dentist visits, I was able to authentically deliver a gentle, yet inspiring, warning while remaining encouraging. It was one of the best reads I had done up to that point, because in thinking about my own personal experience, it sounded truly natural.

To illustrate how this works, listen for the emotion and tone of voice of someone you are talking to who is telling you a story from their past. Whether it happened recently or ten years ago, you’ll notice how this person feels about their story by their delivery. Sometimes the emotion is so strong (such as laughing so hard they can hardly get the details out), that it feels like something from the recent past. Yet, have you ever discovered sometimes the event actually happened many years ago? The answers in your script form may include likes and passions that developed since childhood up to the present. The more detailed you are in your answers in the script form, the more Bekka and Brendan, our aforementioned script writers, can really create a script specifically for you and your unique voice.

Once, I was going over one of my student’s script form. Under favorite products, he wrote: trash bags. Of course, I had to ask! Because I usually record sessions with my students and send them the mp3 recording after our session, my student was able to listen back to his tone of voice. He heard not only how he sounded in a naturally enthusiastic state, but he also learned a few things. One being that trash bags that are strong and don’t fall apart are very important to him. I suggested that when he has copy for a product that boasts of being “well made” that he should think of his beloved trash bags!

When you can dissect the what and why of every question answered on your script form, you can think of these favorite things and replace them (in your mind) with the product you just can’t seem to authentically connect with. Ask your friends or your SAV technique coach to go over your script form with you. Have them ask you questions much like how an interviewer would, probing for the meaning behind your answers. Be sure your conversation is being recorded, then listen back to it. You will discover that you have just created a nice tool box of go-to opinions, attitudes, and emotional responses! This is not to replace script analysis, but rather it is meant as an aid, especially for in-studio auditions that require a cold read. I love our script form because it is an essential tool, not only for the script writer, but for you, the VO artist!

Check out our VO Pro Membership and the Such A Voice blog for more content like this!

We’re also on YouTube. Check out the video for this blog post:

About the Author

Rosemary Chase is a NY-based SAG-AFTRA union actor and voice-over artist. She has been featured on numerous television and feature film projects, including such hit shows as “Elementary”, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, and has appeared in several episodes of “Saturday Night Live”. She has voiced projects for GE Capital, Fidelity, a variety of dubbing projects, and a short film (playing an on-air radio personality). She landed her first feature animation film playing a loveable cow, Theodora, in “Pup 2 No Good”. Rosemary’s long list of diverse acting training from local studios around her NYC neighborhood include stand-up comedy at The Comedy Cellar, improv at Upright Citizen’s Brigade, and Meisner Training, at MN Studio. To learn more about Rosemary’s journey as a voice-over artist, visit www.rosemarychase.com.

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For this week’s spotlight in the series, we’d like to introduce you to one of our coaches, Rosemary Chase.

SAV: We’d love to hear who Rosemary Chase is!

Chase: I’m an honest, hard-working New Yorker (I’ve lived in Manhattan for 30 years now), with a comedic, fun-loving personality. Essentially, I’m an artist. It’s not just what I do, it’s me. I’ve been a working artist 90% of my entire working life.

SAV: In addition to voice-over, you also do on-camera work. Can you tell us a little bit about your work in the market?

Chase: Well, I love being on set, and I tend to feel a bit cranky if I’ve had too many days away! I fell into the acting business, meaning it wasn’t planned out. But ever since my very first (then non-union) background job in Mr. Popper’s Penguins, I loved every part of it. The only part I had to learn to like and appreciate was auditioning. That is a skill-set in itself. I’m getting better though, like in voice-over, practice is a key component! I do background, stand-in, and body double work. I’ve been a principal in a few projects, and I’ve been featured many times as a named character, which means you are part of the scene and working with principals, but you don’t have any lines. I’ve been in numerous network TV shows and films. I also enjoy working on SNL (Saturday Night Live) and reality TV, such as HGTV’s Flea Market Flip, Season 6, Episode 5. As a contestant, I was able to combine my on-camera and improvisation skills with my background and education in design.

SAV: How did you get started in voice-over?

Chase: In 2012, I attended a SAG-AFTRA Union event [Screen Actor’s Guild-American Federation of Radio and Television Artists] to voice-over. At the event, I purchased a book called “Secrets of Voice-Over Artists,” by Joan Baker. While reading, I discovered I knew one of the featured arts and radio personality, Valerie Smaldone. I read that she taught a VO course at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. Before I signed up, I took a 4-hour “VO Exploration” workshop in Manhattan, which gave me a detailed assessment of my voice and reads. The results inspired me to sign up for Valerie’s class. She produced my first commercial demo. I booked my first job off this demo, meaning the client listened to my demo and hired me through the producer. There was no audition for the actual project. I played a female voice greeting for a drive-in movie theatre. It was a pretty, long two page script! I landed this opportunity through a Facebook connection. Funny, in a way, I believe my very first VO job was at 16 years old! Working for a large department store, part of my job as a switchboard operator was making announcements over the loudspeaker! I remember I loved being on that mic!

SAV: What’s a really fun, quirky thing about yourself that you’d like to share?

Chase: I’m a walk-a-holic! I walk six miles easily, at least four times a week. Sometimes I’ll do as much as 10. I love it! And sometimes, with the help of my cell phone, I can work while I walk.

SAV: Are you a night out, or evening in person?

Chase: Although I love going out for dinner, I’m a morning person, up by 7:00am, whether I’m going to be on set or not. If I have plans, say to hear live music, I may stay out much later. If I do, this will be my only late night out for the week! I like Ben Franklin’s quote, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person happy, healthy, and wise.” Evenings in spent watching movies, especially during the winter, is one of my favorite things to do.

SAV: What’s your favorite summer activity?

Chase: Swimming in the ocean. Hands down!

SAV: What do you like the most about voice-over, and the least?

Chase: The art of VO thrills me. I love working toward a subtle, compelling expression based on authenticity. In any art, when you are green, you put on way too much. As you mature in the craft, you are able to see how less truly is more and make every choice count. What I like least is getting a cold!

SAV: Who is your mentor?

Chase: My virtual mentors are Frank Sinatra, Peter Coyote, and Joyce Meyer. And I have a new mentor (in secret) that I met recently at a VO workshop. She’s a female VO artist who rules in commercial and audiobooks! I have to say that SAV staff members Heather Costa, Craig Spear, and Angela Castonguay are also my virtual mentors. It’s really hard to pick just one!

SAV: What is your favorite thing about being a voice-over coach?

Chase: Inspiring others to push through, helping students discover who they are through their voice, and witnessing their growth.

SAV: What advice would you like to share to voice-over talent just starting out in this industry?

Chase: This comes to mind immediately, because I was guilty of this myself, do not fall in love with your voice. The surest way to stay in “announcer-land” is to work from the outside. Go in and your voice will follow. Your pretty sound means nothing without the heart behind your reads. Find yourself and be the unique you that clients are looking to hire. And also, practice regularly!

Watch Rosemary’s voice come to life as “Theodora the Cow” in Pup 2 No Good.

https://suchavoice.wistia.com/medias/xh9cnn1lca?embedType=async&videoFoam=true&videoWidth=640

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