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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                                                                                                              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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There’s this old saying: “Only learn something once. After that you’re a total expert and will be lauded as a genius in your field.”

Just kidding, that would be ridiculous. How about this one?

“You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way.” -Marvin Minsky

Ah, better.

My Origin Story or That Time I Googled Voice-Over

When I first decided to pursue a voice-over career, I was on a break from work. I was miserable in my job. Life circumstances had left me in a rut with little direction. I needed something I could be proud of. Something that was mine. It was time to pursue voice-over, but there was a big question that I had to ask: How do I become a voice actor? I ended up asking Google this question. Seriously, that’s all I did. That led to a link for Such A Voice and then some amazing conversations with lovely people about voice-over coaching. Finally, I told my husband I was going to invest in a voice-over training program to become a voice actor. I will never forget it because his face was excited for me, while his brain was probably thinking, “What the heck is she doing?” But, I had that tone he knows so well that meant: “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.” Shortly after, I began my voice-over coaching with Bill Sleeper for my commercial and narration demos, followed by an audiobook demo produced by Michael Yurchak.

After that, I never had to learn anything ever again and ended up building a whole career on learning all of the information one time!

I’m kidding… remember the first part of the blog post? We’re doing that again. Look alive.

I received incredible voice-over coaching from the SAV staff. They gave me an amazing foundation and a wealth of knowledge that I still use everyday in my work. I’ve built a successful voice-over business that I’m proud of. If I had relied solely on my voice-over coaching sessions and never sought out any other knowledge, I would be in a very different place.

If you’re serious about taking a passion and making it your career, your life, and your purpose, it requires a lot of you. Here’s the oversimplified version: you are introduced to a skill, you love the skill, you train in the skill, you do the skill for money or accolades. People say “Wow, look at their mad skills!” What you never hear is people saying, “Wow, look at how they keep improving their skills and investing in continued education like a serious professional!” However, that’s kind of the most important part.

Natural Talent is Not Enough

When I was four years old, my grandma signed me up for piano lessons. We discovered I had some natural talent. I had a knack for timing and musicality. By the age of eight, I was competing for a chance to tour with the Utah Symphony Orchestra. There were hundreds of competitors and only seven finalist spots. I played my Mozart Concerto for the judges and totally nailed it. I vividly remember walking up to the finalist list they posted on the bulletin board at the end of the day. If I was a finalist, I had to stay and perform again. If I wasn’t, I got to go to the zoo. I was an alternate, and all of the finalists were present, so I got to go to the zoo. My eight-year-old heart was thrilled because, ya know, penguins.

I competed for several more years before deciding being a pianist wasn’t my ultimate goal, but let’s focus on those four years between my first lesson and my trip to the zoo. I had natural talent, but that alone wasn’t getting me anywhere near that competition. First of all, I had an amazing teacher. She gave me the tools, provided me with honest constructive criticism, and encouraged me to grow, but even that alone couldn’t develop my skills. It was the hours, and I mean HOURS, of practice time and music theory study. It wasn’t always pretty either. Most of those hours were spent playing scales and chords over and over again to build dexterity. It was going through countless flashcards to remember time signatures, note values, symbols, music history, etc. It was playing one line of music with a metronome, increasing the tempo little by little. This usually ended with me laying on the piano bench sobbing while my grandma made me a grilled cheese.  So, let’s drive all of this home.

Devour Voice-Over Knowledge

Soak up all of the knowledge you can about voice-overs and this industry. Take what serves you, let go of what doesn’t. Your needs are going to change. It’s just like reading your favorite book at different times in your life. You will find different lessons as you grow and gain experience.

Where do you find this info? If you’re in a Such A Voice Demo Program or are a VO Pro Member, you have access to a lot of information from VO experts. Watch the videos, listen to the bi-weekly teleconferences, and read the blog. Go back to all three of these resources and do it all over again. Don’t let it go to waste. In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your voice-over training is to ignore these materials. Listen to podcasts by VO professionals, read VO books, budget in additional
voice-over coaching sessions to keep your skills fresh, attend conferences, find voice-over workshops in your area, and take a local improv class. Invest, absorb, repeat.

One of the most motivating things I ever heard was on the ID10T podcast with Chris Hardwick. I’m paraphrasing, but he made the comment that even people like Steve Carell and Tina Fey, while they had natural comedic talent, had to train for years to become who they are.

So, I leave you with this question: Who do you want to become?

Enjoyed reading this content? We’d love to hear more of your feedback about our blog.

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                                        About the Author

Tia Rider Sorensen is a voice actor and writer in the Salt Lake City area. She got her start with Such A Voice in their VIP program and has since completed over 50 audiobooks, several corporate and explainer videos, as well as some commercial and animation work. You can see more of her work at www.tiasorensen.com.

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Your confidence is the most important element you can bring to a voice-over audition.

Because those involved in casting are counting on you for an excellent delivery, they need to feel that they can trust you with the job.

In most cases, there’s a lot of money and people involved in an advertising campaign. By the time it gets down to hiring the voice talent, almost all the creative work has already been done. It’s now up to you to honor the writer’s intention in the script, and bring something new and inspirational to your read.

There’s a lot riding on you as the voice talent and some folks buckle under the stress.

Casting directors look for someone who can remain focused and friendly, and be able to take direction under pressure. They also want to know that you will bring something more to the table than just simply saying the words correctly. They want you to elevate the copy!

The only way you can reassure casting that they are making the right choice by hiring you is to have true confidence in yourself. There are no shortcuts in this process, just a lot of hard work.

How do we become confident in our abilities as a voice actor?

The more we audition, the more confident we get. Ironically, it doesn’t matter whether or not we book most of the time. We just need to be working our craft! Believe me, if you keep doing the work, the bookings will come.

First, we need to know the copy inside and out. Do the comprehension test before anything else: you need to be able to provide a quick summary of what you are about to say. If you can’t do this yet with the copy, you aren’t ready for the next steps of script analysis.

Once you can condense the copy, look for clues in the writing as to who you are in the script and how the writer wants you to feel. Jot down all the clues that come to you.

Now, look at how the sentences are constructed: are they short and to the point, or long and flowery? These are clues as to who you are in the script! Short and to the point often means no nonsense, while long and descriptive sentences may mean an easy-going character.

See how much you can use your imagination to make a fun or interesting story out of the copy. Take creative liberties with the copy. Don’t just read word for word. Think about how you can put a fun twist into the situation.

Always ask yourself, Do I care about what I am about to say? Asking yourself this questions is a good test to see if you’re connected to the copy. If you don’t care about what you’re saying, you’re disconnected from it. You have to find something you care about in the copy, this is also called finding your nugget of truth.

Know and acknowledge that you might be nervous at your voice-over audition. There is no getting around it (if you tell yourself not to be nervous, it will just be worse). Remind yourself that you are very prepared with the copy and you have taken it to the next level that many others have not: you have elevated it with creative choices that reflect who you are.

Be ready to let go of your choices if the casting director asks you to perform the copy in a different way. This doesn’t mean you did anything bad; they just want to see how directable you are. Redirects are a good thing!

Go into your voice-over audition with fun as the number one goal.

Finally, consider this truth: the job doesn’t always go to the best voice actor; it often goes to the person who is really good at voice-over and also seems like they will be easy to work with and are a whole lot of fun to be around.

Enjoyed reading this content? We’d love to hear more of your feedback about our blog.

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                About the Author

Nancy Wilson is an Audition Mastery coach and West Coast demo producer. She is also a voice-actor and a member of the SAG/AFTRA Radio Plays committee.  

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For this week’s staff spotlight, we’d like to introduce you to Craig Spear, the Vice President of Coaching for Such A Voice.

SAV: Hey Craig! Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

Spear: My cousin was the oldest living American. She was 114 and half years old when she died. She had a fondness for sweets and fatty foods. Because she was born in 1890, she was positioned to take in the whole 20th century —  she could remember it from beginning to end!   

SAV: How did you find your way into the voice-over industry?

Spear:  It started with college radio. I learned every jot and tittle of the broadcasting business—from spinning records to editing news. As the station manager, I originated Kaleidoquiz, the largest and longest running—STILL running—college radio trivia contest. Our maiden broadcast crashed the campus phone system and shut down the university.  

During the summer months, I worked as a top-forty DJ in my hometown of Cedar Rapids. Our broadcasts were heard over the loudspeaker system by sun bathers at Lake McBride—still one of my fondest memories of life in the Midwest.  
 
Before long, I ended up in San Francisco producing talk shows for KGO—the preeminent ABC news and talk station of its day. By dint of luck, I met Dr. Dean Edell and produced his first nationally syndicated radio show. Within a few years, we landed a daytime network television show on NBC. We went up against Donahue on CBS and an up-and-coming new host on ABC named Oprah. We had a 26-week run.  

SAV: Run us through a typical work day and an off day. Interests outside of VO?

Spear: I read, write, ride my bike, and try to swim three or four times a week. After a long career in broadcast journalism, I still follow the news. As a writer, I most admire talented editorial writers and skilled political commentary.  

SAV: As Vice President of Coaching for Such A Voice, what advice do you offer to other voice-over coaches about how to work with students?

Spear: Every student is a special case. A good coach has an ear for what sets them apart.  And the patience to bring that quality out. A good coach instills confidence, but is also relentless about teaching necessary skills. Natural ability is only realized through mastery of one’s craft.          

SAV: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received from someone in the voice-over industry?

Spear: I’ve worked with hundreds of talented people over my career. Performers are nothing if not opinionated. I suspect I’ve heard every theory there is on how to succeed in show business. The simple answer is still the most enduring: “Be yourself.” Whatever qualities you have that make you interesting as a performer—personality, talent, wit—find what’s authentic in it. Calculation is the enemy of truth. Audiences detect pretense. All good performances come from the heart.      

SAV: Describe your idea of a getaway vacation – the weather, the place, the activities, etc.

Spear:  I never plan ahead. I explore as I go. The best travel experiences are the ones you stumble into. In general, I prefer destinations that are quiet enough to soothe the soul but interesting enough to stir the mind.

SAV: What’s your favorite hot beverage?

Spear:  Hot toddy. Don’t know what it tastes like, but I like the way it sounds.   

SAV: Would you rather go on a long walk or a long drive?

Spear:  Driving is for getting somewhere. Walking is for deciding where you want to go.

SAV:  What opportunities exist for voice actors entering the VO field today?

Spear: In my experience, the voice-over industry has never been more accommodating to such a wide range of voices, styles and personalities.  Thanks to the Internet–and the digital media revolution–opportunities for actors and spokes-voices is continually expanding. The business is competitive.  No question.  But the secret to gaining a foothold is finding your own strengths, and focusing on what sets you apart.  Add determination and persistence to that mix and you’re on the road to voice work that’s satisfying and financially rewarding.

Tell us how we can make our blog even more valuable here.

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