Connecting with your copy is critical to being an effective voice actor. Here’s a lesson in NOT connecting…
About thirteen years ago, I was the stage manager for an Off-Off-Broadway play. The play had two actors and one of them was, well, let’s just say not connecting. As I watched the rehearsals & performances, I took notes on what NOT to do as an actor. Here are some of them:
Don’t sell it, just say it
Don’t present anything
Don’t ignore the clues & cues inherent in the script
Don’t play weak. People are almost never weak on puropse.
Don’t indicate anything EVERRRR!!! Unless you’re portraying a bad actor.
Don’t masturbate. Nobody likes it but you!
TIP OF THE WEEK
You can learn a lot from someone who isn’t connecting with the story, script, and/or fellow actors. It’s a sign of self-centeredness, lack of talent, and lack of technique.
Connecting is everything and there are many, many ways to do it. One way is Note #3; don’t ignore the clues & cues in the script.
Good scripts are written in a certain way for a reason. You can glean a lot about the intention of the character, message, brand, and more just by analyzing the script. It takes skill and it takes time but if you can do it effectively, you’ll find that you’ll be connecting with the author’s truth quicker, easier, and more organically.
Oh, and to clarify note #5, I don’t mean literally masturbating. Don’t narrate your lines in such a way that it makes you FEEL good. It’s not about how you feel. It’s about how your voiceover narration makes others feel.
NEWS AND NOTES
Mini maVO 2020 is THIS WEEKEND!!!
There are still a few virtual seats left! Sign up here!
Wednesday, November 11th @8PM EDT: “Agents, Unions, and your VO Business”. Curious about representation and SAG-AFTRA? Are they right for your voiceover business? Sign up here!
Thursday, November 12th @8PM EST: My next Edge Studio Marketing 201 webinar will be ‘Keeping Clients Coming Back’. In this one-hour webinar, I’ll tell you the REAL secret to client retention. This webinar caps at 25 attendees and sells out fast. Click here to sign up.
Thursday, November 19th @8PM EST: My next Edge Studio Business and Money 201 webinar will be ‘Managing your Money’. In this one-hour webinar, we’ll talk about what to do with your paycheck and how to manage your finances, credit cards, insurance, and retirement. This webinar caps at 25 attendees and sells out fast. Click here to sign up.
HAPPY HAPPYS
Happy Deviled Egg Day and Use Your Common Sense Day!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Tom Dheere is a voice actor who has narrated thousands of projects for hundreds of clients in over a dozen countries. In addition to voice acting, he is a voiceover business and marketing consultant known as the VOStrategist. When not voicing or talking about voicing, Tom produces the comic book “Agent 1.22”. You can subscribe to his weekly blog and the monthly VO Strategist Learnin’ Stuff Notice here.
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