“I write s••••• first drafts.” I got this advice from my friend whose novels get reviewed in The New York Times. I urge you to incorporate his insight into following a writing process that both takes the sting out of rewriting and does wonders for combatting writer’s block. Begin by creating a “holding place” document on your […]
Category: Journal
Breathing & Vocal Exercises for Actors
Exercises for the Voiceover Actor Last month, I talked about exercise, the importance of vocal warm-ups, and more. This month, let’s discuss specific breathing and vocal exercises. Breath Control: I cannot emphasize enough the importance of proper breathing and breath control. There are so many techniques for breathing for different workouts—yoga, Pilates, and many others—it can […]
Dealing With Rejection
Welcome to the Rejection Zone! It’s terrible to be in it, but congratulate yourself for having the talent to make it this far. Your presence means you’re actually competing with a lot of equally talented people for a few coveted positions. While nothing reduces the pain of rejection, you can manage it if you develop […]
Accepting Criticism
“That’s just your opinion.” I shook my head. How would a student who got this angry over a bad grade ever cope with harsh criticism in the real world? I’d worked for editors who resembled Attila the Hun, but they had taught me how to cope with criticism, even to value it. It’s an essential skill […]
Vocal Training & Vocal Health
How to keep your voice healthy when you depend on it for a living. Last month we talked about how to “yell” into the mic. While I addressed some basics on warming up your voice and general vocal care, I also mentioned that this is a growing issue in the voiceover world and worthy of […]
Discipline & The Creative Professional
Every creative person has mentors who were instrumental in his or her creative career. People who laid the foundation for creativity, who shaped us in ways that made us who we are now. We’ve been thinking quite a bit about those people in our own lives, and so we decided to track some of them […]
The Art of the Scream in Voiceover
One of the questions I’m often asked in voiceover is, “If I have to ‘yell’ or ‘scream’ or project loudly, do I step back from the mic?” Even though that might intuitively feel like what you should do, it actually is not how you achieve the best sound. The danger in stepping back from the […]
The Art of StoryTelling in Voiceover
“We want real people, not actors.” It’s something we hear almost every time we audition, particularly in the commercial world, but also across the board, from animation to video games. But we know that claim isn’t necessarily true. They want actors. So, what does it really mean? Whoever’s stating this seems to want a performer who doesn’t […]
Creating A Rich World With Sound
One of the things that distinguishes the voiceover world from on-camera or stage acting is that you create a world, a scene, a drama, cartoon, book or a commercial with only audio – and for the voiceover actor – only your voice. One of the most helpful tools in voiceover I like to refer to […]
ARTISTS, LIFT EACH OTHER UP
I’m a little late with my Journal contribution this month because I – along with Shun Lee Fong and Anthony Epling – have been focused on the formation of the Catalyst Writers Groups (and moving to Atlanta to begin production on my series). But I’m so excited about what’s happening here, I’m not as embarrassed […]