In the hilarious movie spoof "Tropic Thunder", one of the characters (a 5-time Oscar winning Australian who portrays an African-American) gives a strange, but spot on lecture about character research and development. He goes on and on using references to other movies and actors to bear himself out. Beyond this character-in-a-character performance, the point is well made that research is the backbone of any performance. You absolutely have to know something about your character, your co-characters and even the project as a whole. It just simply makes for a more well-rounded, 'informed' portrayal. Improv and imagination also come heavily into play when you are "creating" a character from it's inception.
In my case, I had to learn to think and then 'speak' like a half-man, half-iguana who was a mean, sneaky classic villian.
Now, I already know how mean and villainous some people could be, but I knew absolutely NOTHING about iguanas and so...a google or two later I find out that not only is my character sneaky and hot-tempered (his people skills) but he is also aggressive and territorial--an exfoliating ne'er-do-well who does double duty as a thief AND a king. HOOO-BOY!
I now have a great, well-rounded description of Loverboy but ...alas...no picture. No artist rendering, no stick figure sketch, nada. Remember earlier when I said imagination would come into play? After having seen more than my share of 'gill-men' and other cinematic horrors over the years, a visual image wasn't too hard to mentally construct. That wasn't my gig, anyway. What would he SOUND like? He had to be: articulate yet evil, emperious yet sneaky, regal and possesive yet mad and territorial all at once!
Even though I had one primary voice that came to mind I'd already learned from a Pat Fraley podcast that 2 different reads on the same character provide producer/directors with a choice...and a different view. I did just that! I wrote a 30 second monologue (he IS a villian!) incorporating all of his better qualities and social mores--in two distinctly different voices.
With prayer and baited breath I sent the audition to the casting director. She e-mailed me back with some "More of this and less of that" suggestions which were immediately incorporated into the second take amd resubmitted.
In late November 2008, I received this e-mail..."Dear Herb, Congratulations! You have been cast as the Iguana Summer King..."
Next: So You Thought Voicing Was Easy...?
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
The 'Vipo' Experience or Hey, Mom...I'm A Cartoon Character!
Hey, all you ProTalkers...
The next few blogs will center around my wondrous, "Gee Whiz" experience with the "Vipo, The Flying Dog" series.
A little background...The 'Vipo' series is an animation and marketing phenomenom that is just reaching American television. Based on the adventures of a dog whose ears enable him to fly, "Vipo"--pronounced Vee-po (and his many friends) is now in over 30 countries around the world including Indonesia, Israel, Turkey, Brazil and now the U.S.
The animation is high quality 3-D and very easy on young eyes. Episodes from the first season of "Vipo" can be seen on YouTube!
Of course, early on I didn't know ANY of those facts about the production. When I responded to the Voices.com audition lead that came through my e-mail I was just answering what I thought would be a good job and a great opportunity--maybe even the fulfillment of a dream. Somewhere in your life there has to be room for dreams. Without dreams, we aspire to nothing. Dreams and aspirations shape our future--and sometimes the future of others!
I received an e-mail in return from Elizabeth that stated..."we do have one role we are still casting...it is the Summer King who is half man/half iguana..."
WOW!
She goes on to describe the characters most endearing traits (sneaky, hot-tempered, classic villian) and since there is no script--"you will have to improv the audition".
HOOO-HAAA! Let the games begin...
God Bless & Happy Voicing!
Next: "You Are Cast"
The next few blogs will center around my wondrous, "Gee Whiz" experience with the "Vipo, The Flying Dog" series.
A little background...The 'Vipo' series is an animation and marketing phenomenom that is just reaching American television. Based on the adventures of a dog whose ears enable him to fly, "Vipo"--pronounced Vee-po (and his many friends) is now in over 30 countries around the world including Indonesia, Israel, Turkey, Brazil and now the U.S.
The animation is high quality 3-D and very easy on young eyes. Episodes from the first season of "Vipo" can be seen on YouTube!
Of course, early on I didn't know ANY of those facts about the production. When I responded to the Voices.com audition lead that came through my e-mail I was just answering what I thought would be a good job and a great opportunity--maybe even the fulfillment of a dream. Somewhere in your life there has to be room for dreams. Without dreams, we aspire to nothing. Dreams and aspirations shape our future--and sometimes the future of others!
I received an e-mail in return from Elizabeth that stated..."we do have one role we are still casting...it is the Summer King who is half man/half iguana..."
WOW!
She goes on to describe the characters most endearing traits (sneaky, hot-tempered, classic villian) and since there is no script--"you will have to improv the audition".
HOOO-HAAA! Let the games begin...
God Bless & Happy Voicing!
Next: "You Are Cast"
Saturday, September 12, 2009
He's Baaa-aaack!
Hello, all you happy people (done in my best 'Droopy' drawl)!
Sorry about that looong pause between entries. I'd like to say that the reason for the delay is because of an excessive work load of voice over projects and production commitments that are worth thousands of dollars in revenue...but,alas, not this time.
Actually , there was some rewarding and exciting voice over related items that demanded some time (we'll be talking about those later), but there were also family issues that had to be addressed and work (day job) to be done.
That being said, look for new blogs in the near future dealing with new projects, new friends, new lessons learned and my new jeans!
Thank you to those who attempt to keep up with these rants on a regular basis...your patience will be rewarded soon with more useless trivia and personal ruminations in the coming week.
In the meantime--go hug somebody!
God Bless and Happy Voicing
Sorry about that looong pause between entries. I'd like to say that the reason for the delay is because of an excessive work load of voice over projects and production commitments that are worth thousands of dollars in revenue...but,alas, not this time.
Actually , there was some rewarding and exciting voice over related items that demanded some time (we'll be talking about those later), but there were also family issues that had to be addressed and work (day job) to be done.
That being said, look for new blogs in the near future dealing with new projects, new friends, new lessons learned and my new jeans!
Thank you to those who attempt to keep up with these rants on a regular basis...your patience will be rewarded soon with more useless trivia and personal ruminations in the coming week.
In the meantime--go hug somebody!
God Bless and Happy Voicing
Monday, July 27, 2009
Bring The Whole Bag!
http://www.joeactor.com/Versatility is important in voice acting. Even though we all work to establish our "brand" voice...there should be enough room for experimentation and discovery when considering any voice over career.
How many characters have you--or can you--voice? Only one? Not to worry! Experts like Pat Fraley have proven through technique and instruction that one character can become many when using 'The Critical Compound'...character voice+acting+accents.
Many of us have voices or characters that we can perform strongly and so are very comfortable with them. This can lead to two things--some branding and maybe a little stagnation! I've never met a serious musician who didn't PRACTICE! To get better...to sound fuller...to hit that riff that you coudn't hit last year. Maybe it's my Lon Chaney/Mel Blanc influenced early childhood, but I think the greatest compliment any voice actor can receive is..."Was that YOU?"
Lon Chaney, Sr. early in his career had to rely on his own self-taught makeup skills and even his athletic ability to create emotion and character without the benefit of dialogue.
Mel Blanc, on the other hand, gave life, voice and personality to rabbits, ducks, cats, dogs, birds, martians, malevolent mammals and other things that don't know dialogue from Dial soap!
Can you be a duck? Have you tried? Why a duck...why not a chicken?
Felix the Cat used to have a 'bag of tricks' that he would use to get him out of any tough scrape and he had everything--including the kitchen sink--in it and wasn't afraid to use it!
What's in YOUR bag of tricks? Here's how to expand the bag:
Improvisational skills are important. Joe Thomas, video game actor extraordinaire, suggests taking improv classes to stay fresh and flowing. Visit his site at http://joeactor .com for details and give a listen while you're there. Talk about versatile!!
Also, many of the original pioneers in animation lived well into their later years and I think this had a direct bearing and relationship to their sense of humor. The Bible calls laughter "Good medicine" and there is truth to that statement. To establish and (maybe) discover your sense of humor I have a brief exercise that anyone can try. Simply go to the nearest mirror and take a good look. See...? Isn't that the funniest thing you've ever seen? It ALWAYS works for me!!
God Bless...
Happy voicing!
How many characters have you--or can you--voice? Only one? Not to worry! Experts like Pat Fraley have proven through technique and instruction that one character can become many when using 'The Critical Compound'...character voice+acting+accents.
Many of us have voices or characters that we can perform strongly and so are very comfortable with them. This can lead to two things--some branding and maybe a little stagnation! I've never met a serious musician who didn't PRACTICE! To get better...to sound fuller...to hit that riff that you coudn't hit last year. Maybe it's my Lon Chaney/Mel Blanc influenced early childhood, but I think the greatest compliment any voice actor can receive is..."Was that YOU?"
Lon Chaney, Sr. early in his career had to rely on his own self-taught makeup skills and even his athletic ability to create emotion and character without the benefit of dialogue.
Mel Blanc, on the other hand, gave life, voice and personality to rabbits, ducks, cats, dogs, birds, martians, malevolent mammals and other things that don't know dialogue from Dial soap!
Can you be a duck? Have you tried? Why a duck...why not a chicken?
Felix the Cat used to have a 'bag of tricks' that he would use to get him out of any tough scrape and he had everything--including the kitchen sink--in it and wasn't afraid to use it!
What's in YOUR bag of tricks? Here's how to expand the bag:
Improvisational skills are important. Joe Thomas, video game actor extraordinaire, suggests taking improv classes to stay fresh and flowing. Visit his site at http://joeactor .com for details and give a listen while you're there. Talk about versatile!!
Also, many of the original pioneers in animation lived well into their later years and I think this had a direct bearing and relationship to their sense of humor. The Bible calls laughter "Good medicine" and there is truth to that statement. To establish and (maybe) discover your sense of humor I have a brief exercise that anyone can try. Simply go to the nearest mirror and take a good look. See...? Isn't that the funniest thing you've ever seen? It ALWAYS works for me!!
God Bless...
Happy voicing!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Something's Brewing!
A few days ago I woke up with a tremendous spirit of expectation. While I did my morning wake up routine, I just couldn't shake the feeling of positive anticipation--that something BIG is just around the corner! Was this 'hope' gone mad? Was this the delusional thinking of yet another cock-eyed optimist?
Rubbing my hands together like a hungry man staring at dinner, I began to share this 'hope' with my wife. "Honey I don't know...but I've got a feeling that something's brewing. And not just brewing, but it's as if it is being prepared or established. This is a good thing!"
I could scarcely get the words out of my mouth when the TV evangelist we were watching began to say, "Something good is about to happen. I challenge you to say it to your neighbors...say it to your family members. I dare a husband to say to his wife 'Something good is about to happen.'"
Well, after we picked each other up off the floor, we just started smiling and kept saying 'Somethings brewing...something good.'
In this crazy, wonderful business of ours where we seem to achieve equal parts of success AND failure we need to remind ourselves that something good IS about to happen. Persistence and hardwork WILL pay off.
In ancient history during times of great fear and danger, people would encourage themselves by remembering past victories and historic milestones. Even King David of Israel was forced by a stressful situation to publicly and openly encourage himself by declaring his relationship with God.
Yeah, the headlines are bad and the economy sucks and global warming is getting...uh...warmer. But I'm going to take this opportunity to tell all of you that something's brewing...something good!
Let's do our best to encourage each other as we travel together.
Rubbing my hands together like a hungry man staring at dinner, I began to share this 'hope' with my wife. "Honey I don't know...but I've got a feeling that something's brewing. And not just brewing, but it's as if it is being prepared or established. This is a good thing!"
I could scarcely get the words out of my mouth when the TV evangelist we were watching began to say, "Something good is about to happen. I challenge you to say it to your neighbors...say it to your family members. I dare a husband to say to his wife 'Something good is about to happen.'"
Well, after we picked each other up off the floor, we just started smiling and kept saying 'Somethings brewing...something good.'
In this crazy, wonderful business of ours where we seem to achieve equal parts of success AND failure we need to remind ourselves that something good IS about to happen. Persistence and hardwork WILL pay off.
In ancient history during times of great fear and danger, people would encourage themselves by remembering past victories and historic milestones. Even King David of Israel was forced by a stressful situation to publicly and openly encourage himself by declaring his relationship with God.
Yeah, the headlines are bad and the economy sucks and global warming is getting...uh...warmer. But I'm going to take this opportunity to tell all of you that something's brewing...something good!
Let's do our best to encourage each other as we travel together.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Greetings and Salutations!
This is our second attempt at finding a blog home (a 'blome'?) and I think we can finally unpack and stay for a while.
Welcome to Megaphone Musings...where you will probably get a little TOO much information concerning the world of voice overs, voice acting and all things related,
Yes...I am the little golden guy with the megaphone that you've seen all over the internet, and yes...this will be a forum for discussion, enlightenment and empowerment for all throatsingers and voiceslingers ( I just made those words up!)
Mostly it'll be me venting about one thing or another, or sharing some type of experience...and everyone else (including YOU) commenting, critiqueing or correcting as is needed.
So, we are starting this puppy up with two previously written blogs that have a lot to say and we'd all love to hear what you think.
In the words of that great St. Louis philosopher, Nellie "Don't be scurred"!
Welcome to Megaphone Musings...where you will probably get a little TOO much information concerning the world of voice overs, voice acting and all things related,
Yes...I am the little golden guy with the megaphone that you've seen all over the internet, and yes...this will be a forum for discussion, enlightenment and empowerment for all throatsingers and voiceslingers ( I just made those words up!)
Mostly it'll be me venting about one thing or another, or sharing some type of experience...and everyone else (including YOU) commenting, critiqueing or correcting as is needed.
So, we are starting this puppy up with two previously written blogs that have a lot to say and we'd all love to hear what you think.
In the words of that great St. Louis philosopher, Nellie "Don't be scurred"!
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