VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

David Ellis · Guest

Hi everyone. Brand new member here.

Ok, long story short, I took a one night voice over class late last year, and I was so interested in it that I've been trying to find someone to train me/evalute my abilities and maybe make some money at it.

The question is, who can train me? I live in Massachusetts, but not Boston, southeast, almost to Cape Cod. Does anyone know someone close to my area who can help me get started, maybe make a demo? I'd be willing to travel north once I'm trained enough to make money, but for now I'd like to stick close to home if possible. I've done a lot of searching on the web, with limited results. so I thought I'd ask here in this forum.

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks Smile

-Dave

SilverSurfer3001 · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:32 pm Post subject:

If I'm not mistaken, our own Ms Cooper does some training.

As to finding training online: One word: BEWARE!

There are quitel literally hundreds of VO "coaching" joints who would tell a deaf mute that they were absolutey destined for greatness (as long as they paid thousands of dollars for countless 45-minute sessions) and would guarantee a demo at the end of the class. And that is just what happens. When the money dries up, the demo comes and it will be of absolutely no use.

Seriously, there are plenty of people out there that may be legit, but one the best ways to find them is to acclimate yourself to boards like this where people in the business can actually help you out.

Some of the best advice that I ever got was to invest in a handheld recorder, and start talking. Eventually, your natural cadence and tenor will show up and you will be ready to start talking into an actual mic. But don't go there until you are comfortable with your voice and how to make words that you read sound like you own them. Until you learn to actually read through the words and get to their true meaning, you will just be reading - and that is last person that anyone would consider hiring. And that can get tricky because you don't want to dramatise your words, you want to speak them. To own them. To make them your own and no one else's. To get to the point that people can no longer tell if you're reading to them or just talking to them.

awwww... but whadda I know....
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ccpetersen · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:07 pm Post subject:

Hi there,

Former MA person, now retransplanted back to Colorado. I studied with Wren Ross. She's in Boston, so you would have to come up to see her, but she's worth it. I've taken three regular classes with her and then did some private coaching. She also coaches by phone after you've had some experience with her.

Perhaps the best way for you would be to take a VO class with her and then go with private coaching after that. She's really quite good.

Wrenross.com

and tell her that Carolyn Petersen says hi!

deebs would be good, too, although not sure what her sched is like.

c
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David Ellis · Guest

c.c.-Actually, Wren Ross's name has come up, and she has a class starting soon, but it costs $275, and I'm hesitant to put up that kind of money right away. Not to mention the cost of gas to get to Watertown and back.

Silver, I read what you said about getting a recorder. I have a computer microphone and Sound Recorder. I can use that to practice, couldn't I?

SilverSurfer3001 · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:31 pm Post subject:

Absolutely.

My point about a handheld is that you can just record yourself talking about stuff. You can get a sense of your natural cadence that way. I know that when I first started opening up mic lines, I would go right into old habits learned from radio, and get that whole announcery thing working. Nothing wrong with it per se, but that delivery style is quite out of vogue in most markets these days.

The handheld gets you comfortable with talking into an open mic, whereas having a broadcast style -even if its a USB - mic tends to make a goodly plenty of wannabe VO's turn into Casey Casem or Shadoe Stevens. If you have time to run your recorder and computer mic, sit down and talk to it until it becomes like a conversation with a natural cadence flow and "naturalness" to it.

It's just a matter of becoming comfortable with your own sound.
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Jody Silvers
VOSilvers.com

ccpetersen · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:36 pm Post subject:

Understand about the $275, but it was the best money I ever spent -- and it took me a while to talk myself into her first class, but once I did, I knew I'd done the right thing.

I guess there's not a train that goes up from your area?

I had to drive in from Groton, MA -- which was about 32 miles and sometimes could take over an hour...

good luck!

c
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SteVO · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:51 pm Post subject:

$275 is a bargain!
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Moe Egan · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 3:39 pm Post subject:

Will Lebow- CP Casting. outa Boston. He's like a freakin surgeon.
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i want to be the voice in your head.
~~~~~

ccpetersen · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 7:14 pm Post subject:

Oh yes, Will is great. I had a bunch of classes at CP Casting and loved the down-home atmosphere, supportive atmosphere.

I think Wil and Wren used to be married to each other. I think.
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Bailey · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 7:50 pm Post subject:

... And welcome to the VO-BB David.
Are all those with the surname Ellis destined for VO greatness?... or is this a big coincidence?
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David Ellis · Guest

Well, it looks like there's no way to get around traveling to Boston, whether it's to see Will or Wren. I've been saving $25 a month for 11 months, just to take the class, and now that I finally have the money, everyone I know is saying, "Don't do it, you're throwing money, away, it's the biggest ripoff since those guys who run Three Card Monty on the street corner!"

I really want to find someone who can help me, so it's going to be either Wren or Will, and I have to decide fast, since that workshop with Wren starts on the 16th of August, and it will fill up soon.

ccpetersen · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 8:52 pm Post subject:

Is that her one-day booth camp seminar? Have you had any acting or VO coursework before?

I had several of her four-week courses -- of course, those meet for about 2.5 hours per week and you have a bit more time to spread your wings. I'd recommend that -- which she'll probably teach in the fall... but if you are looking for a good one-day "intro" then this may work for you.

Hard to say what would work better for you. But, if you don't try, you won't know.... Wren's not going to be a rip-off artist. She really is a good person and a wonderful talent.

c
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Chrissy · Guest

You don't need to worry about getting ripped off. I have worked with both Wren and Will and I've sat in when Wren did some teaching. Their both excellent and you'll learn at lot.

Keep us updated.

Philip Banks · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 12:25 am Post subject:

Teach yourself. If you want to do commercials download a commercial break and keep the ads. Record yourself and place your commercial into the middle of the real ad break. Play back. Listen. At first you will stick out like a sore thumb. As time goes by you will sound a little better. When your "faux ad" sounds like it belongs amongst the real ads the voice over world is ready for you.