VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Yonie · CM Joined: 31 Aug 2011 Posts: 906

[quote="Mike Harrison"]

juliaknippen · Club 300 Joined: 25 Nov 2012 Posts: 348 Location: NYC

Neil.

I'm slightly less green than you are, and classes are my life blood right now.

I studied theatre in college. I know how to act. I know acting. I will gladly enroll in classes right now with a stellar instructor who will coach me behind the mic. Because it's different. It's a different medium, a different muscle. Seek out instruction. Not necessarily those who are looking to milk you for thousands for a demo, but a quality VO-acting coach. They're out there. They're amazing. They'll light a fire under you. They'll let you know everything you don't. Don't shy away from instruction at this stage. Just don't get conned. There's a difference.
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Her Voice Will Grow on You

Bill Roberts · Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 12:16 am Post subject:

Every single week on Thursday , with the best coach on earth!
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VO-BB Member # 764 (Dec 2009)

Rob Ellis · M&M Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2385 Location: Detroit

there's some good coaching out there. Anyone with a decent BS meter can spot the snake oilers....if you hear (or read) "lotsa big money to made just using your voice" or other such drivel, caveat emptor.

ccpetersen · Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:53 pm Post subject:

My first coach absolutely refused to talk about a demo until a student reached a level of maturity and experience that would support it. THAT'S the way to do it.
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Bob Bergen · CM Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 988

I can name the top vo peeps in the business, and we all still work with coaches. Most Broadway performers are in voice and dance classes during the day. Atheletes work with a coach until they retire. Most Oscar and Emmy winning actors work with coaches, both before an audition and on the set.

I find that those who stand a chance for success don't ask, "How long should or do people study?" but rather, "What else can I do to stay ahead of the competition?"

I've gone through this before, but my education was 4 solid years of vo classes with every coach in LA. Some were brillant, some not so much. But even those that weren't terrific, I'd bank the tiniest bit of knowledge into what eventually became my technique. I was in at least 2 classes a week and all day Saturday workouts. I studied for 2 years at an acting conservatory. I studied improv for 3 years.

I also took marketing and business classes at various Universities, as well as a class on how to be an agent. The latter just so I knew exactly what an agent does and what I can expect from them, and them from me.

All of this required a LOT of day jobs. But nothing was going to stop me.

There's a common denominator with successful vo talent. First and foremost is their talent. You really must be brilliant. Now, there are a lot of brilliant out of work actors. And, there are working mediocre actors. But rarely does mediocre last in vo.

And yes, a demo should never be discussed especially as a selling point for a class. Classes are for education. Now, I don't allow folks to take my workshops more than twice. And if they are going to take it a second time, they go back on my wait list, which is about 2 years long.

But again, I haven't stopped studying. I still strive to do whatever it takes to be ahead of my competition.

JTVG · Backstage Pass Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 433

ccpetersen · Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 7:02 pm Post subject:

What many of us are saying, and Bob puts it quite well: you never stop studying, no matter what line of work you're in, if you want to get ahead. Just a few weeks ago I taught a class in screenwriting for science documentaries. And, as part of my presentation, I brought up the idea of taking acting classes for writers who want to get inside the heads of the actors who will be voicing their work. There was a huge look of shock on the faces of the 40-odd folks who were sitting there taking the class. But, on a few, that shock gave way to a look of recognition -- an "I get it!" realization that sometimes you can learn by going at a subject in an different way. And, for those folks who "got it", there was an "aha" moment that I am sure will contribute to their success. It has done so for me.

All this to say that learning is a life-long thing, and you have to pick your coaches and teachers well. sure there will be a few duds along the way, but you learn even from less-than-stellar experiences.
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Tom Test · DC Joined: 23 Jan 2007 Posts: 629 Location: Chicago, IL

Philip Banks · Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 1:29 am Post subject:

Choose your counsel wisely. Received wisdom/knowledge is great but the internet has introduced us to the concept of Received Ignorance.

If you look and READ closely most of the VO coaches we are able to name spend a great deal of time stage managing their PR/online presence and, forgive me, you my friends are taken in far too easily!

A few years ago a dear friend was given the opportunity to spend an hour, one to one, with a VO coach GREAT. Money changed hands. In the red corner an established FVO with an income the envy of most people here, let alone the rest of those trying to make a living from VO work. In the blue corner, the "Mystic Meg" of VO coaching.

The pair got on very well, Meg was a lovely person and it was a delightful time.

"She told me everything I wanted to hear but it remains to be seen if she was worth the money" said my friend. As it transpired, she wasn't.

No standing in judgement here, simple facts.

If you ask me from whence I came, how I got into VO work, what I did last week or yesterday, I'll tell you or you could probably find out very easily. The Stage Managers would prefer that you didn't know from whence they came.

When someone drops a name, when you bend down to pick it up try to grab a fact while you're down there.

I had a conversation with an aspiring VO a couple of weeks ago and the name of a top VO and coach was mentioned. I knew the name but pretended I didn't.

"Why are they so good at VO and coaching?" I asked, what have they done.
Not one single fact to support the claim to greatness was offered.

Think on!

Chuck Davis · Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 5:42 am Post subject:

It's been several years since I had any organized course work/coaching. That was with Nancy Wolfson. At this point I do use her audition consults on occasion and participate in the Weekend Workouts on Voicebank. Both are a way of getting feedback on a performance and a route to improving your craft.
Faffcon's have been a great learning experience too for both the performance and business sides.

All of that combined with a ton of recording and auditioning every day seems to keep me in good shape. My clients seem pretty happy.
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 9:23 am Post subject:

Like Tom, I was impressed by how I learned at Faffcon from Cliff Zellman in a relatively short amount of time. Ditto for Marc Cashman. But here's the great Catch-22 of voiceover coaching: the less experience you have, the less able you are to distinguish between the genuine mentors and the charlatans. For a newbie, looking for a legitimate coach can be like being colorblind in a paint store.
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ccpetersen · Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:09 pm Post subject:

Lee, that's a good point and something that we may forget as we progress along our own career paths. We were all once newbies, and with that came a lot of advice -- some good, some not so good.
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