VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

mcm · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 3:49 pm Post subject:

Call a Chaplin!!!

ccpetersen · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:27 pm Post subject:

Dan-O,

You make some good points rather forcefully. I rather wonder about the impact of "amateurs" on such things as news reporting and talk radio now that anybody with a computer and microphone can "broadcast" online with news and opinion. It means that we (the greater "we" as consumers of information and media) must do as we've always done -- apply a number of critical thinking filters to what we read and hear and see. And how do up-and-coming consumers of media and news learn that critical thinking?
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asnively · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:36 pm Post subject:

(CC! I love that avatar!)
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ccpetersen · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:51 pm Post subject:

OT:

thanks Amy. I was experimenting with a "mobile" booth design and one of my Furalex distributors had to "help".... Wink

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asnively · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:51 pm Post subject:

LOL! I have a similar set-up. I should let Tucker and Shadow measure for Furalex. Looks like your kitty is working on a very dramatic script...
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Dan-O · The Gates of Troy Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 1638

CC,

I read a book last year called The World is Flat. Basically, it knelt at the altar of the Internet. The main premise of the book was that the Internet has leveled the playing field for the small business owner trying to take on the giant companies; that those who use the internet now have the ability to hold the giant companies responsible for the quality of their products.

True. But, at what cost? An amateur, in almost any field, can now compete with those who have worked their way through the natural layer of filters put in place by the business world. Filters that assure consumers are dealing with knowledgeable professionals who provide high quality services and products. Also, an amateur can now have equal say on the quality of a product, give advice to others on any subject or create slanderous commentary without having any credentials or evidence to back up their statements. This is completely irresponsible behavior.

In my view at least about the voiceover business, the best model is the old one: young talent should seek out mentors and teachers. Grow as a talent first, and then begin to market their product. Once they are established, help develop the next generation of talent.

todd ellis · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:49 pm Post subject:

dan-o, i agree with you - but it's nothing new. the same thing happened with desktop publishing, web design, and i'm sure a whole slew of things going back to the invention of the wheel. we are in the vo bubble. that is how it is. when i got into this business it cost thousands of dollars to set up a home studio - now it's s trip to musicians friend, 90 days same as cash and you're in the voice-talkin' business. that said - i am confident that the bubble will burst and the cream will rise and/or remain at the top. obviously the internet has changed many things forever - for the better & the not-so-much ... but it IS here and for the most part i'm for it.

i wrote a commercial for a client today that included the quote, "the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price fades away." i don't remember who said it - but it sure is true. we all KNOW the cream will rise to the top - what they fail to mention is at the same time the crud will sink to the bottom.

this is probably one of those posts i should have deleted ... oh, well.
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bobsouer · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:57 pm Post subject:

Todd,

You've said nothing here that represents anything but clear-headed thinking about the way the world is both changing and staying the same all at once. And there's no question that when the cream rises to the top, something has to end up below it. I've been working on my floating skills for quite a few years now. Laugh

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Dan-O · The Gates of Troy Joined: 17 Jan 2005 Posts: 1638

Todd,

I agree whole heartedly. In my case, I wouldn't be where I am in the business without the Internet. However, I still laid a solid foundation before building my career.

Last year, while in L.A. for a workshop, I sat across the table from a celebrity VO at lunch. He asked me where I currently lived. I answered in Dayton, Ohio. He followed up with "and what do you do?" I responded that I work as a full-time VO. His look of astonishment was a surprise to me. He then said "I didn't know that was possible."

So, technology has eliminated location as a necessity to succeed in the industry. But, you still have to have the ability to deliver a compelling read.

BenWils · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:32 pm Post subject:

I wasn't astonished...just amazed a little. But you have made me proud, I will give you that.
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bobsouer · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:33 pm Post subject:

Ben,

You are so cute when you do that. Laugh

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todd ellis · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:35 pm Post subject:

dan, i agree with you agreeing with me - and also what you said after that.
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ccpetersen · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:35 pm Post subject:

Dan-O:

All too true. In the work I've been doing (writing, producing, etc.) we ALL got brought up with mentors, valuable lessons, hard knocks, and learning how to make sure the customer was happy and had what they needed (even if sometimes we had to teach them what they needed... )

Now, there ARE the few talents out there who sort of spring "fully formed" out of the box, but they are few and far between, and they learn lessons, too.

I came at VO from an entirely different perspective -- that of a writer wanting to make my scripts work well for the VO professional. That meant making sure the scripts were readable, written for the EAR, not the EYE, that pronunciations were spelled out properly, and that there was time at the session for the talent to ask questions and/or test out phrasings. All of this is NOT done SOLELY for the client or the VO, although they're certainly in the chain. The ultimate beneficiary is the listener/viewer, for whom we create ALL our stories (from ads to documentaries).

So, anyway, I started taking VO classes -- NOT to become a world-class VO talent or take on Don LaF, or beat Deirdre or you or anybody at their game -- but because I wanted to see how the business looked from YOUR side of the script.

A funny thing happened on the way to that: I got hooked on voice acting. And I am still very MUCH in learning mode. And having fun while I do it. But I do not pretend to be in the big time... there's a long way to go before I'm as good as any of you guys here. But, I'm here to learn, and that's GOT to help my work, right?

What I've learned so far (in classes and in hanging around here at VO-B cool

has been so helpful that NOW, whenever I hand a script to a voice-over professional, they have remarked on the clarity and professionalism of my scripts; how easy they are to work from. And, more than once, I've had them ask me why ALL clients don't write their scripts so clearly.

Now, in classes, with my coach, we did get to see copy that she and others have had to deal with from clients. And, it makes me wonder about who it is that told these clients (and/or their PR agencies, etc.) that they could write. Of course there ARE some very good copy professionals out there -- don't get me wrong. But, I've seen bad copy, and more to the point, in the other areas where I work (scriptwriting for science documentaries, for example), I've had occasion to edit or even rewrite other people's work (at their request) -- and again I have to wonder: who told them they could write?

Writing's a skill. Voice acting's a skill. And, those skills, those muscles, don't grow overnight. And, contrary to popular belief, not everybody can write (or act, or whatever)...

I am often reminded of what Euclid the geometer is reported to have said to King Ptolemy when the king complained about how difficult it was to learn geometry: "There is NO royal road to geometry."

I think that a lot of "amateurs" and others flooding the VO (and other) markets will move on once they find out that it isn't a piece of cake and that there's some actual "work" involved.
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COURVO · Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:47 pm Post subject:

Very interesting thread to read....

But I have to take issue with Banksy...

The glass is neither half-empty OR half-full....

The glass is twice as big as it should be

courVO
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Bruce · Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:22 am Post subject:

Regarding the "world is flat" "problem" of more voice talent suddenly being available to compete with us: The Internet also means there is an exponential growth in the number of potential clients for our talents. Plus there's an increasing need for our work everywhere as the number of video and audio outlets burgeons, and talking websites and podcasts and audio books, etc. I think there's plenty of work on this global highway for us, whether we're a Yugo or a Mercedes.

Regarding the NPR piece with the fellow decrying the collapse of society as we know it, he's just another doomsayer like all the others in history who pipe up when a major, transforming innovation comes along. Society isn't decaying, it's just changing. We, the older folks who were becoming quite accustomed to the way things were thank you very much, may not like the changes but we can't stop them. We must learn to adapt or hide in a hole I guess.

He complained about all the unreliable information that's available on social sites, wiki sites and blogs. You bet there is. Most of the personal advice and education I got on sex (and many other topics) when I was young was terribly wrong. But through trial and error and an inquisitive mind I figured things out. Nothing's changed. Unless it's from a deeply trusted source I take everything on the Internet with a grain of salt, and I think (hope) most mature people do.

The Internet is a societal Big Wave, just like fire, iron, the Industrial Revolution, electricity, cars and computers. We learn how to ride it, or just watch from the beach.

Trying to hang ten,

B
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