VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[mythwoman]

Hi all,

And before anyone gets ideas regarding the subject above, I don't mean Mister Ed.

I've been hired to voice two animated characters, an elephant and a horse, for a kids DVD project.

They love my elephant voice, even to my own amazement as I thought that character would be the hardest to come up with. But there is difficulty with the horse.

Both characters are boys and of course they must sound different. I've been given enormous creative freedom to play with voices but at the same time the producer/director has to be comfortable with the voice and it's just not there yet.

Right now all I have to work with is that the voice needs to be high-pitched, a bit husky but not sound girlish. That's my big problem right now, I'm somewhat limited when it comes to my boy voices.

So, I've been trying to put together a list of cartoon horse characters that might help inspire me.

This is where I could use some suggestions if anyone has ideas. And before anyone brings up My Little Pony please keep in mind the character is a boy and I recall maybe one or two boy ponies every to come out of the show, a long, long time ago.

Thanks everyone!
Mary aka mythwoman

[mcm]

The script may be your best source of inspiration - when you understand the character and know what his personality is like (you'll probably need to make some of it u, then play around with the copy and see what happens. Worry less about the sound of his voice and more about what kind of a "person" he is physically and in his character. Try to feel like him during the situation represented in the script and then let it rip.

[Philip Banks]

Shape defines tone so look at a horse. A nasal quality because a lot of sound will resonate there and be a big toothie as well, imagine your front teet protrude a little. Now add age and personality.

[KaraEdwards]

Funny, I just finished voicing a little boy horse for a kid's DVD project!

I added a speech impediment, and had him overpronounce the wrong words like I would imagine a horse would do (I mean, they don't speak English usually, right?).

Just have fun with it and don't worry as much about the voice- but embrace the character as a whole. How does he talk? What words would matter most to him? What about the shape of his mouth would make him talk a certain way? Try holding your mouth the way a horse would. Maybe look down at the script the way a horse would...

I know, I probably think about the details more than I should- but it works!

Good luck- sounds like fun!
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Kara Edwards
http://www.karaedwards.com
kara@karaedwards.com

[Bob Bergen]

[mcm]

I have good teachers

[Deirdre]

Generous, too.

Thank you, Bob.


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[Philip Banks]

Try acting would be another approach.

How would a horse sound if it could talk? Tone and shape, like my teeth and nose thought. Does that sound believeable? No? Add age and personality. Any better? No? Even in context of the script? Who do you know who is like this character? Steal their voice. Getting there? Eventually you get to a point when you hear "him" and not your voice, that's when you may shout from the very top of Castle Frankenstein "He's Alive!"

[mythwoman]

This is all terrific advice. The thing is... well, I've kind of done most of it already. You see the company is brand new, they're animators and have NEVER worked with voice actors before. I'm the first person so far.

I read the script, as suggested, and put myself in the character's place, as suggested, I've even seen the pictures and some bits of unfinished animation pieces. Their personalities are easy to identify too. The elephant is somewhat a slow thinker while the horse is a quick thinker.

I know I've secured the elephant role dead on. Originally I was going to work with another voice actress but according to them (and what they told me) her acting skills were not very good and she was giving them a hard time about when they were going to start and when she could get paid.

My concern is how to sound high pitched and husky (which is what they asked for) without sounding girlish and without harming my vocal chords.

Mary aka mythwoman

[Moe Egan]

Make a list of the attributes the horse has, found in the script - like you mentioned quick thinker. Find other things that help define the horse and list them. Then make a list of the things that YOU associate with horses- real brainstormy stuff "strong, free, smelly..." whatever you think of when you think of horses.

Now look at that list of attributes. Forget completely about 'horse' when reading them. Think of a family member, friend, co worker that matches those attributes and imitate him or her.

Hope this helps!
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Moe Egan
i want to be the voice in your head.
~~~~~

[KaraEdwards]

High pitched and husky sounds exactly like the description I was given for a character I've voiced for about 8 years now. I'm not sure how to explain it, but I always say he lives way back in the very back of my throat. That's where the 'husky' part is.

Just don't push too hard, let it come naturally or you will hurt yourself. I had laryngitis for 2 weeks following my first voice session with that character! Put the gruff or 'husky' on certain words and keep the rest high pitched. That way you won't wear down so fast.
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Kara Edwards
http://www.karaedwards.com
kara@karaedwards.com

[mythwoman]

Kara,

Sorry about your situation, and yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. For another project that required a boy's voice (a human boy) I figured out how my stomach muscles could soooo protect my throat for that slight huskiness. But for an animal I feel I need to push it more, since I'll have to add neighs and other horse sounds.

I tried to create some sample voice ideas tonight and stopped just after four takes for fear of doing damage. Then my stubborn side took over and I did one more take. I'm through for now.
No pain yet, just numbness. I have some anime work tomorrow night and I don't want to miss further opportunities.

Thanks so much for the advice though!

Mary aka mythwoman

[KaraEdwards]

No problem! I know much more now than I did then- laryngitis would not happen today Well ok, it might happen...heh. Seriously though, I take much much better care of myself now (age and wisdom are my friends).

If it's a voice that causes numbness after just 4-5 tries, this may not be a job worth having. That's just my opinion. How long is the script? You'll have to be able to maintain any character you create.

So- just remember, if you don't accept this job- others will follow. It is ok to say 'no' if your overall vocal health is at risk.
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Kara Edwards
http://www.karaedwards.com
kara@karaedwards.com

[bobsouer]

[Claire Dodin]

Hi Mary,

When you are doing high pitched children, the difference between the boys and the girls is attitude.
Try to stand like a boy, feel it in your whole body, be cool, try to impress your friends, to be the clever one. Observe little boys around you and watch how different they behave from the girls. Once you add this to the priceless advice of everyone else, your high pitched voice won't sound girly anymore.
And do take care of your voice. In my experience, people only know what they want when they hear it, they are saying husky now, but they may change their mind when they hear the fabulous character you're going to find!
Post a sample once you've found him!

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