VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Mike Harrison]

Just when you think you've heard it all, here's a brief bit of advice for newcomers that's not to be missed:

http://www.piehole.ie/voiceover-blog-Ireland/2014/06/20/friday-voiceover-tip-fake-it-until-you-make-it/

This is currently a top contender for the "Professional Career From A Gum Machine Award."
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[Scott Pollak]

Seriously, WTF?????
I read the whole thing and have no clue what he was saying. English obviously isn't his first language.
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Scott R. Pollak
Clients include Pandora, NPR Atlanta, Wells Fargo, Cisco, Humana, Publix, UPS, AT&T, HP, Xerox and more.

www.voicebyscott.com

[Bob Bergen]

Every successful actor feels like they are a fraud. Every one. Very few are not insecure. I've quoted Michael J Fox many times from his autobiography, where he shares a story about collecting his umpteenth Emmy. As he walks down the aisle up to the stage, he's thinking to himself, "When are they going to realize I'm a total fraud and have no idea what I'm doing??" But if you look at his face, his body language, he's the definition of confidence.

He's faking it.

Faking it is not bad advice. A great actor does it daily. At the mic, camera, during interviews, etc. You don't have to feel confident. You have to appear like you are. Sometimes, we are confident. Most of the time, we fake it. Few are honest enough to admit this. Acting is faking it, but good acting is being believable in the process. When you walk into the room for that audition or job, you don't allow your nerves to get the better of you. You fake it. It's as much an acting performance as what you read in the script.

This was not bad advice. Pursuing prematurely is. But even then, faking it will get you far.

[Lance Blair]

Agreed Bob.

One of the best books I've read in the past five years is this: http://www.powells.com/biblio/9780670038633

It's all about how instinct and intuition can be more important than standard teaching and critical thought - if, and only if, you are in tune your instinct and are disciplined to follow up on the signals it gives you.

Basically, we're all smart enough to figure things out if we truly pay attention. Even if we're not amazingly clever.

So yeah, fake it. You'll suss it out soon enough.

Think of all the aspiring VO talents that study and study and never make a mark...and then you see people that come out of nowhere, hit the ground running and make a career out of it. They're confident, don't hide from trying things out of their comfort zone, and pretty much fake their way to making it.
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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

[Philip Banks]

The piece of writing is based on the marketing tip "Drive traffic to your site with a blog". Most people say nothing, some say nothing quite well.

If you look online for Piehole's presentation on TV to the Dragons in The Dragon's Den a show in which business people look to wealthy investors for funding you will notice 2 things.

1 - The Piehole twosome had no idea what their business REALLY did.
2 - The "Dragons" had no idea what Piehole did or were planning to do either.

Three rules

Be a fake
Sell a fake
NEVER buy from a fake.

[Mike Harrison]

Well, I now have to admit, I stand enlightened.

Let me ask this, though (and quite seriously): at any time does faking it involve (or dance with) lying?
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[Philip Banks]

No it SHOULDN'T but for so many, yes it DOES!

Confidence is fine whereas a Confidence Trick is not.

"Philip can you do this?"

"Yes, shouldn't be a problem at all"

"OK. Philip, have you ever actually done this?"

"No"

The distinction should be clear for all to see, hear and fully understand. Most VO self help books and coaching rely on readers and students not listening, not understanding and never asking specific questions requiring detailed specific answers and not letting go until they get them.

[Bob Bergen]

[Philip Banks]

"All the magic on this show is performed by The Great Decepto and involves no camera tricks or special effects"

You've all seen and heard that at the start of every TV magic show and for some of the big illusions the statement is 100%, 24 carat, unedited ...UNTRUE, A LIE, BULLSH*T. That's showbiz!

[Lee Gordon]

[Ed Fisher]

Not to get "too deep" into all of this....but

What is real?

Who are we?

The person who looks like crap just coming out of the shower? Or, are we the person in the photograph who, with good lighting and the right angle, looks pretty good? Or the pocked faced big pored nose that stares back at us in the harsh light as we wipe away the fog in the bathroom mirror?

I submit everyone starts out as a child being ignorant and incompetent and that visceral feeling of being not quite "good enough" stays with us to some degree for the rest of our lives. When we meet someone who convincingly acts totally secure and "sure" of themselves, the human impulse is to get on board with that reality.

In other words, I think appearing to be absolutely confident in what you are doing can go a long way in your interaction with others in convincing them that what you are doing, or your ideas are valuable.. To be successful, you HAVE to be a good actor. Others can "smell" any doubt on you and will avoid it like the plague. In that sense, I think we are all acting from the time we become aware that our personal welfare can be affected by the approval (or disapproval) of others.
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"I reserve the right to be completely wrong."

[DeadDillo]

[Foog]

[Rob Ellis]

....and the most important, and sometimes most difficult person to get to believe our lie, is ourselves

[Mike Harrison]