VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[craigsvoicetalent]

All
I went in to my studio after work last night to do some stuff and I just couldn't get into it like I normally can. I found I was trying too hard and just wasn't sounding natural at all. The more I tried to get in the groove the more frustrated and forced my reads became. Is this just something that happens from time to time or does anyone have a good way to "snap out" of situations like this?
Thanks as always.
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Reading, talking and listening.

British Voice Over

[Bish]

Trying too hard, falling into a "forced read", and then the situation getting worse due to frustration is not uncommon. It happens to me on occasion. I've found the best way to deal with it is to walk away from the copy that's giving me a problem and cleanse the palate. For me, this involves either just walking away from the mic and doing something else... paperwork or something that stops me thinking about the problematic copy (maybe a stupid game, or going on-line at look at VO-BB for a while)... or, I pick an old piece of copy that I know like the back of my hand and read that. I have a couple of pieces I use as a yardstick... copy that I'm very comfortable with and know I can nail. A couple of read-throughs of that, and I can get into the new piece with a fresh confidence (for want of a better word).
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Lee Gordon]

[DenaliDave]

Music.

For me, listening to some kind of music helps distract my mind enough for me to be able to re-focus after a little bit.

Dancing is...optional.
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"The wise ones fashioned speech with their thought, sifting it as grain is sifted through a sieve." - Buddha
www.alaskamic.com

[Deirdre]

I have a trick I use called "talking myself into it".
I run the recording and just talk. about the day, the weather, a recent sportsball thing, my latest comic book. This settles my consciousness into the normality of being in the booth, somehow. it's like a means of inviting your spirit in to the totally un-normal environment of the recording booth.
Usually, she comes right along... other times, she needs to be coaxed. Talk about anything but your assignment and then, do a mild set-up and dive in.

I use this ALL THE TIME with game dialogue. So much stuff is conversation fragments out of context. I will just talk as my character about this 'n' that and then slip into the script.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Rob Ellis]

I struggled with this kind of thing for years in radio. At times it was like digging a hole and at a certain point being so deep in the hole that you can't get out. I think every performer deals with this even after years of experience. The difference for me now is I don't get as rattled by it as I once did. I remember reading once that David Letterman in his early years used to watch tapes of his performances after a show and torture himself with self-criticism.

[Eddie Eagle]

Like DB I use what I call prelife to set up a scene.

[craigsvoicetalent]

Thanks for the replies. I am glad it is not just me. I like the idea of going into the booth and being just me for the first 5-10 minutes. I will give that a try as I think there is something I perceive about "going into the booth" that tightens me up and makes me feel like I have to become something or someone, rather than be the best I can be.
Great comments as always!
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Reading, talking and listening.

British Voice Over

[Bish]

As my VO career grew, one of my biggest challenges came when I started getting in-studio Manhattan gigs. There could be no extended "Hold on, let me get into this" period while standing in the booth with an engineer, director, et al, waiting for me to be "ready". No one wants to be the prima donna when everyone's on the clock! (This holds true for live/ISDN sessions as well to a lesser extent as you are in your own safety zone before it starts.)

The trip to the studio, the hanging around outside and then the sitting and waiting with others while studying the script (if it's an audition) is all time you can use... because once the booth door closes, you've got to be able to hit the mark and perform... it's show business! I hate to be all "zen" about it, but you have to get your head in the game during any quiet time you have. This can be a challenge because nine times out of ten you won't even have a script before walking through the door. It's about getting into performance mode... and not necessarily one that's about performing that particular script... the director will tell you what he wants, and you just have to be ready for all options.

Over the years, I've developed a simple routine and don't fret about it (outwardly). I sometimes go to casting calls in the city where I'm in a waiting area full of nervous people, pacing apprehensively, or standing in a corner running a five-line script endlessly until they don't know their prepositions from their indefinite articles. I usually just check for words that may have tricky pronunciations, a product name that needs clarification, tongue-twisters, or any grammar pot-holes. Get into performance mode... don't get locked into a specific read... the director will direct. When left to our own devices we can over-think... and that's a barrier to performance.
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

[Mike Harrison]

What Bish just said is brilliant. All of it.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

[craigsvoicetalent]

Bish. That raises another question that I think is related. How do I stop myself over analysing copy? As I am new to this and still learning I am spending a lot of time marking up the script at the points I think I need to inflect. I am finding that this allows me to just "say" all of the other stuff which makes it sound more natural. The problem with this - is I start over analysing things. As time goes on I am hoping that I will not have to spend so much time preparing and will just "know" and rely on my natural interpretation. Self direction is harder than I expected!
I have noticed that my first reads usually have a better flow and sound better. This makes me think that over analysing is definitely a bad thing. Is that normal- or is everyone different?
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Reading, talking and listening.

British Voice Over

[Deirdre]

I do a thing I call "the jam".
Explain the copy out loud using your own words. Do it sentence by sentence— you'll see where the inflections go when you are not nailed to someone else's syntax or Ad-speak.
I use this for ads as well as narration, especially the hyper-difficult science stuff. I take the technical phrases and name them A B and C and parse the sentence structure that way.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Bob Bergen]

Hey there, Craig! You ask the million dollar question. I honestly don't have a great answer or quick fix solution.

What I can do is share my journey with the exact same opticals. I remember vividly being in vo workshops, hearing my coaches and teachers direct me to sound natural and conversational. I speak English pretty well, and my hearing is fine. But somewhere between their direction and my reads, it just wasn't clicking. I was marking up the copy with all those dashes and slashes, which made for a very mechanical read, but not natural. I spent two years spinning my wheels.

Thats when I decided to put the vo workshops on hold and concentrated on acting technique. I sat in on every acting class LA had to offer, until I found the teacher and technique that worked for me. I spent the next two years at an acting conservatory. I gained the acting technique I needed that gave me the skills to deliver that natural, believable approach to my craft.

I then went back to the vo workshops to apply what I learned along with the technique of vo. It wasn't an immediate success, as I was still learning all aspects of advertising and mic technique. But it didn't take long. One Saturday morning workshop, at about 9:31am, I "got it!" It was like a lightbulb moment. I cannot define it well in words. But it was a combination of education in acting/vo technique and experience/application.

I then spent another two years in vo classes, applying my new skills while learning from more coaches and experts, who each had their own spin/take on vo. Some were better than others, but I left each class with more than I came in with. During this time I also added several years of improv training.

Now, here's the big difference between my journey and those pursuing today. It wasn't until AFTER all of this that I made that first demo and pursued professional vo. I did not want to put myself out there until I was ready and knew in my heart I was as competitive as others already represented and working. And even then, it took me another 5 years before I was able to quit the survival jobs and work as a full time actor.

People today are putting themselves out there before mastering the craft of acting and vo. It used to be that all of us waited until we were ready to start competing. But it was a different world back then.

Not sure if this helps, but I find that I've been able to gain perspective and grow from those who who share how they got there.

[craigsvoicetalent]

Bob

Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. You are correct and I was one of those who thought I could just hit the ground running and make it up as I go along. That was until Mr Banks put me in my place and kindly offered his knowledge and learning! He has been kind enough to offer some of his time (which I took him up on before he could change his mind!) and I know wish to become his Voiceoverist apprentice!!!
I am now spending more time listening rather than talking - which was originally counter intuitive! I am also working with some other coaches that are more tuned to the acting side of things rather than voice overs. Living in Houston makes it hard to find a convenient acting class that fits with my schedule but I am still looking.
I know within myself that I am waiting for that "Ah-ha" moment. Being the impatient human being that I am I would rather it came sooner than later but I am prepared to wait and work on this wonderful craft as much as I can until it happens.
Thanks again.
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Reading, talking and listening.

British Voice Over

[Rob Ellis]

Lots of good insight here. Just keep in mind that in some ways the journey is unique for each of us, and "arriving" at who you are as a voice actor happens sooner for some and later for others. My particular journey involved radio, public speaking, community theater and workshops and classes over a period of well over a decade. The key is to keep working and try as much as possible to have fun where you are and with what you have (obviously easier said than done sometimes )