My articles on getting started in VO contain information on how to get out of the starting gate, but what does a voiceover artist do to stay in the race? Actor and VO talent Wendy Braun lists Ten Ways to Sustain a Voiceover Career in the latest digital issue of Backstage.
A look at Wendy's extensive VO credits means she knows what she's talking about, making this list recommended reading.
My article on Getting Started in Voiceovers is featured today on Helium's home page. A hat-tip from me to the Helium team.
Also featured are excellent VO articles by Natalie Nicole Gilbert and Doc Phillips. Give those a look while you're there, and take a look at the larger Helium community; it's a terrific resource for articles on just about any topic imaginable.
UPDATE (7/11/08): I received a message from a Helium user after yesterday's front-page showing:
I read your article on voiceovers (congrats on making the front page of Helium) - you have an excellent writing style, phenomenal understanding of words and their use in the English language, and easily share your knowledge without sounding pompous. Thank you for bringing your talent to Helium.
C.M.Erickson
Coffee sub-channel steward
C.M. didn't leave an e-mail address, so I hope it's okay if I offer humble thanks here for those kind words.
Turns out I have more in common with Daniel Craig than just a similar vocal quality:
Daniel Craig Injured While Filming Bond
The report states that Craig "sliced the tip off of one of his fingers during the shooting of an action scene". As it happens, years ago I sliced the tip off of one of my fingers during the shaving of an action figure.
"Huh?" You're no doubt asking. Long story short: Once upon a time, customizing action figures was a hobby of mine. An attempt to slice away some excess plastic from one such superhero resulted an errant slip with an Exacto knife. (If you've never had the pleasure, I can guarantee you that a brand-new Exacto blade is sufficiently sharp as to cut flesh without any pain --- at least for a few seconds, after which the pain pretty much leaves no doubt you've been cut. I do not recommend the experience.)
An ER doc managed to sew the disc-shaped piece of skin back where it belonged, but it would literally be one year before the nerves healed completely.
I'm sure you'll agree that all this is further proof as to why I'm a perfect substitute for Daniel Craig.
/sarcasm off
The main site has a new look and feel.
It may yet get a few tweaks here and there, but I think it works. It was time for a change.
...and for his family, too.
Per their new deal with FOX, the lead actors on The Simpsons (Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith and Hank Azaria) will be paid nearly $400,000 per episode.
I haven't (and probably won't) check out the inevitable internet comments decrying them as overpaid, but I imagine they'll probably go something like this:
"Voice acting is just talking into a mic! Besides, my brother's friend's cousin can do all the Simpsons voices perfectly and would be thrilled to do it for the low low fee of (A) a daily bag of Cheetos and (B) Jessica Alba's phone number."
Okay, I have to admit, I might do it just for the last item.
Activision today officially confirmed the videogame adaptation of the upcoming James Bond film "Quantum of Solace", and launched a teaser website to promote the title.
[The website] gives fans access to some early concept artwork from the locations featured in the game, as well as the opportunity to sign-up to the community to vote on polls and ask the development team questions. This site will serve as the hub of activity for the game and will be updated on a regular basis.
Development studios are confirmed as Eurocom, Treyarch, Beenox and Vicarious Visions. The game will be released this Fall. Treyarch are understood to be heading up development on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, with Beenox producing the Nintendo Wii version, and Vicarious Visions working on the hand-held platforms. Eurocom are understood to be developing the PC version.
Speaking about Activision's direction with the 007 licence, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said "Bond is one of the great videogame franchises of all time and that really was a result of GoldenEye 64. I think the key to re-energising the Bond franchise is going to be ultimately the highest possible game quality."
Last November, Activision confirmed a second 007 title was also under development.
How do I know? Because we're now fodder for The Onion:
Gotta love that our fictional VO guy's name ("David Cavanaugh") is the name of a minor character on the series. (Very minor, actually, since he only appears in a deleted scene.)
It's a funny read in any case, but sometimes satire isn't really satire:
"It's a daunting task, especially since you can't rely on such actorly tricks as facial expressions and body language," Cavanaugh said. "All I have is my finely tuned instrument and its subtle tones of honesty and vulnerability that envelope the viewers and make them feel safe and informed."
It's 100% true, even if he's putting it in flowery terms...
For what it's worth, the real "Previously on Lost" VO guy is Andy Geller.
This little ol' DTV blog gets a feather in its cap from Voices.com; it's listed as one of their 100+ Industry Resources for Voice Over Talent, the latest in their series of VO talent tools.
Thanks to Stephanie and co. for seeing fit to include me; if you agree that DTV has been a valuable resource, I hope you'll pass along my link and subscription information to anyone interested in voiceover.
Looks like I bet on the right horse, at least in one race; congrats to Jeffrey Kafer for his win in the Best New Voice category.
Jeff won, and deservedly so, but I get to keep the nifty new graphic (thanks, Stephanie!) on my web page:
Here's a complete list of all the winners. Kudos all!
Best Child Voice: Brandi Munro
Best Teen Voice: Jesse Springer
Best New Voice: Jeffrey Kafer
Best Male Voice: J.J. Wilson
Best Female Voice: Debbie Munro
Best Foreign Voice: Lili Wexu
Best Voice Team: Adam Fox and Kara Edwards
Best Personal Branding: David J. Lawrence
Life Time Achievement: Pat Fraley
To hear the awards presentation, go to the VOX Talk page. Bow tie optional.
The Voicey Awards finalists have been announced, and big beet-red thanks is due to whomever saw fit to toss my name into the Best New Voice hat.
On the aforementioned list is my friend Jeffrey Kafer, a voice talent who embodies the "fresh and upbeat" sound like few others in the biz. A deserving candidate and a good guy. (Just don't tell him you heard that from me... ;) )
Be sure to subscribe to the VOX Talk podcast to listen to the awards show; it'll be published on February 21, 2008.
MI6 reports that the new Bond game will be based on the same graphics engine used in Call of Duty 4.
What this will mean for me is...actually, I haven't the first clue. I do know that the COD series has some of the most incredible-looking games I've ever seen, and it looks more and more like Bond 22 (VG) will fall into the same category.
There's a spot running on local radio here in Austin, with the VO delivering the business' address on Burnet Road (one of Austin's oldest and busiest thoroughfares). The only problem? He pronounces it "bur-NET" instead of using the first-syllable emphasis commonly known to Austinites. Clearly, our intrepid announcer has the misfortune not to live in our fine city. It doesn't happen often, and I'm surprised that the client, a local business, didn't catch it straight away and order a re-take.
In Texas, it's not just our capital's street names that are stepped on by non-native tongues; glance at a map of the Lone Star state and you'll fall into one of our traps in seconds. The "x" is silent in Bexar, and Manchaca, despite appearances, is a two-syllable name, not three.
Relax, pardner. The fine folks at TexasTripper.com have created an audio guide to Texas' most notoriously mangled monikers. The next time you find yourself reading copy and are unsure of names like Boerne, Elgin, or Gruene, just click Play on the audio sample. Genuine central Texas accent thrown in at no extra charge! Y'all take care, now.
The folks at MovieMaker Magazine have named Austin, TX as the #1 city both for making movies and residing in, if you're in the film industry. (It's not half bad even if you're not in the entertainment biz, either.) MMM hasn't quite updated their online edition yet, so here's a link to the story.
Austin's status as a TV & film hotbed has been a not-so-well-kept secret for years, but it's nice to have a measure of "official" recognition.
Since my last post on the subject, I've done a good job of refraining from any reporting on the status of the WGA strike. This seemed a wise move, given that my optimism at the time proved a mistake. Still, those with their finger on the pulse --- or at least those who talk to people who also talk to those who are close to others with their finger on the pulse --- are reporting positive things from the current informal talks between the WGA (the writers) and the AMPTP (referred to as "producers" in most media reports, although in reality they're the CEOs and moguls of the major studios).
Even if this should prove to be another false alarm, I maintain that the mere fact of informal talks taking place at all is a positive step, given that just a couple of weeks prior, neither side seemed interested in talking. Cautious optimism from here on out.
Another pun? Mea culpa. Sometimes I just can't help myself. If we're still friends, though, let me tell you what's up:
In an earlier post, I mentioned the mobile-exclusive animated series The Hyrde. The first episode is now available for public consumption, no phone required. I confess to being a fan of the series, and happily admit my bias for its voice cast: DB Cooper brings the sassy to the role of Ghoul Gal, while Philip Banks is perfectly cast as the group's wizened leader, Inspector Spectre. Show creator Robert Feldman rounds out the cast.
Check out Episide One for yourself:
Another pun? Mea culpa. Sometimes I just can't help myself. If we're still friends, though, let me tell you what's up:
In an earlier post, I mentioned the mobile-exclusive animated series The Hyrde. The first episode is now available for public consumption, no phone required. I confess to being a fan of the series, and happily admit my bias for its voice cast: DB Cooper brings the sassy to the role of Ghoul Gal, while Philip Banks is perfectly cast as the group's wizened leader, Inspector Spectre. Show creator Robert Feldman rounds out the cast.
Check out Episide One for yourself:
Many thanks are due to John Florian and the gang at VoiceOverXtra for a terrific write-up on the NBC Voice-Off contest.
While you're there, have a look at the Home Studio section, and check out the wealth of other excellent VO articles.
Wii Wii Wii.
Okay. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me after that, take a look at the latest news in the 007 videogame saga:
Beenox Confirms Nintendo Wii Version
...if only because of the twist on said conventional wisdom found in another article on the same study:
"We found that men with deep voices have more children than their high-pitched counterparts," Apicella told AFP.
"But those children were not necessarily healthier, so it doesn't seem like deep-voiced men are passing on good genes to their offspring, as has been hypothesized in the past, but probably has to do with them having greater access to women."
I'd be more worried about the implications of this question, except that I'm still struggling to figure out just what the heck the French babies pictured on the second article have to do with the Tanzanian men & women of the study...
...you'll have an easier time going here and voting for your pal David Houston --- that'd be me --- to win the Unofficial NBC News Announcer contest. The cool thing is, you get to pick two other voices (so as not to feel guilty if you think my entry sucks.)
You have all year to call in the favor I'll owe ya, but voting ends soon. Snap to it! (Please.)
Before I got into doing VO full-time, I spent many years as a guitarist and vocalist in rock bands. Of the many musician's jokes I've heard beat to death over the years, one sticks out:
How many guitarists does it take to screw in a light bulb? 12. One to screw in the bulb, and eleven to stand around arguing that they could have done it better.
The irony is, sometimes at least one of them is right. This was the reaction among tons of VO artists upon hearing film star Michael Douglas' questionable work as the new voice of NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Voiceover artist Peter O'Connell has taken the collective groans of the VO community and set up an absolutely unofficial audition for the job. Judging by the stellar quality of the entries, I'd say NBC would do well to make the auditions official. Head over to Peter's blog and judge for yourself.
In the meantime, here's my humble effort. (MP3)
Nothing is certain, of course, but there are reports that talks between the WGA and the producers have quietly resumed; and even if there aren't any major breakthroughs at the moment...at least both sides are talking without rancor. Here's hoping this is the start of a deal both sides can live with.
Looks like the news is out elsewhere, so it might as well be out here as well:
MI6 News: David Houston to provide voice for James Bond in new videogame
According to several sources, voice-over actor David Houston will be providing the voice of James Bond in the upcoming 007 videogame from Activison. MI6 understands that Daniel Craig will be providing his likeness to the digital 007. [More...]
Vox Daily has also published the news.
Seems there's some negative reaction among die-hard Bond fans at the MI6 forums. If I recall correctly, however, several fervent 007 fans were also dead certain that Daniel Craig was a terrible choice...before Casino Royale was released. He's now quite the fan favorite.
At any rate, I'm simply hoping the rest of the production comes off without a hitch --- according to the studio, the Bond 22 film won't be affected by the WGA strike as I indicated previously --- so that fans can judge the final product. Still very excited about the gig, and looking forward to the sessions.
Looks like a Writer's Guild strike is imminent, with the most recent reports indicating only the slightest chance of last-minute talks to avert a crippling walkout.
At first glance, the driving force behind this might simply appear to be a demand for wage increases. In fact, it's as much about the changing nature of entertainment delivery (DVD, streaming media, etc.) as it is about dollars and cents. From today's AdAge:
In the early '80s, the Hollywood's writers made what has become to be regarded as the worst deal since Manhattan was sold for some wampum and blankets: When the writers originally signed their pact with producers about how they would be compensated for work viewed on home video, they agreed that 80% of the revenue would immediately be kept aside for the studios, leaving only 20% of the revenue available for royalties. The upshot? While a film or TV show might sell for $19.99 on home video, a writer will typically receive less than a nickel from that sale.
"Welcome to class warfare," deadpanned Jonathan Handel, an entertainment lawyer at Troy & Gould who specializes in internet law, and who formerly was associate counsel to the WGA from 1994-1995. "The home-video agreement doesn't even make sense for home video anymore, let alone the internet."
Mr. Handel explained that the 80/20 split of home-video spoils might have been tenable in 1982, when video cassettes were a costly media to produce and often subsidized by studios seeking to create a new revenue stream. But the cost of manufacturing a DVD is now pegged at 25 cents; digital distribution is, he argued, even cheaper, because there is no physical media to produce at all. [I'm reminded of the 80s, when the music industry charged more for the "brand-new" CD format, even though production costs had plummeted fairly quickly after the format became a hit. --- DH]Moreover, the studios are making more than they ever had before: Last year, all-media revenue from filmed entertainment -- money from home video, TV, theatrical release and pay TV -- grew 8% to a record $42.6 billion.
This is 100% speculation on my part, but there's a slight possibility that a writers' strike could push back the previously-mentioned videogame project I'm booked for. The game ties in with a movie release lated for 2008, but that film has (reportedly) already been delayed by script rewrites. I'll just keep my fingers crossed and continue to work as much as possible in the meantime.
UPDATE: Well, per some information in the link (provided in the comments by my good friend Mary), it looks like my speculation was probably correct. The strike is hitting home, even here in Texas...
If you've read any of this blog in the past, you'll know that I'm usually skeptical of things given away for free; in terms of value, one usually gets what one pays for. With that in mind, I'm pleased to be able to report a happy exception to that rule. (Many thanks to fellow VO artist Joe Rodriguez for finding this one first.)
Intuit, the makers of Quickbooks (you may have heard the name; it's the market leader in small business accounting software) has made their QuickBooks Simplestart 2008 accounting software available for free. While you'd be right in thinking that this package isn't as fully-featured as the paid editions, it's not a time-limited demo or a stripped-bare version either; it's a completely functional program that allows you to create professional-looking invoices and sales receipts, track customer and vendor contacts, and further organize your business expenses. I've started using it myself the past few days, and I'm glad to say it makes this aspect of the business less of a chore.
Oh, and while I wouldn't be opposed to the idea, I assure you that this isn't a paid endorsement. It's rare that "free" and "worthwhile" go together, so I'm more than happy to let everyone know when it does.
Over at Vox Daily, the question was asked: What Attracted You To Radio? While not all voiceover artists necessarily have a background as on-air talent, it's no surprise that many of us do. My response at the site:
I'd grown up as a fan of radio itself, not just the music it played. I've always been one of those who liked to look inside and take things apart to see how they worked, and like a lot of radio listeners, I figured "I can do that!" Imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out I actually could.
No doubt like many others here, radio proved not to be a gateway to vast riches. Still, I made a bit more than your average mic jockey (at least in the small market where I worked) once I learned I could write ad copy and produce spots.
Being an independent VO artist is easily the most satisfying and fun job I've ever had, but my radio days rank a close second.
Over at the VO-BB, member Adam Bullock posted a list of interview questions for the more experienced VO talents there. Here are my answers, some serious, some not so much...
1) How did you decide to get into this field of work?
Hawaiian Shirt Day at the office is just not as much fun as TV and the movies make it seem.
2) What’s a typical work day like?
Sometimes a typical work day likes to drag on, sometimes it likes to zip along. Sometimes it does both.
3) What do you like about the job?
The fact that I got hired for it. Credit to a smart boss. (For once in his life, anyway.)
4) What’s the worst part of this job?
Post-production on long narrations.
5) What’s the best part of this job?
The fact that the worst part (see above) still beats the best part of answering phones in a cubicle.
6) What kind of people survive and do well in this field?
To paraphrase PB (Philip Banks): those who take their work seriously, while taking themselves much less so.
7) What kind of training/education do you recommend as the best way to prepare for this career?
Let's see... go to college embarking on a Music Education degree, drop out, work in radio for a while, do some community theatre in the meantime, work in the medical field for a while, pursue a fledgling music career in the meantime, work in tech support for a while, then slap yourself across the face and do what you love.
8 ) What skill and background are needed?
The ability to spell one's name correctly, so that one can insist clients do the same on the paycheck.
9) Do you think this field is expanding, taking any new directions?
See DB Cooper's new animated series The Hyrde, coming soon to a mobile device near you. Hint, hint.
Ask any civil engineer: the more roads you build, the more the traffic increases to fill up the lanes. Wherever your voice can sell an idea, that's where you go.
10) What are the perks of this biz?
Yes.
11) Is there anything else I need to know?
Yes. "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." - Groucho Marx
Here's an opportunity to get paid for your scribbling; simply click the link below, set up your account, and start publishing your best work.
"There is hardly anything in the world that someone can’t make a little worse and sell a little cheaper - and people who consider price alone are this man’s lawful prey."
As true now as ever.
My previous post, and its topic, reminded me of another online article I'd read recently. Talk It Up! is a busy, well-written blog helmed by Heidi Miller, a professional speaker who gives in-booth presentations at trade shows for clients all over the world. In the post in question, Heidi (
