Do That Voice!

Voice-talker and tea-biscuit-dispenser extraordinaire Philip Banks is a lovely fellow, really. It's just that the news team putting together this story on Philip were in an incredible hurry, and managed to print a photo that would unnerve even a Bond villain.

At any rate, the piece talks up Philip's appearance at VOICE 2010, coming in June to a massive voiceover conference near you. Congrats on the press, Philip, and I promise I'LL TALK! I'LL TELL YOU WHERE THE MISSILES ARE!!!

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It's a great bit of self-promotion for Jeff, and it underscores the fact that working to market your VO business can pay off. Jeff had issued a press release on his blog about his jump from layoff-world to an audiobook career, and it caught the eye of the show's producers. Here's hoping it leads to more gigs for this talented voice-talker.

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The HearTheBill.org project is getting more and more media attention, including this segment of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC:

I also added this quote to my download page:

"It's immensely gratifying to be part of a project that takes on an important political issue without taking sides or muddying the waters. In fact, it's my hope that this will help cut through much of the misinformation about health care reform legislation. While some have criticized the project for presenting an audio version of a bill that's likely to undergo changes, to my mind that makes it all the more important to allow people greater access to the political process in real-time."
~David Houston

You can hear my contribution here.

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(In a nutshell, for those who may be new to this blog: In 2007, I got a gig to be a voice match for an unavailable Daniel Craig in what was to be a Casino Royale video game from Activision. The recording sessions were suddenly put on hold, after which I sat on ice for months before finally learning that Craig had agreed to voice the part after all. By that time, the game had become a tie-in for the following Bond film, Quantum of Solace.)

The audition itself isn't a perfect voice match, but I'm still happy that it was close enough to get the nod.

(If the Flash player doesn't work, you can download the mp3 here.)

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It's complete! HR3200, also known as the health-care reform bill that's dominated the news of late, has been put into audio form with a little bit of help from yours truly. HearTheBill.org is a project started by voiceover artists Diane Havens and Kat Keesling, and it allows those interested in the debate to hear the entire bill word-for-word --- or even just the parts they're concerned about. It's a non-partisan project, and whatever your feelings are about the proposed legislation, it's a great resource for anyone interested.

You can hear my nine-page contribution here. 

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Ever been told you should be doing voiceovers? Ever told someone they should be doing voiceovers? Here's a brief but must-read article on the reality behind what the next step actually entails.

UPDATE: A fellow voice talent shared her experiences, in a response to this post in another forum. Here are her thoughts:

My reality: $14,000 later with a professional demo and directors, agents and actors telling me I'm competitive and the top student in the working professional classes, agents all told me "I have that niche filled." and "I'm sorry, you're too old to portray children. You can't possibly understand their motivations."

An audiobook startup is happy to use me for character work in exchange for copies of the books and a small mixer board they outgrew. My voice is on another "resume job" display in a museum of coin-op amusements.

I return to working on advancing my day job career with dreams of building a studio of my own to record the antique children's books I've collected.

For everyone who makes it big, how many are working with broken dreams?

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It becomes available every four years. It offers no pay. It's one of the most exclusive and prestigious voiceover gigs in the world.

For 52 years, Charlie Brotman has served as the president's announcer for the inaugural parade. tomorrow --- Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 ---  Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, at which point Charlie will extend his streak to 10 presidents and 14 parades.

He's had the job long enough to be a little fuzzy on the details of landing it, but even Charlie has to "audition" each time the gig comes up:

Brotman isn't sure how he got the announcing gig in the first place, although he believes Eisenhower remembered him as the announcer at Griffith Stadium when the president threw out the first pitch for the old Washington Senators in 1956.

By now, one would think that Brotman's selection for the job every four years would be automatic, but he has to break through layers of bureaucracy to make his pitch anew whenever there's a change in administration. Once he had persuaded Obama's workers that he was for real — "I'm sure they Googled me and asked references and that type of thing," Brotman said — they invited him on board and even started asking him for help with the parade script.

Here's a salute not only to our new Chief Executive, but to the voice of experience that will help usher him in tomorrow.

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David Ciccarelli of Voices.com has published Report on the Voice Over Industry : 2009, a comprehensive look at recent trends in media with an eye toward the upcoming effects --- and opportunities --- for the voiceover industry. It's a free PDF download, and it's highly recommended reading.

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If you're not the blinking type, you may have seen me on the most recent episode ("A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall") of Friday Night Lights:

Behind-the-scenes pics here.

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• He firmly and gleefully believes that I should enter a Larry Hagman look-alike contest as soon as possible.
• He works very quickly. (Well, we were trying not to lose daylight.)

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I've had a few opportunities in the last year or so to work as an extra on the TV series Friday Night Lights, as much of it shoots here in the Austin area. Couldn't fit it into my schedule on most days, but last Wednesday I decided to get in on the action.

I'd hoped to work as a Coach, but the only slots left for my type and age were for Parents. I showed up at the ersatz home of the Dillon Panthers, ready to shoot a scene where parents rally for their "sons" as they're bused off to an away game.

We waited as Panther cheerleaders engaged in the shoe-polish ritual:

It was cloudy most of that morning, until around 11 or so when the sun decided to remind us that it might be October, but central Texas doesn't really see Fall until at least November. Between takes and multiple camera setups, I tried to shield my face from the solar onslaught --- I'd left the sunscreen at home. By the time we were done waving and cheering (mostly in pantomime), I knew without even looking in a mirror that my mug was going to be lobster-red.

Just before the final command of "check the gate" from the 1st AD, things changed a bit:

Nice timing, cloud cover. Sure, maybe you looked threatening, but you didn't even produce any rain to cool us off.

On an up note, Kyle Chandler ("Coach Taylor") was kind enough to say hi as he hurried to wardrobe. Reports of his being an exceptionally nice guy are confirmed.

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...to hear about Peter O'Connell's new gig as the voice of Uncle Sam for Tops Friendly Markets. Kudos are in order for this first-class voice talent and audio producer. Well done!

Press Release

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Looks like I'm out. Daniel Craig has apparently agreed to voice Bond in the new game.

I don't blame the producers one bit for securing Craig as he became available. The original audition was for voice matches for Craig and other principals, and the fact that they looked for non-union actors like myself probably means the stars were too pricy; considering that Activision also now has Judi Dench on board, money doesn't appear to be an issue for them any longer.

I'd be less than honest if I said I wasn't disappointed, but I understand how these things work. Life goes on.

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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 

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9:30 call time. As has been the case on pretty much every film shoot I've been on, this meant finally getting into wardrobe around 10:45. Hurry up and wait, background peons!

The clouds had already broken, sending plenty of sunshine and humidity down on everyone and everything. Okay, please put on these head-to-toe black polyester costumes.

"This is Papa Bear. Put out an APB for a male suspect, driving a... car of some sort, heading in the direction of, uh, you know, that place that sells chili. Suspect is hatless. Repeat, hatless." Thus spake Police Chief Clancy Wiggum.

Fellow beat cop Ro Black. Smart, opinionated and funny. You saw her here first.

Chief of Internal Medicine or the Baddest Police Chief Ever? The name tag reports, you decide.

Lots of takes in the not-so-well-air-conditioned church, followed by lots more takes in the less-well-air-conditioned outdoors. Heather Graham was nice to everyone, but seemed not to be feeling well and wasn't necessarily approachable. A cardinal rule of background work is that you don't pester stars while on set, although this rule is often bent.

Ended the day on a good note. Jennifer Coolidge --- aka "Stifler's Mom" in American Pie --- was gregarious and friendly even when she didn't have to be, and after a ten-hour shoot in the aforementioned soupy heat at that. Earlier, after a "CUT" while shooting the processional scene, she playfully chided the director: "Why don't I get to have a husband? Maybe I'll marry this cop", pointing to me. I held up my ringed finger and lamented "Well, I'm kind of taken already." (A nearby co-star didn't miss a beat in replying "You'd be perfect for her, then.")

No, I didn't run off with her, but she was kind enough to pose for a pic.

We shoot again this Sunday. The fake Police Station will, one hopes, have better climate control. Watch for the update.

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