Ro' takes the lead in Keepin' the Faith: Momma's Got a Boyfriend, an indie film from Lightyear Entertainment. Serious props to Ro' on this gig; with her work ethic, talent, and personality, I suspect she'll be going from DVD releases like this to the big screen with a quickness.
If you didn't watch the clip, or even if you did, read on. You might know Hicks better by his unintended nickname "Afro Ninja". (I confess that I hadn't seen the astonishingly popular clip until the Current TV piece aired recently.) The great thing about Hicks' audition isn't that it inadvertently led to publicity and an indie film --- though those things certainly aren't bad for him --- it's that after the spectacular face-plant and subsequent crashing stumble, he got up, gave it another shot, and landed the gig. Few could have blamed him if, after the disaster, he'd left the audition while apologizing for wasting everyone's time. Instead, he managed to forget about the mistakes and deliver a performance that earned him the job.
This, naturally, is not to say that every producer or casting director will overlook mistakes of such dangerous magnitude. I'm sure some would have crossed him off the list no matter how superb a second try he turned in. But if he hadn't given it another shot, with all the confidence and skill he could muster, he'd never have known.
Remember this the next time you find yourself going blank or mangling words at an audition. If that guy was able to put that beginning out of his mind and start over, surely you can do the same. Probably without even smacking yourself in the face.
CAST: Philip Banks, Bob Souer, Todd Ellis, Bobbin Beam, David Houston, Peter O'Connell, Bruce Miles, DB Cooper, Donna Postel, Michael Minetree, Mandy Nelson, Dave Courvoisier, Andrew Frame, Jeffrey Kafer, Justin Barrett, Connie Terwilliger, Pam Tierney, and Tony Impieri
Hiring a voiceover pro, in my humble opinion, would have made this presentation an unqualified success.
Like our comics? Check out Brad Meehan and Kurt Ramos at their sites.
P.S. I recorded my parts well before Saturday Night Live's Don Pardo announced his retirement from that show. Consider this a tribute of sorts.
P.P.S. Note to prospective clients: I'm not really that expensive.
On second thought: yes, he does.
Note how he captures the essence of the copy in one solid take. Philip has pointed out that "performance is king" when it comes to VO; this clip displays a regal talent most of us can only aspire to.
Other fine voice talents featured on this clip are Maureen Egan, Philip Banks, Connie Terwiliger, Jeff McNeal, Dylan Guptill, and Mary McKitrick.
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:
The fine folks at SEFA, or SouthEast Film Association, were kind enough to list me as one of their featured Voice Talents, and even whipped up a nifty YouTube video featuring my demos.
If you don't mind staring at my mug for three minutes or so, go check it out...
I recently happened across this instructional video at Digital Juice, aimed at giving video producers some pointers on getting the best possible VO recordings.
It's worth viewing, in that it has lots of good technical tips on basic recording techniques. Unfortunately, the entire theme of the video is summed up at the end: "[Your clients] will probably be pleasantly surprised by your results, and happy not to have to shell out any extra cash for voiceover talent."
To a voiceover artist, the preceding quote evokes this initial reaction: them's fightin' words.
Producers at whom this video is aimed need to realize that hiring professional voice talent is money well spent, and that it will actually save money in the long run. Those producers who are experienced in this arena will tell you that it ends up costing even more money (by way of lost time) when the initial VO is sub-par, because then you're under the gun to complete the project, you've got to find a bona fide VO who just happens to be available immediately, and you end up paying established rates anyway.
Another thing for producers to realize is that it doesn't take a "Hollywood-sized budget" as mentioned by the instructor. There are professional VO artists who will pro-rate their fee after a certain number of pages, and may even offer a kind of "goodwill discount" if asked nicely enough. (This doesn't, however, make it okay to offer $50 for an hour-long narration, as suggested in one of the comments on the page.)
Having said all that, the video does have solid information on noise reduction, the way a voice track fits into different kinds of projects, and --- this is crucial --- finalizing the script. Unfortunately, pieces of advice like "make sure you understand how to read the script" and "don't drink a milkshake before recording your VO" are unnecessary; professional voice artists show up already knowing this information. (Using a pro VO also makes it unnecessary to use "4" in place of "for" in a script --- an actual suggestion from the video.)
Finally, on a geekier note: the caption next to the graphic of the EV RE20 mic lists it as a "condenser", even though it's a dynamic mic. (The Neumann U87, shown previously, is correctly identified.)
Here's an excellent voice-acting resource: a full-length web seminar (or "webinar", if you prefer jargon) with voice actor and producer James Alburger, originally presented by Voice123.com. Here, James discusses 'The Seven Core Elements of Performing', studio stories, and "tricks-of-the-trade".
Another clip of Rodney Saulsberry, this time providing a superb set of vocal warm-ups to get your mouth moving. Some of these tongue-twisters will challenge even the most experienced VO artists.
Vocal Warmups with Rodney Saulsberry (YouTube)
This blog isn't intended solely as a repository of YouTube videos, but I couldn't pass this one up. I'm commemorating the receipt of my autographed Bart Simpson print with this clip of Nancy Cartwright herself. Enjoy.
