Sirenetta Leoni Inside Voiceover—Information + Insights On Voice Acting

If you've ever been replaced on a voiceover project (and that happens to almost all of us who voice act at some point), this news might be of some small consolation to you.

We all know how terrific Emmy-, Golden Globe and New York Film Critic's award-winning actor, Peter Dinklage, can be, so it's hard to figure out what might have gone wrong here, but fans have been moaning about his flat, "phoned-in" delivery since the "Destiny" game trailers were first released. You can listen to the original recorded VO, and judge for yourself whether Bungie games made the right decision. 

Our guess is that the less than stellar performance was probably due to a combination of factors; an actor unfamiliar with the process and requirements of recording game voiceover coupled with some "star struck" directors/producers who may have been shy about offfering "Tyrion Lannister" acting advice.

Good, solid advice on the best way for voice actors to get cast in video games: work on developing great acting chops! To that we'd add, be extremely versatile, proficient at doing accents and have a ready-to-go arsenal of various character types to draw upon.

We also appreciate that the article mentions the sizeable output of work that is expected from an actor daily and the fact that is ZERO time to prepare ahead. You are expected to show up and be ready to start immediately.

Be aware, however, that the title of the article is misleading. They don't actually provide "5 Reasons," for anything, but we get why they gave it that title. If they actually called it what it should be titled-- "Why You Need To Have Great Acting Skills & Discipline To Work on Video Games"---fewer people would read it, because it's less catchy and sounds really difficult. If you're not already an accomplished actor, but are determined to work in games, it's certainly doable, but not easy. Be prepared to work long and hard to develop the necessary skill set.

Free ProTools? Thee must be a catch, right? Some add-ons will cost extra, but from the looks of it, this free version will come already equipped with all he tools voice actors need to record , edit and master basic audio files. If you want to view a head-to-head comparison with the full version of ProTools: http://www.avid.com/US/products/pro-tools-software-comparison-table.

The only concern we have is regarding file storage. The comparison chart states,"Three; projects stored in the cloud; additional projects may be purchased from the Avid Store in the near future;" however the accompanying article would seem to imply that you'll be able to export the files to your local computer once you've finished mixing: "Pro Tools | First only saves projects to the cloud in your Avid Master Account and three are included free...You can also complete a project and export the final stereo mix and then delete that project to give you back the space needed to start a new project."

If completed projects can be saved locally, we don't foresee any problems for voice actors. However, if there is a cost associated with exporting files, as they've already announced there will be for additional cloud storage, then we'll have to see what the costs are before determing whether it's worth making the switch to ProTools | First.. 

If you want to be notified as soon as it becomes availble for download, you can sign up at: http://connect.avid.com/ProToolsFirst-Register.html

[Many thanks to Denver-based, voice actor, Toby Sheets, for posting the link first.]

Sprechen sie Deutsche? If so you might want to consider moving to Germany where voice actors are treated like rock stars!

In this Canadian Broadcasting Company podcast, reporter Tomas Urbina explores the reasons why Germans can't get enough of audiobooks. Last year Germans bought a record 14 million audiobooks and that number is expected to explode next year when the tax on audiobooks is cut in half. The most popular book narrators have legions of rabid fans who turn out by the thousands to hear them perform! (Podcast audio controls are under first image on the right.)

Make sure to view the slideshow to see what an audience of 20,000 people in an auditorium listening with rapt attention to a bunch of voice actors looks like. Pretty impressive.

Well, this puts a whole new spin on "Voice-of-God" delivery doesn't it? An interesting, creative and adorable choice, Mr. Scott, however we still doubt that Morgan Freeman is losing sleep over the prospect of being replaced by 11-year-old boys. 

By the way, we also noticed in the trailer that Christian Bale still seems to be using his gravelly, "downed a quart of Jack" Batman voice. Uh...Dude, you're playing Moses, not the Caped Crusader!

In case you've forgotten what Christain Bale really sounds like, it's nothing like Batman or Moses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FN91RaSN2I 

Actor/writer Catherine Balavage doesn't mince words, which is exactly what we like about her on-point advice to fellow actors.

If your mistakes are marketing yourself wrong or not continuously working on your skills, the good news is that both of these can be remedied quickly, as long as you're willing to put in the time and effort.

Fixing the other mistakes she mentions is not quite as easy. Overcoming these problems requires. introspection, self-awareness and maturity, but it can be done. We've repeatedly witnessed once-arrogant, full-of-themselves actors becoming far more considerate, appreciative and humble over time. How does such a miraculous transformation occur? It's called living the life of a professional actor; experiencing rejection on a daily basis year after year tends to bring even the most hyper-inflated egos back down to earth .

Incidentally, if you should gain a reputation for being a jerk, word gets around quickly because the film, theater and TV industries are "tiny" as Catherine rightly observes. Consider then that the pro-level voiceover world is even smaller, especially after so many East Coast and West Coast talent agencies merged. If you're impossible to work with in New York, don't think that the agent you're trying to sign with in LA won't find out about it. 

Lastly, make sure you understand and internalize the fact that no one, but no one, is "entitled" to an acting career. As Daryl Eisenberg, the casting director interviewed in the article reminds aspiring actors, "You are not special. You do not deserve to be a super-successful world famous actor. The world does not owe you anything. A sense of entitlement is not going to do you any favours."

If you doubt Mr. Eisenberg, watch any "where are they now?" type reality show and you'll discover that 99 times out of 100, the fastest, surest path to becoming a has-been is the failure to recognize that there is a huge element of chance involved in your success. Not everyone is as lucky as David Caruso who got a second chance with "CSI:Miami," after badly blowing his first one, and to his great credit, made the most of it; proof positive that actors can indeed learn from their past mistakes. 

Fun post that reveals which celebrities are behind some of the familiar voices you hear on various Disneyland attractions.

Still, there is still no one who can touch the late, legendary Paul Frees, who used to be the voice of most of the Disneyland attractions. Even if you don't know the name, the voice is unmistakable:. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6bKOrt5WX0. 

We'd also be remiss if we didn't note that even today there is a group of exceptionally talented non-celebrity voice actors who actually provide most of the voices for the Disney theme parks, such as Dee Bradley Baker, B.J. Ward and Corey Burton.

If you'd like to find out more about these professional voice actors, including who does what and how they got the gigs, you can watch the  "Voices of the Parks" presentation from Disney's D23 Expo 2011: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7XbceE2LTY .

UK-based voice actor, Richard Heathcote, posted this tantalizing piece of news today...Microsoft has just announced a product, Skype TX, that would allow clients to record broadcast audio and video remotely via the Internet.

Yes, there are already several other companies which have been  working on similar products with varying degress of success, and while some have gotten much closer recently, none has succeeded in equalling the quality of ISDN.

Will Microsoft's deep pockets, massive marketing arm and well-known "Skype" brand succeed in delivering a real, moderately-priced ISDN-replacement that professional broadcasters and studios will actually accept and use? And if recording broadcast-quality audio remotely becomes univerally available and affordable to most voice actors, how will that change the competitive landscape? It could definitely get interesting. Stay tuned. 

Funny, honest and inspiring all at the same time, Robert De Niro schools graduating Tisch school students on the harsh realities of choosing a career in the arts, while at the same time providing them with some reassurance that they made the right choice if they believe in their gut that the arts are truly their calling. (We don't know how reassuring it was for parents , however, who dropped serious coin to send their kids to Tisch where tuition is $50,000/year.) 

There is a lot of practical advice for actors, including a valuable insight that the arts are collaborative, and you're part of a team of people assigned to accomplishing specific tasks in service of fulfillng a director's artistic vision; it's your job as a professional actor ito do your utmost to help the director fulfill his or her vision, even when your concept of how your character should be played is at odds with theirs. He makes the important point that this is no less true for artists of his caliber and experience, than for those just starting out. Well worth your watch.

We are  so sorry to hear the sad news of Gary Owen's passing. A true original, Mr. Owens was an exceptionally gifted voice actor, writer and class act. His instantly recognizable baritone and delivery were often imitated, but never duplicated. He was truly one of a kind. We cup our hand over our ear in tribute to the irreplaceable Mr. O.

(Thanks to friend of InsideVO, Thom Pinto, for posting first.)

Much, much too soon...Our heartfelt condolences to Christine's family, friends and those of you who worked with her or knew her personally. Though this talented voice actor had retired some years ago, her memorable characters and touching performances, including "Babe the Pig,' and the original  "Chuckie Finster" in "RugRats," will live on forever. May you rest in peace, Christine.

Wonderful, fresh, inventive, unexpected. This new Pixar film reminds us of why we fell in love with Pixar in the first place. The voice acting, as always, is top notch. (Seriously...could it get any better than casting Lewis Black as "Anger"?)

By the way, the main charater, a pre-teen named Riley is the FIRST young female human Disney lead character who is not a princess. With the immensely talented Pete Docter at the helm, director of "Toy Story," "Wall-E," and "Up," who respects the intelligence of his audience and refuses to "dumb it down," we're really looking forward to this one! 

The announced voice cast  includes Amy Poehler, Mindy Kailing, Lewis Black, Bill Hader and Phyllis Smith playing Riley's emotions and Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan as Riley's parents, 

If you need a kick in the rear to get started auditioning for audiobooks, take inspiration from the story of how R.C. Bray went from doing over-amped, hard-sell car ads for a local car dealer to narrating audiobooks for a living.

R.C. still can't believe his good fortune. He gets to do work he loves on his own terms:  "I get to work from home. I get to bring my kids to school, get them off the bus. I’m here for dinner. I’m here during the day if the kids are sick. I can work as much as I want during the day or as little as I want. So long as I make the deadline, it’s freedom and fun. And I’m exactly where I want to be. I’m so fulfilled with this it’s not even funny.”

We'd be remiss if we didn't point out that R.C. was already a trained actor before he started auditioning for audiobooks, and by "trained," we don't mean an occasional voiceover workshop here and there. Becoming a trained actor is a process that you need to experience, learn and grow from and unfortunately for those of you looking for shortcuts, that process takes years. 

Don't believe us? It's no coincidence that almost all the top audiobook readers are trained actors. You can bet that anyone who tries to convince you otherwise, probably has a ve$ted interest in doing so. 

The great Mr. Freeman on helium, sounding like the Mayor of Munchkinland, all in the name of science.

Word of caution: don't try this at home, kids! In case your mother didn't warn you, inhaling helium is supposed to  do something bad to your brain cells, but we can't remember what exactly, because we inhaled too much helium.