For many years in Hollywood there was an invisible, unspoken agreement between studios and performers: one in which actors would live a high-risk, high-reward lifestyle; and in exchange for living an irregular lifestyle with no guarantees, the studios would make living that lifestyle a sustainable one for actors.
Posts tagged #Voice-Over
How my faith in Voice123 was restored… before they made me lose it AGAIN
Several years ago, after finishing a year-long Premium subscription to Voice123, I wrote a blog post discussing my experience, a review expressing what I personally liked and disliked about the site, why I knew pretty early on that it wasn't for me and why I would not be renewing my subscription. I acknowledged however that one day, I may be in a situation where I may need to try it out again. The blog post became incredibly popular and drives a lot of traffic to my site - if you are interested in reading it, you can do so by clicking here: my original Voice123 blog post.
Last year I relocated from a small town in England to Los Angeles to further my voiceover career and to make my voice acting dreams come true. I already had laid a lot of groundwork in the USA, having befriended many voice actors and so on, but I knew that whilst I was building things up here more in America, I wanted to use a pay-to-play website to help keep me busy. After looking into numerous options, I very reluctantly decided to give Voice123 another go… that “one day” had finally come.
Why keep video game voice actors a secret?
I always find it funny when I watch a trailer for an upcoming video game, recognise a voice and yet the voice actor is not allowed to reveal that they are indeed that character. It makes me wonder: why keep video game voice actors a secret?
Voice Acting and Fame
Voice actors are not renowned for being famous. If your goal in life is to be well-known, to be a celebrity, there are a million better ways to accomplish that than by being a voice actor. It truly is a craft and a business where it is wise to do it because you love it.
If you showed 100 people a picture of Homer Simpson and asked them to identify who he is, how many people do you think would correctly identify him? I don't have an answer for this but I think 90 or more people would probably be able to "guess" correctly. That's 9 out of 10 people or greater. I feel this is quite a fair estimate for the main character of one of the most iconic television shows in history. But if you asked 100 people who voices Homer Simpson, how many of them do you think would know this? Well this time, I might have an answer…
My love for TV shows with reused action sequences
I say this absolutely sincerely and without irony: I love TV shows that reuse action sequences.
I imagine that a lot of people, if they heard that a show reuses footage, could easily jump to some conclusion that it is lazy or being cheap or that the show won't be good. However, I feel there are many benefits to doing it.
The Final Step to Mastering an Accent
Though mastering different accents is not a necessary undertaking on the path to becoming a successful voice actor (or any other kind of actor) it is still a cool and fun skill to have. Being able to convincingly and consistently perform another accent will open doors for you and widen the range of opportunities available to you.
Naturally when trying to learn an accent, you must know what that accent truly is and to be able to listen back to yourself objectively to know whether you are doing it justice. There are abilities you'll want to master along the way, such as being able to perform the accent at different volumes and with different emotions. But there is one way I feel that you can know for sure that you can confidently say that you can perform an accent. Ready to hear it?
Why I Think We Love Cartoons So Much
Cartoons are very popular. I mean they are really, really popular. Not a day goes by where some animated show or feature isn’t on the television or even at the cinema. Cartoons have evolved greatly from the days when they were just humble and quirky animated shorts. Now, a cartoon can be just about anything.
There’s hand drawn and computer animated; family and adult; shorts, shows and feature length; serious and comedic; brightly coloured and subtly shaded; realistic and just all out crazy. Even a single studio can produce a plethora of animated delights. Look at Studio Ghibli – they have both animated features that are highly grounded in realism and others that… well… that really are not.
There is such variety that you may find the idea of me trying to suggest that there is a common trait that they all share while simultaneously also being the reason why so many people love animation is utterly mad. To be honest, you’re right. But just hear me out anyway.
5 Ways Cartoons Have Improved
With time, everything changes and cartoons are no exception. The creation of animated shows has transformed vastly over the decades – with artistic, acting and storytelling styles evolving enormously. Though it is debatable as to whether on the whole cartoons are now better, there are things that I don't really see in cartoons anymore that I feel (and I think most people also feel) make them a whole lot better. So here are 5 cartoon improvements:
Why I NEVER want to subscribe to Voice123 again... but still may have to
I have just finished my first (and hopefully last) Premium subscription to Voice123. At the cost of $395, what this generally entailed me to is for the past year I would get auditions from their "Smart Cast" system and would be more likely to get more private auditions than non-paying members. Literally weeks into my subscription however, I had my doubts about whether the site was right for me and soon after that I knew in my heart that after my year was up I would not want to go through it all again. Wondering why? Read on...
5 Ways I Feel Newer The Simpsons Episodes are Better Than Older Ones
The Simpsons is without doubt one of the most popular and well-loved television shows in the world and has been going strong for over 25 years. However, many argue that the show isn't as good as it used to be. I myself do prefer some of the "older" episodes but have found there to be a huge number of terrific episodes after the show supposedly "lost its touch". The show still brings me a lot of joy, great laughs and I love it. I actually think there are ways in which the show has improved with newer episodes. So here are 5 ways I personally feel newer episodes are better than older ones:
Why I think Columbo is a terrific show for actors to watch
I think Columbo is a really terrific show. What I also firmly believe is that the show is a useful resource from which much can be learned, notably by actors. Weird idea, I know, but hear me out as I explain why I feel watching this show is hugely beneficial.
The Evolution of Video Games, Voice Acting, SAG-AFTRA and Fair Wages
I’m weird. I have been a gamer almost all of my life, however the world of modern voice acting in video games is a realm that is actually somewhat new to me despite having been aware of and experiencing voice acting in video games since the late 90s.