Voicebank.net’s VoiceRegistry Blog

Internet Radio….A New Opportunity To Get Your Voice Out There

A few days ago I was part of an internet radio play, Prelude To Revolution, in honor of The 4th of July holiday (written by Michael Lawshe and Keri Dearborn). Voices from all walks of life were there. Some with acting backgrounds, some with audio engineering backgrounds and others just there for the experience. It was aired live over TalkShoe and Eclipse-1 New Media. (“TalkShoe is a service that enables anyone to easily create, join, or listen to Live Interactive Discussions, Conversations, Podcasts
and Audioblogs.”)

It was amazing to see (and hear) all these voices (many meeting for the first time) come together without a rehearsal. It’s very different from the BBC Radio and LA Theatre Works radio plays I’ve been involved in. This was much more casual, all because it’s distributed from a living room, over the internet.

Watching Michael Lawshe, create his recording magic in his living room, when he normally works in the sophisticated audio environments at Warner Bros. as a Sound Supervisor, speaks volumes about the effect of technology and the internet. We can now create and distribute from anywhere with very little financial investment.

Still the question is, what does this mean for the voice actor? One thing, it’s a great opportunity to cut your teeth as a new voice talent. There isn’t the money in doing a regular voice over gig, but getting the experience and just getting up and doing it, can help your career in the long run. And who knows? You may meet a studio Sound Supervisor or two along the way.

Check out my upcoming Voice Registry interview with Prelude to Revolution’s Director/Producer, Michael Lawshe and Tech Advisor, Doug Welch.

-Tracy Pattin

Anime Expo Starts Tomorrow in Los Angeles

This is a summer of voice over conferences. The Anime Expo starts tomorrow, July 3rd. There will be lots of classes for voice actors. This is where the voice over marketing comes in.

-Tracy Pattin

Check out the rest of this article on the Active Anime site:

“Bang Zoom! Entertainment, a leading full-service audio post production company and producer of original entertainment content, has invited the thousands of fans and attendees, as well as press and industry, to attend a series of special workshops for aspiring voice actors taking place at the Anime Expo® 2008. Anime Expo is the nation’s largest anime and manga convention and takes place July 3-6, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA. Bang Zoom will also have copies for sale of its new DVD release, ADVENTURES IN VOICE ACTING- Volume One, at its booth located in the Main Exhibit Hall Booth #811. More information about 2008 Anime Expo is available at www.anime-expo.org.”

Voice Registry Podcast- Tracy Pattin Talks To Corporate Exec Turned Voice Actor, Margaret Lorenz

Margaret Lorenz is a professional voice-over actor doing work in TV and radio commercials, industrials, animation, and documentaries. Some of her many clients include Apple, Macy’s, The Gap and Yahoo. Margaret is an avid snow skier (the steeper the better) and she loves traveling.

right+click here to download podcast (9.9 MB)

The Hand Written Note…A Winning Marketing Strategy (Margaret Lorenz’s Steve Jobs Story)

Relatively new voice actor, Margaret Lorenz, went from cushy corporate America to the uncertain life of voice over. But, she brought with her a sales and marketing background that has proved to be a key part of her rapid success (she got an agent and a slew of jobs right out of the VO gate).

You’ll hear her give her strategies in Voice Registry’s podcast tomorrow (July 1st) that gets her the jobs and the contacts leading to a connection with Steve Jobs and her Apple Computer voice over gigs.

Check it out tomorrow.

-Tracy Pattin

Change Is In The Air Everywhere

Voice actor/veteran blogger, Bob Souer writes about change in today’s post. That got me thinking about how pervasive change is becoming.

From the Barack Obama campaign for change, to the incredibly fast changing world of entertainment, advertising and business in general thanks to the internet and technology, this is a very exciting time. We as voice actors must change along with the change. At the New Media Interchange meeting in LA the other evening, Doug Welch was talking about this quickly emerging crossroads of traditional media and New Media. He says when the advertisers start making big profits through the internet with shows (podcasts: audio and video) there will likely be lots of cash thrown into New Media. We as voice actors are part of this. Change IS in the air everywhere and we’ve got breathe it all in!

As the saying goes, “Success is when opportunity meets preparedness.”

-Tracy Pattin

“Star-ization” and Animation VO

I keep finding articles about celebrities swallowing up voice over roles in animation features. Some say if the brand (like Pixar or Dreamworks) is good, audiences don’t seem to really care about who voices the characters. So, if it is more about the brand perhaps it’s time to hire regular (and very talented) voice actors. When The Lion King came out, there was no focus on who the voices were. Of course the celebs can be great for marketing. With Kung Fu Panda, celebrity was everything. So who knows? Maybe there’s room for all of us.

-Tracy Pattin

Check out John Anderson’s article in the Washington Post titled “High-budget animated films garner top celebrity voices.”

Here’s a teaser from his article:

“When ‘The Lion King’ came out, there was no big deal made about who was in an animated movie,” says Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media by Numbers, which tracks box-office figures for the industry. “But you see now with ‘Kung Fu Panda’ – it’s all about star power and Jack Black.

Yet they’re not necessarily wowing the critics. It’s curious how many reviewers of “Kung Fu Panda” went out of their way to trash the vocals – by Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu and David Cross, who play the movie’s “Furious Five.”

Documentary On Voice Acting

Adventures in Voice Acting: Volume One (Eric Sherman and Bang Zoom! Entertainment) goes into detail about the anime voice over industry. This documentary covers the spectrum: anime, games, and animation. Voice actors, directors, casting producers, and even publishers talk about everything from acting to dubbing, from beginning to advanced and if this is the right career choice for you.

-Tracy Pattin

Voice Registry Podcast- Tracy Pattin Talks Again To Improv Expert Bill Applebaum (part 2)

Bill Applebaum worked and studied Improvisation in Chicago with Del Close and Paul Sills. He worked onstage as a writer/performer at The Second City Theater in Chicago. Bill founded the Actors Improv Studio in Los Angeles and has been teaching Improv for the last 15 years. The Actors Improv Studio has a unique approach to improv these days that focuses on how improv helps people become better actors (and voice actors) by tapping into their creativity and not by being clever. It comes directly from those he studied with. Improv classes at Compost Productions start July 7th.

right+click here to download podcast (7.34 MB)

Improv Your Way To Voice Over Success

“You need to understand how to read copy, how to break it down and what’s required within that. That’s the technical side. The creative side is what you bring to the job or audition, that’s where improvisation is. Improvisation is a means. A means to becoming a better voice actor” says Improv Teacher and Voice Actor, Bill Applebaum in part 2 of my Voice Registry podcast interview tomorrow (Tuesday June 24).

Improvisation is such a powerful skill that you can take it beyond your voice over career and into your life to be a better listener, connector, speaker and more creative.

In tomorrow’s interview, Bill talks about how you need to fail to be successful and how improv can give you the experience of ‘dying’ and getting back up again, an abundance of choices and more courage to get out there and be successful.

Check it out.

-Tracy Pattin

Kung Fu Panda and A-List Voice Actors

Check out what Aaron Helfferich wrote in his review of animated feature, Kung Fu Panda:

“Quality filming techniques and memorable characters can make up some of the most enjoyable movies of all time. When these films turn out to be animated, the film can often be more enjoyable than expected.”

A-list actors or not, “Kung Fu Panda” has the perfect amount of humor and character that makes it directly relevant to both children and adults.”

It seems So, COULD this mean that lesser known voice actors may have a chance with some larger animation voice over parts in the future?

-Tracy Pattin