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Posts Tagged ‘voice overs’

Many actors or actresses will have undergone training at a drama school to attain the necessary skills required to succeed. Without doubt this training will be truly beneficial and will almost certainly give any budding actor an edge when trying to learn their craft.

Drama School training would usually consist of a course lasting for about 3 years and during this time the budding actor would learn a variety of skills including movement, stage fighting, mime, musical theatre, production techniques, working to camera and much much more. The idea of undertaking such a course is to prepare the actor so that he is able to undertake a variety of roles and fully understand his craft.

Actors may want to follow one particular area of their craft, for example many will want to work in TV, and will love nothing more than to star in a soap opera 3 times a week with a regular wage. Then again some may prefer to stay with live performances in the theatre and some may want to make movies. The fact remains though, that as an actor if you are going to stay in work then you will have to be able to diversify and take on a number of different roles.

I Never Went To Drama School! Does This Mean I’ll Never Make It?

Easy answer; Going to drama school does not mean you will make it as a successful actor.. Fact! It may give you and edge but there is no guarantee that you will be a great success. The important thing to remember here is that it is all about the talent that you have and how you apply it.

If you go to a casting and you prove to the director that you are good for the part and can deliver the goods then you are in with a great chance of getting the role. The fact remains that the casting director likes you for what you have displayed on the day and that will be noted. I know of many actors who have completed drama courses only to find that they have struggled to make any money. I still think undertaking a drama course is a great thing, but at the end of the day it is the person that you are, the talent you have and what you can offer to a casting director or producer that will determine whether or not you get parts.

If you are interested in going to a drama school then the procedure would normally to contact the drama school direct whereby you would be offered the chance to audition to showcase your talent. This may involve reading a couple of pieces of literature, classic and modern and perhaps singing a song.

Remember that drama schools will only have a limited number of places so it will be essential to apply for any places early. Start making your enquiries at your earliest opportunity as there will be other budding actors all competing for a limited number of places.

These days just simply being a good actor is not really enough to make it in this ‘dog eat dog’ profession. There are people out there who would literally give their right arm to get a break in show business. Well maybe that’s a bit extreme but I think you can see the point I’m trying to make here.

If it’s any cancellation though, years ago their was even less opportunity to start a career as an actor. For a start, there was the equity loop hole. You couldn’t get a job because you weren’t a member of equity and you couldn’t join equity unless you had a job..Aaahhh!!

Fortunately it is now possible to work on professional productions without the need to be an equity member. I still think it is a big plus to be a member of equity as there is much help and advice that the union can provide you with so if you have the option to join you are well advised to take advantage of it.

Getting Exposure Is What It’s All About

Certainly an easy way to get some top public exposure is to appear on a show like Wife Swap, Pop Idol, Big Brother, etc. Just about anybody can apply for these shows and they are not so difficult to actually get on

Do I Have To Be Good?

Hell No, Sometimes being bad at something can have an adverse effect and actually get you further. Sounds crazy but it’s true. Just look at some of the takes from X Factor for example.

The key here is personality. If you have a personality then you will be interesting and that’s what the audience or public want to see. You gotta be interesting! Boring just ain’t gonna work!

Make yourself stand out from the crowd if need be. Try different things and above all, be original. That’s what will make you be remembered. If the public forget you, your history!

Only you can make this happen and remember, unless you are mega talented then you will have to pull every resource you have to stand out and be noticed.

Do a search on Google now and look for reality TV shows. Bookmark them and apply right away. This is a foot in the big back door Of course, the info I’m giving you here is simply a guide on how you can get an edge into show business. To become great at your craft, and in particular, acting, you will need to practice and practice very hard as well.

But remember, with the amount of gateways available nowadays, there is every chance of you getting your break sooner rather than later. There are many different ways that you can start off with your campaign and your first point of call will be to check casting newspapers such as The Stage or even ring round some of the local television studios and ask to see if there is anything suitable that they are doing that may fit your profile. Publicity will get you everywhere.

If you are producing an animated project, then you are going to need at least one voice actor, and you will have to know what to ask them about their skill sets. That means you need to go shopping for your voice actor&ndashor actors in the plural, as the case may be-armed with a character list complete with a brief, one-sentence description of each character’s voice requirements. Don’t just hire a voice actor and hope you’ll find out she can do what you need. Each voice actor is as different from every other, as each screen actor is different from his colleagues. After all, if the studio had cast Jack Nicholson as Vito Corleone, The Godfather would have been a different movie, even if Nicholson were Italian.

Whether you’re casting an original character, a complex character with apparent contradictions in his nature&ndashthe rogue with a soft, gooey center, for instance&ndashor an archetype like Gandalf of the Ring Trilogy and Dumbledore of the Harry Potter series, you need to know what a voice actor needs to be able to do in order to bring that character to life. You need to know what aspects of the voice are negotiable and which aren’t.

A character’s age or accent, for example, are generally not negotiable unless you are willing to change the very heart of your production. If you need a French accent, but find a voice actor who does British accents, but who is a genius at pulling off other difficult aspects of the character, it is perfectly all right to change the character to fit the actor&ndashif you’ve found a gem of an actor. You have to make the call in the end, but you have to at least know what you want in the beginning, even if you find you are unable to get it.

You may even need special skills from a voice actor, like being able to do a child’s voice. Chances are, you are not going to be able to find a child who is a voice actor, after all. But there are things you can do to create the illusion. Bart Simpson, for instance, is voiced by Nancy Cartwright.

All you really need when casting is a basic idea of the character’s voice: gender, age, accent or lack thereof, and things like “smooth,” “rough,” “low,” “high,” “squeaky,” “sultry”–that sort of thing. And you need to know what kind of person he is, whether he’s confident, sneaky, whatever. Then go shopping and see what happens.