Welcome to episode 52 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode, I continue answering questions that my listeners have been leaving me on the podcast voicemail number. I’ve been getting so many good questions lately, that it seemed appropriate to go through a number of them. For those who don’t know, in past episodes,  I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question as a voicemail. From time to time, I’ll pick the most relevant questions I receive and answer them here on the podcast.

For this round of Q & A, I answer questions from Stuart from Westhill, Scotland and Victor from Rancho Cucamonga, CA.

Stuart wants to know how to do higher pitched characters without his voice cracking or feeling pain in his vocal cords. In order to help him with his question I explain the basics of traditional western vocal production, a skill I learned from my classical singing training. I demonstrate with my own voice the best way to do higher and lower pitched characters without straining your vocal cords. I then explain why one’s voice “cracks” and what can be done to minimize the effect.

Victor wonders if it’s possible to pursue voice acting part-time instead of full-time. I begin by reiterating the two types of voice over work that I discussed in episode 16 of the podcast:

1. Narration style voice over
2. Character style voice over

While it is possible to do one of these on a part-time basis, it is far more difficult to do the other part-time. I talk about what agents and producers are looking for and how if you’re going to play in the major leagues of voice acting, you need to show a major league mindset and commitment level.

I hope you find the answers useful in your own voice acting endeavors!

As a reminder, the number where you can call in and ask your question is:

323-696-2655.

Please don’t forget to include your first name and what city in the world you’re calling from. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #52 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 51 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

In this episode I’d like to talk to you about acting. Specifically I want to show you how acting is not about “creating a performance” as much as it is bringing a character to life by calling upon your own personal experience as a human being interacting with other people.

It is my opinion that actors rely heavily on the social skills that they have developed over their lifetime to bring believability to their performances.

Often my students misunderstand the acting process and think it’s about demonstrating a character or “putting on” a voice. They think there is a “right way” to perform a line of dialogue and they strive to achieve acting success by honing in on that “correct” performance. I suffered from this same misconception when I started acting, but it turns out there is no “right way” to read a line. There is only what is believable within the circumstances of a scene. In order to create a believable performance, you must call upon your own personal experiences of interacting with people in social environments and apply that knowledge to your character. You must infuse your character with your own life experience.

I take this episode to explain exactly what I mean in detail and I also offer three different techniques to improve your social skills. I hope you find it useful!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #51 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 49 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

Welcome to the fourth and final part of my interview with Steve Blum. In this bonus episode, Steve and I go beyond simple mindset advice about voice acting as the two of us discuss the deep, mystical magic behind what it takes to be truly successful as an artist. Steve shares with me some of his more spiritual views on voice acting and how the universe reflects back to you the thoughts and emotions that you project. During the interview, I started us down this path of discussion by recounting one of my favorite scenes from the famous swashbuckling adventure film, the Seahawk, starring Errol Flynn. You’ll hear me describe the scene to Steve as a powerful metaphor for trusting in one’s inspiration to find your own way to happiness and success. I think you’ll find it very enlightening.

If you’d like to learn more about Steve, please visit his website: www.SteveBlumVoices.com

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #49 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 48 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

This week, I bring you the third part of my interview with the amazingly talented Steve Blum. In the past two episodes, Steve has told me how he approaches voice acting as well as his rather unconventional story about how he broke into the business. For this episode, Steve graciously shared some of the greatest challenges he faced as a voice actor. Actors are not always comfortable discussing when they’ve had difficulties pursuing their career. It can be a sore subject. So I’m especially grateful that Steve was willing to be so honest and candid about what it took for him to overcome some of the obstacles he faced. I found it incredibly inspiring and I’m sure you will too.

If you’d like to learn more about Steve, please visit his website: www.SteveBlumVoices.com

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #48 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 47 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

This week, I continue my interview with my good friend and amazingly accomplished voice actor, Steve Blum. In part 2 of our conversation we discuss how Steve’s musical background helped him improve his acting skills. We then spend some time breaking down the acting process from a left brain/right brain perspective. Afterwards we talk about the importance of truly becoming a character and how it’s not something you can accomplish by just following a recipe. What I appreciate about Steve’s journey is that he has learned all of his lessons from personal experience working in the industry. This gives an authority to his insights that you cannot get from someone who may have studied a subject, but has never tried to do it themselves. I’m sure you’ll find it useful.

If you’d like to learn more about Steve, please visit his website: www.SteveBlumVoices.com

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #47 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 46 of the Voice Acting Mastery podcast with yours truly, Crispin Freeman!

As always, you can listen to the podcast using the player above, or download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of this blog post. The podcast is also available via the iTunes Store online. Just follow this link to view the podcast in iTunes:

http://www.voiceactingmastery.com/podcast

This week I’m excited to share with you an interview I did with a voice actor who has been an inspiration to me and who I’m fortunate enough to call a friend, Mr. Steve Blum. Steve has worked extensively in Animation, Video Games and Anime, playing major characters in all three art forms. Whether he’s playing Wolverine in the Marvel Animated versions, voicing Spike Spiegel in the popular anime series Cowboy Bebop, or setting a Guinness Book world record playing more characters in video games than anyone on the planet, Steve is everywhere. I was eager to talk to Steve about his career and to get his advice on voice acting, because the story of how he broke in to the industry is so unique. I think you’ll really enjoy it!

If you’d like to learn more about Steve, please visit his website: www.SteveBlumVoices.com

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #46 Here (MP3)