Welcome to episode 26 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 talk about a very important aspect of voice acting that is often overlooked and sometimes deeply misunderstood. I mentioned it in episode 22 of the podcast, where I outlined 5 Essential Steps for Voice Acting Beginners. It was step 3 in that list of 5 and it is this:

You must discover your Character Types.

It is vitally important to your success as an actor to understand which kinds of characters you can believably and competitively play. This is true of acting regardless of the medium in which you’re performing, but it is especially true in voice acting. Most people think that a voice actor can and should play any character they want to. While this is theoretically true, the reality is that there are always going to be certain types of characters that suit your voice better than others. Without understanding which characters are most appropriate for your voice, chances are you will try to audition for roles that do not suit you. Doing so lowers your chances of getting hired. This can make you incredibly frustrated as you try out for role after role and can’t seem to make any headway.

Let me help you avoid that headache. I want to explain to you just how important it is to understand which characters do and do not suit your voice. Armed with that knowledge, your chances of getting cast will improve astronomically.

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #26 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 25 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 is the third and final part of an interview with my friend and improv teacher, Melanie Chartoff.

As we wrapped up our time together, Melanie and I discussed many interesting topics including:

• The deep interrelationship between improv and scripted acting.
• How improv helps keep a scripted performance feeling fresh, as if you’re creating that performance anew every time.
• The importance of getting past the words of a script and instead basing your performance on the inspiration of a thought or a feeling.
• The need to have a childlike state of mind when you’re acting and to leave all judgement behind in order to fully play pretend.

At the very end, Melanie was kind enough to share with me a personal technique of hers for alleviating fear when she finds herself in an acting situation that makes her feel nervous. I think you’ll find it incredibly useful!

To sign up for classes with Melanie, visit Chartoff Teaching.com. I highly recommend it!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #25 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 24 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 is the second part of an interview with my friend and improv teacher, Melanie Chartoff. In it, we talk about how important it is to find your character’s point of view from inside it, in order to give life to a role. Melanie also shares a three part technique for helping you develop that point of view. In order to imbue your voice with more character, you should ask yourself three questions:

1. What is your point of view on yourself?
2. What is your point of view on the world around you?
3. What is your point of view on your current situation?

By asking yourself these questions, you can begin to bring a richness and believability to your vocal performance.

We wrap up this episode by talking about how voice acting is not about hiding behind a silly voice, but about revealing who you truly are so you can make the emotional journey of your character believable.

Enjoy!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #24 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 23 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 my last podcast, I discussed the 5 Essentials for voice acting. I talked at length about the first of those essentials: the need to become an actor. I also said that of all the different acting training I have had the pleasure of experiencing, the one that helped me the most in my voice acting career was improvisational acting.

So I thought I would invite my improv teacher, Melanie Chartoff, on the podcast to talk about the importance of improv and how it relates to voice acting. Melanie has had an extensive acting career both on stage and on screen, but those of you who follow animation will probably be most familiar with her performance as Didi Pickles, the mother in the famous Nickelodeon series, The Rugrats. Melanie has taught me a lot and I think you’ll benefit from her insight and experience.

Enjoy!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #23 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 22 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 want to talk about 5 Essential Steps any Beginner should take when approaching Voice Acting. I get inquiries from many people who are brand new to the idea of voice acting and would like to pursue it professionally. Often, they would like a clear recipe on how to become a working voice actor. The irony of this, of course, is that there is no one recipe for becoming a voice actor.

While there may not be a linear recipe to follow, there are certain abilities or criteria that I find common among the most successful professional voice actors. These are concrete things you can work on in order to improve the likelihood that you will be able to take advantage of voice acting opportunities. Any beginner, (and even some veterans), will benefit from focusing on these steps. I’ve narrowed them down to 5 Essentials:

1. You must become an actor.
2. You must learn how to use your voice as an instrument.
3. You must discover your character types.
4. You must become capable of and comfortable with recording yourself at a professional level.
5. You must be confident.

I explore each of these topics in depth in the podcast itself. While these essentials may seem obvious, you must truly understand and internalize these ideas if you want to become a successful professional voice actor. A superficial understanding is not enough. I encourage you to listen to the podcast thoroughly!

I hope you enjoy it!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #22 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 21 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 is the third and final part of my interview with my fellow voice actor and accent expert, J.B. Blanc.

In this episode we conclude our discussion by talking about a number of different topics including:

1. What someone can do to work on an accent by themselves.
2. JB’s favorite resource online for researching accents. (Hint: it’s the International Dialects of English Archive or IDEA)
3. Realizing that not everyone speaks a certain dialect in the exact same way.
4. How to contact JB to get individual coaching from him. (Hint, visit his website: http://www.jbblanc.com/)

A big thanks to JB for spending time with me talking in so much detail about such an important topic. And thanks to you for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #21 Here (MP3)