Welcome to episode 29 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

For this episode, I thought I would play some of the voicemail questions that I’ve been getting from my listeners and do my best to answer them. For those who don’t know, in the last episode I gave 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 two of my listeners, Kimberly from Bernie, CA and Wes from Palm Springs, CA.

1. Kimberly asks me how she can know when it’s safe to use her voice again after she’s recovered from being sick.
2. Wes asks me if I could give him some tips and tricks for how to do voice matches.

I think you’ll find the answers very helpful.

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!

If you’d like to purchase the tea I recommend, you can find the Throat Coat Tea on Amazon.com.

To rip audio from DVDs you own, you can download the Handbrake program here.

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #29 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 28 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 voice over demos. Demos are one of the most important and at the same time most misunderstood components of a voice acting career. Your demo is important because it represents you as a voice actor. It’s your calling card in the same way that an on camera actor uses a headshot to represent him or herself. However, many people, especially those just starting out voice acting, misunderstand what it takes to make a good demo and end up falling into at least one of the following 3 major demo mistakes. Let me help you avoid those pitfalls.

Here are the Top 3 Demo Mistakes:

1. Making Your Demo Too Soon
2. Submitting Unprofessional Demos to Agents
3. Not Leading with Your Strong Suit in Your Demo

I expand in detail on each of these three subjects in the podcast episode. You may find the information surprising!

I hope you enjoy the episode!

One other thing. I’d like to make this podcast more interactive, and I’d like to hear from you, my listeners. So I’ve decided to give you a chance to get heard on the Voice Acting Mastery Podcast! I’ve created a phone number where you can call in and ask any questions you might have, or leave any thoughts or thank you messages you feel inspired to record for me. Just leave me a voice mail with your first name, what city in the world you’re calling from, and your question or message about the podcast. I’ll do my best to pick the most relevant questions or comments, play them on the podcast and respond to them.

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!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #28 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 27 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 Vocal Health. Your voice is your instrument. Your artistry and your livelihood as a voice actor depend on keeping your voice healthy and in good shape. But how much do you really know about how your voice works? What can you do to keep your voice healthy and ready for action and what should you absolutely avoid in order to keep from damaging your voice? Let’s take a look at how to care for the engine that drives your entire voice acting career: your voice.

The topic of Vocal Health can be broken down into three subjects.

1. Vocal Production
2. Vocal Maintenance
3. Vocal Recovery

Vocal Production is the mechanics of how your body produces sound using your throat. Vocal Maintenance refers to the regular regimen of exercises and health practices that will help keep your voice in good shape. Vocal Recovery is when your voice is suffering, either from illness or abuse, and you’d like to do your best to get it healthy again as soon as possible.

I spend a lot of time exploring all three aspects of vocal health including the golden rule:

If anything you’re doing vocally hurts your throat, don’t do it.

Also, I mention two resources to help you with your Vocal Health.

The first is Kristin Linklater’s book, Freeing the Natural Voice, a great book on vocal production.

The other is my favorite tea for helping a hurting voice recover. It’s called Throat Coat.

I hope you enjoy the episode!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #27 Here (MP3)

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)