Welcome to episode 35 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 installment of my interview with my former students, Kimlinh Tran and Edward Bosco, about their experiences working on the popular independent game, Dust: An Elysian Tail. You can find it on the Xbox Live Arcade. If you haven’t already, I suggest you listen to episodes 33 and 34 before listening to this episode.

I wrap up our discussion by asking them what advice they would give to other voice actors like themselves who are just starting their professional careers. It’s wonderful to get a recent, up-to-date take on what it’s like out there for aspiring voice actors. They give fantastic tips on what you need to do to truly improve your craft as a performer. Enjoy!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #35 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 34 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 my interview with Kimlinh Tran and Edward Bosco, two of my former students who have gone on to play main characters in the popular independent video game Dust: An Elysian Tail. You can find it on the Xbox Live Arcade. If you haven’t heard the first part of their interview, I suggest you check out the previous episode before you listen to this one.

This time around, we discuss both the casting process for the game as well as some interesting acting lessons Edward and Kimlinh learned while working on it. While they each had very different paths to being hired as voice actors for the project, once they were cast, they both faced the same challenge any voice actor has: how to portray a character believably and authentically and not simply demonstrate a caricature of that character. I think you’ll find it very enlightening!

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #34 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 33 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’m honored to interview two of my former students, Kimlinh Tran and Edward Bosco. Even though they are relative newcomers to the voice acting world, you may be familiar with their work in an amazingly popular game that has just been released called Dust: An Elysian Tail. You can find it on the Xbox Live Arcade and it’s been getting fantastic reviews. Kimlinh plays the voice of Fidget, the small but spunky companion to the hero of the game, while Edward plays the voice of Ahrah, the spirit of a magical sword who helps guide the hero on a quest to save his world.

You can view a trailer for the game below:

I’m very proud of both Kimlinh and Edward for their wonderful work in this game and I’m happy the project has been such a success! When I decided to interview them, I felt that sharing their experiences as they begin their voice acting careers would be helpful and inspiring for you, my listeners, and I hope you enjoy their story.

Thanks for listening!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #33 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 31 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 the discussion I began last time about how to act professionally in a recording studio.

In the last episode of this podcast, I explained how to think and act like a professional when you go into a studio to record. I talked about how important it is to have the right mindset when approaching other people in the industry. This “professional” mindset is the foundation for how to behave in any voice acting situation. If you haven’t listened to the previous episode, I suggest you do so now before continuing with this one.

In this episode I want to walk you through a virtual recording session and give you some helpful “in-studio” tips. I’ll start with your arrival at the studio, continue on to what you should and should not do when you’re in the booth, and I’ll end with how to make a gracious exit. When combined with the professional mindset you learned in the previous episode, this advice will help you behave more like a seasoned veteran.

I hope you find it useful!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #31 Here (MP3)

Welcome to episode 30 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 wanted to talk about what it means to be professional when you go into a studio to record.

As the cost of recording equipment has dropped, more and more people have decided to enter the voice acting field by creating their own home studio. While this is a wonderful convenience, it does mean that voice actors spend less time going into studio recording booths to audition and perform.

For some who are just starting out, you may not have had as much experience working at a professional studio. You may find the idea of walking into a room with producers, directors and an audio engineer intimidating. I want to help alleviate your fear by giving you some basic tips on how to behave when you visit a professional studio.

More importantly, I want to share with you the mindset you must have in order to act like a professional. Even as a seasoned veteran, I find it helpful to remind myself of this mindset before I walk into the studio to record. It raises my confidence level and puts me more at ease, which then improves the quality of my performances.

In this episode, I’ll focus on and explain the professional mindset, which is the foundation for your success. In the next episode, I’ll share with you some helpful in-studio tips that will improve your recording experience and enhance the impression you make on other industry professionals.

I hope you find it useful!

Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #30 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)