VAM 072 | Q & A Session 12 – Are There Good or Bad Voices & Pursuing Voice Acting for the Right Reasons
Welcome to episode 72 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 from my podcast audience! For those who may not be as familiar with the podcast, in past episodes, I’ve given out a phone number where you can call in and leave me a question about voice acting 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 Ted from Florida and Sam from San Lorenzo, CA.
Ted wants to know if there is such a thing as a good or a bad voice for voice acting.
His question is one that I get asked quite often. Let me answer it as concisely as possible.
No, I do not believe there are good and bad voices. However, there are good and bad actors. Also, some people are more or less good at identifying what type of voice over work may suit their voice the best. Developing competent voice acting skills as well as the ability to cast yourself appropriately are far more important than having a certain type of voice.
I explain to Ted in more detail what it takes to know how and when to use your voice so you can work consistently as a voice actor.
Sam is excited about pursuing a voice acting career, but wants to know if he’s doing it for the right reasons.
Sam has been told by friends and acquaintances that his voice is distinctive and that maybe he should pursue voice acting. This has made Sam excited about the possibility of starting his own voice acting business.
However, like most people, Sam also has doubts about the feasibility of pursuing a voice acting career. Unfortunately, a quote that I like to share with aspiring voice actors has added to his confusion. The quote is originally from the great acting teacher Stanislavski, but I modify it slightly from the original. My version of it goes like this: “I believe it is important to love the art in yourself more than yourself in the art.”
Sam is worried that he may be pursuing voice acting for the wrong reasons. I’m very happy to explain in more detail what I mean by that quote and to reassure him that it was never my intention to discourage anyone from pursuing their inspiration.
I hope you find the answers useful in your own voice acting endeavors!
If any of my listeners would like to call in with your own thoughts, thank you’s or questions, the number 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 #72 Here (MP3)
For a while, I had the same question Ted did, especially concerning my own voice. The only adjective that people would use to describe my voice was “earthy.”
Thank you for your time and wisdom, and thanks to Ted and Sam for their questions.
Earthy. That’s an interesting adjective for a voice.
I don’t find adjectives that helpful for figuring out how to cast yourself. I much prefer archetype descriptions. Are you a Luke Skywalker type, a Han Solo type or a C-3PO type? Are you Kirk, Spock or Bones? I find that sort of categorization far more helpful.
I’m not even sure how to describe my own voice using adjectives.
Great episode! I always find your insights and advice helpful. Sometimes those questions go through my head as well so it was nice to hear your thoughts on the subjects.
Also, I really enjoyed the previous interview. It was wonderful hearing from the voice director side.
Looking forward to the next podcast!!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing 😀 I really love your advice about the good or bad things about voice or acting places. Since I still believe my voice, I’m still insecure about appearance and my face because some people thinks I’m maybe too ugly to be on the TV and commercial but a bit cameo from my school.
I’m still in process to be in the independent film as young actress from my school. I’m still worried if someone thinks about my looks more than my voice. Do you think it doesn’t matter what you look like on any media like acting and in the commercial? Thank you for your time, Crispin and I’m really looking forward for the next one
It absolutely matters what you look like in the world of film and commercials. They are visual mediums and your looks are an incredibly important part of deciding whether or not you are appropriate for a role.
I think it makes sense- Yeah, I know how really hard it is. Thank you so much for your advice, Crispin 🙂 I’m really sorry that I asked so many questions about it. Thank you for your time.
I think what excites me most about my pursuit is the collaborative process. I want to know I worked on something amazing for others to enjoy, that really sums up what I think my true desire is.
Excellent. Then you’ll naturally be attracted to situations where you can collaborate with wonderful people. Sounds great.
This was a great episode with great questions and fantastic answers.
The second question was something that was on my mind as well. While I love hearing myself though my own computer, I’m more happy aiding in telling a story for people to enjoy.
Looking forward to more!
Wonderful! Glad you found it helpful. I’m always trying to read my listeners minds. Glad I succeeded with you. 🙂
I like to say thanks for the episodes they help me out a lot. I always think on how do I make a good story and practice on the character voices I try making. I even am working on a novel which I hope will become an anime one day.
You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re enjoying the podcast.
I learned that it is one thing to play a believable performance in English but it more difficult when your’re acting in Spanish. Why is that
Acting is difficult no matter which language you’re acting in. It’s not more difficult to act in English than it is to act in Spanish if you’re equally fluent in both. However, if English is your native language and Spanish is not, then it will probably be harder for you to act in Spanish because you’re not as fluent in Spanish.
Spanish was actually what I learned first as a child. But when I went to Elementary school i learned to speak fluent English. I could still understand Spanish but I’m fluent in both languages plus i stuttered everytime I speak Spanish I always stuttered.
Thank you Mr. Crispin for these podcasts, they really help me to stay inspired whenever I have doubts or under a lot of University work.
Excellent. I’m glad you’re finding them inspiring. Thanks for saying so!