VAM 087 | Q & A Session 16 – Shadowing vs. Internships & A Day in the Life of a Voice Actor
Welcome to episode 87 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 Justin from San Diego, CA and Tina from Chicago, IL.
Justin wants to know if it’s possible to shadow or apprentice under working voice actors in order to learn about the industry.
I understand and applaud the idea of apprenticeship. I think it can be far more educational to work with someone who actually makes a living in your field of interest than to simply study that career from a distance.
However, there are some unique challenges that arise from trying to shadow people who are working as voice actors, especially in the world of animation and video games. I explain those challenges in detail and offer an alternative that might be more productive: internships.
Tina wants to know what a normal schedule for a full-time voice actor would be on a daily basis.
Tina asks a great question. The problem is there is no simple answer. With most traditional professions where you are required to go to an office or some other place of work day after day, it is possible to describe what an average work day might be like. This is not the case with voice acting. Voice actors can have very inconsistent schedules, which makes it difficult to describe a “typical” workday for a voice actor.
While I don’t know if I can tell her what a typical voice actor’s day might be like, I can share with her how variable my schedule as a voice actor tends to be.
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 #87 Here (MP3)
With running around all day chasing auditions, I’m guessing a smartphone is a great investment. You can check your text messages and your e-mails at the same time. I had one, but my dad broke it and I can’t afford to buy another one.
Internships are harder to come by for some. I was let go of several, for various reasons.
Thank you for your time and wisdom, and thanks to Tina and Justin for their questions.
I would say as a voice actor a smartphone is essential. It’s almost impossible to keep track of things while you’re running from studio to studio without one.
Some internships are harder to get than others. I wish you the best in any internships you may be pursuing.
I totally agree about your most important advice between the shadow and the intern. I think the Internships are much important things to do. I also agree it’s a very hard work. A year ago, I did start, my first time doing as the class as an Internship at the clothing store for my college. But, I did learn my biggest lessons from my both emotional strengths and weaknesses. Also a year ago, My mom did some Internships, like classes, at the AT&T calling center. She did very well and still working as an employee. About shadowing, I prefer not to do that at all-because I really don’t want to be distracting and don’t want to make anything disaster while he/she is working or recording at the studio. I prefer to take more voice acting classes, speech therapy, and some internship until my language and communication is 100% approve.Thank you so much for your amazing wisdom as always and thanks to Tina and Justin for the questions 🙂
You’re very welcome.
I was curious about if shadowing and internships applied to voice over acting. What was the most interesting was hearing about how a “normal” day is for a voice actor. It was eye opening to hear exactly how fast paced the industry is. Thanks again for this podcast Crispin.
You’re very welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.
Sounds like a super busy schedule! Super dizzying when you think about it. But I’m sure it’s fun in the end.
Lovely podcast as always!
~ Kalyn
Glad you enjoyed it!