VAM 112 | Being a Professional Voice Actor is Not a Skill, It’s a Lifestyle
Welcome to episode 112 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 what it takes to become a wildly successful voice actor. And when I say “wildly successful”, I mean working on the most well-known and prestigious projects out there. These are the shows you or your kids watch every day, or the video games you spend hours playing. These are the movies that move you, or the characters who inspire you. Many are household names and billion-dollar franchises. Some are not as well-known, but still very respected in their own niches. Aspiring voice actors often tell me how passionate they are about getting to work on the things they love the most, so chances are that if you’re listening to this podcast, you want to become a good enough actor to work on some of the most admired and beloved shows and games in the world.
This is certainly the case with most of my students. When they come to me to learn, they want to know what it takes to work in the most celebrated areas of character voice acting. As I show them how to analyze scenes and portray characters, they can sometimes become frustrated that they are not as facile as I am at interpreting a script or understanding a character’s motivation. They are always grateful when I can help them break down their acting scenes in clear and useful ways, but they want to know how to do it on their own more effectively, and they often ask me how it is that I can figure out a scene so quickly. I usually explain to them that one huge advantage I have over them is experience. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than they have and so I’ve had more opportunities to take risks and learn from my mistakes. I try to reassure them that if they consistently apply my acting techniques and spend more time practicing and gaining experience, they too will start to be able to understand characters and scenes with more depth and facility.
As you can imagine, this slow-and-steady approach doesn’t always satisfy some of my students. Every so often I’ll get one who’s convinced that there is some sort of magical secret I’m not telling them. They usually ask, “So what’s the trick?” as if there’s some simple, catch-all technique to acting well on a moment’s notice, and that if I’d just stop holding out on them, they could learn that technique and get on with being wildly successful.
While I’d love to come out and say that I’ve distilled how to achieve success in voice acting down to one crucial, sure-fire technique, I’m going to be 100% honest and say that if there is a such a “trick”, I’ve never heard of it. In all my years as a working voice actor, I’ve never encountered just one sure-fire way to nail a performance, or any technique that’s guaranteed to work for everyone, every time. Acting just isn’t that formulaic. While there are certain approaches and techniques that can help get you in the vicinity of a believable performance, in the end, it’s your own fascination and dedication that is going to help you consistently bring characters to life. The most successful actors I know don’t think in terms of looking for “tricks”. They are so immersed in their fascination for the craft of acting that they eat, breathe and sleep it. Acting is not a skill for them. It’s a lifestyle. So in order for you to get on that level and play with the big names in the industry, I’ve got to impress upon you once and for all that techniques are only a small part of the larger acting picture. Furthermore, no acting “trick” will ever be powerful enough to compete against these “lifestyle” voice actors. They will beat you, every time. So, it’s time to up your game and embrace acting as a lifestyle rather than just a set of skills you need to get a job. What does it mean to make acting your lifestyle rather than just your skill? Let’s find out.
Download Voice Acting Mastery Episode #112 Here (MP3)
Wonderful episode. Really puts the spot on to see if you’re serious about being in it for the long haul. I love voice acting and talking about it. I even play fantasy casting director for some of my favorite printed media.
Thank you for your time and wisdom.
You’re very welcome! Thank you for your kind comment!
Brilliant Episode.
It makes my go back to the quote “Love the art in yourself more than yourself in the art”. I honestly cannot stop thinking about voice acting and I feel that the more I progress the more I’m eating, sleeping and drinking Voice Acting and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thank you Crispin
You’re welcome! I wish you the best!
I’m slowly removing the “entertainment” way of looking at things and replacing it with “This is 100% serious to the character/me” lens cap. I also love people watching and the way they walk. It’s more theater based techniques but they can translate into voice over.
I’ve also started to notice that car/auto stores/male-oriented radio commercials are leaning to the “interview” style that usually is like a 90 second interview of two people casually talking about auto parts, beer, something along the likes of that. Don’t know if they have that out in LA, but in my neck of the woods I’ve started to notice the increase in that style of commercial. And lots of Diamonds Direct/Schwartzchild jewelers competition as well. And health spas.
Lovely episode as usual, and can’t wait till the next one~
Thanks so much! Glad you’re starting to see the patterns in voice over! That’s an invaluable skill!
Hey Crispin,
Great episode as always.
I think you said it before when you were interviewing Richard Horvitz – people are waiting to arrive instead of enjoying the process. I think that echoes perfectly to your episode.
Be present in your VO career. Dream and set goals but don’t expect success to walk up and pat you on the back. What do you want to get out of your VO path?
All the small steps you are taking in your VO journey add to the grand picture that you will look back on in the end.
You won’t be good when you first step up to the mic, unless you are one of the rare few that can instantly read copy well, know the story and character motivation but that doesn’t mean you give up at the starting gate. It will take practice as Crispin said.
I listen to my previous years recording and think ‘Wow, that doesn’t sound great’ – but then I listen to my recent work and think ‘But look at how far I’ve come’.
Don’t stop learning. Listen to your teachers, trust in their guidance and trust the process. It’s very easy to think ‘Well there must be a way to do it faster.’ – There isn’t.
There’s a huge learning curve and I’ve found myself struggling at times. Find a group online that support you and act as your cheerleaders. It helps.
Take every small step as a step forward toward your goals.
Take risks, put your work out into the professional realm and move it from that hobby aspect into your own brand. It IS scary at first when you put your work up and people will listen and judge it accordingly.
One description I heard recently was really spot on:
“Voice acting is a crock pot career and we have microwave expectations”
In an age of instant, this will take you time and effort.
Add all the pieces to your career and the time it will take to get where you want to be.
What’s the real secret?
Have fun. 😉
As always Crispin, giving out golden advice. Really enjoy your podcast.
Chris
Thanks also for your pearls of wisdom. I like that idea that people expect microwave results when anything worth doing usually proceeds at the rate of a crock pot. Nice metaphor!
Hey Crispin.
I wanted to comment on analyzing the media that we either watch or play.
I don’t know if I’m actively analyzing the shows I watch or the games I play but I do tend to notice things.
Things like Laura Bailey’s portrayal of Serana in the Dawnguard DLC of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim against that of some other characters.
I find Serana far more believable than almost any other character in the whole of Skyrim because she seems far more natural than the rest. For example; city guards might comment “Heard they’re reforming the Dawnguard. Vampire hunters or something in the old fort near Riften. Might consider joining up myself.”
The female guard in particular is awful at this line. There’s too much emphasis on the words “heard”, “reforming”, and “Dawnguard” and those words are drawn out to unnatural lengths. It just doesn’t sound believable.
Something else I noticed when watching The Lion King with my nephew is that in the song “Be Prepared”, after Scar shouts the line, “You won’t get a sniff without me!” the next time he sings, the voice doesn’t sound like Jeremy Irons which, after a brief search, I discovered that it’s actually Jim Cummings who took over from Irons after his (Irons) voice gave out.
As I said I’m not sure that I’m actively analyzing things when I notice these but in the case of the line I mentioned from Skyrim, I did think of how I would fix it, and that would be to simply say the line as an off the cuff comment or in as prelude to a conversation; easy going really. Make it flow nicely. Call attention to the word “vampire” as if you’re answering a question that’s yet to be asked.
I’m also glad you talked a bit about knowing if voice acting is in your heart because I came to realize that, in spite of my ambition to become a chef like Gordon Ramsay, voice acting is in my heart.
I don’t know that it’ll get me there, but with my recent break into doing Tape Aids for the Blind I don’t feel discouraged or apprehensive at all about doing them despite the fact that I may have to read books that might bore me to death. If anything I’m excited which I take as a really good sign for my future endeavors in voice acting because I’m not even getting paid for doing the Tape Aids.
Thanks again for another amazing podcast! Episode 112. I wonder if you ever thought your podcasts would make it this far.
All the best to you Crispin.
Brendan Young
P.S My profile picture is Itachi 😀 You really did an amazing job on that character!
Any time you’re analyzing performances critically and figuring out how you would make them better, you’re practicing your skills as a voice actor. I can’t help but analyze people’s performances whether I love them or find them lacking. Either way I’m always trying to learn something. I think you’re right on track.
Congrats on yoru Tape Aids gig! I hope you’re enjoying that!
And thanks for listening!
This is wonderful thank you for your explanation about voice acting
You’re welcome. Thanks for listening.
I’m new to this podcast, and thank you for your time and effort in sharing information. If any of the questions I ask have already been answered, apologies.
-In getting “obsessed” with acting, how do you find the balance in your life?
-In looking at the world with “an actor’s eyes”, with that specific kind of attention to detail, can looking at the world with other “artistic lenses” be beneficial? Is it still possible to be successful in voice acting while pursuing other artistic endeavors? Do you know anyone who is doing this now, and “making ends meet” to use a phrase?
Thanks again for your time.
I’m glad you’re enjoying the podcast!
When I suggest becoming fascinated with voice acting, I don’t mean that you should obsess over it to the point that it hampers your ability to live your life in a healthy and productive way. It’s just that if you want to pursue voice acting as a professional, you have to have a certain relentless fascination with it or you won’t put in the time necessary to master it. How do you find balance? Well, that’s a very individual challenge. There is no formula I can give you except to say that if pursuing anything is making you neglect the important aspects of your life and is causing you distress emotionally or financially, then you probably need to come up with a better game plan for your life.
There are certainly people that I know who pursue other artistic goals in addition to voice acting. Some are on-camera actors, some are directors, some are writers, some are producers. It just depends on where your fascination lies and if you can balance those different pursuits so you can achieve the goals you want to accomplish. If you spread yourself too thin, you’ll know it because you won’t be able to get the results you want.
If you’re asking if there are people I know who are making a living pursuing more than just voice acting, absolutely. However, they are usually involved in some other aspect of the entertainment industry as well.
I hope that helps.
It helps out A LOT! Thank you! In focusing on pursuing other art forms in addition to voice acting, I find myself in unfamiliar territory, so this helps keep me from being overwhelmed. Thank you.
Hi. I’m sorry if this may seem strange. I have been considering taking up voice acting or acting in general in order to improve how I lead and project to people. I have a voice that sounds “weak and monotonous” which people to be more passive – aggressive. But I don’t have plans to be a professional. Is taking up voice acting/acting reasonable?
I don’t think that’s a strange question at all. I have found that my own acting training both on stage and in voice acting has helped me with confidence and presenting myself well in public. You can certainly practice acting for your own self-development and satisfaction. Plenty of people play instruments but don’t do so professionally. If you find that acting training helps you in other parts of your life and career then by all means go for it!
What’s is the average satifactory level on being a Voice Actor?