Great Writing Doesn't Guarantee Great Voice Acting

I live, breathe and eat “Voice Acting.” Radio, television, industrial and digital presentations. All of which require several different approaches of “Believability.” The knowledge to take words off a sheet of paper and give them a life of their own in the real world. People think it’s a natural gift. The moment those words slip out of their mouth and onto my path….the only choice I have is to stop and take them on. Instantly I begin searching for the door to door salesperson that just dumped a vacuum cleaner on your tight budget. Voice Acting is a trained art. A skill. Nobody wakes up Monday dreaming of being a black belt in martial arts then gets one wrapped around their waist by Friday. Doctors, Lawyers and Wal-Mart Greeters go through special training. I meet a lot of people taking a whack at voice acting. Hey! I’m one of them! The only difference is I don’t walk around thinking, “I was born with the voice.” That’s the voice you don’t want. Human’s trying to yuck it up like Radio talent is like listening to a merry go round go backwards. But you can be trained. John Causby at the Ground Crew in Charlotte hosts several events each year based on tuning up your believability. Every walk of life needs communicators. Even if you don’t want to do commercials…imagine how powerful you could be as a team leader with their inflection and volume under control? More importantly…the real factor becomes present. Who wants a boss that thinks they’re a leader? People are led by believability. The attempt to become a Voice Actor gets easier through practice, study, coaching and loyalty not to yourself but to the client searching for the perfect pitch, volume and tone. Wait! The believability! Everybody tries to do it. Few endure the day to day layout of expectations to become great at it. When the jobs aren’t bursting off the horizon…the desire to become a Voice Actor pretty much becomes that thing you once tried. We’ve all met that person. I once did radio. Oh really? Where? My cousin had a station in Butte, Montana and he gave me a twenty minute break every Sunday night at midnight. I wasn’t making any real money so I had to bolt. Modifying your method of thinking turns your voice into a tool. But don’t stop there! Be a better writer too! Take on the challenge of production. Look beyond the script and see how many lives it takes to create a budget worthy enough to advertise in market number twenty four Charlotte, North Carolina. The very moment you walk into a studio and bang something out. Someone at the seed is going to be fired. Nobody stopped in to buy. They couldn’t afford to keep them on. The very second your gift of performance is too bored to layout a conversational approach. Think about the manager that took a chance on radio or television when everybody else advised them not to waste their time and energy. Drop your tracks and call it a great day! When was the last time you thought about the afterlife of your delivery? Who’s affected? How will they be affected? Where will they be after your delivery fails to connect with a Twitter and Face Book addicted smart phone talking mother of six in the backseat nervously trying to figure out what’s for dinner while fearing that her husband is cheating? Where does your voice fit in? Do you have the patience to become a Voice Actor or is this something you sort of picked up cuz someone at McDonald’s said, “You should be on the radio!” Teaching people to play radio is a business. It’s ultimately up to you to further the journey. To walk beyond that itty bitty teenie weenie little door just opened. Nobody was born with the voice of God. Because…if you truly think about it. Look how many people don’t recognize it while enduring life’s every change. Thunder doesn’t move people forward. I find it amazing how people run from it. Hmmmm Believability…