The Magazine of Santa Clarita readers keep submitting great questions about the voiceover business. This month, voice actors ask about accents and agents.
Q: Marc, I really enjoyed your tele-seminar through VoiceOverXtra. I love having access to the recording of the event so I can listen to it several times. I always pick up little details each time I do. One question: What is the best training method to minimize a regional accent? I want to train myself to be able to “turn it on and off” more easily, rather than try to eliminate it entirely. –Laurie B., Los Angeles, CA
A: Laurie, the only way to reduce or eliminate your accent is to work with an accent reduction coach. Try Google to find one in your area, and if you come up empty, check out the local colleges and universities’ Speech Depts. to see if you can get a referral. Good luck!
Q: Hi Marc, I just received the same audition from two agencies, one that I’m with in Los Angeles, and the other that I just started with in Madison, Wisconsin. Do I send them in to both agencies or what is the protocol on something like this? A colleague had this happen to them, and they ended up sending the same audition to both agents, but afterward they weren’t sure they did the right thing. Could I possibly send two completely different takes? –Tina W., Irvine, CA
A: If I have one take, I give preference to my L.A. agent over everyone else. I thank the out-of-state agent for sending me the audition, but explain that my local L.A. agent sent me the copy first, and that I need to honor that. They’ll understand. But you could send two completely different takes, as long as they’re completely different.
Cashman Commercials © 2010
Marc Cashman creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television, was named one of the “Best Voices of the Year” by AudioFile Magazine, and will be a keynote speaker and Master Class instructor at VOICE 2010 (in Los Angeles, June 2010). Winner of over 150 advertising awards, and a working voice actor as well, he instructs voice acting of all levels through his classes, The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, CA.
Marc can be contacted at cashcomm@earthlink.net or his website, www.cashmancommercials.com.