Last month a reader of The Magazine of Santa Clarita wrote in with this question about breaking into voiceover, and I promised to lay out over the next few months the skill-sets that most people in the areas of stage, film and television, singing, instructing, public speaking and on-air talent possess, and show how they do and don’t apply to voice acting. Last month I talked about stage actors. This month I’ll talk about television and film actors.
Q: I’m a public speaker, and wonder if I could be successful in voiceovers. I speak in front of large and small audiences, I’m behind a microphone and entertain and deliver my subject matter well. My stage-actress wife and my film actor brother-in-law wonder whether they might be good candidates for voiceover work. Any ideas whether we could be successful? —Jack W., Valencia, CA
A: Television and film actors have an edge in voice acting because they can memorize their lines and internalize their emotions and attitudes. The sensitive microphones used in filmmaking today can capture a whisper, and an actor’s nuanced soliloquy caught on camera is very adaptable to voice work. They’re able to “say” things without saying a word, through their facial expressions and/or body language, so the viewer sees them “become” their character. They’re able to take direction and offer up suggestions to the director if asked. They’re prepared for their performance, and know what they’re going to do physically to enhance their role.
But while on-camera actors are talented at expressing emotion without saying a word is very powerful on screen, voice acting requires them to emote without being seen. They need to learn how to express emotion and attitude through your words alone — no one can see their face or body. But, like stage actors, they’ve developed a way to access emotions quickly and believably, and this puts them in good stead to be terrific actors in voice.
Marc Cashman creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television. Winner of over 150 advertising awards and named by AudioFile Magazine as “Best Voice of the Year,” he instructs voice acting of all levels through his classes, The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, CA, and does one-on-one coaching via phone and the Internet. Cashman Commercials © 2009
He can be contacted at cashcomm@earthlink.net or his website www.cashmancommercials.com .