supplemental material the art of voice actingvoiceacting.com/pdf/aovatc-1/1-2 aova tele-course...

The Ar t of Voice Acting Tele-Course Supplemental Material

Copyright James R. Alburger—all rights reserved

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The Art of Voice Acting o r c h e s t r a t e y o u r m e s s a g e !

Tele-Course Supplemental Material

orchestrate your performance

Presented by:

VoiceActing.com

858.484.0220

www.voiceacting.com www.commercialclinic.com

[email protected]



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Named for Paul Broca who first described it in 1861, Broca's area is the section of the brain which is involved in speech production, specifically assessing syntax of words while listening, and comprehending structural complexity.

Auditory and speech information is transported from the auditory area to Wernicke's area for evaluation of significance of content words, then to Broca's area for analysis of syntax. In speech production, content words are selected by neural systems in Wernicke's area, gram-matical refinements are added by neural systems in Broca's area, and then the information is sent to the motor cortex, which sets up the muscle movements for speaking.

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Vision and vision words happen at the back of the skull, action and action words happen at the front, in Broca’s area, right next to the prefrontal cortex. The ear is right in the middle, the key to everything.

Describe what you want the listener to see, and she will see it. Cause her to imagine taking the action you’d like her to take, and you’ve brought her much closer to taking the action. The secret of persuasion lies in our skillful use of action words. The magic of advertising is in the verbs.

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1. Gray, Peter. (1994). Psychology. New York, NY: Worth Publishing. 2. Williams, Roy. (1999). Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads. Austin, TX: Bard Press



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The 4 Critical Elements of Effective Communication

Interrupt — Get their attention:

It is essential to get the attention of your audience before any communication can begin. For most voiceover work the Interrupt refers to a statement or question at the beginning of the script that is intended to get the audience to STOP thinking about what they are currently thinking about and START thinking about what it is you are about to say. Using an example of a commercial for a restaurant, a powerful interrupt might be "I am never going to eat ever again!" As a listener, wouldn't you be just a little intrigued as to why I'm saying I'll never eat again? Sure you would! And viola! Your current thought process has just been interrupted.

As a voiceover talent, part of your job is to discover how your character might speak the first line of the script in a way that will instantly grab the attention of your one-person audience. The challenge is to do this even when the script is poorly written or may not include an interrupt.

Engage — Keep them listening:

The most effective way to keep someone listening is to tell them a story. Every script contains a story of some sort—even if it’s a poorly written script that contains nothing but a list of items. As voice talent your challenge is to discover how your character can tell the story in a way that is captivating, intriguing, and compelling. Generally speaking, one of the best ways to keep the audience listening is to simply have a conversation with them. Most ―announcery‖ or ―in-your-face‖ deliveries (usually referred to as ―hard-sell‖) will tend to dis-engage the listener, whereas a one-to-one conversation will tend to engage the listener and keep them listening. If properly delivered in an engaging manner, even the telephone directory can be compelling.

Educate — Give them the information they need to know:

This is the ―meat and potatoes‖ of a script. For a commercial, it’s usually the sales message (which may be cleverly woven into the content of the story); for an industrial, it’s usually the instructional, training, or marketing content. Regardless of the script, your job as voice talent is to deliver the information ―in character,‖ and in a manner consistent with the purpose of the message. To be effective, delivery of the information portion of a script must be consistent with your delivery of the rest of the script. If you have properly interrupted and engaged the listener, and your character is having a personal conversation with your one-person audience, the informational content will be completely natural and will not be perceived as ―selling.‖

Offer — Give the listener an opportunity to take action:

What action do you want the listener to take as a result of speaking to them? (remember Desires from the A-B-C’s?) In commercial copy, the offer is often referred to as ―the sell,‖ a ―tag,‖ or ―the call to action,‖ and will frequently be delivered by a different voice talent. ―Call 800 123-4567,‖ or ―Order today—only $19.95,‖ or ―Go to www.commercialclinic.com‖ are all direct forms of the offer, but it can also be very subtle or cleverly written to not appear as a direct call to action. As voice talent, your job is to keep the listener engaged through the entire script so that when the time comes to wrap it all up, the offer simply appears to be the natural conclusion of your message.



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NOTES:

The Art of Voice Acting

Chapter 9 Supplemental - 41-42

Script Analysis Trick of the Trade: Marking your script with notes of how you feel about the words or message may help you to find ways of expressing your feelings. The goal is to make the words uniquely yours.

Exercise: Script Analysis for USP

Exercise: Character relationships

Supplemental - 12

Supplemental - 3 The 4 Critical Elements of Effective Communication

“WOOD-SHEDDING” - NO GUESSING - SCRIPT ANALYSIS:

Two aspects of working from a script are the black and the white.

The Black = words on the page The White = that which is not spoken, yet which is still heard

The purpose of ―wood shedding‖ is to get the information you need, so you can understand the big picture and make intelligent and relevant choices.

Make choices: To be real and believable, you must express confidence, honesty, and truth in your performance. If you ―guess,‖ make arbitrary choices—or worse, make no choices at all, your interpretation and performance will be missing a critical element of believability. Make certain all of your choices are consistent with your character.

Look for copy points: key words and phrases that provide clues to your character, the message, and the ―big picture‖ of the story.

“No Guessing! - Ask lots of questions: about pronunciation, attitude, meaning or anything unclear. If you’re not sure about something in the copy - ask. The more information you have, the faster you will be able to uncover the true message and the best way to communicate it - without guessing!

Look for question marks in the copy: These are short phrases that you can turn into a question and make up answers. Use ―question marks in the copy‖ to reveal details about audience, back story, character, desires, and the 3 types of energy.

Look for a Unique Selling Position (or proposition): This USP often appears in the form of a slogan or catchy phrase. A USP is a brief statement of what separates a particular product or service from its competition. It can be as short as a single word or as long as a paragraph. Find a way to deliver the USP in a way that gives it power and impact, yet is consistent with your delivery for the rest of the script.

Look for relationships in the copy: Every script includes a variety of relationships. Uncover the relationships to create believability. Relationships can change or shift during a performance.

Determine your character’s relationship in regards to: The one-person audience Personal relationship Physical relationship The back story Other characters in the story The product, service, or subject of the script The distance and/or physical relationship to objects, places, or

actions in the script Time, space, and environment

Look for the 4 Critical Elements of Communication: Find the Interrupt,

Engage, Educate, and Offer elements in the story or script.



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NOTES:

Exercise: Analyzing a script

Next page Script Analysis

Worksheet

CONSIDER THE 6 W’S:

1. Who - Who is the one person you are speaking to? Who is the client? Who are other characters in the story talking to? Who is most important?

2. What - What is the primary objective (desire) of your character? What is going on in the story? What are the benefits mentioned in the script (if it’s a commercial)? What is the single most important element in the story? What is the conflict? What is the resolution or non-resolution? What other characters are involved, either heard or not heard? What is the energy or dynamics of your character and other characters in the story?

3. When - When does the story take place (time of day)? When does action need to be taken?

4. Where - Where does the story take place (location & geography)? Where does the plot lead? Where are other characters, or items located in relation to your character (distance)?

5. Why - Why is your character talking (motivation)? Why does the story move in the direction that it does (story arc)?

6. Weather - What is the climate: cold, hot, steamy, rainy, etc.?

Analyze this script for its relationships, and other details:

With locations throughout the Valley, Providence offers the most advanced technology and therapies for treating cancer in Southern California. Call 1-800-HEALING for your annual check-up or second opinion.

The road to healing leads to Providence.

MARKING YOUR SCRIPT:

Marking your script gives you a roadmap for your interpretation and performance, and can help guide you through your performance:

Use a pencil when marking your script.

• ____ - Important words and phrase

• - Key elements of conflict

• - Peak moment

• - resolution or non-resolution of plot

• - take inflection on a word up

• - take inflection on a word down

• - modulate your voice

• // - pause or take a beat ~



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SCRIPT ANALYSIS WORKSHEET:

Answering the following questions, based on your script, will help you discover the audience you are speaking to, why you are speaking to them, your character and any special attitude you need to incorporate into your performance, and the ultimate results you want from the communication.

Who is your Audience (advertiser or client) – [Remember it’s always one person]?

What is your Backstory? (What brought you to this moment in time when you are speaking? Why are you speaking these words, and what is it you are talking about [product or service?)

What is the most appropriate delivery style?

Hard-Sell - fast and punchy

Medium-Sell - mellow

Soft-Sell - relaxed

Who is the advertiser/client trying to reach (target audience)? Determine the age range, income, sex, buying habits, belief system, motivations and any other specific details that become apparent from the way the script is written. Who is the ―other person‖ you are talking to? Visualize this individual as you perform or work from your script.

Find important words or phrases in the script that you can emphasize using dynamics of loudness, pacing or emotion. These include the advertiser’s name, product, descriptive adjectives and an address or phone number. These elements of the copy need special attention in your performance. Underline or highlight the words or phrases you want to emphasize and use physical and mental energy to express the dynamics of your performance.

What is the message the advertiser/client wants to communicate to the target audience and what is the bottom-line end result that is desired? What is the story you are telling through your performance and what is the most powerful manner in which you can tell that story? What is the USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?

How does the story (plot) develop? For dialog copy, find the setup, the conflict, and how the conflict is resolved or not resolved? Discover how the plot flows. Are there any attitude changes with your character or others? Plot development is critical to effective dialog copy. Determine your role in the plot and how your character develops.

NOTES:



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NOTES:

Mark your script with symbols to indicate copy points for changes in inflection, attitude and physical energy. Use arrows , lines, slash marks ( / ), etc. as a road map for your delivery.

What is your role (your character in the story) in terms of how the story is being told? Do a basic character analysis to define your character’s age, life style, clothing, speaking style, attitude toward the product or situation in the script, etc. What are your character’s motivations? What are your character’s WANTS and NEEDS at this moment in time?

What happened in the moment immediately before the copy (the back story)? Be as detailed as necessary to discover your character.

How does your character relate to any other characters in the script, or to the audience in general. Is your character an active player in telling the story (as in a dialog spot), or is your character that of a narrator imparting information to a captive audience (as in a single-voice ―spokesperson‖ commercial)? What can you do to create an emotional bond between your character, other characters in the script and the audience?

What can you do to make your character believable? Any special vocal treatments, physical postures or mental attitudes?

Does your character have any interesting traits or speaking characteristics? (Speaks slowly, fast, with an accent, odd voice, etc.) If so, identify them.

Study the script for pauses that might be used to provide emphasis, and for places to breathe. This is especially important in industrial copy which frequently contains long, run-on sentences with technical terminology. Mark breaths and pauses with a slash mark ( / / ).

Find the rhythm. Every script has a rhythm; a beat and timing. Discover the proper timing for the script you are reading. Dialog copy has a separate rhythm for each character as well as an interactive rhythm for the overall story. The rhythm may change within the script. Look for transitions in the script (similar to attitude changes).These may be transitions from asking a question to providing an answer (common in commercial copy), a change in the type of information being offered, or a transition between attitudes of your character.

Look for words you can emphasize and that will connect you with the audience. Personal pronouns, such as ―you,‖ ―our,‖ ―my‖ and ―I,‖ may be written into the script or simply implied. If connecting words are implied, find a way to make that implied connection through your performance (without actually saying the words) by using physical movement, changes in facial expression, tone of voice or changes in mental attitude. Emphasizing pronouns may NOT be the best way to deliver the lines.



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A Audience Authentic in Attitude Arc (of the story)

B Back Story Benefits Believe in Yourself

C Character Critical Thinking Commit to Choices

D Desires Different Approach Dynamics for Variety

E Energy (3 essential types) Effortless Expert

F Forget Who You Are Focus Fun (as in Have Fun!)

G Gamble (be willing to risk) Gestures Growth

H Hands (use your arms) How Does Your Character ... Have Alternatives Ready

I “Into the White” Intention Imagination

J Juxtapose Jargonize (when appropriate) Journey (Explore Options)

K Key Words & Phrases “Keep it Real” Kid (Let Yours Come Out)

L Listen Carefully “Less is More” Lose Yourself

M M.O.V.E. “Moment Before” Mark Your Script

N No Guessing Never Touch the Mic. Never Argue

O „Off the Page” “Out of the Black” Observe

P Play Practice Pencil - for making changes

Q Quality Question - always ask Quickly Find Character

R Respond Rehearse - to polish Results

S Sense Memory Script Analysis Suspension of Disbelief

T Teamwork Think Out of the Box Truth

U Understand the Whole Story

Under-play for more drama Use Tools & Techniques

V Voice Act not voice-over Visualize the Scene Vision - get the big picture

W Warm-up Water to Stay Hydrated Woodshed Copy (5 W‟s)

X X-periment X-plore X-cite

Y Yawn to Open Throat Yell (if appropriate to character) Yourself (Don‟t Be)

Z Zicam (cold remedy) Zeppo (a famous Marx brother) Z End of Z List

The A-B-C‟s of Voice Acting THE COMPLETE ALPHABET



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1) AUDIENCE: Who, specifically, are you talking to. Define in as much detail as possible the

ONE person to whom your character is speaking. The best audience is the ONE person who most needs to hear what your character has to say.

2) BACKSTORY: Why is your character speaking to this person? Create a brief and specific

scenario that clearly defines a specific event that has occurred immediately prior to your first words:

3) CHARACTER: Who are you as the speaker? In most situations (especially when working from

a script) the speaker is NOT you. Even if you are presenting your own material, you will probably be more effective if you create a character with whom your audience can better relate (see the section on RISC AmeriScan for ideas on how to create interesting characters).:

4) DESIRES: What does your character (speaking voice) want and need as a result of

speaking. In other words, what is your character’s intention and desired result from speaking to his one-person audience in response to what has just happened..

5) ENERGY: There are three essential forms of energy that combine to create a compelling and

believable character: 1) Psychological Energy: How does your character think as the words are spoken? 2) Emotional Energy: How does your character feel about the situation, activity, or relationships in the story? 3) Kinetic (Physical) Energy: How might your character move within the context of telling the story? What physical energy is appropriate for your character’s attitude, mental state, emotional involvement, and interaction with other characters?

6) FORGET WHO YOU ARE - FOCUS: Master the skill of ―getting out of your own way‖ to allow

the character you are playing to become real. Learn how to focus on the character to a point where you no longer need to consciously think about what you are doing, how you are moving, or how you are behaving.

7) GAMBLE: Be willing to risk! Learn how to step outside of your comfort zones to express

thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, and physical movement that you might never express in your every day life. Understand that the outcome of every performance is unknown . . . and be willing to accept the risk.

The 7 Essential Elements of Performing AKA—The A-B-C’s of orchestrating your message



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Have you ever been . . . Feelings and Emotions



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abandoned abused accepted affectionate afraid agitated aggravated alarmed alienated alone amazed amused angry anguish annoyed anxious appreciative apprehensive ashamed at ease awful awkward baffled battered belittled belligerent below par bewildered bitter blue bored bottled up branded broken calm capable cast off cheapened cheerful competent confident conflicted confused constrained contented criticized crushed debased defeated deficient deflated dejected demoralized

depreciated depressed desolate despair desperate despised despondent destroyed discontented discouraged discredited disgraced disinterested disliked dismal disparate displeased dispassionate dissatisfied distressed distrustful disturbed done for doubtful down cast downhearted downtrodden dread dreadful ecstatic elevated embarrassed empty] enraged enthusiastic envious euphoric excited excluded exalted exhausted exhilarated exposed fantastic fearful fine fit foolish forlorn forsaken frantic friendly frightened frustrated

furious futile glad glorious good grand grateful gratified great guilty happy hateful hatred helpful helpless hesitant hindered hopeless horny horrible humble humiliated hurt hypocritical ignored ill at ease impaired impatient impotent imprisoned inadequate incapable incompetent ineffective inept inferior inflamed insecure insignificant in the dumps intimidated irritated jazzed jealous jilted jittery joyful jumpy laughed at left out lonely

lonesome longing loved loving lousy low mad maligned miffed miserable mistreated misunderstood needed negative neglected nervous numb obsolete offended oppressed optimistic ostracized outrage overlooked overwhelmed panicky passionate perplexed pleased powerless pressured proud put down puzzled reborn rebuked regretful rejected rejuvenated relaxed relieved resentful restless revengeful ridiculed ridiculous rotten run down

sad satisfied scared selfish sensual serene sexy shaky shocked sickened skeptical slandered spiteful startled surprised suspicious swamped tearful tense terrible terrified threatened thrilled tormented transcendent trusting uncertain uncomfortable uncooperative underrated understood uneasy unhappy unimportant unloved unqualified unsatisfied unsure upset uptight wanted warmhearted washed up whipped worried worthless worthy

Vocabulary of Feelings



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Documenting Your Character Voice © James R. Alburger, all rights reserved

Character name: ________________________________________

Age ____ Height ___________

Sex ____ Body type _________________________________

Character source (where did you get the idea?):

______________________________________________________

Describe primary energy: _________________________________

Key phrase (to quickly return to the voice): ______________________________________________

Appearance (hair, clothing, etc.): ______________________________________________________

Placement (location of voice in your body):

Vertical pitch: ________________________________________________________________

____ Abdomen ____ Chest ____ Throat ____ Eyes

____ Adenoid ____ Nasal ____ Face ____ Top of head

Horizontal: __________________________________________________________________

____ Front of face/body ____ Centered ____ Back of head/body

Pitch Characteristics: ______________________________________________________________

Physicalization (how does your character move in time and space?):

Stance: _________________________ Walk: __________________________________

Quirks: _________________________ Laugh: _________________________________

Body: _________________________ Hands/arms: ____________________________

Mouth Work: ______________________ Dialect/Accent: ___________________________

Phrasing/Pacing (the musicality of your character’s voice):

Tempo: ____ Fast ____ Slow ____ Moderate ____ Varying

Rhythm: ____ Smooth flow ____ Staccato ____ Melodic

Attitude (tone of voice): __________________________________________________________

Emotion: _____________________________________________________________________

Volume (loud/soft/varied): ________________________________________________________ Associated color, sound, or taste: _____________________________________________________

If your character was real, who or what might it be like? ____________________________________

Other notes:

Sketch or pic of character



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“I wish that big fish wasn’t following so close!”“It isn’t easy being chased by that big mean cat.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls - watch me pull

a rabbit out of my hat!”

“Today - we are going to paint a tree.”

“Did you just see a juicy little worm go by here?”“Oh, my - I’m so excited!

I’ve just won a vacation trip to Hawaii!”



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“I know I’m not supposed to forget stuff,

but this is ridiculous!”

“Wow! That’s the biggest carrot I’ve ever seen!”

“I’m moving as fast as I can - I’ll be there in an

hour or two!”

“Follow my nose - it knows where it goes!”

“I not only taste good - but I’m good for you too!” “Hey! You guys in the tree - quit monkey-ing around!”



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“I’m not your average Southern fried tater!” “Please - I promise I won’t chase the cats very much!”

“Purple is out! Green is in!” “Now, see, ya gotta grab the cheese real fast - or ya

just might not come back in one piece!”

“Hey! Who copied these papers upside down?” “When you said to read the fine print - I never thought

I’d have to take you literally!”



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Business Plan for VOICE ACTOR YOU, INC.

1. As Chief Executive Officer, what is your vision or plan for a career as a voice actor, which is specifically designed to ensure your growth, profitability and financial gain? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ What change(s) must take place to bring this plan to fruition?

_______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

2. What strategic alliances are you forming to ensure the achievement of the vision or plan of

VOICE ACTOR YOU, INC.? a) With whom are you aligning?

_______________________________________________________________________

b) How will this be beneficial?

_______________________________________________________________________ 3. As V.P. of Quality Control, what are you specifically doing to ensure and/or improve the

quality of the service provided by VOICE ACTOR YOU, INC.? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

4. As Chief Financial Officer, what plans must be made to accommodate the financial and marketing continuity of VOICE ACTOR YOU, INC.?

Current Strategy: Anticipated Cost:

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

a) Alternative sources of revenue?

____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________

b) Probability of primary revenue continuation over next 5 years?

Excellent___ Very Good ____ Fair____ Poor____

c) Back-up Strategy:

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________ 5. As V.P. of Marketing, what steps are you taking to seek new or additional target markets

for your services? _______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________



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a) Local markets?

_____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

b) Other markets? _____________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. As V.P. of Promotions, what steps are you taking to complete the following:

a) Seek representation?_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

b) Collect materials and prepare for demo tape?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

c) Demo tape/CD production?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

d) Graphic design (logo, U.S.P., business cards, stationery/thank-you cards, etc.)?

Design ________________________

Printing ________________________ 7. As V.P. of Sales, what is the projected revenue for year end? $_______________

a) Is that enough to cover company expenses? ___yes ___no

b) What about expected revenue growth for next year? $_______________

8. As V.P. of Education, what is the training plan specifically designed to ensure the

services offered by VOICE ACTOR YOU, INC. are equal to, or exceed, industry standards? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

What is the time line for implementation of the training program?

By ______ I will be enrolled in ________________________ Completion Date: ________ By ______ I will be enrolled in ________________________ Completion Date: ________ By ______ I will be enrolled in ________________________ Completion Date: ________ By ______ I will read _______________________________ Completion Date: ________ By ______ I will read _______________________________ Completion Date: ________ By ______ I will read _______________________________ Completion Date: ________ By ______ I will study and/or research __________________ Completion Date: ________ By ______ I will study and/or research __________________ Completion Date: ________ By ______ I will study and/or research __________________ Completion Date: ________



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9. As V.P. of Human Resources, what will you do to protect the mental, physical and

spiritual health of the primary employee (you)?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

a) Vacation allotment, family leave, and general mental health maintenance?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

b) Maintaining connection with corporate stockholders? (family)

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

c) Your spiritual health?

___________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

10. As Director of Maintenance, what improvements should be made to improve the visual

appearance and physical health of the primary employee (you), the product or service? a) What do you plan to do?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

b) When will you get started - specifically?

____________________________________________________________________

11. As Chief Benefits Officer, what financial planning is in place to ensure your future financial security (i.e. retirement)?

a) What do you plan to do? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b) When will you get started?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

12. As Accounting Department Head, what steps are you taking to maintain accurate

invoicing, record keeping and IRS accountability? ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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