Full-on newb seeking gentle abuse

Dylan Swain · **Voice Talent** Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 5

Howdy! Welcome to my first post.

I'm as newbish as they come and I'm looking for the usual: to be told that, like so many 'American Idol' hopefuls, I've got IT...and that I'm not one of those poor, deluded souls in the season opening who can't believe they aren't recognized for the great talent they are. (Word of the day: Schadenfreude)

I have no experience. None. Please take that into account when you hear the demo - I know it needs work. On the other hand, I've been a cook and a chef for the last twenty years, so I'm not afraid of a few burns or harsh words or hard work. The advice I have heard for those getting into VO work is the same for those getting into cooking: Don't Believe the Hype.

Fine. No prob. Thomas Keller and Dan Castellaneta I am not.

My goal is to work in animation and videogames...I live in Victoria, BC, close to Vancouver, and there is a lot of work for anime dubbing, and EA Games has their base there...okay, so maybe I'm a little dewy-eyed after all. Whatever. My point is, commercial demos are not my primary goal - but they could certainly help pay the bills.

This demo was made with the intention of demonstrating the range and flexibility of my voice - I am in no way 'locked in' to any of these voices, and I don't think my Kermit will win any prizes. But what do you think? Not bad for two weeks tinkering with Pro Tools and a mic?

Melba Sibrel · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008, 03:57 (GMT) Post subject:

Can you convert to an mp3 and repost? You'll get more response if you do. Bigger isn't always better.

Dylan Swain · **Voice Talent** Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 5

Done and done.

Melba Sibrel · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008, 10:37 (GMT) Post subject:

You know, it's not bad. It's kinda okay. It feels long (a common beginner mistake) Should be 1-1.5 minutes -- unless gaming/animation demo preferences are different in Canada than the US. It doesn't knock my socks off. But it doesn't make me cringe, either. (which is more common than you'd think)

While I'm not sure you've got anything there that says "hire me over all the other 10,000's waiting for the same job" I hear the seed of something that you might cultivate into one of three things: a part-time endeavour; an expensive hobby; a way to amuse your friends and annoy strangers. Ha. Kidding.

If you're in a market where you have access to gaming/animation pros, see if you can get a working VO actor to give a listen, or a producer, or an agent. Seek a mentor who does what you want to do. Grasshopper. Don't pay a bunch of money (yet) for pro demo or further coaching. Basic acting lessons with emphasis on script interpretation would be a good first "lesson" if you've never had that. And improv is good for lots of things, including character development.

Scott Pollak · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008, 13:47 (GMT) Post subject:

Rather than go on a long and convoluted recap, I honestly have to say I pretty much agree with Melba (imagine that?!).

Lose the "Hi, I'm...." intro (no pro does that), shorten it, and do all those other things Melba suggested.

As a total newbie with no experience it's a good start; better than a lot that I've heard. You're not ready yet to compete with the big boys, but you could be with time and training and practice and exposure.

Robert Jadah · **Voice Talent** Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 2627

It's not a perfect analogy, Dylan, but you will know that a chef doesn't get that five-star restaurant job by mailing out a whole lot of omelettes.
What you need do for the jobs you envision is to:
1) Join ACTRA. (This is not easy. You need a certain amount of acting credits, which you can get only through paid acting union work. A conundrum and a challenge, yes, but it well prepares you to deal with this infernal business.)
2) Find an agent. (Avoid the big ones at the beginning. They already have herds of unionized talents mumbling theatrically in their cellars.) This is where a tight, stellar demo comes in handy. Your initial effort here, of course, is neither. An agent also likes to know you've done some work, so spend a couple of years racking up whatever interactive or game gigs you can scrabble for.
3) Join your local amateur theatre. Practice. Learn. Enjoy.

Eventually, you'll be invited into the big kitchen, where you whip up the finest vocal feast possible.

Regarding your demo here, there are a couple of engaging characters. Impersonations and other parlour tricks don't generally impress, though, since somebody is already doing Homer, Kermit, Arnold, and Porky.
Find your own characters. Then be those characters.

Lastly, marinate slowly; don't rush. You'll not have a decent paying gig for years yet.

Victoria On!

Dylan Swain · **Voice Talent** Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 5

Whew! I was anticipating jeers and the shout of "You suck, Swain! Stick to cooking!" j/k

Thank you very much for your opinions and advice. This was pretty much my assessment as well, so it's good to know I'm not totally off-base. I do intend to take some acting classes and, um, seek professional help.

It seems like there are a ridiculous number of people with their hands out, ready to fleece the new fish (to mix a metaphor or two). I suppose my next questions would be:

- Is it worth it to go for the premium subscription service on v123? I've read a few posts from subscribers here on the forum that suggest otherwise. On the other hand, three low-budget gigs a year would pay for the service.

- Are similar sites worth it?

- Any books, e-books, online resources, etc.?

- Anyone you would not recommend?

Again, thanks for the advice (and the cooking metaphors, Mr. Jadah.)

Connie Terwilliger · **Voice Talent** Joined: 14 Jul 2003 Posts: 409

Robert Jadah · **Voice Talent** Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 2627

Dylan Swain · **Voice Talent** Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 5

Again, thanks for the sage advice. I've been researching like a madman the last few days - apparently my salad days in university weren't for naught - and I've been looking into acting classes. There's an improv group in town that could be an amusing catalyst as well.

I'll be practicing, practicing, practicing (always good advice, Connie, thanks). The first piece of real equipment I bought was a Shure Unidyne:

It is my precious, I loves it so. [/gollum] Every time I look at it, I want to boot up Pro Tools and record a track.

I'll edit the demo I've got, and put up more in the coming weeks for your consideration and amusement. It may be a steep learning curve, but I loves to learn: for me, there's nothing more exhilarating than tackling a project that's way too big, and wrestling it into submission. It's one of the reasons I got into cooking - the knowledge and skills needed to succeed are immense. Too bad it's so hard on the body.

Dylan Swain · **Voice Talent** Joined: 14 May 2008 Posts: 5

Well, I tweaked and remixed. Whaddya think?