Austin Improv

btalbot wrote:VoiceOver work is location agnostic anymore.

I know what you mean anymore.

FYI... Register now for a 25% discount! $100 off regular price!

At VoiceWorks, you’ll learn the secrets professional voice talents use to make money with their voices!

Call Lainie Frasier at 512.441.6060 or visit www.lfvoiceworks.com.

VOICEWORKS
Fall 2009 Intensive Weekend Voiceover Workshops

“Build Character” Commercial Radio VO Workshop
Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, from 10a.m.-6p.m.

“Voices in my Head” Animation VO Workshop
Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13, from 10a.m.-6p.m.

“Go the Distance” Industrial VO Workshop
Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18, from 10a.m.-6p.m.

Call Lainie at 512.441.6060 to reserve your space. Register today and
get a special price of $300 per workshop with $150 up-front as a non-
refundable deposit. Mail deposit to 1500 Kinney Avenue Austin 78704.
Classes are held at the Production Block Studios, 3011 North Lamar,
Austin, TX 78705. Hurry, classes are limited to six students each and
fill up fast!

btalbot wrote:by the way, no one takes you serious without a demo, and a demo only cost the value of 1-2 spots...likely the value of one session. if you want to make money, and you treat it like a business, you need to make an investment to get a return.

Good luck and God Bless. There's plenty of work for all of us.

Talbot, could you please tell us 'exactly' what you would do/what to purchase/who to contact in this climate, circa 2009, if you were starting at this time? You're obviously very articulate and can type! Can you teach a little here? It would be very helpful and much appreciated!

I already have some training in voiceover, but was never able to figure out how to be available for auditions AND hold down a job to support myself. It seems like now may be the time, thanks to technology!

Ah, to be an asocial hermit, yet still in the entertainment industry. My dream come true.

I wonder if it's possible to build a decent demo using material available online? Is that something that's happening? If not, sounds like a side industry for somebody like you, Talbot!

Online demo production. Hmmm....

To Google...

Kathy Rose Center wrote:I took a voice-over class from Lainie Frasier at VoiceWorks, and here are some of the things I remember about demos ...

Be sure to listen to demos on the db Talent page (link above) and take note of the production values - sound quality, music, sound effects - which make them sound like excerpts from real jobs. A demo is not just talking on tape.

Composing the script is an important aspect of making a voice-over demo. You want to demonstrate the variety and range of your voice in 1 minute. But also note ...

There are distinctly different categories of voice-over work & corresponding demos. Don't mix a commercial clip with an anime clip, for example. You're supposed to submit an appropriate demo for the job you're applying for. If there's a mismatch on the first track, they may stop listening right there.

Kathy, you have a nice resume! Did you only begin working as an actor post 2004 and your class with Lainie?

If so, that's very inspirational to those of us who are, ahem, closer to "vintage" than "ingenue."

antigeekess wrote:Kathy, you have a nice resume! Did you only begin working as an actor post 2004 and your class with Lainie?
If so, that's very inspirational to those of us who are, ahem, closer to "vintage" than "ingenue."

Thank you. I started in 2003, after 30 years with IBM, with a class on "Playing Shakespeare," with no intention of actually acting on stage or film. My original interest was playwriting, but I figured I'd be a better writer if I understood something about the acting process. Then I discovered how much fun it was to act out other people's stories, so now, I both act and write.

If you can dream it, you can do it. (Walt Disney)

Kathy Rose Center wrote:
If you can dream it, you can do it. (Walt Disney)

Plus, you rock. That helps

Belinda wrote:

Kathy Rose Center wrote: If you can dream it, you can do it. (Walt Disney)

Plus, you rock. That helps

Thank you! But really, it mostly luck, backed up with intense preparation.

Talbot, could you please tell us 'exactly' what you would do/what to purchase/who to contact in this climate, circa 2009, if you were starting at this time? You're obviously very articulate and can type! Can you teach a little here? It would be very helpful and much appreciated!

I already have some training in voiceover, but was never able to figure out how to be available for auditions AND hold down a job to support myself. It seems like now may be the time, thanks to technology!

Ah, to be an asocial hermit, yet still in the entertainment industry. My dream come true.

I wonder if it's possible to build a decent demo using material available online? Is that something that's happening? If not, sounds like a side industry for somebody like you, Talbot!

Online demo production. Hmmm....

To Google...[/quote]


Okay, gang. I may have been a bit abrupt. Sorry about that. Laine is great, by the way. If she's teaching, you should check her out. There are other ways to get your voice trained and to gain the experience necessary to be able to do voice acting. I found this post again, here in 2011, and need to respond.

Practice. Practice. Practice. Read out loud. Record what you read. Listen to what you've recorded. Get used to your voice and what you can do with it. Find outside perspectives on what your strengths are. Play to your strengths. It is what makes athletes top performers. It will be what makes you a top performer in voice acting, as well.

Get a show stopping demo together. If you can do it yourself, then go for it. If you're not a hot commercial engineer, you may need to spend some money to make some money. There are people in town and studios in town who can help. Demos don't always get you work, but they can. And, a demo that is less than awesome can actually lose you work.

Make contacts and get your name and demo out there. People find voice talent from anywhere in the world. There are still some local gigs, but most people book talent anywhere. Also, people book exactly what they hear in their head when they write or read a spot. So, your interpretation makes all the difference in the world. That's where a coach can be very helpful. Contact ad agencies, talent agencies, and recording studios for starters. Send them your demo and introduce yourself so they know who you are.

There is no magic formula for getting voice work, but there are things you can do to help increase your opportunities.

PM me if you want to talk further. As I said previously, there is plenty of work for everyone. I want to help others find the gift I have been fortunate enough to find. After 25 years, it's still magic to get paid to talk. Best gig I've ever had.

Brian Talbot
512-692-6206

I echo what's been said about doing a demo, and also having an agent. After those 2 basics, network, network, network. As a (sometimes) working actress in Austin for past 3 years, my most steady paychecks come from industrial work. These are corporate-related work such as internal training videos, conference promotional materials, web tutorials, etc. Austin has a number of big high-tech companies and they make many of their industrial work right here in Austin. Sometimes they advertise, but I get notified mostly from my agent. Be familiar with the marketing firms here in Austin from big ones like GSD&M, to Enspire Learning, to really small ones - they'll be the ones doing the bulk of the commercials and industrial work in town. AND THEY ALWAYS PAY! Hope this helps!

Based on my previous posts and the comments on this forum, I've put together an intro course for people who want to get paid to do voice acting. I'm a working actor who gets paid to do voice acting, talent direction and coaching. My next class is on Saturday, June 18 from 9a to Noon. Check it out at austinacts.com for more information.

Best wishes to each of you in your pursuits.

Brian Talbot

Computer - you already have one, I presume.

Music recording software with mastering capabilities - $300

Microphone with decent sound and mixing board - $150

Keyboard (Yamaha or Casio) with realistic instruments and sounds - $200

For $650 you can make as many demo reels as you please in as much time as is necessary and never have to pay for a studio again. I'm a musician and I record my own music, trust me, once you get the hang of the software and the keyboard sounds it's very easy. Of course being able to add a real guitar and bass would be ideal, but not altogether necessary, Yamaha has some extremely good quality keyboards that won't break the bank.

vailmusic wrote:Computer - you already have one, I presume.

Music recording software with mastering capabilities - $300

Microphone with decent sound and mixing board - $150

Keyboard (Yamaha or Casio) with realistic instruments and sounds - $200

For $650 you can make as many demo reels as you please in as much time as is necessary and never have to pay for a studio again. I'm a musician and I record my own music, trust me, once you get the hang of the software and the keyboard sounds it's very easy. Of course being able to add a real guitar and bass would be ideal, but not altogether necessary, Yamaha has some extremely good quality keyboards that won't break the bank.

Almost forgot, you'll want a pair of headphones when recording your voice so that the background doesn't echo (you do NOT want this). You could use any cheap pair of ear-buds but I recommend getting some sound suppression headphones, the larger speakers and sound suppression gives better playback sound quality (obviously).