- Jan 13, 2008
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[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot3KiVctXfY"]YouTube - Broken CRT @ PAX 2009 - Interview with Heavy Weapons Guy[/ame]
Epic Heavy impersonation at PAX '09
- Thread starter Fragimus_Max
- Start date
- Apr 19, 2009
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I lol'd hard.
- Jan 13, 2008
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"YOU DID WELL!" = Quick thinking on the Heavy's part.
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Scotland Tom
L6: Sharp Member
- Jan 19, 2008
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As a voice actor myself I can tell you that there are some people in this world who can actually accomplish that type of vocal quality without completely destroying their chords. I'm not one of those people. I haven't gone through the screaming regiment that's practically required to gain such a skill.
The guy in the video does an excellent job. I'm sure that many people, if they were simply listening to the audio, wouldn't be able to tell the difference between this guy and the original voice artist.
- Jul 31, 2009
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As one-of-those-mimicking-people-who-will-get-punched-someday-for-accidentally-offending-someone, I have to ask: How'd you get into voice acting?
P.S.: Alan Rickman impressions are fun.
P.P.S.S.: This is not something where I like the accent/audio portion (I blame using a tinny headset mic and the difficulty cleanly dubbing-over the original in Audacity), but...
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJfdp6LIM48"]YouTube - Meet The Mentos[/ame]
I did the audio, someone else synched it to the video. In retrospect I'd go back and tweak some volume levels, but it was an interesting learning project. (Aside: some of the sniper's in-game clips seem much much different from the Meet-The video...)
P.S.: Alan Rickman impressions are fun.
P.P.S.S.: This is not something where I like the accent/audio portion (I blame using a tinny headset mic and the difficulty cleanly dubbing-over the original in Audacity), but...
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJfdp6LIM48"]YouTube - Meet The Mentos[/ame]
I did the audio, someone else synched it to the video. In retrospect I'd go back and tweak some volume levels, but it was an interesting learning project. (Aside: some of the sniper's in-game clips seem much much different from the Meet-The video...)
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- Jan 13, 2008
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"The this the end Mr. McClaine. How do you say? Yippie kai yeaeh... muddafukkah?"
lol Rickman is the shit.
Fragimus Max Fun Fact #19020:
When I was 14, I did the voice of Sylvester Jr. in a Warner Brothers "Say No To Drugs" After School Special. lol I won the role in a contest... at the mall.
In fact, being behind the process at such a young age made me want to get into animation.
Fragimus Max Fun Fact #19021:
At age 28, I created these guys...
Go figure.
That's where 10+ years in the animation industry gets you. lol
Scotland Tom
L6: Sharp Member
- Jan 19, 2008
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I've been an actor for about 14 years now, though I can't really call myself a professional actor because I've never made a living doing it. But during that time I discovered I had a really big passion for working with my voice. Combined with the fact that I've always had an affinity for the craft of animation it seemed a pretty natural evolution of my acting. I'm not an established voice actor (it's an incredibly competitive field that I've only recently started to get into in earnest), but with any luck one day you'll hear me in a Pixar film or adding my voice to TF3.
Until then if you know anyone who has some work for me, send them my way!
- Jan 13, 2008
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I read somewhere that the dude who performed the voice of Serious Sam is selling his body at this point. lol
A good place to start for voice actors would be searching Google for stuff like "free voice acting forum". Offer your services for free, and put together a 30 minute audition tape.
Then edit it in half.
Then break it down to three minutes.
You should have enough material, from different "jobs" by this time to have three things required to get voice over work:
1. References. Your clients will all say how great it was working with you. Of course, your future employer doesn't have to know that you didn't charge any of them.
2. Your three minute audition tape. The first minute is key, it should want them to listen to more - but save your best for last, and build to it from that 1:01 point.
3. The very beginning of your own personal archive. Enough recordings, with references (very important - sometimes they just want to know your relationship with other director/editors over the actual ability to use your voice), to mix and match "sets" according to the job you're applying for.
PRO TIPS: NEVER, EVER clear your throat before recording - this will cause long-term damage - and watch how you say your "p"s... because on production mic, they can make an undesirable "popping sound" that directors detest.
A good place to start for voice actors would be searching Google for stuff like "free voice acting forum". Offer your services for free, and put together a 30 minute audition tape.
Then edit it in half.
Then break it down to three minutes.
You should have enough material, from different "jobs" by this time to have three things required to get voice over work:
1. References. Your clients will all say how great it was working with you. Of course, your future employer doesn't have to know that you didn't charge any of them.
2. Your three minute audition tape. The first minute is key, it should want them to listen to more - but save your best for last, and build to it from that 1:01 point.
3. The very beginning of your own personal archive. Enough recordings, with references (very important - sometimes they just want to know your relationship with other director/editors over the actual ability to use your voice), to mix and match "sets" according to the job you're applying for.
PRO TIPS: NEVER, EVER clear your throat before recording - this will cause long-term damage - and watch how you say your "p"s... because on production mic, they can make an undesirable "popping sound" that directors detest.
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Scotland Tom
L6: Sharp Member
- Jan 19, 2008
- 332
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Three minutes? You'd be lucky if a casting agent listens to it for one. It might seem counter-intuitive, but from everything I've heard/read/seen about voice over demos a demo shouldn't be longer than about one minute (maybe a minute and a half) and it should be chock-full of your best material.
Just like any commercial a VO demo has to make the product it's selling (your voice) sound as good as possible. That means an immediate hook followed by everything that makes you sound great and topped off with something that says "I'm the only choice". None of the individual clips should be more than about 10 seconds long (shorter if possible) and all of them ought to sound as if they've been cut from professional projects. For the beginner accomplishing this stuff means that you either have to drop a few hundred dollars for a studio session with someone who knows how to put together VO demos or you have to do a few months of research and drop at least a few hundred dollars on equipment for a home studio so that you can do it yourself.
After that it's recommended that you get an agent. Many casting directors (especially on larger productions) won't even bother with unrepresented talent.
Just like any commercial a VO demo has to make the product it's selling (your voice) sound as good as possible. That means an immediate hook followed by everything that makes you sound great and topped off with something that says "I'm the only choice". None of the individual clips should be more than about 10 seconds long (shorter if possible) and all of them ought to sound as if they've been cut from professional projects. For the beginner accomplishing this stuff means that you either have to drop a few hundred dollars for a studio session with someone who knows how to put together VO demos or you have to do a few months of research and drop at least a few hundred dollars on equipment for a home studio so that you can do it yourself.
After that it's recommended that you get an agent. Many casting directors (especially on larger productions) won't even bother with unrepresented talent.
- Jan 13, 2008
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I've spoken to a dude named Maurice LaMarche in the past, he's a pretty established voice over actor - practically a legend - and he recommended to do whatever the agent says, because good agent will tell you what you need to do to appeal to their clientel. HOWEVER... if you don't have one, and you're representing yourself (which means you won't even get into the screening process for most auditions without some type of real representation), three minutes of a well-written, multi-voiced comedy sketch will give you an advantage over other talent. Three minutes goes fast when it's good... but unfortunately, they discourage most from doing this since the material sucks and most voice-over actors aren't professional-level writers - and, now that I think of it, you really wouldn't have more than one good reference to work with.
I just assumed that it would work for a mixed demo... but I can see your logic of it being too much to digest since there's no actually storyline, just sound clips.
Either way, freelance *anything* is a bitch and I commend anyone who can work hard enough to keep themselves fed and make a living at it. I quit animation and comic book illustration because it was a very "who knows who" industry and extremely elitist.
I just assumed that it would work for a mixed demo... but I can see your logic of it being too much to digest since there's no actually storyline, just sound clips.
Either way, freelance *anything* is a bitch and I commend anyone who can work hard enough to keep themselves fed and make a living at it. I quit animation and comic book illustration because it was a very "who knows who" industry and extremely elitist.
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Scotland Tom
L6: Sharp Member
- Jan 19, 2008
- 332
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Holy flippin' crap! Maurice LaMarche? Are you serious?!!
On my list of career goals my first one is to work alongside some of the best (in my view) voice actors in animation. That list includes Maurice LaMarche, not to mention others like Frank Welker, Tom Kenny and John Di Maggio.
I still think three minutes is a bit much for someone new to the field, especially without some writing ability, but I can see how a full blown comedy sketch might have its advantages over a traditional demo - so long as the characters remain distinct and varied.
Then again, each project has it's own distinct sound and feel. A three minute sketch would sound like a piece from a single project. Creating a mixed demo helps anyone listening to hear how your voice sounds in a number of different settings and formats.
Overall it probably just depends on the project and who you're auditioning for. It may be beneficial to have on file both a mixed demo and a single sketch that showcases a variety of voices.
On my list of career goals my first one is to work alongside some of the best (in my view) voice actors in animation. That list includes Maurice LaMarche, not to mention others like Frank Welker, Tom Kenny and John Di Maggio.
I still think three minutes is a bit much for someone new to the field, especially without some writing ability, but I can see how a full blown comedy sketch might have its advantages over a traditional demo - so long as the characters remain distinct and varied.
Then again, each project has it's own distinct sound and feel. A three minute sketch would sound like a piece from a single project. Creating a mixed demo helps anyone listening to hear how your voice sounds in a number of different settings and formats.
Overall it probably just depends on the project and who you're auditioning for. It may be beneficial to have on file both a mixed demo and a single sketch that showcases a variety of voices.
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Yeah, I met him a few times over a series of years when he was actively appearing at comic book conventions. I had no idea who he was until I realized that he was the voice of "Brain" and half the characters on Animaniacs.
I've also met Billy West a handful of times. That guy's a trip. I remember talking to him and John Kricfalusi about Bob Clampett (I was seated right next to them for an entire weekend - they were working on a project together.) That was a great convention... back in like '92/'93 before West became famous for Futurama.
Kinney I actually met once a few years later... but he was poor as fuck and performing as part of 'Mr. Show', with Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. You know that Kinney and his wife Jill (who was also in Mr. Show, the skinny chick with the black hair) starred in the Smashing Pumpkins video "Tonight, Tonight"?
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsZYqaSc4cU"]YouTube - Tonight, Tonight - The Smashing Pumpkins[/nomedia]
(Embedding is disabled for the video, so you'll have to click the link to watch it.)
I've also met Billy West a handful of times. That guy's a trip. I remember talking to him and John Kricfalusi about Bob Clampett (I was seated right next to them for an entire weekend - they were working on a project together.) That was a great convention... back in like '92/'93 before West became famous for Futurama.
Kinney I actually met once a few years later... but he was poor as fuck and performing as part of 'Mr. Show', with Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. You know that Kinney and his wife Jill (who was also in Mr. Show, the skinny chick with the black hair) starred in the Smashing Pumpkins video "Tonight, Tonight"?
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsZYqaSc4cU"]YouTube - Tonight, Tonight - The Smashing Pumpkins[/nomedia]
(Embedding is disabled for the video, so you'll have to click the link to watch it.)
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