Archives for February 2024

I was recently listening to one of my favorite podcasts. (spoiler: I am a podcast LOVER!) The podcast was The Acting Podcast with Risa Bramon Garcia and Steve Braun of the BGB Studio in Los Angeles. I have studied with Steve and taken classes at BGB, and I find their wisdom to be invaluable.

In the podcast they were addressing Script Analysis, which is a skill that all actors (including, or especially voice actors) need to cultivate. The idea at BGB Studios is that Script Analysis is individual to each actor. That it encompasses whatever brings you to life as an actor. Whatever gets you going into and through the scene. In fact, they wanted to rename it “Script Exploration,” which implies an on-going, fun process instead of Script Analysis, which sounds clinical and finite.

As a voiceover artist and voice actor primarily focused on corporate, explainer, and commercial reads, I find that script analysis (or script exploration) is vitally important, to bring me into the moment that is happening in the script. Oftentimes, corporate or explainer scripts read as clinical and dry. But what clients look for is a voice that can bring the material to life and make it sound “conversational.”

I find that the first step (if I can avoid trying to speak the material out loud too quickly) that helps is to ask these 5 questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why? My best reads are when I spend just a few minutes asking “Who am I?,” “Who am I talking to?,” “What are we talking about?,” “What did the other person just say?,” and most importantly, “Why am I saying this?”

When I get clear on all of those things before I try to get the words into my mouth, the whole recoding process goes more smoothly and more quickly.

This trick works for on-camera work as well. It is simple, but for me, incredibly important – especially if it is a subject or a character I’m not familiar with.

The challenge for me is to stop myself speaking the words out loud before I do this. I get so excited that I want to get in there and just go! Writing all of this is a way to remind myself of the times it is easy and fun, and that starts with Script Exploration.

Thanks for joining me! Do you have an approach to scripts that you use or recommend? Share it with me!

Back in 2022, when I decided I would step into a new career in Voiceover, I knew there would be a learning curve. After 20+ years of acting on stage and on camera, it was time to act behind the mic, but really, how hard could it be? Lots of people were doing it right? Whew…did I have a lot to learn!

First step, after some coaching, was to create my home studio. I couldn’t go into thousands of dollars in debt buying a pre-built booth, so I created my own, with the help of my husband, and lots of Google searches!

I do mostly short-form narration and commercial work, so having my computer outside the booth works for me, and in my little condo, space is at a premium. My little booth has helped me book corporate narration, explainer, and commercial work, so it may not be fancy, but it gets the job done.

My goal was something simple but functional. I created a frame out of restaurant-style wire shelving pieces from webstaurantstore.com. I bought 4 posts, 6 braces, and 1 large shelf for the top to give the booth its shape. Then I draped 3 Producers Choice acoustic blankets all around, and topped it off with some of my mom’s beautiful quilts. Simple, inexpensive, and does the job!

 

The hardest part of my space was the large window. I live on the flight path out of SFO, and lots of sound was getting in through my window. This is a 50-year old building, so the seal around the window wasn’t great. I scoured the internet once again for a solution, and I ended up creating my own plexiglass window plug to prevent, air, wind, and SOUND from coming in around the window. I measured the window…twice to be sure, and took those measurements to TAP Plastics, a local store that sells plexiglass cut to order. The plexiglass ended up costing around $100. Then I found rubberized edges to put all around and shimmied the window plug into place. It was astonishing how much quieter my noise floor after that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello! And welcome to my brand-spanking new website.

 

I bought my first microphone for voiceover in July of 2022 (I know because I just found the email confirmation of my order.) I had a dream: that I could stand in a dark blanket fort for hours on end, talking to no one. After all the times my family told me there was something wrong with talking to myself, getting paid to do it seemed like winning.

And now, after nearly 2 years of perfecting my commercial voiceover, corporate narration, and explainer reads, I am launching a professionally-designed website specifically dedicated to my voiceover work. More winning!

In this blog, I’ll divulge the secrets to living inside my head and to avoiding the mental pitfalls that get in the way of a good recording.

Hopefully, we’ll all have a little fun along the way.