Our special guests are Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt, co-authors of Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic. (The Extended Edition).
Yuri Lowenthal, in addition to being a giant nerd, is an award-winning actor of stage, screen and voice-over. He has worked on over 200 video game titles, but may be best known for his work in the popular Prince of Persia video game series, in which he plays the titular prince in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. He’s voiced Superman and Superman X on the Saturday morning animated Kid’s WB show Legion of Superheroes as well as Jinno/Kuma on Afro Samurai. Catch him currently as Ben Tennyson on Cartoon Network’s Ben Ten: Alien Force and as Bobby Drake, “Iceman,” on NickToons in the animated series, Wolverine and the X-Men. Anime fans may also know him from such series as Naruto, RaveMaster, Kyo Kara Maoh, Gurren Lagann, Bleach, Code Geass, and the film, Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles.
Tara Platt is not a nerd but is proudly married to one. She has performed internationally from London to New York to Los Angeles in film, TV, animation and theatre. In the VO world, she is best known for her work on the series and video games Naruto as Temari, DC vs. MK as Wonder Woman, and Legion of Superheroes as Dream Girl. Anime fans may also recognize her from animated series and features: Digimon: Island of Lost Digimon, Buso Renkin, RaveMaster, FateStayNight, Rozenmaiden, Tokko; Blue Dragon, Bleach, DearS, Boys Be; and in video games: Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Eternal Sonata, Soul Calibur, Final Fantasy, Desperate Housewives, Halo 2 (ilovebees), Tales of Symphonia, Tales of the Abyss, Persona, and Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria. Tara and Yuri’s production company Monkey Kingdom Productions recently finished their first feature film Tumbling After.
Voice-Over Voice Actor will cover the following information:
Anecdotes
Anecdotes from VO professionals that run the gamut from actors to directors, agents to engineers. Entertaining stories and valuable insider knowledge on topics like: what makes a good demo reel, what it’s like in the booth, how to work effectively with a director, and what an agent likes to hear. Contributions from Wil Wheaton, Phil Morris, Dee Bradley Baker, Vic Mignogna, Liam O’Brien, Stephanie Sheh, Ginny McSwain, Jonathan Clements and many more!
Exercises
In addition to sample scripts and audition copy, you’ll find exercises to create characters, help narrow down your voice type, strengthen your pipes, increase breath control, improve diction and much more!
Audition Techniques
A peek into where you’ll be auditioning, who you’ll be auditioning for and things you can do to set yourself apart from your competition. From script analysis and character breakdown to relaxation techniques, you’ll discover a multitude of ways to get prepared, stay levelheaded and put your best foot forward.
Marketing
Being the best actor isn’t enough! You’ll have to treat your VO career as a business, find out how to market yourself to agents, managers and potential clients. From promotional mailings to networking, these are the skills that can turn one job into a career!
Creating a demo
Making a good first impression is important and your demo is what you’ll send out into the world to give people a reason to hire you. You want it to be the best it can be, and here you’ll find out how to produce your demo to make it stand out!
Finding your voice
There are a lot of people out there competing for VO work. And key to being competitive is knowing your own voice. What qualities does your voice have? What kinds of products is your type of voice selling these days? And how can you use this knowledge to focus your energy and promote yourself? We’ll tell you!
Different types of VO
What kinds of jobs are out there? Where does VO fit in with the rest of the world of entertainment? From animation (dubbed and original) to video games, loop groups to commercials, let us be your guide through the wonderful world of VO.
Booth/Studio
We’ll give you a peek into the place where voice actors go to work and play. Who’ll be in there with you, how to get comfortable behind the mic and an introduction to all the strange and wonderful equipment you’ll be working with.
Home studio
Technology has brought the power to you, the voice actor, and we walk you through how to use your computer to record quality auditions at home and how to create your own home studio without spending an arm and a leg!
Getting Started
No matter how old you are, where you live, or what your experience, we give you the tools to begin your career in voice over. Whether you’re just curious, starting small or shooting for the stars, you’ll find what you need in this book!
Agents & Unions
Where are they, do you need them, how they can help you, and how to use them to get what you want in your VO career. We make them less mysterious, less intimidating and a lot more accessible.
Vocal Health
If you’re a race car driver, keeping your car tuned up and ready to go is key. In VO, it’s all about keeping your voice healthy and ready to rock, because if you don’t have your voice, you’re dead in the water. We give you tips on how to stock your pantry and strengthen your voice.
The Warm-Up: CD or mp3 Download
The Warm-Up (your choice of CD or mp3 download) includes in-depth tracks to get you fully warmed-up and ready to go: * The Full Body Warm-Up * The Facial Warm-Up * The Breathing Warm-Up *The Vocal Warm-Up * The Condensed Complete Warm-Up *Additional Vocal Practice with Tongue Twisters.
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