VC Radio
Voice Coaches Radio #596 – Character Mindset
Voice coaches radio everything voiceover
Welcome to a brand new episode of voice coaches radio. My name is marissa. You are kidding me Right in early, which is not the norm, uh, usually I like to kind of do these episodes after I'm a little bit more awake, uh, you know, after the caffeine has kicked in and I've already done some recording for the day, uh, but I don't know, I felt like getting right into the nitty gritty of it all today.
I just wanted to jump right in. I got a lot to say. And a lot of my mind, um, actually in reality, I'm up a little earlier than usual because my neck is killing me. Uh, you know, I have talked about this before, before I started at voice coaches, you know, I started with these guys back, you know, everybody was still kind of locked up during the pandemic.
It was the beginning of 2021. But right before that, I took this like little holdover job. That should have just been like a holiday stocking job. That's what I thought I was doing when I applied for this gig at Lowe's. And next thing you know, I'm doing a whole store reset project. I'm this little girl on a team of, like, I don't know, 14 guys where we had less people than we needed.
And, uh, you know, the short of the long here is that I ended up with a pretty major concussion when everything was said and done. It was like my last couple days and I had... Uh, one of the lumber grates that, you know, they use on a shelf. Um, somebody dropped it and it hit me right in the head from a distance.
So, like, 50 pounds of steel. So, yeah, I'm, I'm, like, really, really lucky to be alive, and I know that. Uh, but the, the pain that comes along with it, and I'm over here, like, I just don't sleep well sometimes. It's like hard to get comfortable every once in a while. And then I wake up with an extreme headache, which is where I'm at today.
Um, and you know, I just, I fight through it. Because I've said this before, the show must go on, right? Uh, but, and I'm over here, pardon me, like, do I open up this compensation case again? Because like, I don't know, it hurts. Uh, that and like, That, and like, is the inevitable physical therapy even going to help?
Because I think at this point, it's probably like, I don't know, arthritic. Uh, even though it really hasn't been all that long, it's been long enough. Uh, so, these are the thoughts that go running through my head every single morning. What about you? Um, also, I don't know. If you were like a lawyer in your first life, can you help me?
Uh, maybe? I'm just throwing it out there because the Mega Millions did nothing for me a couple weeks ago. But alas, here we are, a brand new episode. You know, I, uh, I started realizing, like, I was just kind of looking at the way that I handle students and, and, and different things that we all go through and, you know, a lot of this, uh, as I was talking to some of the other coaches here at Voice Coaches, um, just realizing that some of this is so second nature for us that we, I don't want to say take it for granted because that doesn't really make sense, but it's like we, We don't think about it.
It's like subconscious for us because we do it all the time. Uh, you know, so it's, it's kind of like the way we speak, you know, and trying to bring that to the page. Um, so I wanted to talk about getting into the mindset. Of a character, uh, because I think, you know, again, for a lot of us, it's like, we've been doing this for a long time, so it's like, when we look at something, we already know what we're gonna do, and, and how we're gonna go about it, and, and why, and all those things, and we make those choices rather quickly, but for somebody that's brand spanking new in this, that's like, the biggest challenge of understanding, like, wait, that's it.
What is happening? How do I, how do I take this and do anything with it? So, let's dive into that today a little bit. Because here's the thing, you're going to be out there, you're going to be doing various work, uh, you know, especially as you're starting, you're, you're not necessarily going to know what your niche field is going to be just yet, and you might be just almost like, it's like pasta, you know, you're just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks, you know, and, and for some of this, It's, it's going to be more challenging than, than others because, you know, I think it's pretty simple when you, when you have something like educational material or you have something like training material, you know, you're got somebody that's starting to do job, they're watching this video, they hear your voice pop on, you kind of can understand, all right, I'm educating somebody, you know, and, and the best thing that you always want to remember is like, Talk to just, just talk to somebody you know.
It makes it that much more relatable, more personable, more conversational, um, and just more natural for you. Uh, but what happens when you get something that does require a little bit more acting? You know, that's where it can be like, okay, how do I wrap my head around this? And I realized one of the things that I kind of allow students to really dive into, and more so on probably Demo Day or as we're prepping for Demo Day than anything else, is, say we have an audiobook, and there's, you know, books are written in various ways.
I mean, maybe it's just you're telling a story. Um, You know, maybe there's dialogue in there, maybe it's first person, but like, we'll say that for just even a minute right here, say, say it's first person. That might be the easiest one of all of these to really kind of try to bring to life because I'm always like, all right, well, here's the thing, it's first person, this is you.
You didn't actually experience this, I know, but put yourself in these shoes for a moment and understand for yourself, how would I feel? in these circumstances. And if I'm feeling that kind of way, how may I sound in that situation? And, you know, the most important thing too is like when something is written in that kind of way, I know, you know exactly what you're going to say, right?
It's right there. It's on the page, but in life, we never ever do. And because of that, you know, I mean, you're going to hear it even sporadically in here as I'm just thinking about what I'm trying to get at. It's like you have these pauses, you have extended moments, and when you're like putting those into this script.
You know, you're putting these into this story in this book. All of a sudden, this has gone from you're telling a story to like, this is my story. This is real. You add some feeling in there. You know, maybe this is a really suspenseful moment and You know, you're, the character is, like, concerned about something.
And you're expressing how, how you would within that piece. Like, all of a sudden, now, boom, another level has been unlocked. You know, and it's just looking at it, and how could I take this each step further? That's just one, one tiny thing right from the beginning. And when I usually have a student go from take one to take two, you know, from doing however they've been practicing and taking these tiny little things into consideration, all of a sudden, it's like a world of difference.
So you know, that might be just a small perspective change for you right now in this moment. So take that and run with it. Now there's other ways to look at some of the other styles of writing, right? So like, say it's a situation where you're telling a story and there's dialogue. I I've always loved to think like, all right, well I was a fly on the wall in this situation.
I was actually in the room, I was in the corner, and I witnessed all of this happen and now I'm over here going, Oh my God, you know, Kelly, you're never going to believe what I saw happen. And I'm just relaying this story to my friend, but I'm bringing it to life, you know, so it's. It's different perspectives on on how to look at that script You know the the other thing the other way I think these are done is is just straightforward story and and the same thing I could say is just You know you want to be that that fly in the wall You want to look at this this story and be like, well, what feelings are here?
You know, that is always the, the biggest thing right from the jump, you know, it's like, what feelings are here? Because that's going to set the tone for the entire piece in how you deliver it. So, These are just some little tiny things to get you started in thinking well How how would I feel in this situation and how can I bring this to this piece?
You know again, it's it's feelings and it's Personal connection to a piece. It's the way that you are taking your time with it and How, you know, you might want to go ahead and express this for yourself in the real world. Um, you know, and each time that you dissect things just a little bit more, you're bringing things to life.
That much better and and making something that much more believable and entertaining So, you know take that and run with it And if you've got questions that I might be able to answer in regards to that I would love to so info at voice coaches calm You could also send questions, you know for potential, you know future podcasts or topics that you would like discussed info at voice coaches calm and We'll have a brand new episode Coming your way next week.
And maybe just, maybe I will not be in pain next episode. We'll find out next time on voice coaches, radio, uh, stay safe. Everybody.
Visit voicecoaches. com for more voiceover news and.
Welcome to a brand new episode of voice coaches radio. My name is marissa. You are kidding me Right in early, which is not the norm, uh, usually I like to kind of do these episodes after I'm a little bit more awake, uh, you know, after the caffeine has kicked in and I've already done some recording for the day, uh, but I don't know, I felt like getting right into the nitty gritty of it all today.
I just wanted to jump right in. I got a lot to say. And a lot of my mind, um, actually in reality, I'm up a little earlier than usual because my neck is killing me. Uh, you know, I have talked about this before, before I started at voice coaches, you know, I started with these guys back, you know, everybody was still kind of locked up during the pandemic.
It was the beginning of 2021. But right before that, I took this like little holdover job. That should have just been like a holiday stocking job. That's what I thought I was doing when I applied for this gig at Lowe's. And next thing you know, I'm doing a whole store reset project. I'm this little girl on a team of, like, I don't know, 14 guys where we had less people than we needed.
And, uh, you know, the short of the long here is that I ended up with a pretty major concussion when everything was said and done. It was like my last couple days and I had... Uh, one of the lumber grates that, you know, they use on a shelf. Um, somebody dropped it and it hit me right in the head from a distance.
So, like, 50 pounds of steel. So, yeah, I'm, I'm, like, really, really lucky to be alive, and I know that. Uh, but the, the pain that comes along with it, and I'm over here, like, I just don't sleep well sometimes. It's like hard to get comfortable every once in a while. And then I wake up with an extreme headache, which is where I'm at today.
Um, and you know, I just, I fight through it. Because I've said this before, the show must go on, right? Uh, but, and I'm over here, pardon me, like, do I open up this compensation case again? Because like, I don't know, it hurts. Uh, that and like, That, and like, is the inevitable physical therapy even going to help?
Because I think at this point, it's probably like, I don't know, arthritic. Uh, even though it really hasn't been all that long, it's been long enough. Uh, so, these are the thoughts that go running through my head every single morning. What about you? Um, also, I don't know. If you were like a lawyer in your first life, can you help me?
Uh, maybe? I'm just throwing it out there because the Mega Millions did nothing for me a couple weeks ago. But alas, here we are, a brand new episode. You know, I, uh, I started realizing, like, I was just kind of looking at the way that I handle students and, and, and different things that we all go through and, you know, a lot of this, uh, as I was talking to some of the other coaches here at Voice Coaches, um, just realizing that some of this is so second nature for us that we, I don't want to say take it for granted because that doesn't really make sense, but it's like we, We don't think about it.
It's like subconscious for us because we do it all the time. Uh, you know, so it's, it's kind of like the way we speak, you know, and trying to bring that to the page. Um, so I wanted to talk about getting into the mindset. Of a character, uh, because I think, you know, again, for a lot of us, it's like, we've been doing this for a long time, so it's like, when we look at something, we already know what we're gonna do, and, and how we're gonna go about it, and, and why, and all those things, and we make those choices rather quickly, but for somebody that's brand spanking new in this, that's like, the biggest challenge of understanding, like, wait, that's it.
What is happening? How do I, how do I take this and do anything with it? So, let's dive into that today a little bit. Because here's the thing, you're going to be out there, you're going to be doing various work, uh, you know, especially as you're starting, you're, you're not necessarily going to know what your niche field is going to be just yet, and you might be just almost like, it's like pasta, you know, you're just throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks, you know, and, and for some of this, It's, it's going to be more challenging than, than others because, you know, I think it's pretty simple when you, when you have something like educational material or you have something like training material, you know, you're got somebody that's starting to do job, they're watching this video, they hear your voice pop on, you kind of can understand, all right, I'm educating somebody, you know, and, and the best thing that you always want to remember is like, Talk to just, just talk to somebody you know.
It makes it that much more relatable, more personable, more conversational, um, and just more natural for you. Uh, but what happens when you get something that does require a little bit more acting? You know, that's where it can be like, okay, how do I wrap my head around this? And I realized one of the things that I kind of allow students to really dive into, and more so on probably Demo Day or as we're prepping for Demo Day than anything else, is, say we have an audiobook, and there's, you know, books are written in various ways.
I mean, maybe it's just you're telling a story. Um, You know, maybe there's dialogue in there, maybe it's first person, but like, we'll say that for just even a minute right here, say, say it's first person. That might be the easiest one of all of these to really kind of try to bring to life because I'm always like, all right, well, here's the thing, it's first person, this is you.
You didn't actually experience this, I know, but put yourself in these shoes for a moment and understand for yourself, how would I feel? in these circumstances. And if I'm feeling that kind of way, how may I sound in that situation? And, you know, the most important thing too is like when something is written in that kind of way, I know, you know exactly what you're going to say, right?
It's right there. It's on the page, but in life, we never ever do. And because of that, you know, I mean, you're going to hear it even sporadically in here as I'm just thinking about what I'm trying to get at. It's like you have these pauses, you have extended moments, and when you're like putting those into this script.
You know, you're putting these into this story in this book. All of a sudden, this has gone from you're telling a story to like, this is my story. This is real. You add some feeling in there. You know, maybe this is a really suspenseful moment and You know, you're, the character is, like, concerned about something.
And you're expressing how, how you would within that piece. Like, all of a sudden, now, boom, another level has been unlocked. You know, and it's just looking at it, and how could I take this each step further? That's just one, one tiny thing right from the beginning. And when I usually have a student go from take one to take two, you know, from doing however they've been practicing and taking these tiny little things into consideration, all of a sudden, it's like a world of difference.
So you know, that might be just a small perspective change for you right now in this moment. So take that and run with it. Now there's other ways to look at some of the other styles of writing, right? So like, say it's a situation where you're telling a story and there's dialogue. I I've always loved to think like, all right, well I was a fly on the wall in this situation.
I was actually in the room, I was in the corner, and I witnessed all of this happen and now I'm over here going, Oh my God, you know, Kelly, you're never going to believe what I saw happen. And I'm just relaying this story to my friend, but I'm bringing it to life, you know, so it's. It's different perspectives on on how to look at that script You know the the other thing the other way I think these are done is is just straightforward story and and the same thing I could say is just You know you want to be that that fly in the wall You want to look at this this story and be like, well, what feelings are here?
You know, that is always the, the biggest thing right from the jump, you know, it's like, what feelings are here? Because that's going to set the tone for the entire piece in how you deliver it. So, These are just some little tiny things to get you started in thinking well How how would I feel in this situation and how can I bring this to this piece?
You know again, it's it's feelings and it's Personal connection to a piece. It's the way that you are taking your time with it and How, you know, you might want to go ahead and express this for yourself in the real world. Um, you know, and each time that you dissect things just a little bit more, you're bringing things to life.
That much better and and making something that much more believable and entertaining So, you know take that and run with it And if you've got questions that I might be able to answer in regards to that I would love to so info at voice coaches calm You could also send questions, you know for potential, you know future podcasts or topics that you would like discussed info at voice coaches calm and We'll have a brand new episode Coming your way next week.
And maybe just, maybe I will not be in pain next episode. We'll find out next time on voice coaches, radio, uh, stay safe. Everybody.
Visit voicecoaches. com for more voiceover news and.
This week on Voice Coaches Radio, Marissa talks a bit about how to wrap your heads around who you really are in the script in front of you.
