VC Radio
Voice Coaches Radio #611 – Thankful Reminders
Voice coaches, radio, everything voiceover.
Welcome to a brand new episode of voice coaches radio here, finding you the week of Thanksgiving. And I do hope that, you know, you're making a lot of memories and you're taking some downtime, much needed downtime. To hopefully take a deep breath and relax a little bit. Though I do realize being around the family could cause some additional stress.
I mean, hey, it just depends on the family dynamic, right? Uh, my name is Marissa. I'm over here preparing. I have a house full of people this weekend on Sunday. I do annually a Friendsgiving celebration. And, uh, Yeah, I mean, it's just, it's always a house full and, you know, there's always that person that says they're going to bring the mashed potatoes and then they don't show up until two hours after the start time and we're over here done with dinner and, uh, just wondering, like, what the heck were you thinking?
Uh, why did you say you were going to bring potatoes and not bring dessert? I, like, I just don't understand. Uh, but, you know, hey, it's always fun. It's always a great time. Um, the pictures are always a blast as well. You know, try to get those, uh, photo booth moments. And, um, yeah, so it's gonna be exciting. So I I hope that you're, um, having some good times as well as we get into the full swing of the holiday season.
Uh, you know, what are some of the things that you're thankful for here in VoiceOver? You know, what has the year brought you? Um, you know, maybe it's just that you're thankful that you're finally exploring. You know, something that you've wanted to do for years. Maybe it's just the fact that you're thankful you've put the time in to continue to develop that skill.
Maybe you're thankful that you've been getting some opportunities, or new forms of opportunities. Maybe it's the relationships you've built this year. Um, you know, there's a lot of different things to be thankful for, I'm sure. So it's always good to kind of take that moment and reflect so you can see how far you've come in the course of, you know, here we are 11 months into the year.
Almost, almost a brand new year. It's crazy. Um, and I was, uh, talking to one of our coaches just, uh, the other day and You know, there's a lot of things that you need to ask yourself as you are going into a project and you know I mean, these are things that when you're starting it seems like it's so much right but then like as you Become more second nature with this.
It's it's like decisions that you make rather quickly, but You know, a lot of people aren't even aware that you should be asking yourself these things at first, and I think that's why it's so important to make sure that we talk about it because, you know, listen, you, you do something for a very long time, and you don't even realize what people don't know because it's just been ingrained in you for so long, and I, I know I'm guilty of that.
You know, it's like you go to train somebody in a radio station, and you're like, wait, you don't know what What that means? Like, how do you not? It's like such a basic term for this industry. How do you not know? Oh, right, you're new. Um, just like a lot of people don't realize commercial copy can also be called a spot.
Like, you know, that's just, that's the inner, uh, business lingo. Uh, you know, and, but I've been surrounded by it for almost 20 years, so it's like to me, eh, yeah, whatever, you know, but trying to explain something to somebody that's not within it, I mean, they look at you like you've got a million heads, uh, you know, so I get it.
Uh, so I wanted to go over the things that you need to be asking yourself. You know, especially if you haven't been, but you've been doing this, you know, maybe throughout the year or whenever you started to decide, like, I'm gonna go ahead and start doing some voiceover stuff. Now, honestly, the basic things that you need to be doing, who, what, where, when, why, like, these sounds like, why would I, I'm, you know, why, uh, right?
But, when you're looking at a script, it's like, who are you? Who are you in that script? You know, because sometimes things are written kind of weird, you know? It's like, I wouldn't say this in life, but like, hey, these are my words now, so who am I in this? What is my objective? Like, what kind of point am I trying to get across, you know?
Where is this taking place? What kind of picture am I trying to paint? Who am I talking to? You know, that's always very important. The why, you know, what is the end goal. You know, what is the purpose of this piece? So it's a lot. Um, and I, I think like when you're putting all of it together, you know, initially it's like, man, this just seems like it's too complicated.
It's really not, you know, these are decisions that I will admit, you know, and I say this to students all the time, you know, it's like, we're in class, I'm maneuvering my day, I check my email, I've gotten a commercial. Alright, cool, I've gotta go and record it. What do I do? I, I don't even look at it really, and I set up, you know, Audacity or Adobe Audition or whatever I'm recording on, and I press record, that's when I read it for the first time.
I can make a number of those choices that we just talked about in that one read, in that 30 or 60 seconds, I can make all of those decisions. And by the end of that read, it's like you're figuring out, well, alright, this is who I am, this is who I'm talking to. Okay, the tone of this is a little bit more on the softer side.
Maybe I was a little bit too much. Maybe I need to emphasize some of these words to get the point across better. Um, my end goal is that I'm selling this brand, um, you know, and, and lengthwise, you know, maybe I'm a little bit longer than I need to be, so maybe it's picking up the pace just a little bit, but, you know, make sure that I'm not going too fast.
Um, so it's like, I, I can make all those decisions in, in that, that first 30 second. Or 60 second read. It's just, right now, for anybody that's diving on in, and this is new, that seems like a whole lot of things to figure out. And sometimes people's heads get spinny, uh, you know? Because you start overthinking the process, which we've always, you know, been talking about.
The overthinking is so, just happens all the time, uh, you know? But I don't want you to get in your own head and in your own way about it, because these are just basic questions, you know? And, Really, at the end of the day, it's like, the basic stuff is like, if you're just being you, and you have somebody in mind that you're talking to, you're probably gonna make some pretty good choices.
But, when you're able to go in a little bit deeper, and understand the other levels of it, then it all really starts to come together. So please, take those into consideration. And, um, you know, the other things that Simone and I were talking about, it's like, well, How do we set up students to, in understanding, you know, how they need to be in a project?
It's not just asking these questions. It's, you know, that's allowing you to be a decent talent, um, you know, in, in performance. But how do you be a decent talent? Just overall, in general, and there's certain things that you just need to be able to do, you know, it's like put your ego aside, you need to be able to take direction, you've got to be a team player, you know, you might be the talent, but that doesn't mean that you are the be all end all, you know, this is, this is a work project that is a collaboratory project, so you're delivering the voice, But you are taking that direction and you're working together to, to get the project to where it needs to be.
Good timing is always important. Um, you know, when it comes to your pacing, when it comes to you just being on site on time. Um, you know, you want to make sure that you are You know, uh, you know, good, reliable talent, um, in that way as well. Bring some confidence, you know, like we talk about that, you know, just, it's kind of like the overthinking of this.
If you could do something with confidence or if I always like to say, if you can just be as fun. As you, you can, uh, without, you know, just getting in your own way, then it's going to be that much easier to get these projects to where they need to be, and sometimes you gotta work on the fly as well, so you've gotta be able to improvise, um, so, you know, these are just some key things to be thinking about as we get into this Thanksgiving Day weekend, you know, these are, Little tiny things to be thankful for, little tiny notes that are very easy to slip away, you know, as you are kind of, uh, you know, going through the process here, you know, there's a lot of things to technically be thinking about, um, but you don't want to let any one of them slip, um, so, you know, go back, rewind, listen again, write them all down, alright, and just be as professional and, uh, You know, fun loving as you can in this industry because that's really what it's all about.
Nobody's here to not have fun. That is my, uh, slogan for anything voiceover and, uh, the entertainment industry. Listen, I hope that you have a fantastic holiday weekend. I hope that you eat so much food that you have to get a new pair of sweatpants. Uh, they're gonna be on sale for Black Friday. All right.
Um, and, uh, I will find you here next week for a brand new episode of Voice Coaches Radio as we get ready. I mean, we're almost to December next week. We definitely will be. So let's get to it. Anything that you want to discuss on the pod info at voicecoaches. com and stay safe, everybody. Visit voicecoaches.
com for more voiceover news and information.
Welcome to a brand new episode of voice coaches radio here, finding you the week of Thanksgiving. And I do hope that, you know, you're making a lot of memories and you're taking some downtime, much needed downtime. To hopefully take a deep breath and relax a little bit. Though I do realize being around the family could cause some additional stress.
I mean, hey, it just depends on the family dynamic, right? Uh, my name is Marissa. I'm over here preparing. I have a house full of people this weekend on Sunday. I do annually a Friendsgiving celebration. And, uh, Yeah, I mean, it's just, it's always a house full and, you know, there's always that person that says they're going to bring the mashed potatoes and then they don't show up until two hours after the start time and we're over here done with dinner and, uh, just wondering, like, what the heck were you thinking?
Uh, why did you say you were going to bring potatoes and not bring dessert? I, like, I just don't understand. Uh, but, you know, hey, it's always fun. It's always a great time. Um, the pictures are always a blast as well. You know, try to get those, uh, photo booth moments. And, um, yeah, so it's gonna be exciting. So I I hope that you're, um, having some good times as well as we get into the full swing of the holiday season.
Uh, you know, what are some of the things that you're thankful for here in VoiceOver? You know, what has the year brought you? Um, you know, maybe it's just that you're thankful that you're finally exploring. You know, something that you've wanted to do for years. Maybe it's just the fact that you're thankful you've put the time in to continue to develop that skill.
Maybe you're thankful that you've been getting some opportunities, or new forms of opportunities. Maybe it's the relationships you've built this year. Um, you know, there's a lot of different things to be thankful for, I'm sure. So it's always good to kind of take that moment and reflect so you can see how far you've come in the course of, you know, here we are 11 months into the year.
Almost, almost a brand new year. It's crazy. Um, and I was, uh, talking to one of our coaches just, uh, the other day and You know, there's a lot of things that you need to ask yourself as you are going into a project and you know I mean, these are things that when you're starting it seems like it's so much right but then like as you Become more second nature with this.
It's it's like decisions that you make rather quickly, but You know, a lot of people aren't even aware that you should be asking yourself these things at first, and I think that's why it's so important to make sure that we talk about it because, you know, listen, you, you do something for a very long time, and you don't even realize what people don't know because it's just been ingrained in you for so long, and I, I know I'm guilty of that.
You know, it's like you go to train somebody in a radio station, and you're like, wait, you don't know what What that means? Like, how do you not? It's like such a basic term for this industry. How do you not know? Oh, right, you're new. Um, just like a lot of people don't realize commercial copy can also be called a spot.
Like, you know, that's just, that's the inner, uh, business lingo. Uh, you know, and, but I've been surrounded by it for almost 20 years, so it's like to me, eh, yeah, whatever, you know, but trying to explain something to somebody that's not within it, I mean, they look at you like you've got a million heads, uh, you know, so I get it.
Uh, so I wanted to go over the things that you need to be asking yourself. You know, especially if you haven't been, but you've been doing this, you know, maybe throughout the year or whenever you started to decide, like, I'm gonna go ahead and start doing some voiceover stuff. Now, honestly, the basic things that you need to be doing, who, what, where, when, why, like, these sounds like, why would I, I'm, you know, why, uh, right?
But, when you're looking at a script, it's like, who are you? Who are you in that script? You know, because sometimes things are written kind of weird, you know? It's like, I wouldn't say this in life, but like, hey, these are my words now, so who am I in this? What is my objective? Like, what kind of point am I trying to get across, you know?
Where is this taking place? What kind of picture am I trying to paint? Who am I talking to? You know, that's always very important. The why, you know, what is the end goal. You know, what is the purpose of this piece? So it's a lot. Um, and I, I think like when you're putting all of it together, you know, initially it's like, man, this just seems like it's too complicated.
It's really not, you know, these are decisions that I will admit, you know, and I say this to students all the time, you know, it's like, we're in class, I'm maneuvering my day, I check my email, I've gotten a commercial. Alright, cool, I've gotta go and record it. What do I do? I, I don't even look at it really, and I set up, you know, Audacity or Adobe Audition or whatever I'm recording on, and I press record, that's when I read it for the first time.
I can make a number of those choices that we just talked about in that one read, in that 30 or 60 seconds, I can make all of those decisions. And by the end of that read, it's like you're figuring out, well, alright, this is who I am, this is who I'm talking to. Okay, the tone of this is a little bit more on the softer side.
Maybe I was a little bit too much. Maybe I need to emphasize some of these words to get the point across better. Um, my end goal is that I'm selling this brand, um, you know, and, and lengthwise, you know, maybe I'm a little bit longer than I need to be, so maybe it's picking up the pace just a little bit, but, you know, make sure that I'm not going too fast.
Um, so it's like, I, I can make all those decisions in, in that, that first 30 second. Or 60 second read. It's just, right now, for anybody that's diving on in, and this is new, that seems like a whole lot of things to figure out. And sometimes people's heads get spinny, uh, you know? Because you start overthinking the process, which we've always, you know, been talking about.
The overthinking is so, just happens all the time, uh, you know? But I don't want you to get in your own head and in your own way about it, because these are just basic questions, you know? And, Really, at the end of the day, it's like, the basic stuff is like, if you're just being you, and you have somebody in mind that you're talking to, you're probably gonna make some pretty good choices.
But, when you're able to go in a little bit deeper, and understand the other levels of it, then it all really starts to come together. So please, take those into consideration. And, um, you know, the other things that Simone and I were talking about, it's like, well, How do we set up students to, in understanding, you know, how they need to be in a project?
It's not just asking these questions. It's, you know, that's allowing you to be a decent talent, um, you know, in, in performance. But how do you be a decent talent? Just overall, in general, and there's certain things that you just need to be able to do, you know, it's like put your ego aside, you need to be able to take direction, you've got to be a team player, you know, you might be the talent, but that doesn't mean that you are the be all end all, you know, this is, this is a work project that is a collaboratory project, so you're delivering the voice, But you are taking that direction and you're working together to, to get the project to where it needs to be.
Good timing is always important. Um, you know, when it comes to your pacing, when it comes to you just being on site on time. Um, you know, you want to make sure that you are You know, uh, you know, good, reliable talent, um, in that way as well. Bring some confidence, you know, like we talk about that, you know, just, it's kind of like the overthinking of this.
If you could do something with confidence or if I always like to say, if you can just be as fun. As you, you can, uh, without, you know, just getting in your own way, then it's going to be that much easier to get these projects to where they need to be, and sometimes you gotta work on the fly as well, so you've gotta be able to improvise, um, so, you know, these are just some key things to be thinking about as we get into this Thanksgiving Day weekend, you know, these are, Little tiny things to be thankful for, little tiny notes that are very easy to slip away, you know, as you are kind of, uh, you know, going through the process here, you know, there's a lot of things to technically be thinking about, um, but you don't want to let any one of them slip, um, so, you know, go back, rewind, listen again, write them all down, alright, and just be as professional and, uh, You know, fun loving as you can in this industry because that's really what it's all about.
Nobody's here to not have fun. That is my, uh, slogan for anything voiceover and, uh, the entertainment industry. Listen, I hope that you have a fantastic holiday weekend. I hope that you eat so much food that you have to get a new pair of sweatpants. Uh, they're gonna be on sale for Black Friday. All right.
Um, and, uh, I will find you here next week for a brand new episode of Voice Coaches Radio as we get ready. I mean, we're almost to December next week. We definitely will be. So let's get to it. Anything that you want to discuss on the pod info at voicecoaches. com and stay safe, everybody. Visit voicecoaches.
com for more voiceover news and information.
This week on Voice Coaches Radio, as we get into our Thanksgiving celebrations it is always good to not just reflect on the year thus far, but to have some reminders of what’s important to not let slip in each audition or project.
