acting lessons...

John Bigl · **Voice Talent** Joined: 13 Aug 2005 Posts: 905

recently read a piece from an on line VO magazine about acting lessons:

"Most voice over delivery requires a natural style,
and therefore film acting lessons may be helpful as they generally
teach a natural style. Conversely, stage acting (where you may be
taught to project) may be detrimental"

whats the experience of you VO 'actors' and trained VO talents?
To be..... or... Roll em! ?

there seem to be more opportunities for acting lessons here in the puckerbrush than i was previously aware of, so now i have choices...

thanks for your thoughts, suggestions etc ....

Be Well

Scott Pollak · Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007, 04:21 (GMT) Post subject:

Great question, John.

I think sometimes we may tend to overanalyze some things.
I've never had one single moment of either professional stage OR film acting training. However, I've been ON stage for 42 years, starting out as a kid and have acted in.... I have no idea... several HUNDREDS of productions.

And I think you can hear my ability to interpret text.

I say: get whatever acting training you can, be it VOICE acting, STAGE acting or FILM acting. I can't imagine that ANY of it would be detrimental towards helping someone be better equipped at breathing life into a script.

Robert Jadah · **Voice Talent** Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 2627

As usual, John, I agree with Great Scott.
Certainly, a stage actor projects more....but good voiceover is in the delivery and the feel of the words, not the volume or thrust.
I mean, stage actors can still speak on the phones, right?
Acting is acting. And the line between voiceover and voice acting is a thin one.
Voice On!

Matt Prather · **Voice Talent** Joined: 19 Feb 2007 Posts: 63

I think, as usual, that Robert and I are in "violent agreement". Laughing

Acting is acting, but you do need to know how to "set the dial" appropriately for the context. Yes, as a stage actor you're called on to really project, but that can often translate into the quality of the voice, not necessarily the raw power or volume of the voice.

When I'm singing in a choral situation, things are waaaaaaaaaaaay throttled back compared to when I'm out there on my own with (versus?) an orchestra. But most of the same vocal techniques and qualities still apply: I still want a nice rich placement that's not going to hurt, that will still allow me plenty of air and a polished sound, and I still want it in tune.

Seems like it's essentially the same idea speaking, to me. Mostly, no matter what the venue or medium, and whether you're singing or speaking, you want to be aware of what you're doing and be completely in control of it. The rest is footnotes.... Wink

Best,
Matt

Amy Snively · **Voice Talent** Joined: 04 Jul 2005 Posts: 1028

I'll chime in with my esteemed (and handsome) colleagues and agree with Scott as well.

I'll add that those who struggle with natural delivery can sometimes correct the problem with a couple/few one-on-one sessions with a good VO coach. Or a decent improv class.

Many can record themselves reading magazine ads, then listening to them the next day (or week)--you gain some objectivity after a little time has elapsed.