American-Voiceover BLOG

15/02/2024

GET YOUR HEART ON!

Great Voiceover is HEART WITH BALLS!

24/01/2024

The Voice-Over Cure

You have lazy lips. That's why you don't get work.

I don't have any particular insight into your work at this point, how could I, but it's safe to say, you have lazy lips. Everyone has lazy lips.

It doesn't matter what your native language is, you have lazy lips.

You also talk like your mother. Any nasality, hoarseness, drawl, pitch, or placement you have is copied from your mother, and to a lesser degree from your peers from the 9th grade. You haven't a clue as to your optimal pitch, your "Money Voice".

You can learn how to repair all of that after one session of correct practice. After 10 months of correct, daily, deliberate practice, you will have fixed all those problems, and many more.

There are other problems but those are the biggies.

After half a century of working with neophyte voice talent, I have some cures. I can't help you if you believe that you are gifted, or destined to be a star, etc. Those things are beliefs and if you are your own g-d then I'm powerless, everyone is. You won't work, but you'll always feel good about yourself.

Too harsh?

Learning begins with being 'teach-able'.

You have to answer the question, "How good do you want to get?" Then, you have to get direction, and correction demanded in the way you practice until you get a 'feel' for correct work. You have to be willing to make all your mistakes in your practices so that potential clients never hear them.

There's no other way.

I have the cure.

If I've said this once ...

Talk to me.

Great voice-over is you, talking to me, about something in which we share an interest. You have vital, exclusive information which must be made clear to your listener ... me. Great voiceover is intimate. You're on a date. Smile, and talk to me. Don't yell or try to sound authoritative, those things are painful to your listener ... me.

Again, I have the cure.

Talk to me.

Thanks for listening.

American-Voiceover.BLOG - Career Insights & Information, About Voice Over, from a Knowledgeable Source

15/01/2024

To learn the piano and music, you practice scales until they are second nature. Music structure is taught automatically this way.

To learn dance and choreography, you practice barre work until the moves are second nature. Choreography is taught automatically this way.

To learn voice-over, you practice reading aloud with perfect diction until those things are second nature. Diction and interpretation are learned automatically this way.

What do you understand when I say it this way?

14/11/2023

Copy writing is story-telling. Story-telling that informs and motivates.

The more simple, the more elegant.

Good copy is all about making your intention clear.

Good voice-over is translating written ideas into spoken.

My intention is for you to phone me. The story of the product or service makes one want to call.

Each idea in copy should be no longer than a breath of air. Nine to thirteen words per sentence. Less is best.

Voice-over is you, talking to me, about something in which we share interest.

The sound of your voice is the least interesting thing about you.

The voice-over artist is a translater. Interpreting the written word into spoken communication. It's intimate, and personal.

Great voice-over is a response.

Look at the last line or two. Everything before that leads up to that point. What would make you say that?

Voice-over is imaginary. Copy-writing and voice-over are exactly one half of an imaginary conversation.

Use your imagination to fill out the story and make your intention clear.

I wrote copy and did voice-over professionally for over five decades.

That's what I learned.

Thanks for listening.

27/09/2023

https://american-voiceover.blog/read/f/voice-over-budget-planning

What Is Voice Over?

24/09/2023

https://american-voiceover.blog/read/f/the-3-fastest-ways-to-screw-up-your-career-in-voice-over
The Three Fastest Ways to Screw Up Your Career In Voice-Over

Like most of the things I write, about your careers in voiceover, it has to do with personal experience and the education I earned via the mistakes that I made. I had some talent from the beginning, I got really good tr...

15/09/2023

First, I'm not selling anything.

I'm retired, after 50 years of work as a professional speaker, writer, and acting teacher. I have 10s of thousands of credits, paid for my cars, a couple of homes, a couple of wives, all by doing voice over, and writing, and producing, and teaching, you know, voice over and acting stuff.

Whew!

Still, the amount of work available now is staggering so, I thought I'd help.

You can read the articles, listen to them as a blog, or watch as a podcast. There's not much to see, though. Please, Please, Please, leave comments, I need your feedback.

I tend to think, write, and speak in whole sentences and I need to know if I'm being clear or just compulsive.

So, yeah, just like you, I still worry if I'm good enough. That never goes away. I will help you if you will help me.

Deal?

Kewl,
jd

American-Voiceover.BLOG - Career Insights & Information, About Voice Over, from a Knowledgeable Source

11/09/2023

https://american-voiceover.blog/read/f/how-do-you-get-cast-in-acting-and-voiceover-jobs

First, let's get rid of the riff raff. That's the biggest job in Casting.

08/09/2023

https://american-voiceover.blog/f/hollywood-by-the-numbers

This bit of business is applicable if you're an actor or a voice actor. Read it with care. This is the reality of your job pursuit in Los Angeles. The experience in New York City is only marginally different. In Atla...

26/08/2023

The Dandy Dozen Demo's!

A wide variety of samples. Personal, warm, intimate, emotional, direct, professional, authoritative, characerizations, and a great deal more.

View Joseph C. profile on Upwork, the world’s work marketplace. Joseph is here to help: American Male Adult Voice Over - Experienced Professional. Check out the complete profile and discover more professionals with the skills you need.

20/08/2023

Another lecture for serious Voice Over aspirants.

Got Dreams? Get Real!

14/08/2023

I created Layer7MediA years ago as a means by which prepare content for friends.

This a clever bit of fluff that tells a lot of story with one image and 8 words.

Thanks for your time.