Book Description
Voice Over for Animation takes animation and voice-over students and professionals alike through the animated voice-over world. The book provides information, exercises, and advice from professional voice-over artists. Now you can develop your own unique characters, and learn techniques to exercise your own voice gain the versatility you need to compete. You can also learn how to make a professional sounding demo CD, and find work in the field.
Author MJ Lallo opened her own studio in 2000. She is a VO artist, director, producer, and casting director, casting from her own VO roster. She teaches VO as well and hires pros in the industry to guest direct. She just cast a video game for DreamWorks and also cast and contributed character reads to a Houghton-Mifflin American history book.
The accompanying CD is professionally recorded, and features:
1. Improvization in character development
2. Examples of how to make an animation demo from beginning to final
product.
3. Adapting your characters to animation scripts
4. Animation Talent Agent interviews
5. Casting Director interviews
6. Interviews with Animation Voice-Over Artists
a. Nancy Cartwright (Bart, The Simpsons)
b. Cathy Cavadini (Blossom, Power Puff Girls)
c. Bill Farmer (Goofy)
Table of Contents
- Cover
- Halftitle
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- CD Index
- 1. Introduction to Animation Voice-Overs
- Is This the Career for You?
- Major Objectives of This Chapter
- What Is Voice-Over?
- Work Opportunities Available in Animation
- The Animation Production Process
- Traditional Animation
- Computer Animation
- Other Animation Production Processes
- What Talents or Skills Do I Need?
- How Difficult Is It to Get Work?
- What Negatives Will Make It Difficult to Get Work?
- A Positive Attitude
- What Do I Do First?
- How Do I Pick a Voice-Over Teacher?
- Other Resources
- You Are in Charge of Your Own Career
- Support
- Union and Nonunion Work
- Early Experience
- Do I Have to Live in Los Angeles or One of the Other Cartoon Centers?
- How Do I Finance a Start in the Voice-Over Business?
- What Tools Do I Need Right Away?
- Work in the Future
- How to Use This Book
- 2. User’s Manual for Your Voice
- Voice Basics
- Warm-Up Exercises for Your Body
- Warm-Up Exercises for Your Voice
- A Calming Focus to Lose the Butterflies in Your Stomach
- Posture for Good Voice Production
- Good Breath Control
- Resonators
- Overall Sound Quality and Variety
- What You Have to Offer
- Learning to Mimic Sounds
- Imitating Celebrities
- Good Voice Production Habits
- Introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English Vowel Sounds
- Consonant Sounds
- A Sibilant S
- Tongue Twisters and Other Warm-Ups for Your Lips and Tongue
- Short Twisters to Work Out Your Tongue and Jaws
- Tips to Keep Your Voice Healthy
- Some Common Remedies to Help a Voice Recover
- Your Voice in the Morning
- You and Your Dentist
- Voice Exercise and Care to Protect Your Career
- Answer to the Question about Double Vowel Sounds
- 3. Animation Voice-Over Techniques
- Chapter Techniques
- The Microphone
- Holding a Microphone
- Headphones or Earphones
- Copy on the Music Stand
- Marking Your Copy
- Slating
- Good Acting
- Practice Improvisational Techniques with Other Actors
- Playing Comedy
- Risk
- Using a Wrinkle
- Voice Placement
- Human Sound Effects
- Laughs
- Cries
- Animal Sounds
- Pacing
- Style
- Energy Level
- Tips for Reading Copy
- Tips for Running Your Voice-Over Business
- 4. Dialects
- Why Should You Learn Dialects?
- Phonetic Vowel Symbols
- Some Frequently Used Symbols for Diphthongs (Double Vowel Sounds) in American English
- Consonant Symbols
- Other Sounds
- Suggestions for Using a Dialect
- Tips for Studying a Foreign Dialect
- Brooklyn
- Educated Southern American
- European Dialects
- The Educated British Dialect
- Cockney
- Irish
- Educated East Indian
- Spanish
- Mexican
- Italian
- French
- Russian
- Japanese
- To Learn More
- 5. Developing Characters
- The Process
- Developing Someone Else’s Character
- Developing Original Characters
- Likability
- Status
- Summing Up Your Character
- Your Characters as a Reflection of You
- Types of Characters
- Voice Placement and Mouth Work
- Commonly Used Characters for Cartoon Work
- Baby to Old Age
- Robots
- Shortcuts
- More Tips about Comedy Characters
- Characters for Kids
- Standard Character Development Acting Techniques
- Getting into Character and Keeping in Character
- Original Characters versus a Character in a Script
- Character Files
- Research! Research! Research!
- To Be in Demand
- 6. Your Animation Demo
- What Is a Demo?
- When Do You Get Your Demo Made?
- Listen to the Demos of Others
- How Do I Find a Good Recording Studio and Demo Director/Producer?
- Direction
- Demo Length
- Demo Material
- Copy
- Other Demo Elements
- Price and Other Issues
- Rehearsal
- Recording Day
- Editing and Masters
- Duplication
- Packaging
- Cover Letter
- Marketing
- Updating a Demo
- 7. Finding an Agent or Representative and Looking for Work
- Looking for Work
- What Does an Agent Do?
- What’s the Difference between an Agent and a Manager?
- Are You Ready for an Agent?
- A Reputable Agent
- The Cover Letter
- Creating a Resume
- The Package
- Finding Agents Who Represent Voice-Over Actors
- Sending out the Demo Package
- Follow-Up
- What Attracts Agents to a Voice Actor?
- The Thank You Note
- More Follow-Up
- Choosing an Agent
- The Contract
- Once You Have an Agent
- Your Responsibility to Your Agent
- Holding the Agent Accountable
- Changing Agents
- Branching Out
- Getting Work on Your Own
- Nonpaying Voice-Over Experience
- You Are in Charge of Your Own Career
- 8. Voice Casting and Marketing Your Talent
- Casting Worldwide
- Casting Directors and Demos
- Other Ways to Showcase Your Talent
- The Casting Process
- Before the Audition
- The Audition
- Dos and Don’ts of Auditioning
- Audition Tips from the Pros
- After the Audition
- What Makes Casting Directors Bring People Back?
- The Follow-Up Card
- The Callback
- Internet Casting
- Recording Quality
- Directing Yourself
- Sending Your Audition
- Your Home Studio
- A Very Basic and Inexpensive Home Studio for Practice and Auditions Only
- A More Professional Home Studio
- Setting a Fee for Your Services
- Casting Celebrities versus Experienced Voice Actors
- Comedians
- Child Actors
- Ethnic Actors
- So You Want to Be a Casting Director
- Trends in Casting
- Marketing Yourself
- 9. Recording for Cartoons
- This Chapter
- The First Job
- The Script
- Before the Session
- What to Expect at Your Session
- Checking In
- What Does the Studio Look Like?
- Rehearsals
- The Actual Recording
- Dos and Don’ts for the Recording Session
- Physicalization
- Ad-Libbing
- The Difficult Director
- Other Possible Delays
- Series with Stand-Up and Improv Comics
- After the Session
- Your Career
- 10. Recording for Animated Features, Games, Theme Parks, Toys, and Narration
- Other Areas of Animation
- Animated Features
- Games
- Dubbing Games
- Toys
- Theme Parks
- The Internet
- Narration
- 11. ADR
- What Is ADR?
- The Loop Group
- Research
- Sample Call Outs (for a Scene at a Fair)
- Sample Conversation Starters for a Walxla Scene (Diner Scene)
- Sample Improvised Conversation
- To Practice
- Getting Work
- Union and Nonunion Work Available
- 12. Dubbing
- What Is Dubbing?
- Where Is Dubbing Done?
- Dubbing Can Be Big Business
- What Skills Do I Need?
- How Do I Get Work?
- Do I Get a Script before the Session?
- The Dubbing Process
- Actor Challenges
- Bigger Actor Challenges
- Synchronization
- The Mouth
- Sound Effects
- The Challenges of Anime
- Getting Work in Anime
- The Anime Process
- Budget
- The Director’s Point of View
- Advice from Other Actors
- Wrapping Up
- More Practice Copy
- 1. Tommy Growler Practice Script
- 2. Cool.Net Practice Scene (Practice Scenes Are Adapted from Cool.Net, Script)
- 3. Cool.Net Practice Scene
- 4. Cool.Net Practice Scene
- 5. Once Upon a Bed Practice Copy
- 6. Copy Example for MJ Lallo’s Character File Workout
- Glossary
- Index