Tammy Strobel over at Rowdy Kittens posted this a few days ago. My friend–the same gal who introduced me to Sasha Fierce–sent it to me after we had a chat about the acting class I’m taking. In said class, we defined the need we most wanted to fulfill during it. Mine? A need for vulnerability….
Month: January 2011
Why Sasha is so Fierce (60 Minutes Beyonce Video)
I recently told y’all about my timely introduction to Beyoncé’s alter ego Sasha Fierce, which made the superstar my hero within minutes… Well, yesterday I found out Beyoncé is even more badass because one of my Vagina Monologues directors sent this 60 Minutes segment to me. In it, “Steve Kroft profiles the superstar singer on…
Synchronicity: Black Swan
I was recently gifted with a simple truth: there are no accidents; and it seems as though the Universe is on a mission to prove her point, bombarding me with synchronicity. Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events, apparently causally unrelated or unlikely to occur together by chance, that are observed to occur…
7 Guidelines for Voice Over Work Out Routines
I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends My VO pals and I had our first small group workout of 2011 last night. Per the advice and the encouragement of our professional voiceover coaches, about a half-dozen of us get together every other week to run scripts, provide each other feedback, and of…
Why You Shouldn’t Lilt On Mic and In Real Life
Lilting–or lifting up the voice–is a vocal affectation predominantly associated with, like, Valley Girls, but it seems to have taken on a life of its own amongst twenty- and thirty-somethings, you know? I do it, too. But I was unaware of the tendency until my voice-over coaches called me out on it. Lilting conveys uncertainty;…
Ira Glass on Storytelling (Video)
Ira Glass of “This American Life” talks about the building blocks of a great story “[One thing] nobody tells people who are beginners–and I really wish somebody had told this to me–is that, if you’re watching this video you’re somebody who wants to make videos, right? And all of us who do creative work…we get…
Session Lessons
I wrote too soon about the cheat sheet mentioned in my last post. Last night during my private voice over session with Elaine Clark at Voice One, I realized I’ve hardly been using my cheat sheet to the extent that I should. Who cares if you can markup a script? Writing notes on a piece…
The 12 C’s of Voice Over…And Then Some
Today on its Facebook page, Voices.com re-published voice over instructor and actor Marc Cashman‘s April 2010 podcast about the 12 skills you should hone as a voiceover talent, specifically detailing what he believes is necessary for the survival of VO’s fittest: Clarity Cleanliness Consistency Connected Conversational Cold Reading Chop-chop Coordination Characterization Convincing Control Confidence Give…
My First Rehearsal for The Vagina Monologues
Yesterday was our first rehearsal for The Vagina Monologues – East Bay 2011. It was also my first rehearsal for anything beyond musicals in grammar school. Prior to, I was insanely nervous, pacing around the house–monologue sputtering from my lips. And then I got to our space and met a slew of cast members: plenty…
Alter Egos: Beyonce is to Sasha Fierce as Meghan is to…
Beyoncé Knowles’s alter ego Sasha Fierce was born with 2003’s “Crazy in Love,” but Sasha wasn’t formally introduced until the pop/R&B sensation’s 2008 studio album, “I Am… Sasha Fierce.” That said, it wasn’t until yesterday, January 6, 2011, that I had ever heard anything about the likes of Sasha Fierce. And just like that, Beyoncé…
Audio’connell’s Faux-ditions: Unofficial Voice Over Casting Call for The Price Is Right!
Originally published by Peter O’Connell on his blog audio’connell’s voxmarketising. Click here for the complete post. You know how new products come out with a new version and say “It’s Better Than Ever!”? Well, with this year’s unofficial announcer’s audition (faux-dition), it’s true because we have one doozy of a prize for the winner. GREATEST…
Do You Have a Routine Before Voice Over Sessions?
I’ve been thinking a lot about routines as they relate to voice over: you know, that methodology that gets you into a good physical and mental state, prepared to deliver the best read of your life. Surprisingly–if you know me–it’s not something I’ve given much thought until recently. I’ve been thinking about routines because I…
Improv’s Golden Rule “Yes, and…” at Work
I’m not a seasoned improviser–yet. But I’m completely aware of improv’s golden rule, “Yes, and…” Simply stated, “you are not allowed to negate other people’s statements. Instead, add on to them.” The first time I heard about the “Yes, and…” rule, I knew it was my career’s guiding principle. I’ve always striven to find a…
Video Games Are Taking Over!
Recently, I had a voice over coaching session with Elaine Clark and mentioned my relatively new interest in voicing educational toys and games. One thing led to another, and Elaine brought up the explosion of social media gaming and its impact on the industry at large. Games like Facebook’s FarmVille and Mafia Wars are far…
10 New Year Resolutions for 2011
We had a lovely and low-key New Year celebration at our friends’ home in Boulder Creek, California. It’s their first place, and it’s amazing–at the top of a mountain 13 miles into Highway 9 and surrounded by trees reaching for the stars. The lot of us gabbed and downed several bottles of delicious, local wine…