Voice Acting For Dummies

by David Ciccarelli

  Getting to Know Your Editing Tools

  Undo

  Redo

  The selector

  The grabber

  The trimmer

  The zoomer

  Editing a Voice-Over

  Editing dialogue

  Editing out breaths

  Replacing automatic dialogue

  Focusing on Sound Editing

  Including sound design

  Using sound effects

  Mixing Your Voice-Over

  Planning your mix

  Building your mix

  Getting Acquainted with Production Techniques and Tools

  Frequencies

  Reduce dynamic ranges

  Increase dynamic ranges

  Creating space with reverb and delay

  Pitch processing

  Noise reduction

  Chapter 20: Recording the Finished Product

  Cracking the Artistic Direction during Recording

  Receiving conflicting or contradictory direction

  Deciphering ambiguous direction

  Handling questionable and offensive vocal direction

  Looking for clues when the artistic direction is lacking

  Directing Yourself When You Record Your Voice

  Understanding what self-direction is

  Being your own director

  Listening to the Finished Product

  Chapter 21: Delivering the Final Product

  Identifying Best Practices for Sending Audio

  Handling file formats

  Naming files

  Zipping files

  Sending Files: The How-To

  Emailing files to your client

  Using a file-sharing website

  Uploading your audio with FTP programs

  Recording live sessions with ISDN

  Doing What It Takes to Get Approval

  Doing small edits

  Making major revisions and knowing whether to charge or not

  Receiving feedback

  Part VI: The Part of Tens

  Chapter 22: Ten Reasons You Should Regularly Audition

  Keeps You in Good Form

  Provides You with a Diverse Array of Copy to Experiment with and Interpret

  Stimulates Your Voice and Mind

  Gives You a Platform to Strut Your Stuff

  Exponentially Improves Your Job Prospects

  Generates Networking Opportunities

  Introduces You to New Areas of Interest

  Helps You Spot Industry Trends

  Validates the Need for Voice Acting

  Renews Your Faith that Work Exists

  Chapter 23: Ten (or So) Tips to Prepare for Voice Acting Jobs

  Invest in Regular Vocal Training

  Work with a Voice Coach

  Practice, Practice, Practice

  Have Self-Confidence

  Avoid Being Too Hard on Yourself

  Be Selective

  Set Achievable Goals and Realistic Expectations

  Listen to Demos of Established Voice Actors

  Take Advantage of Every Free Resource You Can

  Cheat Sheet

  Voice Acting For Dummies®

  by Stephanie Ciccarelli and David Ciccarelli

  Voice Acting For Dummies®

  Published by

  John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

  6045 Freemont Blvd.

  Mississauga, ON L5R 4J3

  www.wiley.com

  Copyright © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd., 6045 Freemont Blvd., Mississauga, ON L5R 4J3, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions. For authorization to photocopy items for corporate, personal, or educational use, please contact in writing The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For more information, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free, 1-800-893-5777.

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  Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

  Ciccarelli, David

  Voice Acting For Dummies / David Ciccarelli, Stephanie Ciccarelli.

  Includes index.ISBN 978-1-118-39958-3 (pbk); 978-1-118-41422-4 (ebk); 978-1-118-41423-1 (ebk); 978-1-118-41424-8 (ebk)

  1.Voice-overs. 2.Voice actors and actresses — Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Ciccarelli, Stephanie II. Title.PN1995.9.V63C53 2013 791.4023 C2012-906677-X

  Printed in the United States

  1 2 3 4 5 RRD 17 16 15 14 13

  About the Authors

  Stephanie Ciccarelli is co-founder and chief marketing officer of Voices.com. Immersed in the arts since infancy, Stephanie’s formative years included classical training in voice, piano, violin, and musical theatre. A love for the written and spoken word and reverence for context and truth have prepared Stephanie well to lead within the industry and inspire many through her blog, VOX Daily. She graduated with a bachelor of musical arts degree from the Don Wright Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario and has found a unique way to apply her education to the field of voice acting, bringing a fresh perspective and voice to the industry. When she’s not spending time with her husband David and their four children, Stephanie volunteers her time consulting local organizations on social media, singing, and connecting with other likeminded women who positively impact in meaningful ways their families, neighborhoods, work environments, and those around them.

&n
bsp; David Ciccarelli is the co-founder and CEO of Voices.com, an award-winning online marketplace, connecting clients with voice-over talent. The unique blending of his audio engineering background with his self-taught business savvy and website development afforded David the creative freedom to pursue his passion for innovation during the first dot com boom, and the result catapulted him onto the scene as a pioneer in his field in the early 2000s. His areas of expertise include customer relationship management, search marketing, social media marketing, and e-commerce, and he speaks regularly on these topics at conferences in Canada and the United States. A number of case studies regarding Voices.com’s growth and rebranding strategy have been published and are used on college and university campuses worldwide. David is an honors graduate of the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology and an alumnus of the entrepreneurship program hosted by the Ivey School of Business. When he’s not spending time with his wife and four children, David serves as a volunteer for a number of local organizations and manages his family’s philanthropy and investment portfolio.

  Dedication

  To our family and the team at Voices.com.

  Authors’ Acknowledgments

  Stephanie: I thank Bill and Brenda Zadorsky, Ted Gorski, Margaret Marentette, Teresa Vlasman, Nando Favaro, Michelle Iurman, Jennifer Moir, Karen Ann Schuessler, Susan Eichhorn Young, and Jackalyn Short. Each brought me to new realizations of my voice at different stages of my life and have nurtured me through their patience, artistry, empowerment, care, and sometimes brutal honesty as they served as my coach, mentor, and friend.

  David: To my teachers: Ron Hartviksen for showing me how art and technology could be blended to create beautiful masterpieces, and Bob Breen and Ken Trevenna from the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology for introducing me to sound for motion pictures.

  Stephanie and David: Before we even knew what to write, the word was there and as such our words fell into place. The journey of writing Voice Acting For Dummies reminded of us of where we have come from and all the people who helped us along the way. We wish to thank those who have been with us through the thick and thin, and those who have blessed us with support, encouragement, and words of wisdom spoken at just the right time.

  Thank you to our family and friends, specifically our parents, grandparents, and those dear ones who have always believed that we could achieve anything if we put our minds to it. Thank you for understanding us and for loving us, for open arms, and listening ears. Gratitude goes out to our staff at Voices.com with special thanks to Lin Parkin for her tireless work helping us to prepare our manuscript and for countless hours of editing.

  We would like to thank our friends at John Wiley & Sons, Inc, specifically our Acquisitions Editor Anam Ahmed, Project and Copy Editor Chad Sievers, and our Technical Editor, audio producer Marc Graue.

  We also acknowledge the contributions of the late great Don LaFontaine who had a big voice and an even bigger heart. Thank you Don for your generosity and for leaving a legacy that will live on in the hearts of voice actors around the world.

  Thank you to our teachers during our formative years. So many plant seeds into the lives of others and rarely see the fruit firsthand. Know that the lives of those you teach are better because of your efforts and that many go on to blossom and yield fruit using the gifts you knew were deep within us.

  We wouldn’t be where we are without the friendships and fellowship of those in the voice-over industry. We hold a special place in our hearts for friends who have helped shape how we educate our customers. You know who you are. You’ve all provided insight and perspectives into the art and science of voice acting for which we are grateful. Thank you for walking alongside us and for your ongoing support. A big thank you goes out to our customers for motivating and inspiring us. Without your encouraging words and thirst for knowledge, we wouldn’t have written this book.

  Publisher’s Acknowledgments

  We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.

  Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

  Acquisitions and Editorial

  Associate Acquisitions Editor: Anam Ahmed

  Production Editor: Lindsay Humphreys

  Project Editor: Chad R. Sievers

  Copy Editor: Chad R. Sievers

  Technical Editor: Marc Graue

  Editorial Assistant: Kathy Deady

  Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)

  Cover photo: © Chris Hutchison / iStock Images

  Composition Services

  Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees

  Layout and Graphics: Jennifer Creasey, Joyce Haughey

  Proofreader: Penny Lynn Stuart

  Indexer: Valerie Haynes Perry

  John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd.

  Deborah Barton, Vice President and Director of Operations

  Jennifer Smith, Vice-President and Publisher, Professional & Trade Division

  Alison Maclean, Managing Editor

  Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

  Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher

  David Palmer, Associate Publisher

  Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director

  Publishing for Technology Dummies

  Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

  Composition Services

  Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

  Introduction

  Whether people have told you your entire life that you have a great voice or you’ve recently discovered a hidden talent for creating characters, this book is for you. Voice Acting For Dummies is packed with helpful information that explains in plain English how to use your voice to make money, interpret scripts, audition like a pro, and build your own home recording studio. Everybody starts somewhere, and this book is the best place to begin when exploring your voice acting abilities and discovering more about your unique voiceprint.

  Being a successful voice actor takes time to figure out how to use your voice. We repeat an important message through this book: It’s not just about your voice, but also how you use it. Although you use your voice in voice acting, it’s much more than just talking, and the craft can bring you a lifetime of enjoyment.

  The guidance you find in this book is similar to what you may receive from a voice coach or hear at an industry conference. By employing the tips and ideas here, you can improve your voice acting skills and experience a dramatic difference in how you approach the written word.

  Today most voice actors work from home recording studios, away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Voice actors generally rely upon their skills honed from years of working with casting directors, voice directors, producers, and instructors. This book explains how you can assess your voice, look for clues in audition copy, and serve as your own director as often is required for the workaday voice actor.

  About This Book

  Voice Acting For Dummies has been literally years in the making. We always hoped (and expected) that we could share our experiences with more people than just those individuals we encountered in our business. Voice Acting For Dummies is the culmination of our education, practical experience, and industry expertise — basically everything we’ve learned about how you can use the human voice to communicate a message well, with purpose and capturing the spoken word in digital form.

  Like all For Dummies books, this book is modular, so you can flip through and look for topics that interest you. Some may jump out more than others depending on where you are in your voice acting journey. You don’t nee
d to read this book in its entirety to improve your abilities as a voice actor; look for the topics you need and study them to develop your voice acting skills.

  With step-by-step explanations and an abundance of examples, this guide clues you in on recording and producing voice-overs and promoting yourself as a voice actor with info on:

  Creating your first demo, a short audio recording used to promote yourself and demonstrate the types of voices you can perform

  Finding your signature voice, no matter whether you’re young or old or have an accent or not, and then leveraging your previous life experiences into recording compelling, believable voice-overs that clients will love

  Interpreting scripts, deciphering characters, directing yourself, and delivering believable performances

  Getting the bare necessities (if you don’t already have them), including a microphone, recording software, and an audio card

  Using audio-editing software and adding bed music and sound effects for a signature finishing touch

  Recording, understanding file formats, and capturing or minimizing ambient noise

  The advice we present here is tried, tested, and true. We’ve been working with voice actors now for more than a decade and have been in the business of using our gifts for voice and audio production even longer. Having attended workshops with some of the finest teachers and actors working today in voice acting, we owe a great debt of gratitude to many wonderful people who have shared with us of their time, voices, and expertise. Now we share that information with you.

  Conventions Used in This Book

  To help you navigate this book with ease, we set the following conventions:

  We use bold text to highlight key words in bulleted lists.

  When we introduce industry jargon (a new term you may not be familiar with), we use italics and define the term within the text.

  Web addresses appear in monofont so you can easily find them. If you’ve purchased an ebook version, the URLs are interactive.