Going Professional?

[Cassie]

Who here is trying to turn professional and what are you doing about it?

I'm the in process of putting together a professional demo reel to send out myself.

My biggest problem (aside from bad location) is that I hardly get any support, if any at all. *sigh*

But it's something I'd like to do ^^

[Lila]

Meee! I'm hoping to land a pro job sometime soon. But i've sort of come to understand that VA work unless it's a major contract role won't pay the bills.
So i'm thinking about going to college and seeking out another career on the side.

what did i try to do towards a pro career for VA.

Took a $100+ voice work shop
Paid $200 for acting headshots for my demo package.
paid for blank cds and lable kit.
Typed a Resume
I then made a hand written cover letter featuring a doodle of chibi size inuyasha and then submitted my demo package to Ocean Group.
5 weeks later i got my first audition call and now I'm fighting off the depressing feeling of not quite be good enough yet since alas no call back *cries*

I've deiceded to save up some more moola and on the advice of the Ocean staff take up some ADR training with Michael Dobson whom Ive been in contact with through email.

i'm plugging along..slowly but surely -_-

but it seems like a fiercely competitive business to break into over here in Canada anyway. Not sure how easy it is in the US seeing as there are more Anime Dubbing companies there. Maybe Lucien will drop us a line on how he's doing

also apparently being in the Union is of big importance to some of these places as well.

g'luck with your demo and submissions Cassiekins! I support you :P

[shadowsvoice]

Wel i definitely plan to become a professional one. For right now I am just taking acting classes, doing lots fo online stuff, going to do some stuff on my own, and Lila, I would like to ask you a few questions, so you could possibly give me your aim address? Mine is theshadowvoice. Or you could email me at theshadowvoice@aol.com

[Ayame]

I wanna go Pro...but I haven't started to do anything about it. I'll start worrying about that in a few years =)

[Sukisho]

I wanna go pro but haven't really done anythign about that yet

[Lucien]

Maybe Lucien will drop us a line on how he's doing

Why certainly!

Currently, I have two demo reels which are ready to be sent out; one for animation and character work, and one for commercials. My animation demo was edited together from finished clips of productions which I had been in over several years, many from the work I did over this message board. So I'd just like to point out that doing this amateur stuff can pay off in the long run, both in experience, and providing valuables for a potential demo, provided the quality is relatively good. I was also very fortunate to have Corey Burton critique and provide advice on how to improve my demo, so that I could make it the most professional sounding it could be. As someone who has been established in the voice over industry for a good thirty years, this was obviously a huge gift to me (so if you have friends which are in the industry, ask them for advice!). He did the very same with my commercial demo as well, which I actually went into a professional recording studio to do. In comparison to animation voices, and work in general, I precieved the guys to be involved with commercial work to be a lot more serious and strict when it comes to hearing something that sounds like 'commercial voice-over' so I figured it would be a good investment to go to a good studio, with a good mic, and lay down the copy which I had assembled. The commercial copy I had gathered over a few months; searching out ads in magazines, web-sites, fliers, anything you could find with written ads which stood out, or sounded like they could be read in an interesting manner. I was able to assemble a good collection of bits, each with what I precieved to have a different 'voice.' Even with commercials, you still want to use 'different voices' even if it's not a complete distortion of your normal voice. You want to adapt your voice so that it convays the message of the material in the most effective manner possible. Your commercial voice over for baby blankets is not going to have the same tone as a promo for the hit rock'em and sock'em video game.

With my demos in the can, I went to designing the cover for my demo CD case. This is a very important part of marketing yourself as a voice over talent, because the people you are sending your demos to go through hundreds of demos every week, so anything you can do to make yourself stand out is a big plus. The design I came upon spun out of a suggestion (one again) Corey gave to me about the title; LUCIEN (line below it) Artful Dodger. Not only a clever pun on my name, but also would associate me as a 'young and creative person.' This is the kinda stuff you want to think about when crafting your 'business image.' From this, I crafted the idea that we'd have a top hat (ala Artful Dodger) slightly tilted towards the right, with DEMO REEL spilling out of the hat, and VOICE ACTOR FOR HIRE below it. That was the hardest part. For the back and inside cover (as well as the CD label itself), we put my name and contact info.

So far, I've mostly sent my demos out to people in the industry who I've actually befriended and/or worked with, so I haven't found the need to include a (preferably one page) resume. Since I don't have any professional credits under my belt, I can't exactly create a one page resume consisting of voice acting experience, but I do have a one page resume made including my stage experience (with a short blurb about my Internet voice acting experience) for those who I feel need 'proof' that I have experience in acting...which is rediculous really, cause anyone who listens to your demo should know that already, but it gives some producers more comfort if they know you have a 'history.'

And of course, you want to write up a friendly cover letter to whoever you're sending your demo to. I like Lila's idea of including a picture of one of the companies characters in the corner or something; would be sure to catch their attention, and let them know that you're familiar with their work, and may even be a fan. Flattery will get you far.
Don't go to overboard though; I think straight forward and sincere is the best way.

Haven't sent my demos off to any anime dubbing companies yet, as I think it's futile until I actually live in the vicinity of these companies. Same with getting an agent. I have been plugging myself to local studios in my area, and figuring out what voice over oppertunites I can tap into here. My next step is to contact various non-profit organizations who air local commercials, and offer my talents. This would give me exposure, as well as material for a new demo reel.

Eventually, I do intend to pack my bags and move to someplace where voice-over work is prominent; either NYC, L.A., or even Chicago.

So yes, the road to pro voice acting is long and hard, but if you really love it, and you really want it, you should just keep plugging away, and don't give up.

Edit: Having read some of the previous replies made while I was typing this, I should also give one other piece of advice if you want to go pro. START..WORKING..AT..IT..NOW. Seriously, the sooner you start working at it, the sooner you'll get into it. If you're 40, and aren't already working at it, you probably won't be doing this work.

[Lila]

And of course, you want to write up a friendly cover letter to whoever you're sending your demo to. I like Lila's idea of including a picture of one of the companies characters in the corner or something; would be sure to catch their attention, and let them know that you're familiar with their work, and may even be a fan. Flattery will get you far.
Don't go to overboard though; I think straight forward and sincere is the best way.

Eventually, I do intend to pack my bags and move to someplace where voice-over work is prominent; either NYC, L.A., or even Chicago.

So yes, the road to pro voice acting is long and hard, but if you really love it, and you really want it, you should just keep plugging away, and don't give up.



I'm pleased to hear that things are moving along for you!I hope you land some comerical spots soon and of course something in animation as well! Moving will be exciting for ya!

lol yeah my cover letter..my big huge sloppy writing on a sheet of computer paper, i had to write it twice cause I didn't have a pencil and was drawing with ink and I gimped chibi Inuyasha's hand..so i had to redo it but I was happy to turn in my cover letter which pretty much screamed "NEWB" in how it looked lol. But it was the impression I wanted to make on them.

[Lucien]

Ouch. It was handwritten? XD I would normally think that would spell 'doom' as far as getting a serious response, but I'm glad that wasn't the case for you.
Oh yeah, I was wondering if you've searched around for agents. I'm not sure if companies like Ocean are the types which like to know that you're represented by an agent, or if that scares them off cause they don't want to have to deal with them. I would think though that getting an agent would be easier then winning your first role at a studio though. Even if you do get an agent, and you deal with a studio which is scared of agents, you can usually negotiate with your agent a plan to pass yourself off as a freelance voice actor, and then pay your agent their usual % after you are paid.
Since the Unions aren't quite as strong in Canada, it might be useful to get one, as you'll need to compensate by getting a consistant stream of jobs. Even with an agent though, you still have to work at making contacts, and hunting for auditions.

[h2ojournalist]

I'd like ta go pro...only thing that I've done about it was... COME HERE! :lol:

Bad location...bad age...no time.... too many problems... :lol:

So, I'm stick with doing things here until after college... :D

[Erica]

I'd definately love to go pro. I'm trying to make a demo at the moment... but thinking of a script is hard ._.

I think I need a lot more practice before I actually go pro though. That and I need to move out of Chicago >>;

[Cassie]

Yeah. I'm trying to think up some 'attention grabbers' as well. Thanks for the ideas, Lila and Lucien XD

I'd also like to know who you get in contact with people in the industry. Or even what to say.

I figured it would be good to have connections ^_~

Speaking of which...for those of you who go pro before me...don't forget about us looking to break into the "biz" ^_~

[Lila]

Ouch. It was handwritten? XD I would normally think that would spell 'doom' as far as getting a serious response, but I'm glad that wasn't the case for you.
Oh yeah, I was wondering if you've searched around for agents. I'm not sure if companies like Ocean are the types which like to know that you're represented by an agent, or if that scares them off cause they don't want to have to deal with them. I would think though that getting an agent would be easier then winning your first role at a studio though. Even if you do get an agent, and you deal with a studio which is scared of agents, you can usually negotiate with your agent a plan to pass yourself off as a freelance voice actor, and then pay your agent their usual % after you are paid.
Since the Unions aren't quite as strong in Canada, it might be useful to get one, as you'll need to compensate by getting a consistant stream of jobs. Even with an agent though, you still have to work at making contacts, and hunting for auditions.

well the lady i had been trying to get in touch finally got back to me, and though she hadn't represented any voice talents since she does mainly screen actors, but the fact that I had been called for an audition so quickly and Cathy was putting in a good word for me as a voice talent with potential. The lady agreed to let me use her agency as contact to get my foot in the door since she's located here in Nanaimo as well.

but my current situation is that i'm stuck right now. Ocean only hires Union VAs and in order to become Union here you need to land 1 pro job and register it within the Actors Union to become a member. So at this point there is nothing more I can do but hope to land one itty bitty role so I can I can register it and then i'm in :D

Have you considered getting any representation?

[Ishtar]

For some of the US companies (I can only speak for my experience with ADV) you don't need an agent and they don't take demos. From what I was told, FUNI doesn't take demos (unless maybe you know someone who just happens to slip something to someone for you... maybe) and neither does ADV. You get on an audition list. If you are lucky enough to have someone speak for you, you get in early... otherwise you wait patiently and practice. At least, that's how I did it.

And even once you start getting roles, don't think you suck if you don't start getting casted right away. It seems to me, that directors like to work with what is familiar to them. That makes sense. When they find a role that they don't already have someone inmind (of the already known actors), that would be when you are most likely to get picked for an audition. Even then, they consider experience very important, cause no one really wants to have to deal with newbies... that concept exists everywhere. It's one of those, "you can't get work without experience, and you can't get experience without work" types of catches. Just be patient, do your best when you have the chance, and practice in your off times.

What I did:
Moved to Houston, under the guise of school
was already on the list... waited over a year then was called for open auditions
went, did my thing, and had a blast
Still live in houston, still in school (added theatre as a second major), and still waiting for more auditions (I've had a few so far).

So, I guess mine is a little less of what you were looking for, since unless you want to move to Houston... your experience with other companies might be very different.

[Fernie]

Woah, lots of good info here, thanks Lila, Lucien and Alyx! Definitely appreciate your stories of going pro.

Myself, a resounding maybe as far as wanting to go pro. While it would be very cool if I somehow did end up becoming a professional I don’t know if I have what it takes. The vibe I get from the few voice actors I’ve briefly spoken with around here take acting much more seriously than I probably ever will. While I try to take part in a stage play every once in a while on the side, these people do it for a living, something I don’t see myself doing. I guess I find it intimidating that if I did try I would be going against actors that pay the bills with those gigs while I just want to because it would be fun. Not to mention that I’m lazy/scared. I’m not quite sure which one but despite my living in one of the big voice over cities I haven’t prepared the demo and sent it out, either because I don’t want to spend the time or I’m afraid it’ll be a waste of time because I’ll just get rejected. I just keep telling myself maybe next year, maybe next year.

[Lucien]

Have you considered getting any representation?

There's a place here which apparently deals with 'talent' that I tried calling once, but was told that the guy invovled with hiring talent was 'on vacation' and wouldn't be back till April. Not sure if that was the truth, or a sly way of saying 'we aren't taking anyone.' I may try calling them again. Otherwise, since I don't live in the city, I don't think I'd be able to get a NYC agent; thus one of the reasons I need to move. Take Ishtar as an example; she had to move in order to persue voice-over work.

By the mention that you may be able to get in as a minor role (or walla, that'd also satisfy the professional credit requirement), I assume Ocean Studios do Taff Heartly people. What that term means (if I'm spelling it correctly) is that companies who normally only take Union talent are allowed to take a certain number of non-Union talent as incidental parts. This is how many freelance or non-Union voice talent transgress into Union status.

[Lila]

Yeah. I'm trying to think up some 'attention grabbers' as well. Thanks for the ideas, Lila and Lucien XD

I'd also like to know who you get in contact with people in the industry. Or even what to say.

I figured it would be good to have connections ^_~

Speaking of which...for those of you who go pro before me...don't forget about us looking to break into the "biz" ^_~


Hmm connection wise, Cathy Weseluck is my only link to the Pro world of VA. I attended her workshop and she could see how interested and determined i was so she has been very helpful to me. I wouldn't be where I am today without her help in getting in touch with Agents and her advice and support through email ^_^

I guess it's true when they say it's all about who you know in the dustry and how you use that connection. I guess you just have to be in the right place at the right time.
Film School could be helpful too if there is any place near you like that, they will have contacts for studios and industry pros that you could approach. I'd suggest to research your area and find out who you can get in touch with and they might be able to connect you to someone who can help.



Woah, lots of good info here, thanks Lila, Lucien and Alyx! Definitely appreciate your stories of going pro.

Myself, a resounding maybe as far as wanting to go pro. While it would be very cool if I somehow did end up becoming a professional I don’t know if I have what it takes. The vibe I get from the few voice actors I’ve briefly spoken with around here take acting much more seriously than I probably ever will. While I try to take part in a stage play every once in a while on the side, these people do it for a living, something I don’t see myself doing. I guess I find it intimidating that if I did try I would be going against actors that pay the bills with those gigs while I just want to because it would be fun. Not to mention that I’m lazy/scared. I’m not quite sure which one but despite my living in one of the big voice over cities I haven’t prepared the demo and sent it out, either because I don’t want to spend the time or I’m afraid it’ll be a waste of time because I’ll just get rejected. I just keep telling myself maybe next year, maybe next year.

I fear rejection too...lol but i feel rejected already :P But i'm trying to live with it and just keep going. I encourage you, even if it's something you don't see yourself doing full time...keep pursuing it. don't be lazy^_^; Action and good planning can get you set on your way towards a pro career, just be confident! you're good!^^

I imagine the Pro World like a giant VA board..I may not land the first few roles..but a character is bound to come along that i will be able to voice.

[TamTu]

Well, this may only apply to the few dutch VAs lurking around here, I think..but I've taken the first steps into professional voice acting in Holland now.

First, I looked around for dubbing companies and agencies. Besides that, looking for email addresses of professional VAs. I started emailing those agencies and VAs on what to do if I'd like to break through.

Panache Casting (http://www.panachecasting.nl) in Amsterdam replid with a brochure which stated that I should send them a demo with 3 commercial clips, each in a different tone (neutral/calm, excited/hyped up, in between), 2 narrative clips (documentary/news-ish, storytelling) and one free of choice.

For the latter, I added the dutch animation reel to show my range/emotion for character voices. I also slipped in my english animation demo just to show them my VA abilities with other languages.

I got a reply from one pro so far, Ewout Eggink (did various extra roles, but is mostly active in other areas than voice acting) and he told me that I should track down dubbing studios' addresses and send them my demo (the one I made according to Panache's instructions), with a short resumé and more importantly a letter as to why they should sign me. I think that's where you start flattering people for their work >D

For dubbing studios in Holland, there is JPS Producties (Lichtenvoorde), Sun Studios (Bussum), Wim Pel Producties (Diemen), Metasound (Amsterdam Zuid-Oost).

While being listed at an agency might give you a head start and gives various studios the impression you're worth working with, it never hurts to try and send those studios your demos yourself.

In any case, I sent out my demo to Panache Casting last thursday, and now I can only wait patiently. There are three options when I'll get a reply from them:

They're very thrilled to have me in their agency, i'm signed right away and if necessary, they'll invite me to record additional demo material in their studio. Costs would be compensated from the first job I'd get with them.
They think I have talent, but need more training. They'd invite me to one of their workshops.
I suck and they don't want anything else from me.

All in all, it's worth a shot, since they focus on how convincing I can sound with my voice. That's what makes Panache so cool~. No insanely high costs either XD (though I don't know how much the workshops are, but nonethelessssssssss...yeah.). The demos will be reviewed by Ben Maasdam (http://www.benmaasdam.nl), who is also the one who organises the workshops for Panache.

There was another agency here called "Multivoice". Pretty big, but they want you to pay 125 Euros upfront for a test recording in their studio..and after that, it's not even certain if you're in or not. Seeing as I'm quite confident about the quality of my demos, I don't feel like Multivoice is worth it. They're big, sure. But Ewout says it's not really worth it either. He did say that Panache was a good agency though.

Most important is definitely to work on your acting and to sound convincing with your vocal emotions. That's what I feel AVA is for, and for your sake, I hope people here are being really constructive and honest and not sugarcoating anything.

I really think it's great that Lucien was able to find a fantastic VA like Corey to guide him, because I personally believe he deserves it ^^.

If you're considering it, you best start working on your career as soon as you can, people.


EDIT: As mentioned before, also consider that rejection is most likely to happen. Unless you're reaaaaaaally good, you'd better get used to dealing with it. You may be top notch in the AVA scene, once out there...you might get a very slap-in-your-face reality check. ^_^

[Lucien]

I really think it's great that Lucien was able to find a fantastic VA like Corey to guide him, because I personally believe he deserves it ^^.

Aw, thanks Blue.

I actually wanted to touch upon something you mentioned earlier in your reply about personaly sending your demos to companies. I'm not sure how it works in Holland, but I know that for many places in the U.S., they will *not* take unsolicited demos. Meaning that if you are not represented by an agent, and your demo is sent 'through your agent' they won't even touch it. Just thought I'd warn people about that.

[Dylan]

Great topic, lots of great advice.

Specifically thank you TamTu, I think I just might have to try something like you did myself. :)

[Cassie]

yay! I made a great (and helpful) topic XXD

You are all so far ahead of me, lol. I need to get my butt in gear and get myself out there.

Here's a question: Demo scripts. What have you guys heard about the best way to do them? I've heard it is better to make an original script. Is it as hard for the rest of you as it is for me to come up with one? lol, I write all the time and I can't come up with a lousy 1:30 script.

Also, does anyone know the demand for forgein language demos in the US? I was thinking of making one in Polish, but don't want to make the investment if it wouldn't be worth it.

[Lila]

hmm demo scripts, I luv to write so i made some clips up with the orginal voices i wanted to present on my demo, I also pulled a couple auditions i had sent for projects here on the board and mixed them together it created a weird scene but interesting.
But if you're starting from scratch i'd suggest compile a list of character voices you can do. Like little boys, sexy divas, hyper girls, heros, villians, monsters, cute sidekicks etc. Section them off into couples <3
lol and if it's not too hard try to think of an interesting conversation that each twosome could exchange. From what i understand on demos the sample clips are usually from 8-12 seconds long before the next clip begins. (that's how i was instructed)
but try to express several situations, angry, cheerful, panicked between the characters so the casting director can hear how well you deliver these different emotions :)

[Lucien]

Yeah, if you're starting from scratch (would you be recording the new tracks on your computer, or going to a studio to record them?), I'd just think up what you consider to be your 'best' voices, and then write hypothetical dialogue; just scribble stuff down. Also if there are bits of dialogue from books, comics, etc, which you find really well written, and could make really 'jump off the page' you should keep it in mind to use for a character voice. I wouldn't worry about making sure that the whole material is under 1:30. It's better to have too much, and edit it down, then to have too little, and be left with stuff which isn't your best material; that will result in a weak demo. I wouldn't even worry about writing it with 'how will these bits link up?' in mind. Trust that through creative editing, you'll come up with a clever way to string all the clips together. They don't even have to directly relate to each other to do so.

[Cassie]

I've just been having a bit of writers block, that's all. XP Happens to the best of us...at the worst times, lol.

Oh, and I was thinking about doing it on my computer. Trouble is, my quality isn't exactly the best it can be. When I record something it plays really really quiet (even with the volume way up on the recording and playback). I really need to get it fixed XP

So I may do studio. Besides, I figure the experience would be good. I'm not going to be recording from the comfort of my own home on auditions after all ^^

My plan is to make a 'rough draft' on here for you guys to critique.

[TamTu]

The only difference between studio recording and home recording (besides the quality), IMO, is that you get live feedback from the sound engineers/directors/producers. For Studio recording it's more important how well you can adapt to their directions, as well as being able to deliver the lines the same way over and over, if needed.

For home recording, try a USB microphone o.o. Even with the crappiest soundcard you'd get good quality lines (mainly because USB microphones don't use the soundcard for recording).

As for writing scripts, I have that problem too sometimes. But it's like Lila said, try to come up with conversation that fits the character voice and more importantly, the emotion you want to portray. Don't be afraid to be cheesy, haha. I did a transformation thing...it was all..."Galactic Force, Stellar Winds! Galaxy Warrior Gamma, Ready to go!"....incredibly cheesy, but it does the trick. Lucien's tips work very well too. Comic books = yay. Emotions in the lines = very important.

If you want to get ideas for demos, go to www.voicebank.net. They have a huge collection of demo reels, be it commercial or animation.

[Lucien]

Warning though if you're going to go to a studio and have someone directing you; don't let them boss you around too much. This is your demo, and if you think you have an idea of what would be best for the material, make sure they let you do it. You can always record their idea as a second option. You're paying them good money for this.

Good of Blue to point out voicebank.net; there's a fortune of different demos there. You'll probably be able to gauge what type of material is used if you listen to several demos there.

[Cassie]

Ooo...I'll check out that site ASAP XD

I'm working on my script now. The muse has struck! I have almost all of my scenes done, but I need to work on order. I'm going to listen to those demos for extra help.

[Matt Alan]

XD; What has Matt Alan done about going professional?

KISSED LUCIEN AND TAMTU'S ASS AND ANYONE ELSE'S ASS FOR VA HELP.

>P But beside's that, I've been practicing my ass off this last year, more than the rest. I'm practicing 24/7, coming up with new voices here and there. I've been in Drama Club for three years, attended workshops, read up aloooooot.

I inquired on where the nearest recording studios are.

I actually got my dad's approval on my career path of choice.

And I'm calling tomorrow them all tomorrow to find about stuff. (drama practice went over too late)

Does that count? XD

[Crimson]

I'm not sure how helpful this will be to anyone... probably not, but I'll post about it anyway.

For a year or two I thought I would go pro... actually I don't want to say that I'm not going to, but I realized that right now it's not fitting the rest of my life. Firstly it's not something my parents are particularly supportive of and they are currently helping me get through my university career. Aside from that I'm currently aiming for a bachelor's degree in East Asian Studies which will fullfill the requirements of the JET programme that can find me work as an English Teaching Assistant in Japan.
So with that in mind, voice acting seems sort of out of the question, doesn't that?
I don't think so though. I found another way based on two crucial facts: 1) I speak perfect "American" English 2) Japanese Media looooooves English, but for the most part they can't speak it if their lives depended on it

Basically my battle plan is to exploit my English speaking skills. This is WAY more likely to land me parts for commericals that need some sort of catchy English phrase then say one of those crazy gaijin characters in anime that can't stop making random English interjections, but hey... it's a start.

I don't know if I would recommend this sort of approach to anyone since I obviously have no idea how it will work out (I have 304848 back up plans if not). The only North American semi-regular anime seiyuu (in Japan) I can think of off hand is Raymond Johnson who appears almost exclusively in tv programmes for young children. So if I'm lucky I'll end up making an ass out of myself in front of millions of Japanese children on a semi regular basis... Japander style XD.

[Lucien]

Yay, I'm glad you're still planning on taking that step Crimson. I really think they could use someone like you. Who knows, maybe you could also become sort of an "English coach" for seiyuu when they have to speak in English (thinks of the first and last scenes in the Gravitation OVA with Orikasa Ai speaking in English...-shutter-)
Raymond Johnson...is that that cooky guy who does stuff for Pokemon? Either way, they should balance things out and get a female...a.k.a you! :D.

[Chrnogirl]

Well I've done all I can right now, being a 15 yr old who has no money XD. I called Funimation (which is the 50 min away from me versus ADV who's hours away, plus Funi people seem nicer and more likly to give me something than the re-hashment of ADV and their REALLY bad habit of re-using people) I called Funi in November (the week of Thanksgiving) and put my name on the audition list with 2 pro VAs as recommendations (with prior permission of course) I've been keeping in touch wih both Talent corddinators (one more so than the other) Hopfully auditions will be in the spring because that's when it was last year according to one of the talent corddinaters. They didn't ask for a demo reel or anything just if I've had any prior voice over experience. Funi is very cool about letting kids do stuff so I'm hoping for the best. Since I have 2 VAs as recommendations (yes one of them is Maria Vu, duh XD) They know that I know what the job intails and what I'm getting myself into. (hopfully they know that XD)

[MariaVu]

For some of the US companies (I can only speak for my experience with ADV) you don't need an agent and they don't take demos. From what I was told, FUNI doesn't take demos (unless maybe you know someone who just happens to slip something to someone for you... maybe)


Jen is right. FUNI is notorious for having demos right in front of them (coughScottcough) and never calling anyone in. Also about 70% of the time (coughJustincough) they never even listen to them. They also do open calls once a year and this varies upon director needs. Though if you know someone high up....well it is a business and people tend to play favorites not matter what the job! I also learned recently that you can va under another name as long as it is non-union! So resumes are not really a big thing in Texas (unlike CA where they prefer you to be union). A friend of mine just relocated from LA and has worked with New Generations for a long time and even he had problems getting into FUNI!

As Lila said, it really is a chess board. Right now (since i live 8 hours away) I am only allowed to do bit parts or episodic characters. This is actually good since a majority of companies hate it when you are not in the area of the studio. They want to be able to call you in for redos at anytime! And you also want to be able to try out for the bigger roles!



Also some things I have seen/experienced in the studio!

1. Directors (alot of them) like going by word of mouth. And some will cast a person with no acting/vaing experience at alll. They will be casted on the sole purpose of being friends with that particular director or a friend of a friend. It may not be fair but it does happen!

2. You can go in for a role you have already obtained and be recasted for something as simple as "bad scheduling for redos" or maybe the director who casted you changed his mind and wants to go with an older voice or higher! And 9 time out of 10, you will not be told you were recasted (with non-union actors they are not required to tell you)! You will find out when the ep/dvd comes out and you are not in the credits. This has happened to me once when I came back home. The director needed another line that was actually not in the script at the time I first recorded the part. Since I came home, I was unable to drive back immediately, so they got an office girl (she was there and always wanted a shot at vaing) to do it! You have to prepare yourself for these occurances because they do happen to alot of vocie actors (some high profiled ones as well) .

3. When you are in the booth (I cannot stress this enough) be spontaneous. When a director has had all day sessions and they are tired of...well being there...they get really bored! When a va comes in and sounds exactly like the va they just got done recording earlier or has a blandish (may be a good read but nothing that stands out) tone to them than the session becomes a rush job! They are in a hurry to get it over with and also you have not made a lasting impression in his/their minds!. If you have an abnormally crack voice, accent, weird sfx you can do-I know that sounds weird but if you can do it than do it! Even if it is as a warmup for the lines you are about to do. Believe me they notiice!


4. Unless you plan to relocate at some point (or are lucky to live in the area of a studio) than I suggest relocating. It is hard to pickup everything and move but it can be done (stares at daughter waving fists at her for making her move!)


5. Try not to let rejection get to you! I get sensitive when people criticize my speaking voice (I mean come on...how can you help how you talk? LOL) but for some odd reason the 4 year olds and crack head villians I am good at never get put down! It used to bother me alot but than I realized that you cannot please everyone in this world and you'll only hurt yourself trying. And on that note why would you want to? You want to voice act because it is something you love doing, so as mean as it sounds you kind of have to make people's opinions of you a second, third. 50th priority! Just look at the character (if you know what it is ahead of time....and sometimes the sides they give you have little bios/profiles on them to go by) and play that character as if it were actually you in that situation than you will be fine. If you can walk out of that booth convinced you did your best/ gave that character the life you thought it should have than you have succeeded! Casted or not!

5. And on a more FUNI note...if you are trying forFUNimation...research that vocie if you are determined to stay true to the character. FUNI's policy is to not let the va's hear the japanese audio. They want their actors to attempt them without any outside influence. It worked with some of the Fruit Basket characters in the Furuba dub...but everyone has their own approach! I personally wish we could hear the japanese audio track first but....I am not in charge...yet! mwahaha



6. And last but not least...some directors will have you doing lines in many different voices just to see how they sound and it can strain the h#ll out of your voice so....water and hot tea are your friends! There is also this spray that Kyle and Sonny swear by but....I have yet to try it!



Well that was my va babble...lots of luck to you! :)


And Crimson- you would own as a seiyuu! It would be like the guy cussing in Beck ep 1! Flawless english! They need a woman with those skills! (Thinks of Deka and the big "sh*t" mispronunciation! How can you not say "sh%t?")


GAMBATANE!


-Maria



P.S.- This is the longest post I have ever done in all my almost 10 years of AVAing! Wow Alyx...it has almost been 10 Years! O_O LOL

[Little_Phoenix]

I'd like to go pro- that's why i'm here. Getting experience!
A few people mentioned Canada being a cut-throat kind of area. To which i say, at least you have work for people to fight over! I'm in Jersey!! (The part that's not near NYC!)
In my area, all the VA work (which is, like, 90% commercial) is done by 4 or 5 people, and if you're not one of those 4 or 5, forget it.
A casting director i know told me that I may be able to get my foot in the door if i send out demos to recording studios and tell them i'll work for free to start. After all, the current talent can't live forever! If they like you, they may start paying you one day.
Most of the agents in NYC will only hear your demo if they request it, or if your current agent sends it. I don't think my agent even knows i'm into voice acting. (heehee oops)
On the other hand, anything is possible. A friend of mine was telling me about his friend who, one day, got a VA audition and ended up as the voice of Marek on Yu-Gi-Oh! Apparently, WB likes non-union talent. This guy had no intention of being a VA, and before he knows it he's a principal character for, like, 2 seasons! Just goes to show. The best advice (which has been given over & over here) is to just keep plugging along.
I'm out of college now, and pursuing acting/voice-acting full-time. It's been 9 months and i haven't gotten any paying jobs yet, but my resume looks a hell of a lot better than when i started from all the indie and student work i've done! I'm living w/ my parents (lame) and have no friends within a few hundred miles of me (even lamer), and it's impossible to find a day-job when you're auditioning at all hours (super lame), but it's like my signature says:

[Crimson]

Yay, I'm glad you're still planning on taking that step Crimson. I really think they could use someone like you. Who knows, maybe you could also become sort of an "English coach" for seiyuu when they have to speak in English (thinks of the first and last scenes in the Gravitation OVA with Orikasa Ai speaking in English...-shutter-)
Raymond Johnson...is that that cooky guy who does stuff for Pokemon? Either way, they should balance things out and get a female...a.k.a you! . Thanks for the encouragement... honestly, just getting support from AVAs who know first hand how hard it is to get work in North America means a lot to me.
I wouldn't be surprised if they already have "English coaches" running around, but whether these coaches speak it well is doubtful (considering what many English teachers in Japan sound like *coughs*).
And yes! Raymond Johnson has done a lot of work for Pokemon. He's really funny... if you can get your hands on the Japanese version of the first Pokemon movie... do it! It's worth it just for the beginning where he plays that crazy pirate trainer XD.


And Crimson- you would own as a seiyuu! It would be like the guy cussing in Beck ep 1! Flawless english! They need a woman with those skills! (Thinks of Deka and the big "sh*t" mispronunciation! How can you not say "sh%t?")

GAMBATANE! Arigatou gosaimasu! There are too many examples of terrible mispronounciations. Hehe... I'll make a name for myself by swearing perfectly on Japanese screens :P.

[Henageshi]

I haven't really considered going pro even though I would have a blast doing so.

Nah, not at the moment. I'm going to go to college and become a studio art major. Who knows? Maybe I'll create the characters that you will all voice for!

[Ishtar]

Wow Alyx...it has almost been 10 Years! O_O LOL

unbelievable... huh?!? @_@

[renren_chan]

I hope to become professional, but this probably won't happen till after I've compleated University... I want to get really talented in the field and I do see VOA as a real career path for me, but I wan't to travel and get all my degrees and stuff too... So... I guess for me, my VOA career will be put off untill I am 24 :shock: and have my gap year. Untill then... I just have to study :cry: .
BUT! I will become a professional eventually. And then we'll be rivals. :wink:

[Josh Miller]

Here's to hope I can get that scholarship to *delete*. ~.~

Edit: Rejections notices can be hurtful.

Can I just say how annoyingly jealous I am of all of you Pro's? Hell I would be MORE than HAPPY to do play the dog in random episode 77 of Generic Magical Girl Animated Show 43!

>.>

[Lucien]

I would be MORE than HAPPY to do play the dog in random episode 77 of Generic Magical Girl Animated Show 43!

Now now, that's Frank Welker's job XD...

...but yes, I'm sure many of us (including myself) would find it absolutely awesome to simply be 'walla' in whatever anime dub. Hey, someone's gotta do it.

[Songbird21]

I would kill to go pro.

Does anyone know of any dub companies on the east coast of the USA? I live in MA. I can drive as far as New York.

[Lucien]

4Kids is in New York I believe, as well as Right Stuff and Central Park Media.

[Songbird21]

4Kids is in New York I believe, as well as Right Stuff and Central Park Media.Thanks Lucien!!!

[Batgirl]

Er... I'll try to be as organized as possible. ^^"

I've been trying to go pro since I started, 3 years ago. Which is a key factor here, like Lucien said, IT IS NEVER TOO EARLY TO START TRYING TO GO PRO.

You are never too young. What if they want a Young voice? An authentic one is always preferred over a women trying to sound like a boy. This goes especially in commercials, less so In American Animation, I think becuase of hour restrictions and such, and you will occasionally see real little kids in Anime (FFU...as horrible as that was. ><)

And, its not like you're all that "little" The board ranges from about 13-25 or something...ne? Yeah. Don't Procrastinate Thats my first one.

2) (yea I decided to use numbers). If you have any sort of class or workshop available to you, in a real studio, take it at least once.

The studio can be a very scary place, even in an audition. The Glass, the cans, the mic, all the delicate equipment, it can all be very intimidating and affect your performance when you finally DO get an audition, or a gig. So if you can take a class in a studio, so you're used to how it works. Go for it.

Personally I've taken 3 classes with "Sound Advice" a Workshop with Dan Levine (NOT reccomended, but he does hang around on the East Coast), and I'm with Voicestarz.

3) You will become the gods of self promotion. Modesty will not be an issue.

Do not be afraid to say you're a voice actor. Do not be afraid to say you are a talented, experienced, Amazing voice actor. Trust me, it took me a while to get over this. But you've got to get over the "I'm not THAT good. Oh, I'm only sorta a voice actor...but it doesn't count..." etc. People won't think you're cocky, people won't think you have an ego. They will just think you are confident and proffessional.

I learned this in College. ^^'

A) Here is a really good idea just about anyone can do no matter where you are.

Do you live anywhere remotely near a college? Do they have an animation program of any form? (Computer, Traditional, Degrees, whatever). Make yourself a flyer. Put your Name, Phone Number, and Email (or if your parent's won't let you put your phone number, just your email). Go to the college, find the dept with the animation program, and ask if you can hang the flyer up for people to see.

It might be a little embarassing, but these Animation Majors are looking for Talented, Cheap VAs, and hey! Thats what we have here right? AND these animators are, MAJORING in Animation, MEANING they intend to work in Animation, MEANING that when they go pro, you might end up having a very profitable new Contact.

4) Demos

At the moment I have my professionally done Commercial Demo, with the cover art, the logo, the everything. It's very nice. Yours does not have to be so nice.

Make sure your quality is good, your script is good, and the mixing is decent. Eye catching packaging would be really nice, if you can get a colored case or anything, put a bow on the envelope you send it in, or a sticker, anything to make it stand out from the other 13435 demos these talent agents/ad agencies/studios get. It seems stupid, but its marketing. And that is what we're all doing, marketing ourselves, our voice.

I'm working on making myself a few more demos and I'm going to put them all on my Website, which is being redesigned. >>

Overall, what I've done to try and go pro.

Self Promotion like crazy
Made Demo
Done Demo Mailings
Joined Voicestarz
Joined Voice123
Taken Classes

I think that's really it. You know, plus VAd in about everything I can.

On that note, if you have time, it can be profitable to look at VA places outside of the VAA, there are amateur production sites that need VAs and dont' know about the Resources of the VAA (of course, feel free to direct them here after you've talked to them), there are lots of people on the internet who need VAs but don't really know how to look for them properly, so you should look for them. ^^' I found a Whole other studio completely by chance and I've been doing a lot of work for them. (Some of their Dr.Who stuff has been posted here).

Anyway, I hope it didn't sound to preachy or anything. <-- Embarrassed. I'll shut up now.

[Little_Phoenix]

4Kids is in New York I believe, as well as Right Stuff and Central Park Media.Thanks Lucien!!!

Hey- thanks from me, too!
Living near Philly, i forget about that big ol' market known as NYC!!!
And i thought there was no work here... :P

[Iscabibble]

I would be MORE than HAPPY to do play the dog in random episode 77 of Generic Magical Girl Animated Show 43!

Now now, that's Frank Welker's job XD...


I am a VA loser, because that made me laugh out loud. ^_^

[Windy*]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone... I know I appreciate it. ^^ Gosh, this all sounds really scary... @_@

Now that we've covered the east coast, could anyone tell me about the studios on the west coast? :) I'd be very grateful for any information. ^_^

Also, what kind of things should a college student be doing to prepare for a professional VA career, as far as classes, majors, etc.? Advice is also appreciated. *grin*

[Batgirl]

Thanks Nikkita ^^'

I actually didn't think of it either until I became an Animation major. omgbestdecisionofmylife. Its funny, I'm not much of an animator, but I am meeting so many animators, and that = Soooooo many contacts. Because I also whore out my voice skillzorz LoL. It is awesome though.

[Lucien]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone... I know I appreciate it. ^^ Gosh, this all sounds really scary... @_@

Now that we've covered the east coast, could anyone tell me about the studios on the west coast? :) I'd be very grateful for any information. ^_^

Also, what kind of things should a college student be doing to prepare for a professional VA career, as far as classes, majors, etc.? Advice is also appreciated. *grin*

Well, if you're talking about studios in general on the West Coast, there's....a lot. Everything from Cartoon Network to radio spots are done there. If you're refering to specifically anime though, I can narrow it down somewhat; BangZoom! Entertainment and Geneon (formally Pioneer) are big ones. Skyquest (often in conjunction with Urban Vision), which Jack Fletcher does a lot of directing for, is there. Those are the main ones I can think of. Perhaps others can name more.

As for what things a college student should be doing to prepare for a professional voice acting career? Let me share what will probably be a rather unpopular view held by 'believers' of College here, but I feel is an important view none the less.
I took one year of college. I say one year of college, because I have now decided that I don't want to do anymore, and this is why.
During my first year of college at Plattsburgh University, I certainly learned a lot of things, and gained new experiences in respect to living in my own place, with a roommate. I made good friends, was well fed, and even got to head my own timeslot on the College radio station. My one problem? It was doing near nothing as far as advancing my goals as a voice actor. I double-majored in Theater and Mass Communications in an attempt to blend the two, to get something that would spur my creativity as a voice actor. What I got was a beginning acting class which made me feel like I was in 8th grade, and an audio editing teacher who repeadetly critiqued my vocal performances as being too 'expressive.' In addition to Editing for Audio, I was taking Mass Media courses. I have nothing at all to complain about for my first semester of that class; the teacher was Korean and rocked like Robin Williams in Dead Poet's Society. My following 102 class after this one was a completly different story. As interesting as some of the material was, it made me absolutely certain that I did not want to be a part of the advertising market of the World. And if I didn't have any interest in that, why was I even in the class? The assignments were based upon the assumption that you wanted to become some big head of a company, or some kiss-ass employee for some big multimedia company, and I didn't want to have anything to do with such things. So, a complete waste of time when it came to it.
During all of this, what I grew to become awear of more and more was that the things which were currently helping me along in my voice-acting career were things which I was doing absolutely independently from the society of College; I could have been doing them anywhere. I developed a friendship with Corey Burton, who eventually helped me to edit together my character animation reel, and so forth. I continued my connections with people from the National Audio Theater Festivals, and continued to take their anual Workshops. After the year was up, I decided that it would be more beneficiary for me to stay home for a year and get all the crap that I needed together in order to seriously take this career where I want to. That included getting a job, learning to drive, sending out my demos, and taking acting classes.
Now, things could be entirely different for you. Maybe your college is just in the right place for voice over work, or you'll meet people who will eventually become audio engineers for animation and/or radio. Perhaps your college offers Internships to California, and you'll make great connections there. You never know. You just have to look around, and see what you can use to your advantage.

[ClokeNdagger]

if you're looking to do something on the side, look into speech therapy. No chemistry, no math, but 1 physics class, or so im told. Its something that can really help you as far as voice acting goes, and it pays fairly well.

[michelleann]

As far as demo mailings go, who would you suggest mailing? I can look up talent agencies in the yellow pages or online, but what bout studios? Misc places you wouldn't think of?

I'm almost ready to start mailing. My commercial demo is done, working on my character one right now...and a short narration one.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Lucien]

Studios should also be listed in the yellow pages, although I've also heard of special 'Agency Listing books' which are very comprehensive as far as all the different talent studios and agencies that are around. You may not be able to start off that big though, and have to search for smaller leads; I contacted as many of the ad agencies in my area that I could, and considered interning a local college radio station here. If you can find non-profit organizations that air ads on the radio/TV, those are also good places to ask around at, as their 'talent' usually consists of the people involved with the organization...and usualy suck. So why not kill two birds with one stone? Improve their ads which also lifts suffering from those avid radio listeners, and gain experience.

[michelleann]

I'm already working in radio and doing a lot of voice over work that way. :)

Thanks for the idea of studios in the yellow pages. For some reason, I thought they wouldn't be listed hehe.

I'm in a town of 1500 right now...so my job is as close to doing voice as it gets.

[ClymAngus]

Mmm, had one or two good (as in paid) gigs. Mainly the end aim is to produce good audio drama and have it broadcast. So more of a production thing than a straight voice acting thing.

To this end I'm finding areas of distrabution
Reading up on my company and copyright law (both UK and international)
Teaching myself basic music notation (do you know how much the big boys spend on incidental music? Shed loads!)

My CD design skills are reasonable (the 12 Candles cover looked pretty spanky, if I do say so myself) Photoshop goodness Mmmmmm.

So yeah, I need a lot of skills but I'm getting there :)

[Lucien]

You should attend the thing that I'm at right now if you wanna produce your own audio theater; the National Audio Theater Festivals Workshop (natf.org).

[ClymAngus]

Nice idea, but I've spent most of my life in halls being lectured at. We spend way too much time being convinced that we need to be tutored when the best tutor in the world is experience. Each to their own, Mr L, I hope ya have fun but my mixing desk is calling. :)

[Lucien]

There are lecture style panels, but that's maybe 25% of what the whole workshop is about. For most of the week, you spend your time applying those skills to put together audio theater plays from scratch, and learning from professionals who have been in the business for decades. This is as much experience as anything.

[Yoda117]

Hmmnn... heard some good advice, and some really bad as well.

For me, been doing equity work for about 6 years now. Mostly on and off due to grad school, but in the last few months, I've had the opportunity to do a lot more work (it's amazing how much free time you have when you no longer have to worry about a F/T job AND 12 credits of classes per semester at the graduate level).

Anyway, I agree that studio produced demos will beat all but the very best home-grown demos. Let's face it, how many of us have 5 - 10K worth of audio equipment, a sound booth, and audio engineers in our house? Of course there are some recording studios that are less reputable than others, but if you've actually had some real VO training, you know what to look for and who to go to.

Let's talk about that last point a bit... training. I heard a lot of people talk about theatrical training. That's great. I've studied stage and film acting for years, and it helped me to do a lot of nice work, both in front of the camera and on stage. I even take vocal classes to help broaden my range and increase my talents in musical theatre... but none of that really helped me a lot when it came to VO work. Now I am one of the lucky few who managed to actually fall into some equity VO work before I really knew what the heck I was doing. When I started taking VO classes, I realized that even though I had been doing some VO work, that there was a heck of a lot that I did not know (and it was costing me work). I'm not going to get into it, but I am sure that more than a few of you know what I mean.

Headshots? For VO work, I am not normally asked for it when I audition... although casting agencies do (but they usually do more than just VO work). For that I looked around and found a great headshot artist for a reasonable price (below $300, which included a makeup artist and a hair stylist). Normally though, I only get asked for those when auditioning for film or stage work. The demo is another story...

Speaking of which, what do you do when creating a demo? For me, I only use equity copy that I have in my possession. Multiple tracks (like most other people) to highlight commercial copy, industrial and character. Now people always ask me why I have a character track... simple; I get paid more often to do the voice of Kermit the Frog than I do to do an anime character (which is why only one third of the clips have anything to do with anime...). Maybe I'm wrong on this, but I want my demo to show more flexibility, and doing a wide range of characters that can be used for animations, commercials, or narrations seems to be the better way to go. Besides, it demonstrates my ability to actually get into any character and make it real. It might not be the popular answer on this board, but it works... and it gets work.

I have to somewhat agree with Lucien't comment about not letting an audio engineer boss you around. It is your demo after all... however I will not do a demo without at least one professional VO in the room (usually my VO instructor). She's been steering me in the right direction since I first met her, so I trust her instincts; when I do some copy for my demo I am willing to listen to her direction, because it invariably comes out sounding a lot nicer. If I disagree, I read the copy my way and we compare them. Sometimes my way is better, but a lot of times her way is the way to go. I believe that a VO needs to be self-directing, but also open to the direction of others when needed (I've never been in a spot where I read copy the same way every time... it just doesn't happen, so you need to be flexible).

Righto then! It's now 5:35AM, my insominia is cured, and I've tossed out my $0.02... Just remember that opinions are like armpits, everyone has at least one, and they all stink. :wink:

nite! :)

[maki_serenade]

I'm doing an audition for Funimation sometime this summer and I'm really nervous. I know they have a few actors under 18 working there but I'm going to have to stand out if I want to make it. Pressure!

[Yoda117]

Seems like Funimation is casting like mad as of late... a ton of VO talent from the NYC and Philadelphia areas are heading there over the next few months.

Guess Central Park isn't doing as much work lately :?

[Chrnogirl]

I'm doing an audition for Funimation sometime this summer and I'm really nervous. I know they have a few actors under 18 working there but I'm going to have to stand out if I want to make it. Pressure!

YOU ARE MY RIVAL BECAUSE I'M AUDTIONING FOR FUNIMATION AS WELL!!!! :twisted: XD j/k good luck ^^ (and let the best voice win MWUAHAHHHAHAHH :twisted: :twisted: )

Hey no pressure. They changed the audition proceders. You go in there, pick 3 characters from a selection they have, go in the booth and say the lines like an RP, no lip flap matching so it'll be tons easier. Just have fun and eperiment with your voice ^^

[Jiffy]

I would love to take on a professional role, I just dont know how I would go about auditioning for something. I live in (right next to) Dallas, and I hear Houston is a large spot for voice acting. But the problem is I dont know what you have to do to audition.

[Zangya]

Hmm... Hopuston has ADV Films correct? Maybe they have a guideline at there site or something :o

[Yoda117]

Let's see... you have a lot of casting agencies in that area who are looking for VO talent. Not too far from where you are is Funimation and ADV, not to mention quite a few other recording studios that do everything from commercial VO to games to animation.

Gotta ask this first though Jiffy... do you have a demo? Training?

From the post I would say probably not, yet both of these are important to getting you on your way if you want to audition for equity roles. If you have a half-decent range, a few months of training (you'll probably want to train a lot more once you hear the difference it makes... 4+ years for me thus far, not including vocal, stage, or film training) and some time well spent learning about acting, some ava work and a half-decent demo can start to get you into auditions.

That said, it's not easy doing pro work. You have to be patient. There's a lot of competition out there, particularly for commercial work. That said, if you want it badly enough and are willing to do what it takes to learn, anything can happen :)

[Lucien]

I should comment though that for ADV and Funi you do not need a demo. They cast soley based on auditions. However if you want to do voice acting in other big cities like NYC or L.A., you will need a demo, and a good one at that.

[Jiffy]

What kind of training would be nessasary? Id be willing to do it, Im just not sure what you mean by it. Like take acting classes or something?

[Lucien]

Acting classes are a good start. If you can find voice acting workshops in your area, that's even better. If you're completely lost on where to start, I'd recommend checking out voicestarz.com. You also want to practice reading out loud every day. Record yourself, listen back, critique yourself. Repeat. There's a lot more to it than that, but that's a good place for you to start.

[Yoda117]

I agree with Lucien on this one... VO classes should be a priority if you want to get into VO. That said, I'd probably start out with a stage acting class to learn about motivation, character development, and some of the different techniques and philosphies out there (Meisner, Stalanvinski, etc.).

From there get into VO and musical training. The former is obvious, but the latter will allow you to clean and expand your vocal range, not to mention improve your breathing pattern. An added benefit is that you will become more adept in seeing the "rhythm". A casting director from ADV mentioned this to me a few years back, and I couldn't agree more. There is a rhythm to most copy, and having a musical background helps to find it and give a better delivery.

Additional training I recommend would be in both improv (really helps the VO skills) and film acting.

Finally, as with Lucien's comment, read as much copy as you can, regardless of its nature. Additionally, record yourself when you can so that you can determine what regionalisms you have in your speech (and eliminate them when necessary), and to study your pronunciation (not matter how good your speech is, there are always some combinations of phonyms that give people trouble).

[fairuza]

I'm also trying to go professional as well!!!!

[aj]

I would love to go professional! AND SURPRISE SURPRISE! My parents want me to go pro too! They make me so happy.

What I'm planning to do since I'm starting college (Whooo! COLLEGE!) in the fall, is to take film, drama, and speech classes. :)

[fairuza]

I'm doing the same thing too! :D

[Matt Cowlrick]

Has anyone ever been involved with Voicetrax in San Francisco? It is a school that runs courses in voice acting from beginner to advanced/professional.

I live in Australia but I am hoping to go over to USA at some stage to get some serious training in Voice acting.

If anyone knows of the school, I would love to hear from you!

Cheers,

Matt

[soundcage]

I think it is safe to say that most of us want to go pro. The sad truth is that out of 100 of us, less than 40% will make it, and less than 2% will make it big, especially in a world where Hollywood celebrities are taking away our roles. Just keep on praticing, and to somewhat reflect on what Lucien mentioned earlier, unless you are willing to starve and live well into poverty, to show that your shear determination to make it in a world where sometimes up to six-hundred people are competing for the same role, then this may not be your thing. I'm not trying to turn you away or sound rude, but it is the truth and you should know everything you'll be facing in this line of work.

One thing I didn't really see brought to attention: Cold reads. This is far more important than a good headshot Why bother being pretty if you'll never be seen? A good digital photo outdoors will be fine, (and don't be afraid to stand out) Cold reads are essential to this craft. If I were to tell you that I need you to be a 23 year old boy who is dying of a bowel obstruction and throw you a script, you better be ready to be a 23 year old boy who is dying of a bowel obstruction, and make me believe it. Flubbing your lines because you can't read fast or accuratly will land you nothing, so make this a huge priority. many people can say something in a voice and sound good, but if they sound like they are reading a script, they're done for.

Also, while workshops are good for some, it is not required for all. Dispite what some say, a voiceover workshop really teaches you nothing more than marketing and is a good place to produce a demo at a reasonable price. I would take acting classes at a college or with an acting community if you need to better yourself. Learn humility, and try not to listen too much to others who claim to be in the business but aren't exactly anywhere near it. If someone has been a freelance VA for 15 years and has only a few Pokemon fandubs under their belt, that should probably tell you something.

[GintaLover4Life]

Going pro for VAing? Most likely, no. Sure, I love to voice act but it's not something I'd be looking forward to for the rest of my life. VAing is just something I do for parodies/fandubs that my friend is constantely coming up with, or just for fun. But, if I were ever offered a role, I'd take it up. But for now, VAing is just a hobby. But, that could always change near the future. ^^

Right now, my dream is to become a proffesional writer or game designer.

[tofu]

Righto..

I haven't always been on, but I have been listening to most of your projects and such [thanks to Blue and might I add that Lucien and Nikki, I adore your voices.]. I guess I have to agree with Soundcage, that Hollywood celebrities will take our chances away and that so many aspiring vas won't get a chance. So what can you do to go pro?

So some... advice from an idiot like me XD:

1. Audition over and over again. Don't give up! Keep trying. But I don't mean keep trying if they tell you you suck. If you suck, practice.. PRACTICE, at home, in the shower, whereever.

2. Accept criticism is also another way to learn. There are plenty of senpai-VAs here. I'm sure most of them will be willing to give you tips and guidance.

3. Have people go over your voice clips, and LISTEN to their comments, and like what Rikka said before, those who are commenting, be TRUTHFUL, be CONSTRUCTIVE. Don't feel bad for giving tips, but at the same time, don't overkill on the criticism.

4. Go take a course. I'm serious. I auditioned for Ocean Group and they didn't take me cause 1) My resume and references were crappy 2) I sucked (no better way to put it).

5. Go and do (like other VAs have suggested) voice acting for free. Get references. Work hard and practice!

6. Learn Japanese if you want to work in Japan. Learn OTHER languages, foreign languages so you can DUB for companies. It's a GOOD thing to keep your language courses! (except Latin, which is a dead language unless you plan to go into medicine?)

Well, there were so many ideas and suggestions that I don't feel the need to repeat them all, but I had some different ways...

I didn't do the voice acting classes, or go to a speech college etc etc... So I feel kinda bad for that cause I did get turned down. But I worked part time in Canada for a dubbing studio, dubbing anime, foreign soap operas, movies mainly in Chinese and some in English. I learned enough Japanese to get me through the hiragana and katakana vocab and was able to become a translator for a while.

Later, I was referred to auditions as Square came out with voice acting opportunities for FFX. I packed my bags and went to Japan for the auditions.. but after one call back, I was dismissed. Not even an extra! I think that was one of my lowest points in life. The good thing was, because of the frequent going in and out of the Square recording department, I got to know a couple of the technicians. And in turn, was allowed to help out in audio and visual department as a voluntary trainee. So, I got to know some of the VAs for FFX like Mayuko Aoki [Yuna] and Junichi Suwabe [Seymore AND played Yoshiyuki Kojima in Chobits! 8D he is SOOOO cool] who persuaded me to try out again for FFX-2. They were really encouraging.. And of course, I'll bet you all could figure out what happened next..

Yep, I got dismissed ONCE more.

But! Luckily, I was placed as understudy to Toyoguchi Megumi [Paine] and never did a single line, but was able to get experience from listening and practicing with the other VAs. So, I did understudying for Paine, then for Yumi Kakazu [Yuffie for KH], and also Ayumi Ito [FF7:AC's Tifa, who, might I add, is the NICEST person in the world.. she's so fun!]. I was an extra for FFX-2, as well as for FF7's screaming characters/little kid. Understudying is kinda different to voice acting. You get to learn the lines, but you don't become the voice. However, there are times when you can do the voice, like when the VA becomes sick (coughing, loss of voice, project due date approaching, etc) so I was able to do a couple of lines, but for what, I'll tell you later.

As much as I liked doing understudy for SE, I switched out of just doing voice acting for SE this year and began doing marketing and advertisements with the human resources department. Course, I've had people at my neck trying to get information from me, but hey, who wouldn't want access to the goods months before it hit the stores? So now I've become a sort of agent/marketing/va. I do pass along auditions and sometimes when there's an expectional project that I've seen on the VAA forums, I will pass it on to Japanese Animation Studios. Most of the time, the companies have so many to review that it's difficult to do call back within a couple of months. Many take a year. However there were 2 VAs here who have both been recognized by SE, but both have been too modest to admit it. It's actually quite a compliment to be recognized in Japan for an English fandub, or RP since Japanese VAs are usually hired over non-Japanese speaking VAs.

So all I can say is that sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. But never give up on yourself because "where there's a will, there's a way". Again, if someone says you need to work on your voice, this means, WORK with your voice. Take the good and the bad comments. This is REALITY. It's not easy cause it's real life.

Sorry for being harsh >< I know I'm evil. Please don't cry. *holds tissue*

TOFU

[Lucien]

Not harsh at all; just a simple truth, "and (as a certain FFX character tends to say) that, as they say, it that."

[TamTu]

However there were 2 VAs here who have both been recognized by SE, but both have been too modest to admit it.

*pokes Lucien*


Yo. >D

[seth1864]

For those of us going for as much training as we can, before we announce our lovely selves to the professional world:

Another school here in San Francisco is The Voice Factory, which covers pretty much EVERYTHING in the voiceover acting world.

http://www.thevoicefactory.com

classes can be a bit expensive, but it's taught incredibly well, the classes are incredibly fun, and for any aspiring voiceactor I can't recommend it enough.

[tofu]

However there were 2 VAs here who have both been recognized by SE, but both have been too modest to admit it.

*pokes Lucien*


Yo. >D

*pokes both Blue and Lucien*

Yo. XD

[soundcage]

I cannot validate them, but for those who live in the Northeastern area of the US, southern Connecticut has voice acting workshops from Edge Studios, which after viewing their website, they seem to be a pretty large and recognized group. This would be good for those in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. For those in CT, MA, and RI who are looking for a cheap way to get help and create a demo (full course is $1100, including 12 weeks training and a demo) then the so generic 'Voiceover Workshop' in Hartford is run by professional radio and TV VOs. I'm not promoting them, just trying to help out, since I'm from CT and I know that unless you can get to NYC quick, their really isn't anything around to help you unless you take summer acting at a community college. I can validate, however, the Connecticut Schools of Broadcasting. Many a national TV, Radio and Voiceover talent were spawned from there.

[Bryan D]

Well I would like to but when I asked Crispin Freeman a question about it, the response was that I live in the wrong area. So yeah, that was a bit of a bummer.


If it wasn't for that at the momrnt, I would be all over it.

[ILuvHeijiHattori]

Well, I wanna go pro as well. I already know alot of people who already work for FUNimation. My inspiration was actually Kevin M. Connlly (The voice of Kaine Furey of Fullmetal Alchemist) and hes the one giving me support. Well, Im still new to the VA world, so I havent done anything yet. Just came here to practice. ^.^;;