We have found 19,293 posts across 4 actor forums:
Blizzard's Casting Director Andrea Toyias has a zoom workshop coming up in March for VAs by queen_of_kong • last post Feb 12th
I took this workshop last year and I have been recommending this to every voice actor I know. It's game-changing. She's cast/voice directed Overwatch, Diablo, World of Warcraft. If you're free on March 18, definitely consider taking this workshop! I'm such a fan of her style of teaching and methods. She provides such great tools to rock auditions and book more work: [https://www.halpacademy.com/event-details-registration/voice-acting-battle-chest-with-andrea-toyias-2](https://www.halpacademy.com/event-details-registration/voice-acting-battle-chest-with-andrea-toyias-2)
Happy Birthday to the best voice actress you’ll ever meet, Tara Strong! by desorcyjackson447 • last post Feb 12th
Volunteer Voice Actors wanted; Adventure Time Reanimated Project by ATReanimatedProject • last post Feb 12th
How do you keep hope ? by Glass-Rub-9627 • last post Feb 11th
After few years of theater classes, after covid ended, and after few months of not getting any auditions then getting auditions but no callbacks, I started to work as an actress last year. Got some TV spots (with known directors), did a few shorts, and got a part in a movie! I was really happy and thought "oh now things are going to start moving a little more", like getting an agent, or more parts/auditions cause my resume was more substantial. This year I had more auditions, for bigger parts, and callbacks but I'm not getting the parts.... This month, 4 big projects I had auditioned for that called me to tell me they didn't select me for the role. I know 3 of them I did a good audition ( I had callbacks, the casting directors where laughing and even called me to say that they really liked my audition etc). **How do you not loose hope ? How do you keep going ?** ​ I'm applying to filmmaking schools rn to diverse my skills in other areas of the film industry, in hope it will get me more "independent", but I know I really want to be an actress.
Anyone in the EU? by Majestic_Freedom_508 • last post Feb 11th
I am an ex actress, currently based in EU. I want to act again but I am having big trouble understanding how the industry works in here and in need of any advice. I have my own equipment but don't how to go on.
research on hiring actors by ninja_aim6 • last post Feb 11th
hello, I work in VFX industry and I am doing some research for the short movie I am planning. UK, London based. I would like to POTENTIALLY find/hire some actors for mocap shoots. Most likely a day of work or 2. It would be a NO budget production. so any kind of costs would be most likely on me. unless maybe I would get some financing but didnt get to do that research yet. its still early stage and I looking at what is more plausible to do. This would be acting, Dialog, monologue. NOT stunts or wire work. Think Andy Serkis's Facial capture work for LOTR etc. Project genre: think Tarantino+Stahelski. **so my question would be how would I find someone? how much would it cost?** **Most likely I would be looking for someone older, no teenagers. Someone with a good deep voice. Someone who could act the style. Someone who could tell a story and you would listen to it. how hard would it be to find someone like this and how much would I have to pay?** just a reminder, this a research. If this is unrealistic I could just hire a voice actor and the rest would be animation.
How do I create a voice demo reel if I have no experience? by Responsible_Outcome1 • last post Feb 11th
For context, there's this game I really enjoy. However, it still needs voice actors for certain characters and they are currently accepting volunteers and/or applications. I wish to voice act one of the characters of the game, but they require a voice demo reel. From what I understand, a voice demo reel is like an auditory resume showing what previous projects you have worked on. As someone who has recently turned into a legal adult, I do not have ANY past experience voice acting other projects (except for fandubs that I did during my free time but I'm pretty sure those don't qualify). So how exactly do I create a demo reel for voice acting if I have no previous experience? I know the obvious would be, "Well, get some experience!" But most other projects also require voice demo reels, something I do not have. Am I overthinking this? Is there something I'm not understanding? I'd really appreciate any advice or help being commented below this post, as I am an absolute novice in this type of thing. Thank you for your time.
An open letter to VO directors: Most annoying things directors do in VO sessions by queen_of_kong • last post Feb 11th
please pass this along to the voice acting directors in your life. i WISH every person running a voiceover session would read this. i have done hundreds of VO sessions at this point, and I've compiled a list of the most annoying traits of these sessions (DIRECTORS TAKE HEED! And VAs: if you encounter a director that does any of these things, THEY SUCK. Not you. You are amazing) VO DIRECTORS "DO NOT DO" LIST: * do not have TYPOS in your script. **please proofread the script.** don't waste everyone's time with a script that wasn't proofread. also do not ever leave shorthand in a script. you need to spell it out how you want it read (example: recently I received a script that had "FY23" written throughout, with the instructions to read that as "Fiscal Year 2023" - WTF? Just write out Fiscal Year 2023! Do not make me memorize acronyms during a session! Do not make a voice actors' job harder. * this is directing 101, but **do not give the actor line reads** unless for some reason, you absolutely have to. if you have to, *acknowledge that you know it's a shitty thing to do,* but the client needs their tagline said in a specific way, etc. *Bad directors/inexperienced directors give line reads because they do not know how to direct* (pleeeeease take a directing class if your job involves directing talent!). I once had a very inexperienced director think that the best thing to do in a session was have me PARROT THEM, line for line, through a 60 second spot. They read the line how they wanted it read, and I copied them. It was humiliating and totally unnecessary. Also, the director's reads were terrible, so my job was not perform like the audition they hired me from, my job became placating this director and making them think they are a genius. * similarly, **make sure you, the director, know how to pronounce every single word on that script.** I can't tell you how many times the director couldn't decide which way "data" should be pronounced, or there's an obscure Danish word that no one looked up before the session. Then we're doing 10 different takes to "cover all the options" or waiting 30 minutes for a coworker to slack them back with an answer. Figure it out BEFORE the session. * **do not pressure the voice actor to have their camera on during a Zoom session.** \#1. Video lowers the bandwidth and you'll be more likely to hear digital glitches (not on the recording, but on the Zoom call). #2. Video might make the voice actor more self-conscious, which is exactly what you want to avoid with actors!! Honestly, visuals are more distracting than helpful when it comes to voiceover. Let the actor perform in the way that makes them most comfortable * it bears repeating: **MAKE SURE THE VOICE ACTOR IS COMFORTABLE. do not add to their insecurity in any way. constantly build up their confidence.** constantly tell them they are doing a good job. NEVER let the thought creep in that they might have been hired by mistake. if you get in the actor's head, the performance will SUFFER. A director once started a session with me by telling me everything they DIDN'T like about my audition. I honestly felt at that point they had hired me by mistake and said "was there anything you liked about my audition?" I was so insecure throughout the session that I made mistakes on every other line. When I'm confident, I never slip up. When I'm insecure and nervous, I cant speak for shit. Actors are being incredibly vulnerable by performing for you. That deserves immense respect and praise. Constantly. ***(side note: director, please consider taking a directing workshop or class. seriously. put it on the company card).*** * do NOT surprise the voiceover artist with extra scripts in the session! **always always always make all the terms/scripts/pay rate clear before the session starts.** do not surprise the actor with additional scripts without proper compensation. * **please say SOMETHING positive after each and every take. ANYTHING.** Good thing to say: "I'm really liking where this is going" (actor confidence meter BOOST!). Do NOT come in after the actor finishes the take with simply "Ok... let's just try that again" or "That take was way too fast, you're probably nervous, adrenaline going. Let's slow it down." (actor confidence meter DROP). A bad director only points out mistakes or things they didn't like about the take. This will demolish an actors confidence. And guess what? A confident actor is a great actor. *praise the great things about the take and gently lead them in a new direction to get what you need.* If something is mispronunced, of course mention it. but say something nice first. seriously, it goes a long way. * if the actor stumbles during the take and corrects themselves and gets a clean record in the end, for god's sake do not mention it, **do not draw extra attention to mistakes. you're going to get in their head!**!. the actor already knows they fumbled. and worse, don't speak for me and say why you think I stumbled ("Oh you're probably nervous and still getting warmed up with the script and there were some stumbles in there. Let's do a clean take" - WTF?!). Don't play psychologist. Don't even mention the stumble. Do you want the stumble to happen again and again and again? Then get out of the actors head and don't draw attention to it! Again, your role is to up the actors confidence, not make them more insecure. * do not spend more that 10-15 minutes "figuring out the sound." **director, you need to be decisive and know what you want. your ambiguity is going to leech into the actor's brain.** and please god do not make me do multiple takes of the entire script in 3 different styles because you can't decide what you want. I know you have to deal with a demanding client, but seriously you need to LEAD them. be confident in your stylistic choices. be a DIRECTOR. LEAD your clients to victory with your creative vision. * similarly, for god's sake, **do NOT overexplain everything**. Pay attention to how much of the time YOU (the director) are talking. I cannot tell you how many sessions I've had where the director (sorry boys, it's usually a cis white male director) that spends 90% of the session talking, explaining, metaphors, giving background, over-analyzing ever single line of the script. it's condescending, aggravating, and often, I'm more confused and overwhelmed than if they just boiled down their point to a few sentences. **direction should be concise, clear, and gentle.** * if you have notes, and we are about to go through a script and focus on certain spots *one-at-a-time*, then please only explain *one note at a time.* if you're going to A B C (do three takes) of certain sentences or sections, tackle those one-at-a-time. it's really hard for a voice actor to remember a laundry list. some actors are amazing at taking notes on a full page of copy and implementing that right away, but that is a superhuman power if you ask me. * **do not demand full, perfect, clean takes of paragraphs-long copy.** I recently worked on a 30 second spot and the director insisted on full takes with no mistakes, no extra space for breaths. I thought I was going to faint by the end of the session. This session could have been done in 15 minutes if the director knew how editing works and pieced together the take with selects. the end result would have sounded perfect. instead, they got a full take but it was tired-sounding and less conversational, because the actor (me) was more worried about messing up than delivering a genuine performance. again, don't get in the actor's head! don't tired out the actor! * if your voice actor is ALSO engineering the session, you need to be compensating that person more. You've cut out a professional engineer, which is a huge cost savings for production and also a huge weight on the actor, who not only has to perform but slate/label takes. do not make the voice actor take notes. and please PLEASE spend the money to hire an engineer. You will get a better performance in the end. * if you have clients that want to be in the session, please have ONE person (the director) gathering all the feedback, and please please **please have one person (the director) interfacing with the voice actor.** it gets so stressful and confusing when I'm hearing different comments from different people and people are going to say shit that hurts ("it's not sounding like the audition...I liked the audition better" "this is sounding too mature, we need a younger sound" "it sounds like the script is being read, it's sounding fake"............ ugh. please spare the voice actor. our hearts and brains can't handle hearing all these errant comments. I have also heard directors arguing with clients during a session, which put stress levels for everyone on HIGH. * don't make the actor come into the studio if they have a professional home setup. totally unnecessary and waste of everyone's time. don't have your actor sit 3 hrs in LA traffic so that you (as the director) can be in YOUR comfort zone. Let the actor perform where THEY are comfrotable. * do not say at the end of a session: "can I come back to you if there are any small pickups and you can hop on the line with me again?" WITHOUT compensating them with a new session fee. No!!! Everything is supposed to be taken care of in THAT session. That's why it's supervised and that's why there's a session fee. If you (the director) find out later that you didn't get everything you needed, **you pay the actor a pickup session fee if you need another session.** Don't punish the actor because the end client revised a sentence and now you need a new read. You compensate that actor for their time and professionalism. Directors, I leave you with this: take a gaddamn directing class. We VAs are CONSTANTLY taking acting classes. The least you could do is take one freeking directors workshop and learn how to properly work with voice actors. fin.
Fellow Actors, newest showreel feedback please! by Pretend_Comedian_ • last post Feb 11th
What do y'all think? by love_acting99 • last post Feb 11th
So I've done both screen and stage acting (stage at my high school and locally, screen in a short film I made with my friends) and honestly I love both for different reasons. I've also been an extra on indie film and it was fun, but I did wish I wasn't just an extra. I was so excited at the prospect of acting with the main cast which is not surprising. In screen I love how I can focus more on individual scenes and moments, and I can act naturally with my scene partners, and everything just kinda seems more real since the sets are either real locations or like four walls in a studio. Plus you get a "safety net" of more takes. It's not something to rely on, but at least it's there. What I like about stage is the connection with the audience and the possible improv opportunities. But at the same time, I feel like even though I want to do all mediums throughout my career, I am hoping most of my gigs can be for TV, mainly because I also want to do some screenwriting and I like how TV is kind of like a partnership between the actors and the writers, especially if you have a big role in the TV series, because the writers did pick you because they trust you to make choices that will bring their vision of the character to life (I know this because I've written a few pilots currently and I feel the same way when trying think about putting a cast together) Also, TV is cool how there are so many more diverse stories and genres. Also, the characters are more diverse, age-wise, ethnic-wise, etc and I think it's because there are so many opportunities for roles in TV because it's the only medium where the story is indefinitely growing. Also, I think the best part about TV is the pacing; film is kind of too slow, theatre is kind of too fast, but TV gets to do several pages/scenes per day (anywhere between 5-8 per day, of course depending on the show and the day) so we get to do a good amount of acting in a day but we also can take our times with the material and not have to get everything in one shot.
I need some help picking out what character/role to audition for by Positive_Vibez0 • last post Feb 11th
I’m a college student in the USA and only got into acting/theater last semester when I signed up for my very first acting class. This semester, I have been fortunate enough to land two roles in two separate student-run theater productions. One of them only has a couple lines and the other is a supporting role in a major production. Since my college has a very good acting program and I’m still very new, I’m very grateful and lucky to have gotten these two roles. However, I was recently told the film production organization at my school was also looking for actors for their semester-long film productions. I went to the table reads and absolutely loved the scripts and the enthusiasm. Plus, since I’m more interested in on-camera acting, I really want to participate in the film productions. But I’m not sure what role to shoot for. One of the films’ has two leads, one is a detective and the other is a gangster. These are similar to both of my roles in the theater productions so it should be easier for me to pickup, especially since I’d be balancing all three productions at once. But I’m worried about playing too many of sinilar roles and being type-casted in the future. The other film resonated a lot with me and is personally something I want to work on more. The lead is an addict and the supporting role is his brother. I don’t think I’ll be able to juggle the lead role with the other two theater productions as this one is very different and will be a lot to manage. But the supporting role is very manageable and is still different to the other two roles I have. Plus, I think I can bring something unique to the table with this character. And perhaps, since my other two roles aren’t leads, maybe I should shoot for it anyway. I’m not sure which of the two I should audition for. Despite being lead roles, the first one might be easier to manage but might have me be type-casted into criminal/cop roles going forward. The other will allow me to explore a different side of myself and might be doable because its only a supporting role. Any thoughts on this? P.s. The first theater production is in early March, the second is in late march, and the film production spans the entire semester.
Asking About Audition Language? by 4ctingthrow • last post Feb 11th
Hey! I'm a Canadian actor in Ontario and I've got a callback for a French show. While my French is alright, about intermediate level (B1/B2), it's been a couple years and I'm a bit nervous about the callback. It'll be in-person (while the original audition was a self-tape), and I'm afraid that my nerves will impede my comprehension abilities. Is it worth asking them what language the auditions will be conducted in? I can totally still do it in French, but I think removing the unknown might help me calm down a bit.
Any LA actors signed with ELEMENT TALENT AGENCY? by Ok_Bicycle_7816 • last post Feb 11th
Super strange situation. Was wondering if there’s anyone out there that have worked with Element Talent Agency. They completely ghosted me. Gone without a trace and I’m so confused. I was browsing through Backstage about a month ago when I saw a post for actors looking for a commercial agent. I’ve been on the market for representation since my agent closed her agency last year so I reached out. I had a zoom interview with someone name Noel Palm. I hate to put his name it there but you can google the agency and see that he’s the owner. He said he’d be interested in working with me and sent over a welcome letter and contract to sign. I was a bit skeptical because they ask for 20% commission of any work that I self submit for. In the past, the majority of the work I got was from self submission. I wanted to be sure that the agency could actually get me work before committing to giving them any percentage of my earnings. At the same time, work has been really slow and the agency has good reviews so I took a leap of faith and signed the contract. I sent the contract back with an email thanking him for the opportunity and saying how I was looking forward to working with him. He also went in and added himself as my agent on my acting profiles. Well…I never actually received a response to my email. Fast forward to a few weeks later and a casting director reaches out to me for a filming opportunity. The email looked sketchy so I forward it to my “agent”. No response. I sent several follow up messages over the span of a few days. I also called the office several times and left messages. Nothing. It’s been one month since signing the contract and the agency has been radio silent. Last week I sent an email explaining my disappointment in the lack of communication and asked if I could get a confirmation that my emails were being received. No response lol Obvs this is a lost cause atp. Was wondering if anyone else has heard or worked with them?
Do actors ever go into auditions with zero information? by AJDon82 • last post Feb 11th
I'm a British actor, working in Beijing and the wider Chinese mainland acting industry. I've never worked as a professional actor in the UK, so sometimes I encounter situations here and I wonder to myself "Would this happen back home?" One such situation is a very familiar one to many actors here on the mainland, the idea of a 'blind audition'. It means an agent (or more appropriately, a booker) will contact an actor and say: "We have a casting opportunity for you. We can't tell you the production name, what the project is about, what the roles are, who the director is, where or when filming will be, but it's a great opportunity for you, so be here at 4pm to audition!" Now to me, this just doesn't seem to be a very professional way to audition. If I don't know the genre, I don't know if I'll be interested or not. If I don't know the filming dates, I don't know if I'll be available. If I don't know the director, I can't look at previous work they have done and get an idea about their style and preferences. All together, it just makes me feel very unprepared, and that makes me feel unprofessional. So my question is, do auditions like this happen in the UK or US? I can understand productions not wanting to publicly share all information, but expecting actors to turn up to auditions with zero prep seems.... difficult? What's everyone else's opinions on this? Is it something completely normal that I should prepare for before returning to the UK, or is it something that only happens in China? Really interested to hear other people's insights!
Your weekly /r/VoiceActing roundup for the week of February 03 - February 09 by subredditsummarybot • last post Feb 10th
**Friday, February 03 - Thursday, February 09** ###News | score | comments | title & link | |--|--|--| | 61 | [1 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10ur6e9/youtube_posts_with_no_context_or_asks/) | `[Mod News]` YOUTUBE POSTS WITH NO CONTEXT OR ASKS...| ###Top 10 Posts | score | comments | title & link | |--|--|--| | 118 | [53 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10v59dg/ai_doesnt_breathe/) | `[Discussion]` AI doesn't breathe| | 77 | [16 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10toor1/practice_practice_practice/) | `[Discussion]` [Practice practice practice.](https://v.redd.it/psrzckejj9ga1)| | 66 | [37 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10w82c5/does_doing_a_30_second_radio_commercial_count_as/) | `[Advice]` Does doing a 30 second radio commercial count as professional work?| | 61 | [36 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10y2kvl/why_are_genshin_impact_voice_acting_roles/) | `[Discussion]` Why are Genshin Impact voice acting roles non-union? They make so much money!| | 41 | [21 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10srhbu/im_looking_to_get_rid_of_a_great_sound_booth_that/) | `[Booth Related]` I'm looking to get rid of a great sound booth that was gifted to me. How can I sell this?| | 40 | [111 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10xcvov/voice_acting_advice/) | `[Advice]` Voice Acting Advice| | 21 | [3 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10tt418/findaway_voices_distributing_for_ai_training/) | `[News]` [Findaway Voices Distributing For AI Training Without Consent](https://twitter.com/KitWatson/status/1621855852150800387?t=Nsd5FqpIfMPE1r3G4qXi6Q&s=19)| | 19 | [5 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10ttftp/voice_acting_officially_for_the_first_time/) | `[Getting Started]` voice acting officially for the first time!| | 18 | [28 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10tnh85/how_would_you_pronounce_incomparable/) | `[Advice]` How would you pronounce incomparable?| | 14 | [4 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10ufjvp/tiger_mesahas_anyone_worked_with_this_talent/) | `[Advice]` Tiger Mesa...has anyone worked with this talent agency?| ###Top 5 Most Commented | score | comments | title & link | |--|--|--| | 1 | [34 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10vyzol/buzzing_from_mic_help/) | `[Microphones]` Buzzing from mic. Help?| | 1 | [26 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10tm4cm/1000_page_audiobook_how_long_would_it_take_you/) | `[Discussion]` 1000 page audiobook, how long would it take you?| | 3 | [21 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10xmyzn/beginner_level_va_facing_a_ton_of_anxiety_when/) | `[Advice]` Beginner level VA. Facing a ton of anxiety when trying to get behind the mic. Advice?| | 6 | [21 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10x4a83/advice_for_beginner/) | `[Getting Started]` advice for beginner?| | 1 | [20 comments](/r/VoiceActing/comments/10uv4m6/how_long_do_voice_actors_have_left/) | `[Discussion]` [How long do Voice Actors have left?](https://twitter.com/elevenlabsio/status/1619698578339004416)|
Cover letters are unnecessary (rant) by throwawayyyycount • last post Feb 10th
I’m convinced that when your submitting to agents/managers they don’t even read our cover letters. I’m submitting to reps right now and they respond back with the most stupidest questions like “are you based in La” or “send your actor access”……… when my first sentence of my cover letter is literally my name and where I’m based. And my links are in the email…I know reps are busy especially this time of year, but atleast still do your job and actually read through the submission. Maybe it’s only the low managers/agents with this type of behavior but dam. Rant over.
Read this if you need a website by dudancabral • last post Feb 10th
I am doing a coding bootcamp and I need to finish a project by next Friday. I would love to make a website for an actor or actress for free. If you are interested and you have professional material (headshots and a demo reel) please let me know as soon as possible so we can start planning a website for you. It would be completely free since I just need to pass the project and I am doing it to improve my coding abilities. Since I have little time please reach out to me asap if you are interested. I would do something similar to the website that I’ll post in the comments but you can choose the colors and the pictures of course. I really want to make this project work but I don’t have headshots and demo reel yet so I can’t make one for myself
Booked my first sag co star role but is that good? by Sad__jpeg • last post Feb 10th
Okay so was obviously incredibly excited but some of the other actors were complaining that they never get out of these one line roles and never see growth and got me kinda down. I’m starting to wonder if co star maybe isn’t the best thing to be booking… Any advice or direction would be great!
Anyone have experience working with AAG Management in NYC? by flowerfem595 • last post Feb 10th
Hi y’all, I got signed to my first manager this past fall. I was really excited and they verbatim told me “there’s a lot of co-star work out right now and you have a great look for television.” I was really excited to get the ball rolling, but since then, I’ve only received a handful of commercial auditions from this person. They said in January that we’ll have a chat regarding the new year…haven’t heard a thing. I’m worrying now I may have jumped the gun, or need to not really on a manager to get me in the room and start pounding the pavements again for an agent. Also looking for any other NYC actors’ experiences with this group?
Agent Only submitting me on ActorsAccess? help! by Penny_1971 • last post Feb 10th
Hi! I just got an agent recently and I’m new to the game of it all- I think they are only submitting me through what I already can see with ActorsAccess. Do agents get the breakdown on BreakdownExpress first and then submit their talent there and then the actor receives the cmail through ActorsAccess? Or if my agent is only submitting me on ActorsAccess for breakdowns I am seeing as well, they are not on BreakdownExpress? How do I know if my agent is on BreakdownExpress? I’ve looked online for help but I haven’t seen much for what I’m looking for + I’d like to ask my agent about it but I thought I could seek insight here first before opening that can of worms! Thanks!