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Why don’t video game actors typically play their character in a show or movie adaption ? by Lutherallison • last post Jan 25th
I’m sorry I didn’t know how to word this question. But to the point I was having a discussion with my friend about the last of us live action adaption coming to HBO MAX and he brought up that they should have used the actors from the game to make it more authentic . The best rebuttal I could give him is it’s just not the same type of acting . What is more in depth answer ?
Jaythava's Guide to Online Voice Acting by cabin1211 • last post Jan 25th
Okay, here is the big one guys. there is a TON of hate revolving around different voice acting websites from F2P to P2P each website has its ups and downs... but there is a little too much pride and lack of understand of the "rules" of the individual platform, which leads to conflicting reviews. This post is for all those who are looking into online VA workplaces but don't know where to go or how to work them. Let's get started. **Voice Bunny**: This one gets a TON of hate. I mean, I can see why. They want high quality work, cheap rates (kind of, you **CAN** set whatever rate you want) and fast work. They are forcing that magical triangle that we've been told you can't have all of (cheap, fast and good). Here's how you play by the rules to get the most of their system. 1. **Keep your project tab open with notifications on while you're working at the computer** and if you're available, when you hear a ding try and get the speedy... if you don't ah well get back to working on whatever else you were doing, if you do land the gig make some cash and move on. 2. If you have a client that contacts you at a strange hour, you miss a gig deadline, you respond late to a gig or anything that would affect your ratings score **simply shoot them an email at their support email.** 9 times out of 10 they will wipe the mistake from your score and your stats won't be affected. 3. you don't make a lot of money from "speedies" (this is their most popular 30 min turnaround service), it ranges from $10 - $20 per speedy. I treat them much like fast food, it is cheap and fast. These reads are typically less than 27 seconds and take about 10 - 12 minuets to do from start to finish. From speedies alone I average $800 - $1000 per month. **NO, IT'S NOT ALOT PER GIG**, but they add up quickly. 4. **Update your samples**... often. I suggest making 2 - 3 samples a day to upload. I would FLOOD this website as it gets you higher rankings and exposure to more clients. They have no limit to samples so put as many as you possibly can. **Fiverr:** There is some confusion around the way that Fiverr works and how difficult it is to get clients. You **can** make a Full time living from this website, but it does take some finessing. here are some things you can do. 1. **Fill out your profile**. IN. IT'S. ENTIERTY. Fiverr works as an open marketplace where it ranks your profiles much like Google. Every so often they shuffle things up to keep it fair, but if your profile it completely full it will give potential clients more info to look at as well as position you in a higher rank. 2. **Niche down.** Marketing yourself as a voice actor places you against 10,000's of different talented voice actors, marketing yourself as an "anime protagonist voice actor" Places you against 100's of different voice artists. Ps. I can't tell you how much commercial work I've gotten from my anime hero profile, so I don't really worry about missing out on work. 3. **keep Fiverr open** in a tab and every so often go back to it. When you have Fiverr open you show up as "online" on the platform which can help you land gigs if a client is in a rush and wants to connect with someone now. 4. **Study your analytics**. In your gigs you'll be able to see analytics on how each gig is performing. With this info you'll be able to tweak your gigs and get them pushed into a higher ranking. Again, fill out everything they ask for in the gigs. I filled out everything but the PDF documents section they asked for (they want your resume or credits), once I filled that section in that gig's views doubled consistently. 5. **You set your budget**. Sometimes you'll have a client reach out via message to discuss a project. this is fine, but always direct them to your gig page to place the order unless you discuss providing them with a special offer. If I feel like saving them the hassle I will make an offer, but it will be the same price as the gig, there's no DM discount. 6. **You can say no**. This is your profile and your business. If you have someone who is lowballing you just say no thank you and move on. **Voquent:** I love the way Voquent works! They pay great rates, they have great communication, and have a lot of respect for your time. The downside is that you really can't find clients on the site or audition for gigs. They're not a job board, they function much like an agency. A client comes and tells them (Voquent) what they need, and they connect the client with a voice actor in their roster. So how do you get contacted? Samples. 1. They are very upfront with what they want as far as samples and how many you need. Put in **AS MANY AS YOU CAN**. At the top of your profile page as you add more samples it'll tell you how great your visibility on their platform is becoming, the more you add the more you'll be seen. 2. **Fill out your profile, professionally**. They want (as every website does) high quality sound and they charge based on that premise. You can even include images of your studio, what gear you use, what DAW you use, your computer, etc. Give them this info. If a client is going to pay $500 for a 30 second ad spot (which yes, is priced accurately depending on broadcast needs and length of use), you better believe they client will want to have some visual assurance. 3. **Variety is key**. Since they limit the number of samples you can provide and you can't actively look for jobs, you'll need to provide vocal variety and tag your samples to appeal to different needs. This will open you up to a wider client base and get you in front of more people. **VOPlanet:** This service is paid. it costs, I believe $199 (it's been a while since I paid my fee). As a job posting site it is not as plentiful, maybe you'll get 4 auditions a week. But this website makes clients pay industry rates and the best bit, no one can underbid their rate and there is no cut taken from the job. It is truly a site for professionals. 1. Being professional is the name of the game here folks. Since these are just open auditions, you'll need to bring your A-Game to each audition (as you always should but we all know that some other websites are more LAX with their needs as they charge more LAX Prices). 2. Make sure you **write a note for each audition**. This becomes tedious... trust me I know. But I do a short Slate and write a note to the client. This personalizes your audition and is something that can separate you from the pack of other auditioners. I've always said it, I would rather work with someone who is 90% of the way there and kind/professional vs. someone who is 100% of what I need but is terrible. 3. **Audition early**. You don't know how many people are on the site, but casting directors get tired of listening to dozens of auditions and it is probable that they won't listen to them all. If you are the 50th auditionee you have a smaller chance of being heard than if you are the 1st - 10th, so turn on your notifications and audition when you get the chance. **Upwork:** Truth be told... I'm not the biggest fan of Upwork but I have found jobs through them before. It's not really a P2P site since there is a free profile but... if you want to consistently land more gigs you'll need to purchase credits in order to submit bids for more gigs and you'll need to sign up to their paid monthly tier to get access to valuable analytics on your competitors bidding range. 1. You know what I'm gonna say? Fill out your profile. Upwork has something called the "Rising Talent" With this you get a whole host of perks that will make finding and getting work MUCH EASIER. In order to be asked to join the program you'll need to exhibit talent and potential. You do this by cramming your profile with all of your achievements and samples, so fill it out. 2. **Audition early**. On a typical audition you'll have around 25 - 50 auditionees and a project director who is not used to the volume of low quality (unfortunately in many cases since it's not made specifically for VO work) and low-price gigs. After a while they will latch on to whatever high-quality candidate they believe can do the gig well enough (trust me, I've seen it time and time again). Much of the time if there are more than 15 bids on a gig I will just skip it, there's more work to be done on the site. 3. **Educate your clients** and in your note (which you should personalize and write to all of them) tell them what they're getting. This is a platform where you have to SELL YOURSELF. What can you do for the client? What is the client going to get? Why should they go with you vs. Joe Shmoe? These are all very important questions that you need to answer. 4. **Stick to your price**. I know that there are a ton of low budget gigs and people undercutting each other but much of the time on this site clients are ether a. Looking for cheaper foreign talent at which point the gig is not for me or b. new and don't understand what the rates are. If you go in with $50, they'll say okay if you go in with $300, they'll say "why?" If you properly explain your service and what you'll provide they'll say "Okay". Stick to your rate and educate (ha that's witty, maybe I'll print shirts) **Casting Call Club:** This website is great for video game, anime and animation work (my kinda work), But it is usually low budget or free work. Use this as a platform for community building, demo building, education with the introduction of the Closing School (though it looks great I haven't pulled the trigger so I can't tell you if it is good) and building an audience within the niche if you land a popular project. 1. You already know about fully completing your profile but more importantly for this site is completely reading the audition brief and doing good character work. Since this site caters to my crowd (anime and video games) the work is heavily character based, if you want to get work you'll need to study your character to really bring it to life. Also, read the brief you're given. Alot of the work asks for a certain style or accent or impression so if you gloss over it you've just botched the audition. 2. **Record with good technique**. Alot of the talent on the site is just getting into voice work, which is fine, but it shows in their mic technique. Plosives, mouth clicks, peaking and reverb is a common problem, record with proper technique and you will immediately stand out. 3. **Interact with the community**. The more you interact, the more the community knows you, the more you'll be known when it comes to auditions, the more people will want to work with you, the faster people will listen your auditions. **Backstage:** Ah the actors website. Backstage is rich with casting calls of all kinds, but it does require some finessing to work properly, and it does cost you $159 to sign-up for a year. 1. **Photos of yourself** are pretty much needed. Yes, this seems silly for a VO profile but when I added photos, I had people reaching out to me more often for both VO work and on camera work alike. 2. **Add as many samples as you can.** When someone finds your profile, they'll want something to listen to. Provide them with a TON of different examples so that they can get the full idea of your voice and what you can do. 3. I find that I have more luck if I approach this site with the mind fame "I'm a camera actor with a lot of voice over ability" vs. "I'm a Voice Actor who can also work on camera". This is a subtle difference but when you approach it from this frame of mind you'll lead with a different introduction that I feel lends itself more to the culture of the site. (This one is quite vague but I don't know how to fully explain. I hope that you get what I mean) **ACX:** Ahh the gig ol' audiobook site. First and foremost, don't go into this niche lightly. Yes, it can be good money, but you need stamina, technical expertise, a proper environment, planning and sight-reading skills. The pay is also by FINISHED HOUR. If you work for $200 and the final product is 1 hr. but it took you 40 hours to do it that's $5 per hour... so not great. 1. **Use audiobook examples on your profile**. Authors are looking to hear that you've read similar titles, not that you've done a car commercial. You'll need to include samples from books, even if you just make up a 1-page script to read, that'll be better than including 500 examples of used car salesman copy. 2. **Read the synopsis of the author's book**. Who is this book catering to, look into the target markets age, ethnicity, demographic, anything that you can. This will help you in turn to figure out the best way to read for the audition. 3. **Leave the author a note** that talks about you rate PFR how long it'll take, your communication schedule, etc. Authors would like to know that you care about their book, let them know this isn't just a one-off job, it's something that you would really love to work on. **Voices / Voices 123:** I do have a free profile on both of these sites, but I do not have a ton of info on them as I am not too active on these as of yet. Just fill out your profile in its entirety folks. I get some work sent to me from both of these sites simply because my profile is complete. ​ That all she wrote folks! There is plenty of info out there on the ups and downs of each site, this post is for all of those who want to jump in and make the most of each site. Hopefully this list has helped you clarify how to approach each site. Each one has different needs and is looking for different levels of commitment, if you simply know what the site is looking for you will be able to achieve a level of success. Keep in mind the one factor that you cannot force, time. Each site needs to see that you are committed, that you are doing gigs in a timely manner, that you are getting good reviews. This all takes time, you will not be able to create a profile and on day two start snagging dozens of jobs, it just won't happen as each of these sites are saturated with other talent. In any case I hope that this has helped! All the best, Jaythava
Audrey Helps Actors by MathematicianLeft07 • last post Jan 25th
Which podcast of Audrey should I watch, I mean there are like hundreds of episodes and I haven't watched any can you reccomend me any podcast ai should start with? Thanks in advance.
Could voice actors be good actors on-screen? by lil_kid_lovr • last post Jan 25th
I know nothing about acting: on-screen or voice acting. Watching behind the scenes of voice actors doing "dubbing", was amazed how much effort and expression they put. So this thought occured to me, "if a voice actors is basically acting behind the scenes while dubbing, could they be good on screen/stage also?". There might be lots of other skills or factors involved, wondering if the transition from voice actor to onscreen could be easier?
License for actors (u16) by MikeTheKnight06 • last post Jan 25th
I'm in the UK so I'm not sure if the law is a bit different elsewhere, but basically our law states that if you're under 16, you need a license in order to work somewhere, so obviously that includes being a child actor on a professional set. A lot of people have told me that this means that 14-15 is the awkward acting age where usually casting directors would prefer over 16s to play roles for a 14-15 year old since there's a lot less hassle and paperwork needed for someone over 16. I'm a 15 year old actor who recently joined an agency (about 6 months ago) and in those 6 months I've received a total of 3 auditions from them. Obviously since I'm quite new to the industry (been professionally acting for around a year now), I'm not quite sure about this age thing, so just wanted to know other people's personal experience in this matter, or any pearls of wisdom surrounding this topic?
What are some things you wish you knew about VA work before you started? by TouringLuck • last post Jan 25th
Newcomer here! Just got my first commercial demo on tape and will be working towards getting my animation one done next. Curious of some of the pitfalls or hard earned lessons from any vets in the industry. For context - I'm a professional film/theatre actor with over a decade of experience, but am extremely green when it comes to VA work. Looking for some advice to help em dodge some of the early trip-ups. <3
Tips for foreigner actors who want to pursue a career in the USA by Maleficent_Spray_514 • last post Jan 25th
So, I’m 25, I’m Brazilian and I’m currently living in San Diego county under the J1 visa but in the process to get a greencard. In Brazil, I got a bachelors in Industrial Engineering and Marketing, and my thesis was about project management in the Entertainment Business. I have always taking acting classes as a hobby but I finally got the courage to pursue it as a career. The thing is. I still have about a year or a year and half under the J1 visa before getting my work permit and later on my greencard. So right now I’m not allowed to work as an actress, but I wanna use this time to learn as much as I can, do some networking, and understand how the business work here in the USA. I don’t have any professional experience tho, I just did a couple of amateur plays a long time ago, a web series that haven’t come out yet and a commercial in Brazil. I’m fluent in English, but I do have a little bit of an accent and I haven’t take any acting classes here yet, but I wanna start as soon as possible. I know it’s harder to break into the industry as a foreigner, specially for someone with almost no experience like myself, so what would be your advice for me? Do you know any good acting school in San Diego? Should I do auditions for unpaid jobs to build up my resume or would it make me look bad for only having the J1 visa?
Actors Group by Intelligent-Tax4624 • last post Jan 25th
Would you be interested in studying acting as a small group together? anyone willing to commit 40-50 hours and share resources as we keep each other accountable? Message me!
How do you feel about Covid and indie / low-budget short films? by KickItRetro • last post Jan 25th
There are a lot of productions that don't require any vaccination or covid tests at all. Especially lower-budget ones. To be honest, I've mostly been paranoid and shy'ed away from the ones that dont require any covid testing. Then at times, for the right project I went in blindly, knowing there wasn't any testing. With omnicrom on the rise, I dont know how to feel. Maybe 80% dont do it, and a 20% for the right role. It's messed up but its how I feel. I take the disease and pandemic seriously, but the odd nomadic actor mindset of trying to get roles can sometimes get the best of me.
How/when do you loop in your agent on a role you booked yourself? by thrower830 • last post Jan 25th
I've just recently started submitted myself to roles on actor's access along with the ones my agent already submits me for. If I were to book one of these roles I was wondering when/how is typically the best way to get your agent involved? My agent is really great, she doesn't take commission on roles I book myself, but I would be more than happy to bring her in and give 10% if she's able to help with the communication/negotiating of the role. So, is this a common thing to do? And what would be the best way to do this? Is it as simple as just emailing her and saying I booked a role and would like to have her involved? Thanks!
From a director - what's the best / worst way you have been directed? by National-Salt • last post Jan 24th
I'm often conscious of directing actors in the best possible way - i.e. giving them just the right prompts to nudge them in the right direction, without seeming like I'm holding their hand throughout. As a non-actor myself, I'm curious to know if there's anything particular I should do or avoid in this regard. Is there a director / directing method you have come across that just clicks and helps you get where you need to be? And any that just make you roll your eyes? Thanks in advance :-)
I’m only 16 and I feel like my passion has driven me crazy. Advice? by Affectionate_Long347 • last post Jan 24th
I’m gonna get straight to the point. I have a passion for film/acting. As an actor, I personally believe that my abilities could get me very, very far in the future. Like, really far. However, if I do not get far, I can’t see myself doing anything else with my life. My ultimate goal is to play Nova in the MCU (Childhood thing) and if I do not I will consider myself a complete and utter failure. Of course I believe that it is possible, I just feel as if it’s a race against time to earn credibility, considering I have never been in a film/tv show before. It’s simply because I do not know what to do. I’m beginning to worry myself sick about this, I NEED to start trying to get roles, yet I don’t know where to start. It’s on my mind practically everyday, the only lesson in sixth form that I can focus on is drama. Please help.
Do you think it's a privilege being born in countries with big film industry? by ilovetodrinkcyanide • last post Jan 24th
If you want to become a succesful actor, what I mean. I mean in my eyes, me being born in eastern european country, I have so much less chance at doing what I love, earning enough from it and actually becoming recognised here than someone born in USA, UK, France, Germany, South Korea, Japan and such. (especially USA and UK cause they're english speaking countries). I don't know, I just find myself being discouraged because of it and really jealous of those people a lot of times. Sometimes I feel like giving up. It's enough that my mom has to constantly remind me of it. Just being born in a poor country reduces my chances by a LOT. Oh and the last name - I dont wanna stick with it but changing it feels like im betraying my family for some reason
Cartoon characters being represented by actors who match demographic . On no budget. by ItsJustTheDogInMe • last post Jan 24th
People can now produce a cartoon from their bedroom using a computer and tools like Adobe Illustrator and After Effects. They can also produce the music for it on their computer, too. And with a homemade vocal booth and a good mic, they can also voice the characters, with maybe a little help from a sister or wife. So it is totally possible for someone with no budget to produce a cartoon on their own, at home, and produce a quality product. When is comes to voicing the cartoon characters, up until recently, it would be OK for this person to voice many or all of the characters. However, in recent times, this has become an issue. Popular opinion is moving in the direction of cartoon characters being represented by actors that match the gender, race, and geographical region of the character (think Hank Azaria dropping out of playing Apu in The Simpsons). This poses a problem for the home-based DIY cartoon creator. Because now, they would have to find an actor who fills all the check boxes, and who is talented and reliable, with no budget. It is hard enough to find a talented and RELIABLE actor even with some money to offer, but for free? I think not. And on a side yet related note, where does this stop? If a white person has trained himself/herself in numerous accents (as many voice actors do), would it be OK or not OK for an American to do an English or Australian accent? Just curious what others think about this. And btw, I bring this subject up because I was one of those home-based DIY people, and I gave it up because I did not want to be the target of cancel culture.
Subscribe to my You Tube Channel and subscribe to yours by Dan Olivo • last post Jan 24th
Subscribe to my You Tube Channel and subscribe to yours Click here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCntpP2O8yTw7XTnbzPtN3Sg
Rookie voice actor got they’re first project and is looking for tips! by Angst_123 • last post Jan 24th
Hello! As stated earlier, I got my first role in a comic dub. I’m playing the role of Momo Yaoyorozu, and I was wondering if you had any tips for me, maybe how to speak clearly and maintain a voice, or if ‘preserving’ your voice by not talking really does anything, or any form of tips! Thank you <3
Tips on voicing male characters for a female voice actor? by gnfobsession • last post Jan 23rd
hey! voice acting has been a passion of mine for a very long time now and one day im hoping to become a voice actor. im self taught for now but im looking to get a coach in my region soon, hopefully. with that being said i like to practice on several characters from time to time, and up until now theyve always been female characters but yesterday i decided to try and do a male character and it did not quite work out the way i wanted it to. the character is known to be very girly so i thought it wouldnt be all that hard to simply try to roughen up my voice a bit and do it but turns out its not that simple. ( not like i expected it to, voice acting is not a simple thing altogether ) my voice still sounded too girly for him and i was wondering if you guys have any tips/advices on how to voice guys? what are things i should be paying attention to while doing it and how could i improve my voice pitch in order to make it sound more masculine ?
I’m filling out my actors access skills list by Amber_Steel86 • last post Jan 23rd
Never in my life have I ever felt so boring and useless!! I may need to sign up for a few things so I can check off the list!
Am I hating? by -marzwrld • last post Jan 23rd
So I’m at work this morning, it’s 5am and this lady walks in being loud. Then she’s asking how much longer for her drink I say less than 2 minutes. Then she starts saying “Yeah I’m just in a rush for this film I’m in, just heading to set” and I was like oh cool, I didn’t wanna ask much cuz it was so early and she was in a rush. She then says “I heard that guy said he didn’t recognize you, I’m sure people never recognize me. It happens often with the mask” Is this how all smaller actors act? Am I hating? Kinda but also why did she feel the need to say all that.
Acting Goal Checklist by Wutini • last post Jan 23rd
Here’s a fun question for you guys. Other than the obvious (winning an award, booking a lead role in a feature/regular on a tv show), what are some of your actor dream goals? Having myself just check one off (face scanned and PCAPed as a main NPC in a major video game), I also want to have an action figure made of me and be a canonical character in the Star Wars franchise. I’d love to hear your guy’s checklist!