Interviews

Lockdown Legends – The Full Story

January 1, 2023 by Alan Shires

Thriving and Evolving Voiceover Artists

Remember being in lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic? Wow, what a weird time that was. It sort of feels a bit surreal thinking back, doesn’t it? Well, I wrote this article during the pandemic at a time when hundreds of countries globally locked down and entertainment production got put on the shelf. I found a lot of opportunity was birthed this time from a self-investment perspective. More people than ever who hold a significant presence in the industry were free to share what they know in the avenues of workshops, webinars, and interviews. That accompanied by talent saving money from not going outside meant they were able to branch out into new avenues enjoying workshops in genres they have not experienced before. As evolving voiceover artists they also spent time sharpening their skills in familiar areas.

Proactive Actors Artists

I certainly took a few more workshops but another phenomenal opportunity was to think outside the box and ask the question “how do I network when locked down?”. The world quickly adapted, and we saw socials appearing online, more social media chats and groups than ever before and finally a real dedication to connect. It was lonely at times, right? We had never experienced this before and we delt with it however we could. The networking point is an interesting one, the truth was that people were freer to have a chat and a lot of people including myself used this as an opportunity to connect and make some new friends and contacts.

Evolving Voiceover Artists Coming Together

I wanted to help people as much as possible utilise their time and energy in a productive manner. The pandemic saw a rise in mental health challenges, divorces, and suicides. The change in routine, the intensity of relationships with untapped issues and the feeling of isolation and loneliness presented a challenge to millions of people. The key was to channel this productively, not just as a distraction but as a means of building something fresh and new that paves the foundation to a better tomorrow. With that said I decided to write this piece bringing in a few of my voice actor friends.

A Global Community

The article had four contributors aside from myself and most of them I had not met in person before. We were strictly connected via the internet and began developing relationships, sharing tips, and working together during the pandemic. Two of them reside on the other side of the world in fact – how crazy is that? What I did notice though from chatting with these four wonderful artists is that they all brought something wonderfully unique when it came to marketing and networking during the pandemic. They all had their own bit to share which I will share now because ultimately, these tips are tips for life not just during a pandemic, these marketing skills are things we should have been doing anyway and are simple! Most importantly they are transferable to everyday life.

The Busy Voiceover Artist

Jeffrey shared that when the lockdown hit, he endeavoured to create more content than ever before alongside investing into training. He made parodies which he shared online and in networking groups and they were seen by hundreds. He brought a great deal of entertainment to all involved which showcased him in a hyper professional way. He wasn’t scared to try something new and to begin developing something new. The time was available so why not? I think this is a phenomenal approach and the idea that we can do things in these situations that we wouldn’t otherwise prioritise time for I think is genius. So, the top tip is, what can you be doing to invest into yourself and what skills can you be getting out there? Dedicate a bit of time to do this and you will see it soon mount up.

Making the Situation Your Own

Karis who worked a great deal on screen recognised that this was stopping and instead she ensured her voiceover setup and home recording abilities where top-notch. She invested more into her voiceover business than ever before and facilitated imaginative means of collaborating with her on-screen clients too. iPhone cameras used at home became common pieces of technology used when filming upcoming productions. Savvy companies also used the online meeting style to advertise their products during the lockdown. We were all used to the multiple faces on the screen in their own rectangular shapes, so that’s what a lot of companies displayed with their advertisements too. Top tip for this one, always make sure your home set up for both voice and on-screen are top notch!

Finding the Balance in Evolving Voiceover

Ian had two massive projects on the go which all the sudden did not need to drag on but instead could be managed quicker and more efficiently. Fortunately, this was a catalyst to a greater display of work-life balance in his life. Work-life balance is massively important and without it, exhaustion will display itself through your work. Things will seem rushed, small mistakes will be made, or your exhaustion will be picked up by peers and clients. Top tip, make sure you make time for yourself to rest. Plan your working schedule and commit to it.

Lorraine lost a big job due to the pandemic, the hope of it being sat there waiting for her on the other end was attractive but there was no guarantee. So, what did Lorraine do? She made sure to look after her health, she invested into herself with training, and she got proactive! Lorraine began booking work through other avenues like connections she had made on social media and via friends who were recommending her for known projects that she was a match for. Had the pandemic not hit and the original job not been lost she may not have discovered all these wonderful opportunities. The mindset behind taking a breath and focusing on what you can do and not what you can’t do I think is vital. Top tip, always look for the opportunities, take a deep breath, let go of what’s outside of your control and look after your health.

Voiceover Mindset and Vision – The Full Story

December 30, 2022 by Alan Shires

The Voiceover Artist and The Press

If you have read any of my other blogs before this one, you will know I am super enthusiastic about the press. Why am I so passionate about it? IMDb credits will show the world how good and creditable you are. Your demos and headshots will show the world your range and style. Social media does an excellent job of showing whatever we want the world to see, whether it be humor, business success, family, or anything else. So, what does the press do, and why is it important? The press allows us to put out information that puts us in a place of influence and presents us with the opportunity to support, invest and uplift those who work around us. When we have the press, it shows we are well-rounded with all the above, but it gives us the ability to give back to the industry. Giving away our tips and tricks, sharing our experiences and stories, and putting ourselves in a place of connection helps those around us whilst boosting one’s own profile.

The Voiceover Mindset in the Business World

As a working actor and northern voiceover artist, the business side of what I do is vitally important. It is a core building block of everything I do and the number one opportunity to grow my business and book fun jobs! That said, it requires a different mindset. I must step out of my performer’s mindset for a moment and think practically, following the professionalism and expectations of any business. This is not a moment to be creative but a moment for me to show off my gifts, advertise my services and display my worth. This article was born in a business setting.

The Post-Covid Voiceover Business

I was at a voiceover collaboration meeting in London, looking at ways to support artists more globally. At the meeting, there was a business coach who supported the meeting chair. His role was to look at resource systems and processes to critique them, simplifying them but increasing the impact and audience range. These meetings are so important because modern-day voiceover talent’s trends, needs, and desires change regularly. Take the pandemic as an example. Outside studios suddenly stopped whilst home studios became the new norm. Larger companies were sending their regular talent home studio kits. Interface and microphone companies saw record sales, and all of a sudden, connectivity platforms like Source Connect and Clean Feed made the world a much smaller place, connecting directors, producers, engineers, and talent together under the power of the internet.

Making PR with a Voiceover Mindset and Vision

The coach at this meeting runs his own magazine, and it just so happened his PR manager was present at this meeting as she was supporting with the collaboration of the two organisations. She later began working closely with my client and supporting her with the voiceover magazine. We were on a call discussing the voiceover magazine one evening, and she shared with me how she was delayed in her business clients’ magazine due to an article gap that she was now struggling to fill. I mentioned how often I write content, and she invited me to collaborate with the business magazine after sharing some of my recent business ventures. I kindly accepted this offer. Within the article, I shared the following four key points.

Point 1: Use your Imagination in Business

At this point, being an actor and voiceover artist means you are a business. So, for this first point, let me ask you a question, what do you believe in? What is the natural dream progression for your business? There are common answers to this question. More subscribers, more customers, more clients, bigger clients, all the usual stuff. But let us unpack it more, do you want new customers in specific countries? If so, which ones? Do you want to expand your team or travel the world? Allow yourself to imagine and begin making tiny steps towards this, but most importantly, let yourself just dream and imagine.

Point 2: Think Outside the Box

As a voice over talent, I am constantly having to think about creative ways to find and keep more clients as it is a heavily oversaturated environment and highly competitive. Ask yourself where the work is. I am constantly looking out for where I can help a potential client with a problem. In the voiceover world, I recognise out-of-date or poor voicemail recordings. I would ask for recommendations and testimonials from clients I can share on social media or my website. I would think about investing some more time into my SEO and content. There are always things we can be doing.

Point 3: We Need to Adapt to Change

I mentioned the pandemic, but in the acting and voiceover world, we had to adapt quickly or not work at all. Here is the thing, a lot of actors and voiceover artists did start new jobs or not work because of the situation. It was awful! But many managed to scrape new realms of income in the forms of teaching, proactively reaching out to new and old clients, and putting the hustle on the front foot. Many companies used the online world to take advantage of the situation. The open university did an outstanding commercial of a student telling her family online that she was accepted into university. The screen displaying the boxes of the individuals was something we were all familiar with, having suddenly jumped onto Zoom, Teams, and Meets. It was relevant, it was expected, and it was present. But the need to change continues regularly.

Point 4: Work with Conviction and Purpose

With all the above, use the visions you captured in your time of dreaming and imagination from point 1 as your driving force of motivation. What you visualised can be materialised. Spend some time every day doing a little bit to grow your business, whether it is a social media post, a blog for your website, or reaching out to clients – prospective or existing.

The Voiceover Mindset and Vision Today

So, whatever comes our way as actors and voiceover artists these principles will apply. Though the seasons change and the environment is always a little bit unstable. The ability to make a social media post, write a blog, or reach out to prospective or existing clients is something we can do daily. Networking does not stop, whether online or in person, the options are there. Of course, you need to keep your skills sharp with workshops and coaching. Immersing ourselves in new business trends and techniques is a good point. Finally, do something! Do not become complacent because you can rest assured your competition will be proactive.

The Voice Actor Getting Press

Getting press can seem like a tricky task. You might ask yourself, what will I write about? What do I want to share? Who will take this article on? These are all great questions. Before I answer them, let me explain the several types of press. Perhaps you met a celebrity and want to interview them; that is an interview with someone else. Perhaps someone wants to interview you on a role you did, this is an interview on you. Perhaps you wrote something important designed to help others, this is press written by you (articles). Finally, perhaps you found a cool piece of kit or some plugin you have fallen in love with, and write something about that; this would be a review. So, we have interviews with you, interviews done by you, articles, and reviews. All of these work favourably for your portfolio.

So where do you go to get press? Reach out to your local newspaper, they love media-based content. For example, perhaps you just did a corporate VO for Starbucks, the headline could be: ‘Local Business Books for Starbucks.’ You can reach out to your old educational facility, be it a Drama School or University, they are always looking for successful case studies from former students as they can use them in their literature for current and prospective students. Look for relevant publications in your industry field. You will notice in several of my blogs the articles I am writing about are related to ‘The Buzz Magazine.’ The Buzz Magazine is dedicated to voiceover artists and motion capture performers. So, I try to get involved with these guys as much as I can, and occasionally, they get me involved. This, over the years, has built an excellent portfolio.

Press Breeds More Press

So, I frequently mention The Buzz Magazine, but this article is from The Business Club House magazine. So what is that? The Business Club House is a business magazine. You may have recognised from my blogs that I am super enthusiastic about networking and business. A friend shared a mutual client, and we were chatting about shared tasks. During our chat, she shared that she was behind with a publication for one of her other clients. She was the editor for The Business Clubhouse magazine and had to pick up an article due to someone letting her down last minute.

She shared that she was not a fan of writing content, which would take her hours. At this point, I shared a few of my recent wins and business successes with her and she invited me to author the article in her place if I could do it immediately. I informed her it takes me 20-25 minutes to write one page of A4, and with excitement, she invited me to write for the magazine. Thirty minutes later, it was in the final draft. My point with this is networking, and business skills put me in a position to get this piece of press. I knew the person, I was able to help them, and I was able to adapt myself to their publication.

The Voiceover Mindset and Vision in Business

As mentioned earlier, The Business Club House produces the magazine. So for me, as the writer, the content has to be less entertainment-based and more business based. Relatable, generic, and transferable content from industry to industry is vital here, as it is all just business at the end of the day. Whether you are a window cleaner, a voiceover artist, or a stockbroker, you are a business in your own right.

Voice Actors in Motion Capture: Centroid 3D the Full Story

October 12, 2022 by Alan Shires

Voice Actors in Motion Capture and Performance Capture

To start, I will say this is all just performance. The skills are interchangeable and transferable if you are in front of a lens, behind a microphone, or standing in a volume (mocap stage). The tricky element is how to spin all these wonderful performance-based events. Actors will have their agent, casting sites, headshots, and their typical routines with taping and so forth. Voiceover artists have their material, sites, demos, and so forth. But what of voice actors in motion capture?

In many respects, it is the new kid on the block when put next to voiceover and on-screen acting, even though it has been around for decades! The other thing vital to recognise is that performance capture continues to develop. The software used is becoming more efficient, detailed, and fast! Multiple styles of suits serve different purposes, and the cameras and sensors are constantly being upgraded. Now, I will stop on this rabbit hole of the evolution of performance capture for a second, we can cover that in another blog. The fascinating thing is that it is all just performance; thus, we must know how to act. So, let us delve into the differences and similarities.

Developing Skills in Performance Capture

If we are voicing a video game as a performer, my number one tip is to act the character. If the character on screen is waving its arm around and going wild, you must do that in your booth. Ok, do not punch the screen, knock over the microphone or hurt yourself! You do need to be aware of the space, but your performance level will massively improve if you fully immerse yourself into the character. If we are on-screen, less is typically more, which is normal. That said, the commitment to the character is vital. What are they thinking? What are they seeing? How are they feeling? What just happened in the scene before? What would you do in the character’s position?

These are standard and true questions to help you find that genuine performance. Now onto performance capture and motion capture. Commitment! Commitment is my number 1 tip. Like what you would do in front of the camera with those questions, you ask yourself to find truth in your performance, combined with the wild elements the characters demand (which I outlined above in my voiceover top tips), and we find a common ground for performance capture.

Voiceover in High Volume!

The volume; is a phrase I have used a couple of times. This is the stage a performer performs on during a motion capture and performance capture shoot. The difference between motion capture and performance capture is summed up like this: motion capture is strictly the capturing of the movement; performance capture adds the additional benefits of voice over or facial capture. Then, often you will hear the term ‘full performance capture,’ which is everything combined! Face, voice, movement, and sometimes even stunts! The performer in the volume has a 360 space to perform like on a stage, and that space is yours to own! To flourish in this area, every bit of you needs to commit to the role and take it to its maximum level, the further, and harder you push the character, the better your performance will be, and the bigger the wow factor will hit.

Voice Actors in Motion Capture Production Companies

I had the honour of working with Centroid3D during the pandemic in 2021. Whilst productions were slow in coming in and going out, artists worldwide invested in themselves, learning new skills and improving themselves. We did some live acting classes with Centroid, and a friendship was born. Aligned with this, ‘The Mocap Agency’ was born around the same time in the UK, the first Mocap agency in the UK! The mocap and performance capture industry is exploding and growing increasingly, which is exciting.

The joy of training and supporting other actors and voiceover artists is that relationships become established. Those relationships often start as professional, then casual, but in the end, they can often become long-lasting partnerships and friendships. I was thrilled to invite Centroid 3D to do an article with us and positively highlight them because the service they offer the industry is massive.

Delving in Deeper

I have gone into a good amount of detail about most of the points in the article. The one thing I have missed is the skills and stunts part of the industry. Here is the thing, performance and motion capture invite EVERYTHING. Sword-wielding, gun shooting, parkour, dancing… whatever the skill, it will come in handy at some point in performance capture. Like any other part of the entertainment industry, if you have something that will give you an edge or draw yourself closer to the be better aligned with the brief, you must capitalise on that.

Performance and motion capture are two unique and beautiful parts of the entertainment industry. They are unique, and they are fun. If you are like me and enjoy really submerging into a character and taking a big character to the furthest points of intensity and performance, then this area really does invite that. So commonly think of characters like Gollum from Lord of the Rings and Smaug from The Hobbit when we reference phenomenal performance capture characters, and rightly so! These roles are exceptional. But what did Benedict Cumberbatch and Andy Serkis do to make these roles exceptional? They went to the furthest point of physical representation they could. They were totally committed. They rolled around and slithered on the ground, they made the most surreal sounds and bizarre facial expressions. They allowed themselves to immerse themselves in these exceptional surreal, and incredibly unique characters because that is what the role demanded!

A Whole New World of Voiceover – The Full Story

August 25, 2022 by Alan Shires

Imagine Being a Disney Voice Actor!

I’ve been in the voiceover industry for a good length of time and in that time, I think I have seen a maximum of 3 Disney voiceover scripts to date one of which I did not even fit the brief. It’s certainly one of the most popular sectors of the industry and typically a company most voice actors aspire to work with. I was fortunate enough to connect with Jennifer Trujillo who is one of the casting directors for Disney, at an in-person voiceover event called Above and BeVOND in 2019.

What Does a Disney Voiceover Artist Talk About?

What do you say when you meet a big client? Perhaps you stand awkwardly in the corner of the room or lurking in a conversation had by others whilst you try to find the courage to say hello. Or you could just say hello, that works really well I promise! Performers are surprisingly shy when it comes to breaking the ice because generally, they put people on pedestals.

The key is to be yourself, if someone doesn’t like you for who you are then it’s their loss, not yours. I conclude the fear of rejection isn’t just cemented in the pain of someone not liking you but also in the fear of potentially being blacklisted. Let me tell you this, it’s highly unlike someone won’t like you for being yourself however they may find you disingenuous for trying to be something you’re not. Moreover, if by chance you did not see eye to eye, you’re not going to be blacklisted, it’s just not how it works.

The natural organic approach is the best thing to do in voiceover and any other industry for that matter. My top tip is to do some research, maybe you’ll find some commonalities which you can talk about following your introduction. Example ‘’Hey, I am Alan, Great to meet you, I was so amused when I saw your response to the recent episode of Picard on prime, the last episode was great right?’’.

The In for the Voice Actor

If you are at an event like I was, why not try volunteering? Why do we go to events simply just to extract and not impart? It’s a different experience volunteering because you end up in scenarios and conversations that otherwise might not have presented themselves as attendees. In this instance, I volunteered and did pretty much everything I was asked, from the registration desk to untangling the LED lights. Whilst there I suggested we interview Jennifer for the magazine, and they took me up on the offer and so that is what I did.

From there, a professional relationship was built, and conversation becomes a little easier to manage. The thing is, whatever avenue you take be it professional, personal, or indifferent the key is to connect and then begin growing a relationship. Some potential clients become friends, some don’t, some become clients, and some don’t the point is we need to do our best to network and connect with people.

Being a Voice Talent That Looks at Things Differently

When interviewing Jennifer, I asked myself the question ‘’what do we talk about” fundamentally, I took myself out of the situation I was in and decided to look at what would bring value to the reader. The ten-million-dollar question on everyone’s mind is how do we end up in the casting room, right? Well, that’s exactly what I asked. Think about the magnitude of our business for a moment, one job can see a thousand auditions across a few platforms.

Imagine if that was open to every agent and the pay-to-play site you could be seeing 100,000 + in the way of auditions, and if that’s global you could be talking a million people going for one job! Casting directors will have confidence in the agents and platforms they use from years of reliability and relationship. This is a huge filtering system, the agent has trust in the talent, the casting director has trust in the agent and finally the director who ultimately chooses who books the job has trust in the casting director.

Disney Voiceover Actors Using Comedy to Their Advantage

I asked Jennifer for her top tip, and she said comedy is so vital for her shows. Got experience in stand-up? Well, the good news is, it’s transferable into voiceover! What about if you don’t have experience in stand-up? Well, improv is almost the next best thing, so get good at improv! The ability to instinctually think fast and on your feet will get you to a good place with improv. My top tip is to have a collection of cards up your sleeve for improv so for example in a heated argument change the tone in a comedic way by proposing. Humour and comedy are subjective, sure, but there is a consensus too. You can certainly read more from the pros about what’s funny and why but for now take your character, make it genuine and more importantly make it big.

Why is this important? Well, prominent characters often invite comedy, and as a species, we find surreal, slapstick, and animated behaviours humorous. Don’t be fooled when I say genuine and big, you can have both! Genuinely doesn’t mean naturalistic it means real. If you create an environment where a crazy character exists, and you deliver that with no compromise you have succeeded. You can’t half give yourself a character especially if you want to pull off animation, comedy or nearly just about any other genre which requires a larger persona from the character and voice actor. This is not used as commonly on screen as it is a theatrical behaviour, but it is one of the number one things to lean into as an actor and voiceover artist when looking to create comedic, big, and genuine animated characters.