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Post by Brittany Ann Phillips on Jul 26, 2017 10:59:43 GMT -8
Thank you for the feedback everyone!
~ Brittany Ann Phillips
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Post by Rebekah Amber Clark on Jul 26, 2017 11:59:19 GMT -8
The name you choose for credits, I feel, is a highly personal choice for each person, but I'll share a couple thoughts that you might hopefully find helpful!
First, you should (if you haven't already) do a Google search for each name you're considering. If there's already a well-known person using any of those exact names, I'd steer clear of it. Just for a ridiculously over-the-top example, if you have someone who's name is: John Jacob Wayne It would make MUCH more sense to go for "J.J. Wayne" or "Jacob Wayne" than "John Wayne" for pretty obvious reasons.
You can narrow options down even further by doing a search on IMDB for people who share that name.
Second, you should consider how long your dry spell has been running, and brainstorm other possible causes. Is it possible the #PerformanceMatters strike could have been affecting the amount of competition you've had for the roles you typically audition for? Have you changed equipment or location at around the time the dry spell started? Are you auditioning for less projects than you used to -- meaning less chances for roles? Are you auditioning for MORE projects than usual -- possibly rushing through your auditions a bit more? Are you auditioning for the same *number* of things, but by gaining experience and getting more selective, the auditions you're sending are overall for a higher caliber of quality and therefore you've got more competition from other people seeing the same good things in those casting calls that you do? Are you stressed out by the dry spell, causing a vicious cycle of that stress bleeding into your performances? Have you changed, or created, your set of rates for voice work? Do you have seasonal allergies affecting your performance this time of year? A new pet, or new clothing or furniture or anything new you have that you might be allergic too? Have you got a website, and if so, are you keeping it updated? Is there anything you feel is lacking in the e-mails or messages you're sending along with your auditions when applicable -- too pushy, too formal, too casual, or lacking in confidence? Are there any other factors I haven't mentioned?
The TL;DR of that above paragraph is, it might be your name -- but there are SO many other possible reasons, too.
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Post by Brittany Ann Phillips on Jul 27, 2017 10:47:43 GMT -8
Hello Razzle, thank you for the input!
I have done a Google search with my name. Aside from the hundreds of social media accounts of people with the same name, what comes up first is an unsolved homicide where the victim also shares my name. That is also something I don't want to take away from.
I have also been confused a couple of times with another woman who is a professional athlete that lives in the same province as I do. As for IMDB there is already a fair amount of people with names either exactly or very similar to my own.
I totally agree with you that there are a whack of other things causing the dry spell. I was just wondering if in a casting director's mind when they open an email with my audition that when I introduce myself if it seems that I am not serious with the last name that I've chosen and that would be a small part of it (first impressions and all).
- As for the other questions - the dry spell started around the beginning of 2015, the same time I made the decision turn voice acting as a hobby into pursuing it as a profession. Perhaps it's less of a dry spell and more of struggling to get my foot in the door, so to speak.
- I live in a small town smack dab in the middle of the country so I am not really affected by the strike.
- For the amount of auditions, I've definitely become more selective as I've learned what to look out for (too many cases of directors going MIA) and as a result there can either be quite a bit to audition for or nothing at all. That is through communities such as BTVA, CCC, Discord Servers, LemmaSoft, Reddit, VAA, VAC, VAS, and networking.
- As you've said, there are definitely projects of high caliber out there which results in higher competition (which in turn can be stressful, particularly with sites that show how many people have auditioned. I've seen a few that go well over 1000).
- Unfortunately I do not have a website at this time. Something like that along with memberships to places such as Voices.com or Voices123 I simply cannot afford.
- Emails can be tricky sometimes. I've tried various phrasing to sound professional but also friendly. I don't think I've quite mastered that yet. I usually write an email along the lines like this:
"Hello [blank],
My name is Brittany Ann, I'm a Canadian voice actress. I recently came across your casting call on voiceacting.boards.net for your upcoming project [blank]. I found the story line and the variety of characters quite compelling, so I am submitting an audition for your consideration.
[Additional information here if the director has requested it in the casting call post].
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or feedback about the audition.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I wish all the best for your project. I can tell that you work really hard and with a passion as it shows through your work.
Warm Regards,
Brittany Ann"
Overall I believe I know what I need to do. However, all I can do is take baby steps at this time - starting with looking at my name.
Thank you again for your feedback Razzle, it really is appreciated.
- Brittany Ann
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Post by Kyotosomo on Jul 27, 2017 10:58:15 GMT -8
Definitely use Brittany Phillips for credits! And for online accounts and what not BrittanyPhillipsVA (there's no other BrittanyPhillipsVA out there so you'll have it all to yourself). The larger you get the harder it is to hide your name (and pretty early on it becomes impossible, anonymity/identity privacy is dead on the internet unfortunately) so might as well be open about it and own it; being proud of who you are. If I could go back in time I would have absolutely just used my real name for everything, now I'm at the point where it's too late to change. I like Kyotosomo and all, I think it's unique, but when you use an internet moniker (especially a weeby one conceived in Elementary School) it takes away from how seriously you're taken. Now when talking to clients and possible clients I have to use both like Pierce Riola aka Kyotosomo. Your name on its own should be searchable enough, and if not as said you can just add VA to the end of it and that will make it easy for anyone who wants to find you to be able to find you.
Side Note: I don't think the name has anything to do with your dry spell; I doubt your current internet moniker would turn off anybody. The reason you're having a dry spell is because everybody is, everybody always is (and I've noticed since I initially started voice acting the amount of good gigs on the Casting sites has only gone down). There's tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of online VAs out there yet almost no high quality gigs. But I think it's better to be the kind of VA that rarely gets but all the work is awesome rather than the kind of VA that always gets work but all the work is lame. I think it also helps to think outside the box. I'm working on a guide right now that I'll be uploading to YouTube called an Unconventional Guide To Becoming A Voice Actor and one of the things I stress is thinking outside the box. Voice Acting is so highly competitive that all the people who flourish are the ones who think outside the box. Like for example nobody ever thinks to search for Casting Calls on YouTube. Or for another example nobody thinks to message game developers on Kickstarter. That's just two examples of alternative ways of getting roles (there's A LOT out there if you know where to work) which produce great results and that funny enough nobody uses. I think if you get really creative you'll never experience another dry spell again.
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Post by benedict on Jul 27, 2017 11:14:17 GMT -8
If the day ever comes, I'll have to think seriously about this. Keeping in mind I've been an author on something like 40 papers and spent years as a photographer, if you search on my name all you get is pages and pages of photos and articles about Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Benedict Knight. Such is life.
You could do a lot worse than BrittanyPhillipsVA.
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Post by VirtuousKing on Jul 27, 2017 16:47:24 GMT -8
I am considering of changing my name on here to be publicly aware
Elric Atchison? (My current first and last name) E.T. Atchison (First and Middle name initial with my last name) Elric Timothy Atchison? (My full name) Elric T. Atchison ET Atchison? E. Atchison or something different completely
If I go with E.T. (or even ET) Atchison, It will sound like DC Douglas.
-Elric
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Post by Lady Stardust ★ on Jul 27, 2017 19:10:52 GMT -8
While the choice is ultimately personal to you, I really like "Brittany Ann Phillips". It sounds nice and even more memorable than "Brittany Ann" in my opinion. Of course, you could always use BrittanyAnn as a username/shortened version, for example, if your twitter profile was something like "Brittany Ann Phillips (@ BrittanyAnn)". There's another voice actress I know named Sarah Williams, a name that one could also argue is fairly common (there are even a ton of on-camera actors and crew listed under that name on imdb!) So she started using "Sarah Anne Williams" for her credits which I think helps distinguish her and make her easier to find in searches, etc. I have a fairly uncommon first name and very uncommon last name, so I haven't had to worry about this yet LOL. However, I'm stuck with my old username from years ago as my Twitter handle because I'll lose my verification if I change it
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Post by VirtuousKing on Jul 27, 2017 19:14:09 GMT -8
I will be changing my Facebook name to Elric Timothy Atchison in October.
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Post by Rebekah Amber Clark on Jul 27, 2017 19:57:43 GMT -8
- Unfortunately I do not have a website at this time. Something like that along with memberships to places such as Voices.com or Voices123 I simply cannot afford.
I totally get that. -_- Personally, I'd suggest, though -- if you can find the time, I think it would be worth putting a site together, even one with a free hosting plan with a link like "www (dot) domain (dot) yourname (dot) com" (Wix, Angelfire, etc.) even if you don't currently have the funds for a paid plan. I personally don't think it would be a problem in almost every case, but if there ever IS a project you want to audition for that seems particularly formal/professional and you're worried about seeming unprofessional or something by not having your own domain name, you don't have to send the link out and you're no worse off than you are now. But for all other auditions you send out where the directors/producers seem more "human" and approachable, you've got something more than nothing, and you'll already have the design laid out for when you do have the funds for a domain name. As for Voices.com and Voices123, I've never felt the need to join either site -- though some people have had good results. In my view, having your own turf, so to speak, with your own website is a priority over those for a professional image. But that's just me.
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Post by Brittany Ann Phillips on Jul 28, 2017 10:20:26 GMT -8
Thank you Kyotosomo, Benedict, LadyStardust, and Razzle for the sound advice. All of you bring up very valid points and it has given me a lot to think about.
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A-Log
Member
Posts: 184
I Am A(n): Professional Voice Actor, Creator/Producer, Voice/Casting Director, Writer
Pronouns: he/him
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Post by A-Log on Jul 28, 2017 15:04:23 GMT -8
Even though there's a lot of drama surrounding my name, I do have the right to say that it died down. I've also been thinking of crediting myself as the following:
- Anthony LoGatto (which is currently listed on the IDMB) - Anthony "A-Log" LoGatto - A-Log (a little nod to Jerry Lobozzo when he credited himself as simply Lobozzo.)
And truth be told, there are a few Anthony LoGatto's out there; one of them's a priest that wrote about immigration in Staten Island. No joke.
And Brittany, I can understand the name change, since there's also another voice-actress and fellow castmate of Rina's named Charlotte Ann. She's not in much, but she's the voice of Double in "Skullgirls". I can understand the name change, since people might think Charlotte's your sister.
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doomwar
Member
Where's my hair?
Posts: 98
I Am A(n): Aspiring Voice Actor
Pronouns: he/him
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Post by doomwar on Jul 29, 2017 19:32:09 GMT -8
Considering that I'm Chinese American, I guess the name choices I have might work depending on where I'm working:
-Justin Zeng (which is my real name in the Anglosphere) -Justin Zeng Keem Hun (which is both of my English and Cantonese names together, which can work in the Hong Kong voice acting industry) -Zeng Keem Hun (My real Cantonese name) -Justin Hun (Both are my given names, thus part of the Two First Names trope) -Triple B (my current online handle)
There's also my courtesy name, but it's not used at all with me being American-born Chinese and all.
For the your crediting problem A-Log, what about 'Antony LoGatto'? Both Anthony and Antony are homonyms, so despite the spelling, the pronunciation will still be the same. Or you could with the short-form Tony LoGatto. Give or take....
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Post by Rebekah Amber Clark on Jul 29, 2017 20:37:08 GMT -8
Both Anthony and Antony are homonyms, so despite the spelling, the pronunciation will still be the same. Um, no -- not the way *I've* ever heard the names said. I've always heard/said Anthony with the TH sound (like thorn, thimble, thick) and Antony with a T sound (Tick, Tom, Turn). It might be different in other areas, but I've lived in 4 different states across the U.S. and that's how I've always heard the names pronounced.
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A-Log
Member
Posts: 184
I Am A(n): Professional Voice Actor, Creator/Producer, Voice/Casting Director, Writer
Pronouns: he/him
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Post by A-Log on Jul 29, 2017 23:50:02 GMT -8
Both Anthony and Antony are homonyms, so despite the spelling, the pronunciation will still be the same. Um, no -- not the way *I've* ever heard the names said. I've always heard/said Anthony with the TH sound (like thorn, thimble, thick) and Antony with a T sound (Tick, Tom, Turn). It might be different in other areas, but I've lived in 4 different states across the U.S. and that's how I've always heard the names pronounced. Thanks Razzle. Also, I'm not really a fan of being called "Tony"; it's just too... obvious.
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Post by Lady Stardust ★ on Jul 30, 2017 22:49:48 GMT -8
And Brittany, I can understand the name change, since there's also another voice-actress and fellow castmate of Rina's named Charlotte Ann. She's not in much, but she's the voice of Double in "Skullgirls". I can understand the name change, since people might think Charlotte's your sister. I highly doubt that. "Ann" is obviously a middle name rather than a last name, and it's a fairly common one I second Razzle's advice about making a website, even a free one on something like Wix for the time being. While people who post casting calls here generally don't ask for anything besides the audition files (and maybe OCCASIONALLY a resume/demo reel), having a site is good because it enables people to find and scout you on the web. I've occasionally gotten random inquiries from potential clients who simply googled something probably like "voice actress young sounding los angeles" who email me out of the blue. It's not super common but it's something that probably would have not happened without a basic website. The site will also serve as an easy point of contact for anyone who googles you as it will normally be one of the first results. The main point is to have your demo reels and contact info on there, but you can also add a short bio and resume if you like. [edit] I'm going to go write a guide about websites now - I think it would be helpful!
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