Simon D. Aelsi
Member
IMAGINATION: Having the power to stare into space and see a universe.
Posts: 69
I Am A(n): Aspiring Voice Actor, Creator/Producer, Writer, Game Developer, Musician, Audio Engineer
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Post by Simon D. Aelsi on Oct 20, 2018 18:02:51 GMT -8
So I had a talk on the discord server (which has since been pushed down to oblivion, sadly) about what kinds of voices, accents, emotions, etc one might try on a demo if you don't have content to work from already. (Note: Not necessarily archetypes based on one's voice!) A few examples were: - Angry Teen Nerd with a rage problem - Lovestruck Young Butler - Burly Dragon Guardian talking to a small child ... But those are but a few ideas, and I'd love for some input!
Types of characters, whether young or old... emotions, voices, accents. Bring 'em on!
I'll eventually put them all up on this post and this could give others struggling for types of voices or characters to "make up" for demos. Not everyone has tons of gigs they can just pull from (and if they do, not all of 'em are non-NDA!) Any input y'all have would greatly help me, and I'm sure it'd help out many others.
Thanks for your time!
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johannesverne
Member
Posts: 2
I Am A(n): Professional Voice Actor, Audio Engineer
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Post by johannesverne on Nov 19, 2018 9:04:59 GMT -8
In the end, you will want do put in the voices you do best, whatever they are. The best way to come up with voices (that I've found/works for me) is to just mess around with changing your voice until you do one that already sounds good, then start working on a backstory for it. If you have a direction you want to take already (age, cartoon-ish or not, emotion, etc...) then work on voices in that range until you do one that sounds like it could fit the role. Create the character around the voice, diving into the more nuanced parts of the voice and bringing out the emotions, tone, or anything else to convey the character. If you have a script, that's great, as a lot of the character goals are already created for you. If you don't, you get to make the character how you want.
Work on the voice, practicing until you can use it well in normal conversation, and then make the recording. If the character already has a script use that, but if not I suggest finding a scene from a tv show, movie, or play and using your character voice for the lines. Having a script can help give you direction, letting you focus more on the voice and your acting instead of trying to make up lines on the spot, and will give you a better end result.
As for what to add to your demo, just use the best sections from your best takes. It really doesn't matter what type or style, just find the range that you can do the best and use those voices.
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Post by Kamran on Nov 29, 2018 15:20:42 GMT -8
It's all about what you're best at. Try not to focus on any specific character type and focus instead, on what emotions, tones and characters bring out the best in you as an actor. Focus on what comes naturally, what is distinct to your voice and your acting range. The objective of a demo reel isn't just to showcase how many voices you can do, but how strong and distinct each performance is.
And that comes through knowing your voice, and knowing what you do best. The reason to avoid archetypes if you can help is so that way, your reel also possesses some distinction. A lot of demo reels have nerdy characters or lovestruck youths. So what is something your reel has which others don't? Are there any specific characters or tones of voice that you find you convey the most naturally and consistently?
My first professional character reel, from six years ago, I opened up with a booming monster character to showcase my naturally deep voice and aggressive side. Monster characters are some of my specialties in video games. So I figured that was the best way to open, since I've had the most success in my voice acting career landing those kinds of characters.
You should go from there; imagine what you believe is your strongest character, start with that and build from there.
Another thing to note isn't just the voice, but also your dialogue. Always avoid common cliches or generalized lines of dialogue. Instead, shoot for dialogue that is brief but manages to convey what kind of character you're working with. The more succinct and thought-out your dialogue, the more likely your performance is to stand out.
So really, no one can say what sort of voices you should try to put on a reel because ultimately, most archetypes are so dime a dozen that it tends to be expected that any actor could pull them off without needing to showcase them on a reel.
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Post by Lady Stardust ★ on Dec 4, 2018 22:41:58 GMT -8
Archetypes can be important in finding your niches and all that, but like Kamran said, don't make them too cliche or stereotypical. A lot of this will come through in the way the dialogue is written, so you can come up with a list of archetypes you're already cast for, things you're good at and then things you'd LIKE to play, and if you're not a strong writer then you can consult with someone who is, or take lines from existing media but for different character types. For example, if you want to put a superhero archetype on your demo, avoid the whole "I'm going to save your world from destruction" type of thing and instead find another line that is maybe unrelated, but that you could give a superhero voice and attitude to, if that makes sense!
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