Hey everybody.

Welcome to casting actor's cast, the

podcast that puts the act back in

well, acting

and occasionally overreact,

depending upon how much coffee I've had

before the recording.

We're going to talk today about voice

acting, versus on camera acting.

We're going to talk about the

differences.

Have you thought about doing voice over

work?

We're going to get into it.

Stay tuned to casting actor's cast

Watch you like

where we were praying

in your march?

Here he is.

Your host, Jeffrey Dreisbach

We're going to continue the conversation

right after this.

Well, hello, and welcome to today's

episode of casting actors cast.

I'm your host, Jeffrey Dreisbach

I'm a casting director, author,

teacher, and your friendly neighborhood

voice in your Earbuds

to day, we're diving into a topic that

honestly is close to my diaphragm.

I mean, I mean, heart the curious,

quirky and quickly expanding world of

voice acting and how it stacks up

against the good old fashioned on

camera work.

But first, this is that moment of the

episode where I get to say thank you

for tuning into cassing actors gas.

It's a pleasure having you here I look

forward to sharing this information

with you today.

But I also ask in return that you might

want to check out the website, its

casting actors cast, all one word dot

com.

You're going to find all kinds of

interesting things there.

One, you're going to see that my new

book is now available through Amazon.

The link is right there, or you can go

to Amazon.

It's called booked it,

the actor's play book for getting cast.

I think you're going to really like it.

It's 180

It's really helpful information for you

to feel more comfortable and more

confident as an actor.

Additionally, there's a form there that

says, dive into the talent pool on the

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And all you do is fill out that form.

You give me your name and your email.

By the way, I don't do anything with

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I don't Spam you.

I might, on occasion, send out an

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When you open up and give me that, fill

out that form, and it opens up actually

a free downloadable pdf book I'm doing

voice over work.

It's called conversation pieces out of

the studio.

The voice of our workshop for

professional actors.

Also there's a free video called

casting secrets, what they don't tell

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All right,

that's

talk about this voice acting.

Now, if you're an actor, who's been

pounding the pavement literally.

If you've ever tried finding a parking

spot near a midtown audition, you might

be thinking,

Jeff,

voice acting

isn't that just for cartoon characters

and talking serial boxes?

Oh, my dear listener.

That was so 1997.

Voice acting today has become a massive

industry.

We're talking audio books,

podcasts,

e learning modules, video games,

meditation abs, smart assistance and

even, wait for it, AI generated clones

of real voices.

Yeah, I know it's a little creepy, but

you know what?

If Siri ever sounds like Morgan

Freeman, I'm not going to complain.

So let's get into it.

If you're used too on camera work,

the jump to voice acting isn't just a

change in mediums, it's a full on

mindset shift.

It's what I call the invisible actor.

See here's the thing, when you're on

camera, you've got your eyes, you've

got your body language, your carefully

chosen wardrobe,

even your eyebrows doing half the

acting for you.

You know what I mean, that intense

squint you do to show your emotional depth,

that smirk that says, I'm the lovable

bad boy?

Yeah, none of that shows up in the

voice over booth, right?

In voice acting everything.

And I mean, everything has to live in

your voice your performance has to be

so vivid,

so alive that people can picture you

without ever seeing you.

Think of it as

acting in the dark,

no props, no lighting, and probably

wearing pyjama pants

or something.

Honestly that's one of the perks

I tell you, you haven't lived until

you've played a screaming dragon

warrior in a pair of fuzzy slippers

I have.

I was a voice over actor while I was

doing my regular acting for many, many

years, before I became a casting

director.

I am the voice of Mr.

Brushy brushy, the singing toothbrush.

I'm also the outer space lime on

palmalve liquid,

the dishwashing detergent.

So I've had a lot of experience in

doing animated voices as well as

straight voices as well.

So let's talk

about

the demands of doing voice over work.

It has to do with tone, cadence and

emotions.

Oh my.

So how do you make a performance come

alive using just your voice?

I think you've got a master

tone.

Are you able to produce friendly,

a friendly tone, or mysterious?

Or are you good at being sarcastic or

seductive?

Now let's talk about cadence.

Are you rushing through a line like a

squirrel on espresso, or delivering it slow

and smooth

like Jazz on a Sunday morning.

And of course, emotional delivery.

You have to feel everything and send it

all through your voice like you're

acting through a straw,

a weirdly powerful straw that can

either book you the gig or leave you

wondering why your audio book narration

sounded like siri's emotionally distant cousin.

Now let's move into what I call vocal

gym time.

It means that you need to develop

your voice.

No, two voices are alike.

The uniqueness of your voice is why

voice over work can be so lucrative and fun.

But this also means that you have to

develop vocal control.

I'm talking breathing exercises,

articulation, drills

and, yes, even vocal warm ups that make

you sound like a barnyard animal,

the moo, the Ne,

the buzz.

All that's fair game.

The microphone is, merciless.

It picks up everything.

Your mouth clicks, your dry lips, your

neighbor's leaf blower, your cat

knocking over, your water bottle, mid

take.

And if your mouth sounds like it's

hosting a rice, crispies convention

you're going to want to invest in some

editing software, or at least a very

kind audio engineer.

And then, of course, we have to say,

welcome to your new costar.

The home studio

let's not, forget your new costar.

And voice acting is technology.

If you want to get serious about this

stuff, you're going to need a home

recording set up.

But listen don't panic.

You don't need a NASA grade sound lab.

You can start simple, a decent usb,

mic, some foam patting, a pop filter

and a quiet space that doesn't echo

like your high school gym

listen.

I've seen some truly creative sound

booth closets full of sweaters,

makeshift pillow forts, cars parked in

garages.

Hey, I know that there's one actor I

know.

He records insides a giant cardboard

refrigerator box.

He calls it the booth of dreams.

Honestly it works.

Finally, one of the best parts about

voice acting is that it frees you from you.

If you're five foot two, and you always

get cast as the quirky best friend.

In voice acting, you can be a menacing

ogre, a charming spaceship captain, a

wise old tree.

You don't need to look the part.

You just need to sound the participant.

Let me tell you, it's incredibly

liberating.

I once cast a voice actor in a

commercial who sounded like a suave,

thirty something.

Turns out he was 17 and recorded from

his parents basement

with laundry running in the background.

Magic, right?

The great equalizer,

remote recording.

And thanks to digital platformings like

shoutouts too, sights like voices dot

com, backstage and voice 123, you can

audition and book work from anywhere,

New York, Los Angeles,

Peoria,

sascatchon

listen, if you've got a Mike and wi fi,

you are in the game.

The remote access

has blown the Gates wide open.

You don't have to wait around for pilot

season or hope for a guess starring role

that might just fall into your lap like

a way word.

Boom, Mike.

You can create your own momentum right

from your closet.

We're going to continue the conversation

right after this

let's talk about expanding the actor's

toolbox,

adding voice acting to your actor tool

kit.

Isn't just smart, in my view, it's

strategic.

Not only are you opening up creative

possibilities,

but you're building a more consistent

income stream

while on camera, gigs might be fewer.

And farther between

voice work can keep things flowing

between those netflick guest stars and

indie film rolls, where you're paid in

pizza.

Plus voice acting, it shaped, sharpens

your skills across the board, your

listening, your imagination,

your storytelling chops.

It makes you a more versatile actor,

period.

But I do have to qualify

some of this information, as excited

and enthusiastic as I am about doing

voice over work.

We need to talk about some other darker

areas.

Because the idea of doing voice work is

so popular,

and because

the technology has made it accessible

to so many people, the market is flooded

with all kinds of talent, some

unbelievably great and some not very

good at all.

The challenge now is to get heard

for the auditions that you submit

yourself.

For.

The business side of voice over work

hasn't changed a lot.

It has expanded considerably,

considerably, rather because of the

amount of attention it has gotten.

But still

having somebody representing you for

voiceover work is a smart idea.

I know that you can do a lot of this

work online, as I mentioned.

But please consider

the business side, which is a completely

different separate universe

than the acting side.

So I'm not here to dissuade you at all.

In fact, just the opposite.

But going in with clear eyes and

understand that it is such a

way for a lot of actors to get employed

and to book gigs.

It is also a market that is completely

flooded.

So just as a cautionary tale, being

aware of that of that means that you

need to develop some kind of a

strategy, some kind of an approach.

Once you get your voice overset up

done, your closet, your space, wherever

you're going to be recording.

It's also equally important to have a

plan in mind for how you're going to

get into the market of doing voice over

work

that takes more time.

So, you know, being aware of that is

only something I'm hoping that you will Embrace

and not be shocked by, because it can

take a lot of time away from other acting

choices that you might have available

to you.

So think it through.

So here are some final thoughts.

And

whether you're already Mike curious, or

if you're just dipping your toe in the

voice of a pool,

I encourage you to play.

I encourage you to explore

and listen.

Why not just record yourself reading

something ridiculous to get started.

Like, why not do Harry Potter in a

pirate voice?

Go for it

about your dog's inner monologue?

Why not

see?

Voice acting is here to stay, my friend.

And for the actors willing to Embrace

the weirdness,

the warmth and the vocal acrobatics,

it offers a world of opportunity.

And hey, if your face was made for

radio, like mine allegedly is,

then baby.

Welcome home.

Thanks for listening to casting actor's

gas.

If you like to day's episode, please

make sure to subscribe, leave a review

or shout it out on social media.

If you would and don't forget, you've

got a voice.

Use it

until next time.

Break a lip.

I'm Geoffrey driesback.

This is casting actor's cast.

It's been great having you in our

talent pool today.

Your support means the world to us.

So please consider sharing, liking and

reviewing this episode wherever you

jump in.

I'm, Meg and grace Martinez.

Thanks

from all the lots to screen.

Fast to every

for you

welf.

Sorry.

jack, slug, watch

where we

are.

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