Voice Acting!

Viani

So, have you guys ever thought about voice acting? Impersonations? commercials?

What are your skills?

Imipolex G

I have a voice suited to writing stuff instead.

Tre

I love the idea of doing it but I haven't gotten quite good enough to try to do it for reals yet.

I'm going to start a podcast eventually though. I'm hoping I can improve through that, and then afterward I guess we'll see.

Bee

It's one of those things that most of us really want to try at some point when we hear bad acting, but it turns out it's actually a LOT harder than we think and even harder to actually break into the industry.  The main thing is, you can't just have A voice.  You have to have LOTS of voices.

It's always fun to just break out impressions for the hell of it though.  I feel like I'd do it more often if I could sing better, because for some reason I'm better at impersonating singing voices than speaking voices, but my range isn't up to snuff and I don't do well unaccompanied.

Viani

And to own your voice, and be able to act, which is where the voice acting comes from.

However its a "who you know" job, doesn't matter how good you are. 

Bee

Yeah I remember an interview with Tara Strong a while back, and she ended up saying a huge chunk of it (after the years and years of rigorous practice and theatrical study) is just getting past studios' borderline incestuous hiring.  Nobody likes taking risks on new blood.

The other option is to be like Edwyn Tiong and make a name for yourself by being the only honest-to-God VA in terrible Flash games, then get brought on by indies who actually know what they're doing.

Viani

borderline incestuous hiring. I like that.

But yeah has been a problem for every job I've seen. Husbands working for the city, their wives in comfy office jobs at the court, Guys working at powerplants, their girlfriends working the bill pay counters. Father giving little girl a job at the office despite me being far more qualified, social AND skilled. Bitch can barely sharpen a pencil before staring at her phone

I MEAN WHA

Bee

I wasn't talking about literal nepotism, so much as everyone hiring the same patch of big names over and over.  At least with film you get a steady stream of new blood from standup and theater and a bit of mixing the generations in the cast.  But VA (especially for games and cartoons) is a lot more insular -- largely because the studios have just enough money to hire big names but just little enough to be very risk averse.

Sredni Vashtar

I would go into voice acting if I had my druthers.

thenamelesssamurai

I've never thought about going into voice acting because I have terrible stage fright, but I wouldn't mind being on the other side of the glass, recording the VAs.

Yarrun XIX

I have maybe two voices that I can do on a very, very good day. I'd prefer to be the recording crew.

Section42L

I wouldn't mind in theory, but unfortunately, my voice is the opposite of radio-friendly.

Anonus

Bee said:

I wasn't talking about literal nepotism, so much as everyone hiring the same patch of big names over and over.  At least with film you get a steady stream of new blood from standup and theater and a bit of mixing the generations in the cast.  But VA (especially for games and cartoons) is a lot more insular -- largely because the studios have just enough money to hire big names but just little enough to be very risk averse.

is that changing at all? I notice the credits of shows like Steven Universe are, aside from Dee Bradley Baker, devoid of the usual suspects

Viani

I think I would totally volunteer to voice act stuff, but its getting your name out there that's a problem.

No matter how loud you shout "pick me", and established person shouts louder, from their $300 XLR mic.