Well, on the bad side, tomorrow I have to have an MRI to confirm I have Focal Epilepsy, on the plus side I’ve gotten a request from a published author to narrate four of her novels as Audiobooks… I’ve been trying to break into Voice Acting for a while now, and this really could be my big break! I’m going to read through the test chapter carefully, and tailor it to what voice I use (Fortunately years of telephone work have given me a vast array of pitches and tones) The Author has even said “Read it, then you come highly recommended enough that just pick -how- you speak it, and we’ll go with that”. Getting my MRI scan tomorrow, then will come home and start recording, on what will hopefully be the gateway to a dream career! Whoo!
2 Likes
Oh no!
Surely you’ll have prescribed medication for that and if you drive, will you be able to carry on?
All the best Captain Summerisle <3
Love from Lei’liah Vanestri <3
2 Likes
Heh, Cheers, and no, I can’t legally drive now, more than three seizures in a year, not allowed to.
On the other hand, this isn’t so bad because…
I never learned how to!
Seriously, the irony is that my little brother was a Driving Instructor, I did his Accounts, that is why he is no longer a Driving Instructor but now earns ten times what he did then (What I do, I’m actually -really- really- good at 
), and no, for the foreseeable future I can’t drive, but do get free Bus Travel and a Third off my Train tickets, and yeah, I’m on Medication, something called Lamotrigine. It has some loopy side effects, but, I can live with that.
I’m actually OK with this, because now I know what is wrong, and they can give me meds for it, which was a lot better than living with uncertainty and fear of it happening at random, especially given my hobby.
Thanks for your concern though, much appreciated.
Although I’m just going to say again…
I MIGHT BE NARRATING FOUR AUDIO NOVELS!!!
I might be a little bit enthusiastic about this…ahem…sorry.
2 Likes
Your not missing out much.
I hate driving.
AUDI drivers - that’s all I’m saying 
Congratulations on your (potential) job! And good luck, I assume that voice acting is a bit harder than stage or tv acting. Any chance you have any experience with that as well?
1 Like
I’ve never acted on the stage, or TV (Yet) I mean bar school plays when I was thirty years younger or so. Voice Acting is tricky, because you have to take plain text, and try to interpret what the writer -wants- it to sound like, because you can be utterly certain that they won’t have a clue, They’ll write the words, and just expect you to put your spin on them, as if you were a telepath! I had a piece like that recently, which isn’t actually being used till the end of June, where when I sent the piece to them the Client went “Oh…that’s not what I envisaged it sounding like at all…” and I was like “Oh Heck…‘Alright, I can rerecord, give me a bit of direction?’” and they were like “No, no, Stop there, What you have sent me is -Better- than how I envisaged it sounding, you took the words and owned it!”
I have a naturally fairly deep, baritone voice (Weird for a tiny wee dude) so I kind of lend myself well to trying to match the vocal tones of people like Patrick Stewart, Charles Dance, or even Brian Blessed! (Though I do not have his splendid beard…)
To be honest this is the first year I have seriously been exploring Voice Acting as a career (Despite friends telling me I should for years) , and this is the first genuine big break I have gotten, I’d love to do adverts, Video Games, and more Audiobooks, but this is my big break. I’m absolutely bricking it, even though I have faith in my abilities.
Four Novels, Four Published Novels…I’m reading the text and trying to decide what slant to put on the voice work, I’m good with accents, not only ones from my own country, but foreign ones as well, but I think so far it is going to need my normal voice, with occasional light hearted lilts to it, as there is quite a lot of puns and humour in the work.
Sorry, Rattling on about it, you can see how excited/nervous I am about this
3 Likes
Congratulations and good luck! You will do grate! ![:wine_glass:](https://d1bg94bbsh66ji.cloudfront.net/en/wow/images/emoji/twitter/wine_glass.png?v=6" ":wine_glass:")
That sounds amazing. I always wanted to give a try for dubbing, but don’t even know how and most of dubbing actors finished schools of acting lol xD
1 Like
Depends on which country you are in, if its the UK I can give you some of the same advice I have been given, which landed me this, and put you in touch with some people, I have never acted on stage (Apart from at school) or on Screen, and have no acting experience bar LARP fest systems of several thousand players, but at those I am known to be able to command and hold an audience through how I use my voice.
You should give it a go! Start off with Freebie work, build up a portfolio, use a good software package and mic/headset rig. I’ve found ‘Audacity’ to be good, as it has a lot of editing options to get rid of the occasional sniffle, cough or glug as you drink water to keep your voice going. That’s what I did. Several sessions of absolute freebie work, asking my friends if anyone knew anyone in the industry, next thing I know, a Published author adds me on Facebook and goes “I have four novels, I want them converting into Audiobooks, are you up for that?” I was like a rabbit in the headlights for an hour before going “Yes, Yes I am, I will start work tomorrow!” Its like a lot of freelance work I suppose, you have to actually show you can do it, at your own expense, or at least for free, and only then will people go “I might actually pay for that”, and the other thing is, if you don’t sign up to a company who specialise in it (I could advise a few, but I’m UK Based so don’t know if that would be any use) and are going Freelance as I currently am, you have to be Hungry for it. You have to pursue it, seize every opportunity no matter how big or small, not let it go, make the time, do the gig, get the Client’s approval, and wherever possible illicit a further contact detail or promise that they will endorse working with you and reference you to other people in the industry. Start small. Don’t think you’re going to be narrating adverts on TV, or Books straightaway (I have been phenomenally lucky in that me trying to break into this has coincided with a new author wanting their books narrated). Work on your vocal range. I’m lucky, in that I am a natural mimic, I mean I am someone with a natural accent that is more English than Genn Greymane, but…You want me to sound Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Russian, South African, American, German, I can do it. That’s the LARP part, that’s just practice. But work on delivery, the difference between hard and soft, commanding and requesting.
Hone your voice. Its a tool, its a physical asset, like your ability to swing a wood axe and chop wood. Work with it, develop it. Find those exercises that let you use the best qualities of your voice, no matter how silly. I quit smoking at the start of this year, because whilst it has given me a deep voice, you can’t be coughing every few minutes whilst recording. Lose nerves, If you share a house with people just say “Look, I’m doing this thing, it is actually work, don’t come in and mock me whilst I’m doing it, you do that? I will creep into your bedroom and take a cheeky poo on your pillow, just where you will roll over, a few minutes before your alarm goes off.”
It’s work. It is actual work. You are using the Skills you have, as in your voice, and method of delivery, do not let people mess around with that, when you are Headset on, and recording, there’s no interruptions, no “Would you like a sandwich mate” no “Nerd!” No nothing like that, you have to impress that to people, “When I am doing this, you do -NOT- interrupt me” Because that can just lead to you having to re-record the whole thing. If that is a chapter from a novel, how annoying do you think that would be…
I don’t know if any of that was of use. I could link one of the VA pieces I have done here, that I did for free, but I don’t know what you would get from it apart from “oh, People like people doing that stuff!”. Can’t link the second piece as that is restricted to late June I believe,
Practice your voice, and its strengths. I am in the bizarre position that I am a tiny, some would say ‘elfin’ man, only 5’7" and of wiry, slender stock, (I actually count this as a benefit at my age, 44 and no beer belly or hair loss? I’m rocking this!), but my voice sounds like I am seven foot tall, and proclaiming the word of God.
Capitalise on that. Whatever you can do, aim towards that. I …I don’t know what other advice there is really?
But yeah, if you are UK based, I might know a few useful contacts if you want to give it a go…
2 Likes
Guys, I’m finally back but with my NE Rogue instead of Zanda Druid. I hipe you missed me 
3 Likes
Daily remainder that a Crab massacred more then six night elven arch-druids during the War of the Thorns.
2 Likes
Daily reminder that BfA story sucks and I can’t wait for the expansion to be over. If I didn’t have RP and friends, I’d have unsubbed and deleted this trash by now.
4 Likes
Remember the expansion sandwich.
Good xpac, rubbish xpac, good xpac, rubbish xpac…
I can’t wait for them to reveal the good one this year.
1 Like
I am curious about 8,2, though. It sounded quite promising, for the most part, with even the story focus switching.
And, of course, I can’t wait for the new season of forum wars after thursday and the datamining!
2 Likes
Glorious battle awaits! For the Empire! For Sigmar!
2 Likes
What are you refering to, Wimbert? You mean that MMO leak thingy?
No, but what we already know. Azerite rework, Mechagon, Azshara, and Battle over Azeroth becoming Battle for Azeroth… That stuff.
They’ll probably datamine the first half of a questline to appeal to players and add random out of context voice lines that will finally account for nothing relevant, like they did previously. As in:
Build 1.0: And Saurfang returned with the Maghar of Outland…
Players: YES!! SAURFANG RULES DA MVP!
Build 2.0: …to lay their weapons and loyalty at Anduins feet.
Players: (Earthquake caused by simultaneous upturned tables)
And in the next interview, they’ll pat each other’s back because any reaction is indicative of how good they are doing their job.
At least we got the Heart of Azeroth storyline to look forward to. Horde characters or not (though I’d prefer if they finally utilize Hamuul), at least I will not feel like crap for a change.
Yeah. It’s awesome that during a expansion sold as promoting faction pride, we can find solace with unrelated factionless neutral content.
The gratitude flows over me like some hot manure.
As Zandalari it’s going to be awesome tagging along some dwarf dude whose daughter just ordered her army to raid my city!