Not Just Voiceover

Heineken ‘Majorca’ commercial - 1985

Start the year off right and be sure to check out David Ciccarelli’s Report on the Voiceover Industry - 2009. An annual feature from Voices.com that gives some in-depth analysis in a free download.

Thanks David for another valuable read!

Wishing everyone the best during this holiday season.

Toon Zone’s Ed Liu posts a great write-up on our class with Bob Bergen. Great job Ed!

Now here’s a dedicated radio man!

Thanks to Thomas Gass for the link on voice-overs.com

Last weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of spending two days learning about character voiceovers from Bob Bergen. As most of you probably know, Bob is best known as the voice of Porky Pig as well as countless others. But a good portion of his time is spent teaching eager students the art of character interpretation and performance.

The weekend starts off with a morning session featuring Bob detailing his experiences along his own journey and an in-depth look at the world of animation voiceovers. You are also handed copy for the two characters you will be performing during the weekend. It’s a fun and open discussion which had me taking many notes.

There’s a lunch break that is a working lunch with more discussions so I was glad I grabbed a quick bite to get back as soon as possible.

Then it’s off to the studio and into the booth!

Bob has a unique ability to assess your approach to a character and bend and shape it so you walk out of the booth completely satisfied. If you give a great first take, he’ll make you dig deeper into the role or completely turn you around to a different vibe. If you’re holding back, he gets the most out of you. It’s all done with encouragement and ease so as never to push anyone to an uncomfortable position. Everyone that left the booth did so with a smile on their face and to a round of applause.

The second day continues the booth work, with another working lunch discussing marketing. The weekend ends with some more discussions and a Q&A.

Not only did I learn a lot from Bob, but also from the rest of the class as well. It was a well balanced group of people that covered the full spectrum of talent. I couldn’t imagine a single person leaving without being fully satisfied with the experience.  

So, if you get the chance, I highly recommend spending a weekend in Bob’s class. I hope you get as great a group as I had the pleasure of being the part of because it made the experience that much better.

Kudos to Bob and Marian Massaro for putting together a fun weekend.

Also, Zane from John Marshall Sound for making us sound great!