Are you good at doing impressions? Do you find yourself getting laughs at parties with impressions of your family members, friends, maybe a boss? Is there a celebrity or two that you love to impersonate? This ability to truly capture the speaking mannerisms of another person, whether celebrity, icon or leader is a real opportunity for work in voice over. Audition specs often use celebrity references to suggest a certain style of speech or cadence a voice seeker is looking for in a delivery. But on occasion, often in games, but in other genres as well, buyers are looking for as close to the actual celebrity voice as possible. This is referred to as a “sound alike” and the more your impersonation is perfected, the more you can sell your penchant for imitation. Let’s take a closer look at what makes a good impersonation.

Impersonation Is A Study of Human Behavior

Though the obvious first step in is to focus on the voice, the pitch range, and the vocal mannerisms, the art of impersonation is really a study of human behavior. To truly capture how someone else speaks, we must first understand their pitch, cadence, and vocal qualities and then also try to capture the unspoken parts of speech, body language, subtext, attitude, and viewpoints.

Since it’s a logical place to start, let’s talk about pitch first. If you’ve studied music, especially singing, at some point you’ve probably noticed the musicality of our speaking voices. Like songs written in certain keys, our baseline voices gravitate to a certain key as well. One musician, taken by my husband’s voice (which happens to be quite lovely) noted that it was in the key of E which is rather unusual for a speaking voice. The first step in working on a sound alike will be to hone in on the key of their voice and start from there. Then notice the range of pitches they employ – are they up and down the scale with lots of highs as low, or do they hover around 2 or 3 notes in their vocal range?

Once you’ve found that key or pitch, then begin listening to the cadence and volume. The rhythmic flow of the words. Most people have a signature sound. Places where they naturally pause, where they might run certain phrases together. It may reflect an overall attitude, a comfort, or discomfort level. Pay attention to their energy when speaking. Do they project? Are they intent on being heard above all else? Or are they soft-spoken?

Do some serious observing of your subject. What is going on with their body when they speak? Where are their shoulders? Are they tense? Do they shrug? What are they doing with their mouth? Where are their lips? Pay attention to how they carry themselves physically. Is their physicality loose and languid, or are they stiff and rigid?

What facial features do they have? For example, Tom Hanks’ upper lip doesn’t move as much as the rest of his face, and Steve Buscemi often speaks with teeth bared, lips pulled back. Don’t forget to pay attention to their eyes – do they squint when they’re speaking like Clint Eastwood, or are they more of an unblinking Betty Boop? Does their jaw come forward when they speak, or do they have an over/under-bite? Though you are working to perfect their voice, study their body and face as it will absolutely inform your performance.

Sound Alikes Require Acting Chops

Once you’ve got the physicality down, now you need to polish up your solid acting chops.  It’s time to start existing in the world as your subject would. What is their general demeanor? Are they timid? Quirky? Always joking? Serious as a heart attack? 

Cadence and volume mixed with body language are often indicators of emotion. Make note of how your subject of impersonation expresses joy, sadness, frustration, or anger. Do they have a default setting? Does the volume go up and the pace increase? Or are they a slow burn who gets quiet and deliberate in their speech when emotions are high? How wide is the range of emotions they display, or are they closer to a deadpan delivery?

Look at the world through that person’s eyes until you feel you’ve connected with some aspect of them. What’s their viewpoint? Then use your acting skills to identify it, identify with it and identify it in yourself. This will help you capture their subtext and attitudes which also inform their speech.

Tips For Practicing Sound Alikes and Impersonations

Like the old joke about the best way to Carnegie Hall, the best way to perfect an impersonation is to practice, practice, practice. Here are some tips for how to effectively do that. 

If you’re newer to impersonations, start with people that you like or admire and make a list of your favorites. It is much easier to study, understand, and get a feel for the personality of someone you like than it is to choose someone you don’t like. Mimicry is flattery, after all. Additionally, empathy allows you to study your subject without judgment and with an eye to exploration and understanding.

Listen to the general sound of voices, their range, and tones. Try to identify where the sound of their voice originates – is it from the chest, the throat, or the nose? Rather than repeat the words someone says, try singing the melody of their speech to help find the musicality of it and the pitch range. 

One of my favorite tools for studying an impersonation subject is an online interview.  These are my favorite because the sample you get is not a person in a performance but in a more natural and informal(ish) setting. I suggest finding one, then selecting some key phrases from the interview, and slap them on an mp3. Listen, and study. Record yourself performing those phrases and then listen back and ask yourself are you close? What is off? How can you adjust it? A great resource for impressions and sound alikes is Jim Meskimen’s You Tube series who himself is a master impersonator. 

Animation is one of the most well-known genres in voice acting. The appeal of being the voice of a beloved cartoon character or the main character in a game is very attractive, especially to newcomers to voice over.  Fun and exciting as it is, there is a certain preparation and specific approach to animation that takes discipline as well as exploration and creativity. Although I’ve booked a number of animated roles in my career, it is not the mainstay of my work. As I recently began teaching Voice Studio in the Theatre Department of my city’s college, I wanted to solidify my animation knowledge to transfer that to my students. So, I spoke to some colleagues at the top of the animation game and got some great insight. And of course, I wanted to share this with you.  

In Part 1 I talk to casting director turned coach and booth director, Everett Oliver, who’s insight from casting Men in Black, X-Men Evolution and his work on The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Jackie Chan Adventures among other shows has given him a unique perspective. Another consultation came from friend/colleague Richard Dumont, a talented actor-turned-director who (helped cast) and directed over 500 episodic animated series and is now also a gaming director (Assassin’s Creed, Open Season, Avatar). Here’s what they had to say:

Insights From Everett Oliver On Preparation For Animation Actors

“The biggest problem I see with actors is that they don’t prepare – they think they can just go ahead and just be the character,” says Everett. For inspiration on character creation, he suggests looking around your own life and to the people you know as well as. watching animated shows  Then, draw from those performances’ bits and pieces of personality, quirks, and behaviors that you can combine together to make new characters. No need to limit yourself to the land of the living. Watch both actors that are living and actors that are deceased and take a little bit here and a little bit there to cobble original characters.

“Stop worrying about your voice and really hone in on your acting.” Everett points out that actors physically go with their voice automatically – “that’s the first instinct, that’s technical, but it’s so much more than that – they’ve got to bring in the organic to make it pop, make it real. As a casting director – you’re listening for consistency in the character – every character has the capability of multiple notes – they will sing, run, jump, whisper, yell, etc in character. So explore how the character you’ve created does that before you bring that character to work” (whether for an audition or a show you might be in).

Also, pay attention to your energy level – it has to stay up – although sometimes you can correct a drop in energy by picking up your pacing. A special Everett tip to keep in mind, he’s noticed, “when auditioning for casting on the East coast, you’re going to want to respect punctuation more than on the West coast where you can ignore it – which is more in line with natural speech.” Though he’s quick to also reinforce following any instructions given by casting. “You can also listen to demos from any agency in NY or LA. They all have demos of actors who do animation. Listen and explore what styles are on their rosters.”

Everett also says if you want animation to be your game, be comfortable in several genres of animation. You should have the ability to be cartoony or natural, be adept at embodying the performances of an action-adventure (Star Wars type), or an adult swim (dark humor),  and know what specs fit you as a performer – are you the hero or the villain?  Or do you have both buried inside?

Insights From Richard Dumont On Immersing Yourself In Animation

For Richard Dumont, if you want to voice animation, make a study of it.  He suggests you really immerse yourself in the world of animation.  Take a look at old animation from the 50’s and every decade thereafter and look at the genre changes and shifts. Compare animation made for film vs that made for TV. Pick a series through the decades. Like Bugs Bunny, Rocky & Bullwinkle for the 50’s, The Jetsons, The Flintstones,for the 60’s, etc. Pick long standing iconic shoes like Scooby Doo, or Ren & Stimpy, Rugrats, the Simpsons, Family Guy, or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and study them.  When you’re watching them think about how animation has changed over time. Who was the audience for these shows? What was their attention span? What was the humor like in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s compared with now?

Richard says, “You’ve got to do the Pre work. Listen to the characters, hear the development. Take a show like The Simpsons, look at an episode from the first season and look at one from the current season – see the character development that’s happened. The shifts and changes in the same character. For example Homer in the early episodes vs. how Homer has evolved. You know, Dan Castelano actually started doing this character as Walter Matthau, literally doing a Walter Matthau imitation on the Tracy Ulman show but had to change it because he felt there wasn’t enough range there.”

Once you’ve purposefully watched as much animation as you can, Richard says then you can start with character development, but play to your strengths and develop them from what you already do well naturally. He also says you must have a funny bone. “You need a good sense of humor to be able to bring out the comedy in animation.” This is also something that can be cultivated through watching others. Find the people who make you laugh and make others laugh and then imitate their pacing, their rhythm, and how they set up or deliver a punchline.

As a side note, when I spoke to Richard, he mentioned he is casting a game right now where he went through 540 auditions – demos. I’ll say that again, 540, just for the one game he is directing currently. Needless to say, he knows what is good and what is bad in the first few seconds of listening. So, be well versed in what works. 

Bonus – A Great Video To Watch On How Actors Train Their Voices For Animation

I also wanted to tell you about this fun video put together by Insight that features the wonderful coaches Rudy Gaskins and Joan Baker who speak about all the preparation that goes into the performances of animation with pros like Phil Lamar, Nancy Cartwright, and celebrities including Will Arnett, Chris Pratt, The Rock, and others.  Joan demonstrates some key warm ups for getting the mouth, tongue, lips and jaw, and body ready for performing animation voice over. (And go ahead and try that last tongue twister – it’s harder than you think!)

Voiceover Narration for Non-profit Organizations

I’d like to dispel a poor bit of “advice” that keeps surfacing in the VO world: to shy away from voiceover for non-profit organizations. This guidance is, in part, because the remuneration is often low or lower than corporate work or commercial voice over work. But there are several reasons narrating for nonprofits can be beneficial. By avoiding non-profit organizations, you may be missing out on voice-over narration that can be extremely rewarding, occasionally financially, but more often the reward is measured in other ways. Before you write them off your marketing plans, check out other benefits this work offers.

Why You Want To Narrate For Nonprofit Organizations

Rates

It is generally true that nonprofit organizations try to keep their video communication budgets as low as possible to be able to put the money they accrue to further their agenda. In the union world a public service announcement, for example, might pay out half the rate of a regular commercial or narration. However, not all of the work pays low rates. You can always bid for this kind of work at your regular rate. If you are exactly what they are looking for or they’ve been given a healthy budget and need to disburse funds accordingly, your rate may not be compromised. There may also be benefits in providing pro-bono narration work that can be reported as a donation on your taxes, talk to your accountant and see if you can get a charitable tax receipt in lieu of payment for work done.

Experience

For better or worse, there will be fewer people competing for this work because the price offered is generally lower. This means you may have a better chance of booking the work since the talent pool vying for it is smaller. And because less competition, also means more opportunity to build a relationship with these organizations with your marketing. Working with nonprofits can open opportunities for referral business as well.  The universe of non-profit organizations is smaller than the general corporate population and often as part of their mandates, they spend time building relationships with other non-profits and corporations. Being a trusted resource in this arena can be a very good way to build your client list.

Association

An important asset to any business, but especially in non-profit work is relationship building. And developing partnerships in a B2B2NPO (business to business to non-profit organization) may yield big benefits. For example, you may be doing a favour for an agency when you narrate for a non-profit. Chances are the agency is also doing a part or all of the work pro bono. If they ask you to participate, you have an opportunity to be seen as part of their team and benefit from that association.

You also get the benefit of being associated with the nonprofit itself. A few of the more recognized charitable organizations I have done voiceover narration work for include the American Red Cross, Easter Seals, United Way, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, B’nai Brith, Americares, the Nature Conservancy, Patient Access Network Foundation, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Rotary International, Smithsonian Institution. 

Purpose

“Give me beauty in the inward soul; may the outward and the inward man be at one.” Socrates may not have been specifically referencing non-profit narration, but there is a definite value to aligning what you care about with what you do. He also said, “Let him who would move the world, first move himself” and finding non-profit organizations that align with your values to narrate for can give your voice over work an extra dollop of purpose. You may not be able to afford giving a donation, but this may be a way you can contribute. Being a part of something larger than your own business and doing good in the world is a benefit that shouldn’t be undervalued. At the beginning of the covid 19 pandemic, a lot of people became very stressed very quickly. A narrator on multiple mediation apps, I created and narrated a couple free guided meditations for friends, family members and people in my business community to help ease the anxiety. Although not aligned with a non-profit, this offering brought me an extra sense of giving back

Work/Life Balance

There’s a great deal of satisfaction that can be gained from helping out your fellow man (or animals, or the environment, or fighting social injustice, etc..) While you’re spending time building out your voice over career, you may not have time to volunteer at the food bank, but you could offer to voice their Thanksgiving or Xmas spots as a donation. You can also align your VO business brand with a particular charity or branch of work where non-profits exist (i.e. healthcare or cancer or working with kids). This will not only benefit you in doing-good vibes, but also boost your brand recognition with other for profit corporations in the same space.

The first time I saw a rythmo band crawl across the top of a cartoon with words matched in time to the little animated mouth flaps, I was mesmerized, and a little scared. The script scrawled in a racing cursive with weird curlicues and indecipherable symbols which flowed past a black bar on the left. An actor stood at a wooden bar, gesticulating wildly, spewing out words in a kooky voice in perfect time to the running script and to the action on screen. It was challenging. It was technical. It was creative. And I was hooked, I wanted in. 

Dubbing. A form of voice acting not for the faint of heart, dubbing, or versioning, is a whole different world of voice over.  So what is it?  A simple definition of dubbing is the process of adding new dialogue or other sounds to the soundtrack of a motion picture or animation that has already been shot. It requires an actor to “follow the flap” (watch the mouth movements of the animated or live-action character) and provide the dialogue such that it matches the rhythm and cadence and mouth movements of the character speaking – no small feat for dubbing in the original language and even more difficult when dealing with translated dialogue!

A Very Brief History of Dubbing and Its Uses

A brief jaunt down history lane tells us that dubbing is generally considered to have been created in the 1930s in New York when an enterprising Georgian-born filmmaker named Rouben Mamoulian wanted to add audio effects to his film Applause, one of the early “sound films”. Mamoulian experimented with editing all the sound on two interlocked 35mm tracks and thus beginning the standard film tracklaying/dubbing practice. Later, to achieve ‘unreal’ sounds in his 1931 film Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, he experimented with a number of photographic techniques creating ‘sound’ directly onto the optical negative.

This synchronization was extremely limited by the number of tracks that could be used and it is remarkable the achievement of those early sound films in dubbing additional audio.  Essentially what today can be accomplished with a powerful laptop, a Source Connect session, and an adept sound engineer wasn’t as easy in the 30s.

 

Voice Dubbing For Live-Action Film (and now streaming) 

Less expensive and troublesome than synchronized filming (voice and picture recorded together), voice dubbing for live-action film today is employed in the original-language version of a soundtrack for many reasons. Defects that arise from synchronized filming can be remedied, dialogue that is unclear, muffled, overwhelmed by ambient sounds or lack of concealable microphones can be dubbed to overlay high-quality audio, regardless of the conditions while shooting.  

It is also used to replace a voice with another – as in the case with foreign language films being dubbed into other languages, or when poor singers are dubbed with a more pleasing voice.  New York Dub, a production house that specializes in dubbing has a pretty good montage of samples of live-action dubbing. 

The key takeaway for the voice actor when dubbing live-action film is that it relies heavily on the ACTING part of voice acting.  Time is of the essence – not only for sync but also for production costs. So the actor needs to be able to dial into the character, understand the choices the original actor made and match the emotion, intensity, and intent while paying attention to the art of obeying the technical rules of being in sync while also conveying the dialogue in a convincing manner consistent with what is on screen. And they need to do it on the first (or second) take. Again, not for the faint of heart.

A game changing tool which is now used in pretty much all the ADR studios in LA is VoiceQ. A subscription based DAW-less dubbing tool, (that syncs with ProTools and is bound to iLok) it makes the process easier for all involved. As actor/producer/studio owner Marc Graue says, “many times the client sends us a QT movie with mirrored Time Code on our version and theirs which allows them (or us) to control beeps, transport etc.” In Marc’s studio, they’ve also used Zoom to connect (talent, director, sound engineer, etc) remotely. “It can be a little difficult to synch,” he says. “So we’ll do a loop….move it around, compress or expand to make it match lips flap then move on to the next… it’s a little cumbersome but works great!”

 

Versioning – Voice Dubbing for Foreign Language Replacement or Regionalisms, Accents, and Dialects

Versioning is another term for dubbing that is used more in reference to projects where the live-action or animation project was originally written in a different language and the voice actor is brought in to provide foreign language dialogue replacement.  Sometimes, it can refer to projects that are not translated, but rather require a character to have a regionalism, accent, or dialogue and find that it needs to be adjusted or replaced post-filming.  Here too, the voice actor has to focus on acting and syncing and now they have the added joy of doing it in a language that likely doesn’t follow the original flap.  Not easy.

 

Voice Dubbing in Animation – A Character Actor’s Dream

Another popular use of voice dubbing is for animation projects. A character actor’s dream, voice talent are often hired to provide more than one character in an animation dubbing project.  There is still an emphasis on acting, and here consistency is going to be key, especially if the character needs a character voice or vocal “mannerism” that the actor needs to keep consistent while dubbing. Anime, such as Pokemon, is a popular style of animation that is dubbed into English and voicing not only the dialogue but all of the vocal efforts (grunts, gasps, sighs) is done as well.  Following the flap in animation can sometimes be harder if not all normal mouth moves are accounted for in the animation, or if the translation means that extra sounds in the language need to be added or removed to make the dialogue fit the mouth movements (this is true in live action, but can be easier to match).

Can I Do This From My Home Studio?  What Are The Rates for Dubbing?

Dubbing rates, as with other styles of voice over can vary by project, studio, and even country of your client.  Dubbing work is almost always paid in studio hours, however. Using the GVAA Rate Guide for a general guideline, a typical non-union session can be anywhere from $75-$200/hour with a 2-hour minimum and the Union Rate is $64.25/hour.

Though some studios like Zoo Digital are starting to work with some voice talent remotely and Source Connect allows for remote voice to picture work, the majority of dubbing work is still done in studios.  In the new Covid-19 world, it will be interesting to see what happens in this VO space.

 

How to Be Successful As A Dubbing Actor

In order to really succeed as a voice actor in dubbing, as the saying goes, practice, practice, practice.  Above all, your acting has to be top-notch, and being able to find and embody a character quickly with some depth and complexity where required is going to set you apart in this field.  VoiceQ has a voice actor subscription plan and comes with a demo project you can try out. (But it’s just one project) You could also see if you could apprentice or work part time in an ADR studio to observe any chance you might get. A better option is to sign up for one of the many classes you can take that will help you develop your eye/mouth coordination and allow you to spend some time getting used to looking at a screen and a script all while speaking accurately, acting and fitting words often into a mouth not speaking the same language.  It’s not something you can do cold.  But it is a skill you can develop, and if you’re like me, you’ll be hooked and want to get in on it.