Today, I had my first session with Speakaboos in a while, since just after my honeymoon, in fact.
There were two items on the agenda; the first was a re-record of Frankenstein as the first version was scaring kids a bit (the writing, not my VO, you puds) and the second is something I can't talk about yet, but also something that brought such joy and warmth to my heart.
I'm not a nervous auditioner.
I am confident enough in my abilities as a voice actor so that nerves have never really been an issue.
Add to that the fact that, in some cases, talent has nothing to do with it, and feeling nervous about such things is not a problem for me.
When it comes to bookings, what is there to be nervous about? I already got the job, they saw what I had to offer and dug it, of course I'm going to meet (or exceed) their expectations...I already have.
Walking into today's Speakaboos session, I was nervous. Not because I wasn't confident in my abilities, not because the folks I was working with didn't know how good I am at this sort of thing (I've been working with Speakaboos for about a year now, they know what I'm capable of) but because what I was doing was...important. It was huge.
Not that the normal Speakaboos sessions aren't, they are doing something unique and doing it well, but today...this...this had...magic.
Honest, real, pure, powerful childhood magic.
I've been saying for a while that getting to work with people like Speakaboos is the reason that I got into voice acting and I mean it; I'm not one to throw that around, but...today...was so much more.
Hopefully the beginning of a new and even more amazing chapter of my work with Speakaboos.
Also, for those of you with iPads, I was informed that the Speakaboos iPad app updates about once a week with new material and that, this week, "The Three Little Pigs" has been added.
In "The Three Little Pigs", I play Paul (not relation), one of the less...architectural...of the little pigs. I found out today that the pig who gets it right...was voiced by Bob Vila.
I am in "The Three Little Pigs" with Bob Vila.
That was today for me.
Thanks for stopping by.
Showing posts with label Speakaboos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Speakaboos. Show all posts
5.02.2013
And Then I Was Santa
Santa.
Not Satan.
Something awful happened on Tuesday and has been sitting on my mind since then.
I'll skip the details because I honestly can't think of a way to make what happened not sound like it's about me and I don't want to do that.
Anyway, I was having a really dark week and then I remembered that I was booked to record a session for Speakaboos today.
I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to deliver, that I wasn't in a "Speakaboos place", if you know what I mean.
I arrived and was told that, today, along with a narrator and a dad, that I would also be playing Santa Claus.
The script was just dripping in heartfelt Christmas cheer, the kind of stuff that would just sound wrong if it weren't delivered with real feeling, and, in the end, I walked out of there feeling like a new person.
I also learned that the big Speakaboos unveiling should be happening in a few weeks if everything goes as planned; along with some future projects they're hoping to undertake...all of which were very, very exciting and, hopefully, will include me in some fashion.
I have never had more fun doing voice over than with Speakaboos and I'd love to see this crazy train keep on rolling.
On top of all that, Target wants me back in in a week or so to do some more Everyday Collection radio spots.
Hopefully, I will get to talk sexy about bacon again.
Not Satan.
Something awful happened on Tuesday and has been sitting on my mind since then.
I'll skip the details because I honestly can't think of a way to make what happened not sound like it's about me and I don't want to do that.
Anyway, I was having a really dark week and then I remembered that I was booked to record a session for Speakaboos today.
I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to deliver, that I wasn't in a "Speakaboos place", if you know what I mean.
I arrived and was told that, today, along with a narrator and a dad, that I would also be playing Santa Claus.
The script was just dripping in heartfelt Christmas cheer, the kind of stuff that would just sound wrong if it weren't delivered with real feeling, and, in the end, I walked out of there feeling like a new person.
I also learned that the big Speakaboos unveiling should be happening in a few weeks if everything goes as planned; along with some future projects they're hoping to undertake...all of which were very, very exciting and, hopefully, will include me in some fashion.
I have never had more fun doing voice over than with Speakaboos and I'd love to see this crazy train keep on rolling.
On top of all that, Target wants me back in in a week or so to do some more Everyday Collection radio spots.
Hopefully, I will get to talk sexy about bacon again.
3.15.2013
OMFG!!! MARRIAGE UPDATE!!!!
As of right now, I'm eight days out from my wedding.
But this isn't about that.
This is about my week in voice acting.
Sucker.
Monday was stupid, angry early.
A booking for Carrabba's from 9 am until the client's final approval but with a hard out at 2 pm*.
Oh. Sorry. 8 am.
This is the kind of voice over I'm not a big fan of: it was a remote, which means I'm in a booth in New York with an engineer (J.D., who was totally awesome) while the producers, directors, audio folks etc. are in another location and only talk to me through a set of headphones. What this means for me is a lot of standing in silence while they talk things over.
Then, once we have a good version of the scripts (a :30 and :15 version), they have to send it off to the client, the people representing Carrabba's.
This is the awful part.
To "send something off" means to, literally, attach a rough version of the VO to an e-mail and send it. In this case, that meant to Florida. After an inordinate amount of time, they get back to the folks in the studio and tell them that they like what they're hearing or that they want something different.
Sadly, the client wanted something different.
Which means back into the booth and start from scratch.
When this new delivery is finished, again, it gets sent to the clients.
Long wait.
Final decision.
The people were all great, but the copy was so bland. This isn't an interesting commercial that people are going to want to hear again, this is something that will make them change the channel and I don't like the boilerplate read that I did.
But, it's the client's money and their choice so, whatever.
Thankfully, they liked what I did the second time around and I go out around one.
Four hours, during which time I was actually recording for, maybe, ten minutes, forty five seconds of which will actually be used.
Behold: the Industry.
After that session, I headed over to an audition that was supposed to have taken place an hour earlier, but, because the session ran long, I missed my slot. I called to see if I could still make it and they said yes. It was at Sound Lounge and with Andy and I'm more than cool with both of them.
It was a lucky thing I made the audition, because I ended up booking the gig...Bud Light.
Another "9 am" session...another open ended "9 am" session.
Such...suffering...
But, it was at Sound Lounge and these guys are always cool. The room was comparatively packed; two people from accounts, two from creative, a producer and the audio engineer. Throw in a keg and...no.
This was a lot more fun than Carrabba's, it always is when the room is full of people.
At one point, Prince was brought up** and it turned out that most everyone there had excellent Prince stories.
The script was more fun than any beer commercial that I've ever heard and, although the client seemed to want something more boilerplate, the creative folks wanted more of a Denis Leary read...which was perfect for me at fake-9 am. At one point, I got to improv some stuff which is always a blast, but, whether or not they use it, I suppose we'll see.
In the end, I had to leave at 2 pm, but we had gotten everything done that we needed.
Sadly, it looks as if the Leary read will not be the one they go with.
Again: the Industry.
The next morning was yet another session at Bang for Speakaboos, which has become my favorite voice over gig ever thanks to Amy Kraft, the executive content producer. We bond over such wonderful geeky stuff...
Thursday's session, while only from 10 am to 12 pm, was full of the most fun and challenging voice work I do these days.
First on the docket, I met the creator of Scrapkins, Brian Yanish, who was working with Speakaboos to get one of his stories animated. My character? Digger.
He'd never been voiced before and I had the honor of doing so. Brian had an idea of what he should sound like and, after I made a bunch of weird noises, we had our Digger.
Did I mention that Digger speaks his own language?
He does.
Example: I had to say "Zoogarrrr!" in several different ways.
After this, which was...just the most silly fun ever...I was handed a more kid-friendly version of Shelly's "Frankenstein"***, for which I did all the voices, the narrator, Dr. Frankenstein and the Monster.
Have I mentioned that I enjoy working with these guys?
Then, with just a bit of time left, I was handed "Night Boy", written by Anne Carter and illustrated, beautifully, by Ninon Pelletier, for which I read the narrator and Night (brother of his sister, Day).
Although we only got halfway through, I'm going back in on Tuesday for three hours to finish that up and do some more, undoubtedly, fun, challenging, creative and wonderful stuff.
Before I do though, there is the matter of Monday...on which I will be recording some internal VO for mono, the ad agency behind the kick ass Target "Everyday Collection" campaign. Turns out that this campaign really took the ad world by storm and now it's been nominated for a bunch of awards. I'm going to be voicing the award submission video and the video that kind of breaks down and explains the campaign to folks.
These guys have also been totally awesome and I'd love to work with them again.
I love how they've taken the ironic glamour and elegance of "Tar-jhey" to such a ridiculous extreme that it's actually become cool and funny.
Have you seen these commercials?
And, on top of all this paid work, I'm just over halfway through recording my second audio book for Phil. As it is a fraction of the size of "The Grind Show", it is going so much faster and less frustratingly and I'm almost enjoying the actual recording.
Hopefully I can get that wrapped up before my honeymoon, because, if I don't...it's really going to eat me up.
I loathe having creative projects not finished when there's nothing stopping me but me.
I never understand that...how some people have ideas and then just write them down in little books until they grow moldy and less pertinent. If you have an idea and are able to carry it out, fucking do it. There is nothing, NOTHING more satisfying than having a thought, writing it down and then creating and releasing it; whether it's glorious or insane or pure shit. It's something you made, something no one has seen before...hopefully.
It also pays to Google your idea first, just in case.
So, yeah.
Eight days before the happiest day of my life and I'm voice acting like a fucking maniac.
Good stuff.
* A "hard out" means that, no matter where we're at, I'm out the door by that time. If you're too nice (like me), sometimes you get taken advantage of.
** Yes, by me, and yes, that counts.
*** Less murder and burning.
But this isn't about that.
This is about my week in voice acting.
Sucker.
Monday was stupid, angry early.
A booking for Carrabba's from 9 am until the client's final approval but with a hard out at 2 pm*.
Oh. Sorry. 8 am.
This is the kind of voice over I'm not a big fan of: it was a remote, which means I'm in a booth in New York with an engineer (J.D., who was totally awesome) while the producers, directors, audio folks etc. are in another location and only talk to me through a set of headphones. What this means for me is a lot of standing in silence while they talk things over.
Then, once we have a good version of the scripts (a :30 and :15 version), they have to send it off to the client, the people representing Carrabba's.
This is the awful part.
To "send something off" means to, literally, attach a rough version of the VO to an e-mail and send it. In this case, that meant to Florida. After an inordinate amount of time, they get back to the folks in the studio and tell them that they like what they're hearing or that they want something different.
Sadly, the client wanted something different.
Which means back into the booth and start from scratch.
When this new delivery is finished, again, it gets sent to the clients.
Long wait.
Final decision.
The people were all great, but the copy was so bland. This isn't an interesting commercial that people are going to want to hear again, this is something that will make them change the channel and I don't like the boilerplate read that I did.
But, it's the client's money and their choice so, whatever.
Thankfully, they liked what I did the second time around and I go out around one.
Four hours, during which time I was actually recording for, maybe, ten minutes, forty five seconds of which will actually be used.
Behold: the Industry.
After that session, I headed over to an audition that was supposed to have taken place an hour earlier, but, because the session ran long, I missed my slot. I called to see if I could still make it and they said yes. It was at Sound Lounge and with Andy and I'm more than cool with both of them.
It was a lucky thing I made the audition, because I ended up booking the gig...Bud Light.
Another "9 am" session...another open ended "9 am" session.
Such...suffering...
But, it was at Sound Lounge and these guys are always cool. The room was comparatively packed; two people from accounts, two from creative, a producer and the audio engineer. Throw in a keg and...no.
This was a lot more fun than Carrabba's, it always is when the room is full of people.
At one point, Prince was brought up** and it turned out that most everyone there had excellent Prince stories.
The script was more fun than any beer commercial that I've ever heard and, although the client seemed to want something more boilerplate, the creative folks wanted more of a Denis Leary read...which was perfect for me at fake-9 am. At one point, I got to improv some stuff which is always a blast, but, whether or not they use it, I suppose we'll see.
In the end, I had to leave at 2 pm, but we had gotten everything done that we needed.
Sadly, it looks as if the Leary read will not be the one they go with.
Again: the Industry.
The next morning was yet another session at Bang for Speakaboos, which has become my favorite voice over gig ever thanks to Amy Kraft, the executive content producer. We bond over such wonderful geeky stuff...
Thursday's session, while only from 10 am to 12 pm, was full of the most fun and challenging voice work I do these days.
First on the docket, I met the creator of Scrapkins, Brian Yanish, who was working with Speakaboos to get one of his stories animated. My character? Digger.
He'd never been voiced before and I had the honor of doing so. Brian had an idea of what he should sound like and, after I made a bunch of weird noises, we had our Digger.
Did I mention that Digger speaks his own language?
He does.
Example: I had to say "Zoogarrrr!" in several different ways.
After this, which was...just the most silly fun ever...I was handed a more kid-friendly version of Shelly's "Frankenstein"***, for which I did all the voices, the narrator, Dr. Frankenstein and the Monster.
Have I mentioned that I enjoy working with these guys?
Then, with just a bit of time left, I was handed "Night Boy", written by Anne Carter and illustrated, beautifully, by Ninon Pelletier, for which I read the narrator and Night (brother of his sister, Day).
Although we only got halfway through, I'm going back in on Tuesday for three hours to finish that up and do some more, undoubtedly, fun, challenging, creative and wonderful stuff.
Before I do though, there is the matter of Monday...on which I will be recording some internal VO for mono, the ad agency behind the kick ass Target "Everyday Collection" campaign. Turns out that this campaign really took the ad world by storm and now it's been nominated for a bunch of awards. I'm going to be voicing the award submission video and the video that kind of breaks down and explains the campaign to folks.
These guys have also been totally awesome and I'd love to work with them again.
I love how they've taken the ironic glamour and elegance of "Tar-jhey" to such a ridiculous extreme that it's actually become cool and funny.
Have you seen these commercials?
And, on top of all this paid work, I'm just over halfway through recording my second audio book for Phil. As it is a fraction of the size of "The Grind Show", it is going so much faster and less frustratingly and I'm almost enjoying the actual recording.
Hopefully I can get that wrapped up before my honeymoon, because, if I don't...it's really going to eat me up.
I loathe having creative projects not finished when there's nothing stopping me but me.
I never understand that...how some people have ideas and then just write them down in little books until they grow moldy and less pertinent. If you have an idea and are able to carry it out, fucking do it. There is nothing, NOTHING more satisfying than having a thought, writing it down and then creating and releasing it; whether it's glorious or insane or pure shit. It's something you made, something no one has seen before...hopefully.
It also pays to Google your idea first, just in case.
So, yeah.
Eight days before the happiest day of my life and I'm voice acting like a fucking maniac.
Good stuff.
* A "hard out" means that, no matter where we're at, I'm out the door by that time. If you're too nice (like me), sometimes you get taken advantage of.
** Yes, by me, and yes, that counts.
*** Less murder and burning.
6.01.2012
The Sorting Twat
After abandoning the burning, sinking corpse-barge that is LiveJournal and importing all my superimportant and relevant and totally smart journal entries to this here Blogger address, I have learned that one is able to label said entries with the topics addressed IN said entries.
Wow.
So, as of right...now, I have labeled about two and a half years worth of my near decade of fuckrants, rambles and fuckrambles®, and I've noticed something...I address a hell of a lot of topics.
My brain is like a beehive filled with angry, stupendous beavers.
A BEEHIVE FILLED WITH ANGRY, STUPENDOUS BEAVERS.
I'm also tired today as I had my most recent recording session with the Speakaboos crowd. We did Jack and The Beanstalk, with me narrating and playing the giant. I was going to play an annoyed cow, but we had some rerecords from previous sessions to take care of as well, so no annoyed cow.
I did get to say a line as an irritated genie in the style of Paul Lynde though, which is better than an annoyed cow.
After that I went home, became sleepy, then set off for a major league soccer audition.
I tried not to laugh, I really did...but...guys, come on...soccer? Me?
You send me out on a Junior Mints audition or a sleeping audition or for some anti-sweating coalition and I am down...but soccer? Sports?
Barking up. The wrong. Tree.
And now I'm here.
Soon after this riveting glimpse into the life of a tall, beautiful voice actor is wrapped up, I'll continue sorting my past journal entries into categories so solipsistic and oblique that you'll HAVE to read them*, just to attain some understanding of me, and then I will finish reading my good friend Phil's latest literary abortion.
Hm. That could be misunderstood.
Phil started writing a new novel and then stopped.
I'm reading it to see if it should remain stopped or if he should consider finishing it.
Not that my word is law, but, sometimes, I my enthusiasm in such matters can be helpful.
So far I'm enjoying it and look forward to the end of chapter fourteen (which is as far as Phil got), at which point I'll ask him what happens next and he'll shrug and I'll cry.
Tomorrow night is Chris' birthday party.
I'll be there.
That's about all I can tell you for sure.
*You probably won't. Won't have to and won't read them.
Wow.
So, as of right...now, I have labeled about two and a half years worth of my near decade of fuckrants, rambles and fuckrambles®, and I've noticed something...I address a hell of a lot of topics.
My brain is like a beehive filled with angry, stupendous beavers.
A BEEHIVE FILLED WITH ANGRY, STUPENDOUS BEAVERS.
I'm also tired today as I had my most recent recording session with the Speakaboos crowd. We did Jack and The Beanstalk, with me narrating and playing the giant. I was going to play an annoyed cow, but we had some rerecords from previous sessions to take care of as well, so no annoyed cow.
I did get to say a line as an irritated genie in the style of Paul Lynde though, which is better than an annoyed cow.
After that I went home, became sleepy, then set off for a major league soccer audition.
I tried not to laugh, I really did...but...guys, come on...soccer? Me?
You send me out on a Junior Mints audition or a sleeping audition or for some anti-sweating coalition and I am down...but soccer? Sports?
Barking up. The wrong. Tree.
And now I'm here.
Soon after this riveting glimpse into the life of a tall, beautiful voice actor is wrapped up, I'll continue sorting my past journal entries into categories so solipsistic and oblique that you'll HAVE to read them*, just to attain some understanding of me, and then I will finish reading my good friend Phil's latest literary abortion.
Hm. That could be misunderstood.
Phil started writing a new novel and then stopped.
I'm reading it to see if it should remain stopped or if he should consider finishing it.
Not that my word is law, but, sometimes, I my enthusiasm in such matters can be helpful.
So far I'm enjoying it and look forward to the end of chapter fourteen (which is as far as Phil got), at which point I'll ask him what happens next and he'll shrug and I'll cry.
Tomorrow night is Chris' birthday party.
I'll be there.
That's about all I can tell you for sure.
*You probably won't. Won't have to and won't read them.
11.30.2011
BEACH GAME!!!!
11.30.11
3:22 pm
Recently, I watched Danny Boyle's "The Beach".
It should have been titled "Someone Took A Shit On The Beach".
Because watching it was the equivalent of stepping in a pile of sand-covered feces on a beach...for two hours.
Danny Boyle earned a hell of a lot of cred with "Trainspotting" and lost it all on this bag of balls.
From the random character choices made by characters you didn't care about to all the pointless yelling and then the fact that the idea of paradise is a bunch of smelly hippies with an unlimited supply of weed.
Yes.
Paradise is a commune, folks.
Run by Tilda Swinton, perhaps the strangest-looking woman in Hollywood...although she was great in "Constantine".
And, at the end of the movie, all the poor, life-is-too-hard-man-so-just-roll-up-a-joint-and-let-the-sun-GOOOOOOO-BAYBEEEE!!!! stoners have to leave their sticky, green Shangri La and return to the real world.
Total bummer, dude.
I'm sure once they reconnect with their respective dealers though, that life will be a little easier.
And thank goodness for that.
I'm willing to wave away this fart of a movie simply because everything else this guy has done has been great and everybody gets one.
"The Beach" is Danny Boyle's one.
Let's move on...
In anticipation of Fincher's "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" remake, I've been reading up on him.
Did you know the first thing he directed was a music video for Rick fucking Springfield?
It's for a song called "Bop Til You Drop" and could not have less to do with Rick Springfield or bopping.
It (sort of) still holds up and was probably one of the weirder things on MTV at that time.
Or certainly one of the most ambitious.
After a handful of interviews, I realized two things: that he's kind of a megalomaniacal, control-freak dick (which makes for a great director) and that I need to watch more of his stuff.
I had totally forgotten that he directed "The Game" back in 1997, a movie which involves Michael Douglas in an "ARG" when an "ARG" was merely something the Hulk exclaimed in comics.
If you haven't seen "The Game", see it.
It's a brilliantly made mindfuck of a movie.
Michael Douglas is great as is Sean Penn.
Granted, it's one of those "The Usual Suspects" type revelation movies, but, also like "Usual Suspects", it's fun the whole way through.
And it still holds up.
I plan to rewatch both "Panic Room" and "Zodiac", though I remember not loving either of them.
Then, once I've gotten through them, I'm going to do "Fight Club" and "Se7en", two of my favorite movies.
Between those two and "12 Monkeys", I learned to love Brad Pitt for more than his DSLs and myriad abs.
So yes, in short, avoid "The Beach" like a dirty hypo lying on a beach and embrace "The Game" as the kick ass future glimpse it was/is.
Also, next Friday, I am going to be recording a bunch of characters for an upcoming Speakaboos project.
Google Speakaboos, think of me and then laugh and laugh.
3:22 pm
Recently, I watched Danny Boyle's "The Beach".
It should have been titled "Someone Took A Shit On The Beach".
Because watching it was the equivalent of stepping in a pile of sand-covered feces on a beach...for two hours.
Danny Boyle earned a hell of a lot of cred with "Trainspotting" and lost it all on this bag of balls.
From the random character choices made by characters you didn't care about to all the pointless yelling and then the fact that the idea of paradise is a bunch of smelly hippies with an unlimited supply of weed.
Yes.
Paradise is a commune, folks.
Run by Tilda Swinton, perhaps the strangest-looking woman in Hollywood...although she was great in "Constantine".
And, at the end of the movie, all the poor, life-is-too-hard-man-so-just-roll-up-a-joint-and-let-the-sun-GOOOOOOO-BAYBEEEE!!!! stoners have to leave their sticky, green Shangri La and return to the real world.
Total bummer, dude.
I'm sure once they reconnect with their respective dealers though, that life will be a little easier.
And thank goodness for that.
I'm willing to wave away this fart of a movie simply because everything else this guy has done has been great and everybody gets one.
"The Beach" is Danny Boyle's one.
Let's move on...
In anticipation of Fincher's "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" remake, I've been reading up on him.
Did you know the first thing he directed was a music video for Rick fucking Springfield?
It's for a song called "Bop Til You Drop" and could not have less to do with Rick Springfield or bopping.
It (sort of) still holds up and was probably one of the weirder things on MTV at that time.
Or certainly one of the most ambitious.
After a handful of interviews, I realized two things: that he's kind of a megalomaniacal, control-freak dick (which makes for a great director) and that I need to watch more of his stuff.
I had totally forgotten that he directed "The Game" back in 1997, a movie which involves Michael Douglas in an "ARG" when an "ARG" was merely something the Hulk exclaimed in comics.
If you haven't seen "The Game", see it.
It's a brilliantly made mindfuck of a movie.
Michael Douglas is great as is Sean Penn.
Granted, it's one of those "The Usual Suspects" type revelation movies, but, also like "Usual Suspects", it's fun the whole way through.
And it still holds up.
I plan to rewatch both "Panic Room" and "Zodiac", though I remember not loving either of them.
Then, once I've gotten through them, I'm going to do "Fight Club" and "Se7en", two of my favorite movies.
Between those two and "12 Monkeys", I learned to love Brad Pitt for more than his DSLs and myriad abs.
So yes, in short, avoid "The Beach" like a dirty hypo lying on a beach and embrace "The Game" as the kick ass future glimpse it was/is.
Also, next Friday, I am going to be recording a bunch of characters for an upcoming Speakaboos project.
Google Speakaboos, think of me and then laugh and laugh.
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