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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good content, but please hire an editor, October 17, 2010
This review is from: The Art of Voice Acting, Fourth Edition: The Craft and Business of Performing Voiceover (Paperback)
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There's no doubt that someone looking to get into voice acting will find a lot of useful advice in The Art of Voice Acting. The content is there, and as someone who is not a professional voice actor I will defer to the author as to what is essential knowledge in the field. Ironically, where the book stumbles is in all the throat clearing that precedes anything useful. The initial chapters seem to drone on about how important it is to get a coach, for example, and I have no doubt that it is. But someone who bought this book presumably wants to just get on with it and cover the basics without being told every other page that this will be difficult and that he or she needs a coach. This may be true, but after the eighth or twelfth time reading it it starts to feel as though the real goal is to sell coaching sessions. It is also a bit of a frustrating read when it lapses into common sense for pages at a time, for example spending several pages on the definitions of practice, rehearsal and performance. The author seems to find nuance where there needn't be any. A good editor could easily knock 100 pages off of this book. On the plus side, if you can make it through the self-indulgent prose, the techniques in here are helpful. For example, the approaches to creating a back story to copy can change your perspective (and performance). Finding the music in a script can also help. Similarly, the CD contains some excellent examples and wisdom -- from pronunciation to enunciation to facts about the voice in general -- that are very welcome. (On the downside, the woman doing the reading on the CD has a noticeable breathing problem.) Especially good is the section about selling versus informing, which is a persistent problem with written as well as spoken compositions. Overall I strongly agree with the authors that coaching is essential if you want to hone your speaking and voiceover skills. In the meantime, The Art of Voice Acting delivers much or perhaps most of the crucial context. It can be tediously basic at times, but when the insights eventually come along it should be enough to keep the aspiring voice actor reading.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Insider track on how to break into a lucrative business that no one knows about, September 15, 2011
This review is from: The Art of Voice Acting, Fourth Edition: The Craft and Business of Performing Voiceover (Paperback)
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I first found out about voice over work in college when taking an advanced elective for my degree. The professor did voice over work and somehow this got mentioned in class. He said he'd get checks in the mail periodically for work he had done years before - royalty check magic anytime a commercial aired on radio or TV that he had done work on. I was in awe, but when I asked him how to get into such a business, he was elusive and made it sound like your only way to get into it was to have started 30 years earlier. This book is written by an insider - one who has been deeply entrenched in voice over work - and now that I'm better educated, voice ACTING work. I never had really thought about it before - but this is definitely acting, not just voicing. Many people have great voices, but could lull a hungry bear to sleep with their reading of any copy. The book has a realistic take - this is not a get rich quick scheme. The author lets you decide - do you want this as a hobby or a full time job? He goes over what the obstacles are, how luck is involved and how to present yourself professionally on the first go. The included CD brings to life the examples in the book. There are times when the book tends to ramble, but considering the value of the content, it's worth it. It's like sitting in the classroom of a wise sage and having to indulge in their occasional random segues into stories about how they first met their next door neighbor - but worth it for the years of experience & wisdom they have acquired and are dispensing. The book could have been edited down quite a bit without losing any relevant content - but it's still a great book on how to break into this field. Not everyone is going to have a voice like Gene Hackman, but those who produce commercials, video games, etc., are not always looking for Gene Hackman's voice - they could be looking for yours. The instructions won't change your voice, but can improve your delivery and give you a better ear to notice things you never noticed before.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Where do you sit in the voiceover orchestra?, September 22, 2010
This review is from: The Art of Voice Acting, Fourth Edition: The Craft and Business of Performing Voiceover (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Be the next Alec Baldwin or Peter Coyote! The book discusses the field, how to develop your talents and skills, where to possibly find employment etc.,. Interesting tidbits about those "behind" the stage are interspersed with famous voiceover actors/actresses ... they lend tips and tricks for the semi-professional. The book also comes with an audio CD for examples of the book's techniques. A niche market book - but I found it very interesting as a layperson. I also wondered what kind of people are doing those crazy ads ... like Viagra and similar products?! "When you want the time to be right ....."
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