Word of Mouth: A Guide to Commercial Voice-Over Excellence (Paperback)

by Susan Blu (Author), Molly Ann Mullin (Author) "Approaching anything new, we often bring with us certain misconceptions..." (more)
Key Phrases: tape the phrase, casting people, animation work, Basic Process, John Westmoreland, Molly Ann (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The art of voice-over is the backbone of commercials, animation, documentaries, and radio dramas produced for both national and local markets throughout the country. It is an ever-growing, lucrative field, and the demand for well-trained voice-over artists is increasing rapidly in our age of digital entertainment.

Word of Mouth—now in its updated and revised third edition—is the primary instructional book in the voice-over field. A clearly written and practical primer for the beginner and a welcome refresher course for the professional, Word of Mouth contains voice-over exercises, sample copy, and essential advice about producing a demo, auditioning, self-promoting, getting an agent, and what to expect on the job. It also provides exclusive and up-to-date lists of voice-over agents, coaches, workshops, and demo producers and duplicators. It is the standard text for numerous university communications, television, and acting department courses.

The book is accompanied by a 50-minute audio CD that demonstrates various techniques and styles of animation and commercial voice-over performed by ten top voice-over artists. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher
"What quickly becomes apparent when you are in a Susan Blu session is that she has a better voice and greater skill than you. So the fact that she is beloved by actors is a true testament to her directing chops and her generous spirit."—William H. Macy

"Sue is a voice-actor’s dream! She has a way of helping you pull things out of your voice that you didn’t know were there."—Wayne Brady

"Sue Blu is the real deal. She directs with respect, humor, and the greatest timing on earth. I know because she directed me towards two daytime Emmy nominations, and I love her." —Henry Winkler

"Sue has great honesty that is brought to her work; it clearly brings her directing and teaching skills to a higher level. Voice-overs have always been her passion. She has the ability to understand all the nuances of character and animation. She instantly knows how to bring life and personality to a character’s voice through amazing and helpful exercises. I hope you get as much out of this book as I have." —Lucy Liu --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Pomegranate Press; Second Edition edition (January 23, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938817329
• ISBN-13: 978-0938817321
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #854,333 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chapter Two ALONE Is Worth 100 Times the Price of the Book, March 25, 2000

By	Voiceguy (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

Here in Los Angeles the streets are lined with people who can "read copy," but the choice voiceover assignments go to the select few who add something more to the work - believability, personality, and a strong one-on-one connection with the audience. "A camera does not lie," say the authors, "and neither does a microphone."

That's why this book is so valuable. Although trying to teach voiceover skills through a book is inherently challenging -- sort of like trying to teach driving, or violin-playing, that way -- this book is the most successful one I am aware of. It is without doubt the best single resource on voiceover work in print today.

The key is the authors' relentless focus on the internal process of creating great readings, which they call "The Basic Process."

"Ad copy is more than just a bunch of words strung together to promote a product," they write in Chapter 2. "It is very much like a miniature play, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. One or more characters are involved, and it takes place at a particular time and place. You need to discover all those elements and more to act out the copy."

To get in touch with the reality of the copy, the authors detail their Basic Process: "Focus - Visualize - Commit." Using this process "allows you to make the copy your own little drama or comedy with its own life and vitality." Without it, "all your readings will sound alike -- and that sound will be mechanical and lacking in conviction." I don't know how anyone could lay out this crucial principle more clearly. The detailed suggestions for how to follow the Basic Process are both helpful and understandable.

The book offers a wealth of other information as well, including discussions about refining your reads, developing other voices and characters, preparing for animation work, producing a demo tape, finding an agent, handling auditions, and promoting yourself in your market. Throughout the book, voice actors, casting directors, advertising writers, and other industry experts are quoted extensively with helpful advice and entertaining war stories. Practice copy in various genres is provided. And the appendices contain numerous listings of workshops, agencies, and other resources of interest to voice talent. Every chapter offers tremendous value, all of it written with charm, elegance, and a sense of humor.

Anyone serious about a voiceover career should get this book and devour it.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone starting (or keeping) a voice-over career!, February 7, 1999

By	Howard Hoffman (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I always recommend this book. Susan Blu has the credentials: she's an accomplished voice talent, a casting director and a voice acting teacher. Along with tips and tricks, there's a great regional listing of agencies, schools and studios with addresses and phone numbers. She knows her stuff and you'd be doing yourself a favor by following her advice in this book.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, especially with the companion audio cassette, August 22, 1998

By A Customer

This is an excellent reference and manual for voice-over artists. It's a particularly good buy when combined with the companion audio casette.