August 9th, 2011
Interview with Voice Actor, Tara Platt!
July 6th, 2011 FROM: BigDamnGeeks.com
You might not recognize her face but her voice will jog your memory! Tara Platt is an amazing voice actor whose worked on shows like Naruto and Ben 10, films like the upcoming Tekken: Blood Vengeance and video games like Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe and Marvel vs Capcom 3. Aside from her work in animation, Tara Platt is an accomplished stage actress who’s played the title role in Romeo and Juliet and as Titania in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. She’s worked multiple times in shows written and directed by Star Trek: TNG’s John De Lancie. In 2004, she and her husband Yuri Lowenthal created Monkey Kingdom Productions, an independent film company and they also co-wrote a book on Voice Acting called Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind The Mic.
You started acting at a very young age, but when did you first get into doing voice work for animation?
The acting that I did when I was younger was all stage, I didn’t get into film or TV until after college, and then I didn’t start working in VO (animation, video games, etc.) until moving to LA in my early 20′s. So although I’ve been acting for much of my life, the VO part has been the latest “medium” to play in… Read the entire article
Tags: Ben 10, big damn geeks, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, Naruto, Tara Platt, Tekken: Blood Vengeance, video games, voice acting, voice-over, voiceover, Yuri Lowenthal
Posted in Buzz, Reviews & Interviews | No Comments » |
March 15th, 2011
Turn on the radio or TV and try to mimic not only the words, but the accent, the inflection of the speaker and see how close you can get to sounding like them.
This is another great (and inexpensive) way to practice is to mimic things you hear. Listen to your favorite radio station and simply mimic the DJ’s, the commercial announcers, even the newscasters. Not only will this clue you in to the types of voices that are booking work, but you’ll often come up with new and exciting voices just by trying to mimic someone else’s.
Tags: exercise, mimic, mimicry, radio, Tara Platt, Tips, vo tip, Vocal Exercises, vocal health, vocal practice, voice acting, voice over exercises, voiceover, Yuri Lowenthal
Posted in Tips, Vocal Exercises | No Comments » |
March 7th, 2011
1. This exercise is to help simulate an audition experience for you. Remember to look for all the information on the page to give you clues to your performance.
2. Do a trial run with each of the specs and record yourself. Play it back and listen to hear if what you planned in your head was apparent in your recording.
Try out the following Commercial and Animation Audition Copy using the following specs. See how each unique spec changes your performance.
Commercial –
Specs:
1. young, cheerful, spunky 2. wants to be everyone’s friend
3. eternally optimistic 4.intelligent, honest, down-to-earth
1. In the summer heat, 2 bucks can go a long way.
Now, at The Burger Joint, grab a large drink, large fries
and your choice of hamburger or cheeseburger for only $1.99.
Come in and fill up for less than 2 bucks.
2. Why choose one of those other companies that might loose your package or handle it with less-than-optimal care?
Let BoxYouUp come by your office or home and package,
mail and deliver your important items at your convenience.
Visit BoxYouUp.com for pricing.
Animation –
Specs:
1. energetic, sporty, hot shot 2. is always having a good time
3. goofy, crazy, wild 4.nervous and easily excited
1. Hey little monkey, I don’t know what you are doing in there, but you need to come out right now. You hear me?I don’t wanna have to yell. C’mon now. Get out. Get. OUT. Monkeeeeeeeeee! OUT. Now see, that wasn’t so bad, now was it. Ha! Silly monkey.
2. You mean there is more out there than this? Robots even? Wicked!
Because I’ve been waiting my whole life for that.I just know I can take them on.
Let’s go.
What are you waiting for? Let’s do this thing.
Woah. Did you see that? I’m awesome.
Fantastic. Hopefully getting the experience of listening to your performance has given you a deeper understanding of the variety of things you will want to consider when working on audition material or even going to an audition. Of course, this exercise can’t exactly duplicate an audition experience, but the more prepared you feel before you go into an audition situation, the more confident and relaxed you will be, and the higher your chances of you doing your best work, and with any luck, booking the job!
Tags: audition, auditioning, exercise, mimic, mimicry, radio, Tara Platt, Tips, vo tip, Vocal Exercises, vocal health, vocal practice, voice acting, voice over exercises, voiceover, Yuri Lowenthal
Posted in Tips, Vocal Exercises | No Comments » |
February 28th, 2011
1. punch small medium large
2. kick small medium large
3. attack small medium large
4. hit (you’re being hit) small medium large
5. death small medium large
The above is a good example of something you’ll encounter quite a bit in video games because video games are generally chock full of action. Imagine what kind of sounds you’d make in the given situations. Mix it up a little and try a variety of sounds like hy-ah, ki, shah, rah, gar, huh, for example. Try the same sounds with different types of efforts to see how they come out. Experiment with different lengths of efforts. Often in a video game session they will ask for a small, medium and large version of each fight sound. Imagine the difference between getting your earlobe flicked, getting punched in the face and getting decked with a sledgehammer. A good imagination will bring variety and directors really like variety. Give ‘em what they want and they’ll call you again.
Try to make sure you are generating the sound from good diaphragmatic support and not uncomfortably constricting your throat to create the sound. Straining your throat can put a lot of pressure on your vocal cords and could damage your voice.
Another great (and inexpensive) way to practice is to mimic things you hear. Listen to your favorite radio station and simply mimic the DJ’s, the commercial announcers, even the newscasters. Not only will this clue you in to the types of voices that are booking work, but you’ll often come up with new and exciting voices just by trying to mimic someone else’s.
Tags: diaphragm, diaphragmatic support, djs, exercise, fight sounds, Tips, video games, vo tip, Vocal Exercises, vocal health, voice acting, voice actor, voice-over, voiceover
Posted in Tips, Vocal Exercises | No Comments » |
February 14th, 2011
1.lie down flat on your back somewhere comfortable yet firm
2. hum/sigh in and out
3. practice panting
4. roll over to one side and then slowly get up to a standing position (make sure you’re not holding your breath!)
5. do some neck rolls – very gently roll your head around in small circles both clockwise and counterclockwise to warm up your neck and throat
6. do some shoulder rolls – gently roll your shoulders forward and backward to loosen and warm up your back and neck
7. shake out your feet/hands – gently get your circulation going by shaking your hands and feet out
8. jump 1-10
9. massage your face – rub your hands together until they’re warm, then massage your face to relax all the bones and muscles there
10. lion/mouse – this is a fun one, which you can do in front of a mirror if it makes you happy. As the lion, stretch and open all the muscles in your face, your eyes your mouth so you look like a scary lion getting ready to bite your head off, then immediately switch to mouse face, where you twist and tighten all the muscles in your face, eyes and mouth so that you are as small and pressed as possible, switch between the two to send blood to those areas and wake them up.
11. tongue extension – stick your tongue out as far as it will stretch, then pull it back in. do this several times. Also try and touch your nose with your tongue. Now your chin. Now your right ear, and now your left (if you have to towel your face off after this one, you’re doing it right).
12. sirens
13. trills
14.P-T-K-T, B-D-G-D
15. tongue twisters (find some of your favorite tongue twisters and practice saying them as quickly as possible) search “tongue twisters” on the Internet and see what comes up (“Peter Piper…” What a to do…” “Unique New York,” “Red leather, Yellow Leather…”).
Now, hopefully, you feel awake, alive and ready to play. You can take as long as you’d like with this warm-up or you can time yourself. For example, if you’re short on time, see if you can get thru the entire warm-up in only 5 minutes. If you have more time, allow your body to warm up a little more slowly, maybe giving yourself a half hour to get through all the exercises. Adjust the warm–up to your specific needs.
Fight sounds, efforts and reactions can be a tricky part of voice-over especially if your voice isn’t warmed up. They’ll turn up almost no matter what type of VO you’re doing, from animation to video games to sometimes even commercials. Take the time to make sure your voice is fully warmed-up and awake before trying this next exercise so that you don’t hurt your vocal cords.
Want to feel ready to tackle auditions, VO sessions or expand your breath control and range? The Warm-Up MP3 or CD – both are available here
Tags: breathing, complete body warm-up, exercise, Tara Platt, Tips, vo tip, Vocal Exercises, voice acting, voice actor, voice-over, voiceover, warm up, warming up
Posted in Tips, Vocal Exercises | No Comments » |
January 31st, 2011
Roll your tongue on the roof of your mouth (in a “Spanish ‘R’ ” sound) while going up and down the scale
Doing trills combines warming up your vocal cords with waking up your tongue. Since your vocal apparatus is like a machine, you want all of its parts warmed up, well-oiled and working together to create your best, strongest, most versatile voice.
Great articulation, and rapid tongue movement is what a ventriloquist uses when throwing their voice.
Tags: acting, actor, articulation, great articulation, Tara Platt, Tips, trills, vo tip, Vocal Exercises, vocal health, vocal practice, voice acting, voice actor, voice-over, voiceover, warm up, warmed up
Posted in Tips, Vocal Exercises | 1 Comment » |
January 19th, 2011
1. P-T-K-T (puh-tuh-kuh-tuh)
Repeat the sounds P-T-K-T over and over (p-t-k-t-p-t-k-t…)
2. B-D-G-D (buh-duh-guh-duh)
Repeat the sounds B-D-G-D over and over (b-d-g-d-b-d-g-d…)
3. P-T-K-T-B-D-G-D (puh-tuh-kuk-tuh-buh-duh-guh-duh)
Repeat the sounds P-T-K-T-B-D-G-D over and over (p-t-k-t-b-d-g-d-p-t-k-t-p-t-g-d…)
4. Vary up the pattern a bit to make it harder for yourself. Try also going up and down the scale while doing this articulation exercise
5. After doing this exercise for a bit, try one of your favorite tongue twisters and see if it’s easier.
This exercise will allow your mouth to get warmed up while working on both plosive and non-plosive sounds. Also be aware of your breathing throughout the articulation exercises, so that it also helps you practice breath control.
Tags: articulate, articulation, breathing, vo tip, vocal health, vocal practice, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice-over, voiceover
Posted in Tips, Vocal Exercises | No Comments » |
January 10th, 2011
1. Place your hand on your diaphragm.
2. Open your mouth and allow the tongue to relax and hang out of your mouth.
3. As quickly as possible, inhale and exhale, like you’re a dog panting.
(of course, if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, stop immediately)
We’ve been focusing on strengthening your diaphragm, but that won’t be the only thing you’ll be using. Your diaphragm will be working in conjunction with your mouth, tongue and mind so they must be ready to go as well. Articulation, or the ability to speak clearly, is a crucial element to a voice actor’s repertoire. Not every character you play will need good articulation (and sometimes you may even be told to articulate less), but it is always better to have it up your sleeve, so that if you’re slurring your speech, it’s a choice rather than an issue.
Tags: breathing, breathing exercises, vo tip, vocal health, voice acting, voice-over
Posted in Tips, Vocal Exercises | No Comments » |
December 29th, 2010
1. Inhale deeply and then, holding your palm an inch in front of your mouth so you can feel the air, let out a hiss.
2. Hiss for as long as you are comfortable and then take a deep breath.
3. Repeat this 5 times alternating between an “s” hiss and a “z” hiss (which we guess might be called a ‘hizz’).
4. Begin to gradually increase the length of your hiss (or hizz) as you are comfortable.
Hissing can strengthen your abdominal muscles and your diaphragm because they are working to maintain one strong continuous flow of air. Another exercise that’ll work your abs is to pant, rapidly, like a dog when it is hot. This exercise will force your diaphragm to rapidly push and pull, which will strengthen it over time, but might tire you out pretty quickly. The benefits are many, though, not the least of which being to help protect your voice when you have to do any shouting or yelling.
Tags: abdominal muscles, breath, breathing, inhaling, vo tip, Vocal Exercises, voice acting, voice actor, voice-over, voiceover
Posted in Tips, Vocal Exercises | No Comments » |
December 10th, 2010
1. Begin by lying flat on the ground and placing your hand on your abdomen just below your ribs.
2. Feel the natural rise and fall as you breathe.
3. Notice the natural ‘pause’ between inhale and exhale.
This is how your body breathes without you trying to do anything to control it. As you breathe, there should be four sections to each breath: 1. an inhale, 2. a pause, 3. an exhale, 4. a pause. We usually don’t feel the pauses because they’re short and they happen naturally, but they’re there, all right.
This next exercise focuses on lengthening, or expanding, your breath. Begin by inhaling for a three-count, holding for a three-count, exhaling for a three-count and holding for a three-count. Do this until it’s comfortable and then start to increase your count, four-count, five-count, etc. If you start to feel light-headed or dizzy, stop immediately and take a break. See if you can comfortably work up to 5, 6, 7 or even 8, 9, 10.
(Tara once had a voice teacher who could breathe in and out on a thirty-count, which comes with a lot of practice. Being able to hold your breath and control your breathing allows you to play with your voice more, giving you more range and stamina, which could come in handy for things such as recording long passages for audiobooks or characters who really ramble on.)
Tags: audiobooks, breath, breath control. vocal control, breathing, inhaling, Tara Platt, Tips, vo tip, vocal practice, voice, voice acting, voice actor, voice-over, Yuri Lowenthal
Posted in Tips, Vocal Exercises | No Comments » |
You might not recognize her face but her voice will jog your memory! Tara Platt is an amazing voice actor whose worked on shows like Naruto and Ben 10, films like the upcoming Tekken: Blood Vengeance and video games like Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe and Marvel vs Capcom 3. Aside from her work in animation, Tara Platt is an accomplished stage actress who’s played the title role in Romeo and Juliet and as Titania in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. She’s worked multiple times in shows written and directed by Star Trek: TNG’s John De Lancie. In 2004, she and her husband Yuri Lowenthal created Monkey Kingdom Productions, an independent film company and they also co-wrote a book on Voice Acting called Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind The Mic.
