Happy New Year! I hope 2010 will be a fine and prosperous one for us both. Things seem to be gradually picking up. Let’s pray it continues.

Check out some of what I’ve been up to – like these Ford radio spots for the F150 and the Focus.

Speaking of commercials, while watching TV tonight, I became intrigued by this commercial:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I don’t know anything about J. G. Wentworth, but as commercials go, this is a good one. No, it might not win a CLIO Award, but people will remember this number. For every business – but especially one that deals in “cash now” – it’s all about the numbers. Plus, c’mon! What wonderfully big operatic voices! They add an air of fun, as well as grandeur, to what is a fairly dry and worrisome topic. It seems it’s a running thing that J. G. (or the actor that plays him) does the tag line himself, but just maybe if he’d given a wink in close-up from the conductor stand on this one, and they’d dropped in a proper, professional voice-over (ahem), it’d be even more effective.

In a burst of free association, I’m thinking a VO might lend some of that “Geico aesthetic”. I’m reminded, of course, this legendary ad that introduced the late, great Don LaFontaine’s face to a broader audience (than the VO and film crowd to whom he was already legendary) who knew his voice but not his name:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The thought that might not be the real J.G. up there gives me occasion to revisit this amusing series of ads from the ’80s that put unmistakably friendly faces on a product (those of the actors as folksy CEOs):

Click here to view the embedded video.

All of these spots possess musicality and are fondly memorable. When you are trying to stand out above the competition, those can be important traits to try to incorporate.

So, if you’re out there and want to give it a shot sometime, J. G. folks, kindly look/hook/book me up. Oh! It did win a few awards!

Okay, Jeopardy’s back on. Later.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! – from The Vox Office.

It gave me some time to wonder where that one fateful microscopic transaction occurred. Was it punching in a PIN? Dropping off some mail? Who knows? But the resulting flu provided time for some reflection.

It all began innocently enough. It was a Friday afternoon. I was having to deal with a couple of “challenges”. But things began to really test my endurance and I was getting hot under the collar. Literally! The nerve! Whoa, I was sweating?  As my head began to pound, I griped to my friend on the phone about the aforementioned glitches and how, on top of that, I felt lousy. It was cold out but I was sweating. As I spoke the words, it dawned on me this was more than mere agitation. Turns out, these are not uncommon reactions with this strain–to basically be a cantankerous mess.

I’d seen my cousin’s posting on Facebook about himself, his wife and their two kiddos all coming down with it, but they were on the upswing. He became a kind of trip-master as he assured me I was indeed infected but by riding it out, it would afford me a stronger resistance to viruses on the other side. Soon thereafter, as I lay uncomfortably in bed, with VapoRub, Kleenex and Advil in tow, I would question everything.

At the recommendation of my mother, I began Zycamming and taking powerful antioxidants (grape and grapefruit seed extracts). I think these helped, because the thing never did get into my chest (thankfully avoiding coughing spells that, while often lovely, I really didn’t have the energy for). I also drank fresh Arden’s Garden juices and chamomile tea, in an attempt to sleep through most of it. Ibuprofen helped immensely with the aches (head and body) and keeping the fever down.

When people said things about bacon or made a pun about “oink-ment”, suffice it to say I wasn’t in the mood for the “half-baked” jokes. Especially when so directed. Why does this strain exist in the first place?

In this case, it seems that to be a booming business for an unregulated and unkempt Mexican meat industry, where the strain appears to have been born before spreading to U.S. pig farms. If you aren’t familiar with the routinely nauseating practices of most of the world’s meat industries, they are something to think about next time you’re ordering a meal. “Consider the source”, they always say. This and this are both interesting articles on the connection.

Whatever a flu’s source, it serves as a reminder from Mother Nature. A forced vacation from the everyday, if you will. So watch out if you don’t sanitize or immunize. You can take a ride on this pig this Christmas – but I’d advise avoiding the roller-coaster of fevers, chills and aches. Else you too will have big fun with the flu–or it’ll have fun with you.

VERDICT: Flu? Boo. (Ah-choo!)

The Know Show a weisenheiming oddcast hosted by Mister Natty Bumpercar and myself. Tell us what you know and where we can go at (707) 901-SHOW!

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The home studio. We voice-over actors are in a profession that often affords us the blessing of working from home. That’s certainly nice—little less rat race, wear and tear on the vehicle, fewer raised eyebrows when you wear your PJs to work—it’s the flexibility of freelancing.

Home studios are an increasing necessity for today’s voice-over actor. Many jobs are recorded at professional sound studios, but more and more are not. Once upon a time, the client booked a studio for auditions and voice talent would stream in, but now almost all auditioning is done from home studios and submitted as MP3s.

A home studio’s an achievable goal for most anyone who has a little know-how, or is willing learn or even someone who’s on a budget. You don’t need a special home with an underground bunker. That whole bunker thing has become kind of passé, anyway.

While it will take some investment to get it going, you can do this thing incrementally. Remember, it has never been easier or less expensive to set up a recording studio in your home. That also means more people have the means to do it. So, you’ll need to work at your craft first and foremost. The best studio in the world doesn’t guarantee you work, but it sure doesn’t hurt either.

Figure out where it’ll go. If you have a spare interior closet, that’s a good place to start. With modern digital equipment, you really don’t need a whole lot of room. You’ll need to try to soundproof and reduce sound reflection as much as possible. You’ll need a high-end professional microphone, acoustic foam and a good pair of headphones. Do your homework and read the reviews. You can save loads by shopping online. There are numerous options and configurations.

VO actor Peter Drew’s article describes how to build a bare-bones closet studio. Harlan Hogan and Jeffrey Fisher have written two fine texts on Do-It-Yourself home recording. You’ll find them available here, alongside my other Amazon voice-over book recommendations. Check ‘em out!

Have fun and break a lip!

I take great joy in the ingenuity of others, especially when it involves making something mundane a bit more exciting. Take John Palmer, a train announcer in Leicester, England who intermingles amusing observations with his regular railway announcements. I once had a roommate who would share a thought-for-the-day like this. Come to think of it, he was mostly just yelling at the TV.

On the other hand, Palmer’s questions and musings convey an almost Zen-koan-like levity: “Why doesn’t super glue stick to the inside of the tube?”, “Why don’t sheep shrink in the rain?” and “Why are boxing rings square?”

Railway commuters have gotten so attached to his fun facts and amusing observations, they comment when Palmer doesn’t include them in his announcements or when he takes a vacation day. Occasionally, an expert comes forward with a “plausible” explanation to one of his questions. But for Palmer, it’s about making the train friendlier and the commute more interesting. His employers agree, having encouraged him to continue.

What John Palmer does points to something professional voice-over actors and other creatives know—it’s not only about delivering information through your vocal chords, it’s about providing an experience. When you make information more human, it becomes accessible and relevant.

Voice actors often have to convey many things at once with our voices—not just read the words on the page. It’s about making that trip from Point A to Point B more rewarding for everyone involved, and maybe picking up some new friends along the way. All a-board!

SOURCE: DAILY MAIL

Voice-over actors are everywhere. In fact, most people in the modern world would be hard pressed to go about their daily routines without hearing a voice-over performance. Every TV commercial requires one—radio, of course, runs on the stuff. We’re online, recording audiobooks, train announcements, museum exhibits, cartoons, video games—you name it! That little voice you hear in your head that tells you not to do bad stuff? Also provided by voice-over artists. For a brief period of time in 1972, some 65% of American consciences were voiced by Daws Butler. It’s pretty certain that we’ve been secretly running the country since 1979.

Speaking of such VO “applications”, a Straight Dope column recently satiated a reader’s curiosity about one of the most ubiquitous voice-overs of recent times: “You’ve Got Mail” of AOL fame. The voice-in-question belongs to Elwood Edwards, with a simple bit of copy that has become universally recognizable as a brand.

One has to wonder if AOL would have been as successful if they hadn’t gone that route, or *shudder* used computerized vocal simulation. I’m getting a vision of an alternate world where all the baklava and banana bread is dry and flavorless. Funny that most of my visions of alternate universes begin with good food gone bad.

Anyhow, such is the interesting station of the voice-over actor: simultaneous fame and anonymity. Or near-anonymity. In any case, our work is about the message, not the messenger. If we’re good at what we do, like any good actor, you hardly even notice us. We strive to make the everyday just a little more memorable.

Photo: Victoria Park Train Station Speakers. Stuart Green, artist; Rob Muir, sound artist; Dave Primmer, mixed media.