Transitions – Take me for a ride!
One part copy (any genre)
One solid character (whether animation or broadcast type)
A true understanding of the scene you are playing
Then mix these ingredients together until they are smooth and then take it for a twist.
Playing it safe is easy to do and most of us do it. We create a charcter, we do some homework on the copy/audition and then we perform. However 9 out of 10 performers play it safe trying to get it just perfect.
First off there is no such thing as perfect and secondly, the last thing the decision makers are looking for is perfection. They are looking for reality and reality isn’t smooth. It has lots of bumbs and twists along the way.
Think of one’s fascination with a roller coaster. Even though you can see the ride and you know what is about to happen, it’s the anticipation of not knowing exactly when or how it’s going to feel that gets your heart racing. You are going at a steady climb, then held in suspense for a minute, then a serious drop to put your heart in your chest. Imagine if you could do this with copy? It’s our transitions and changes THAT ARE NEVER SCRIPTED that bring out the unique creativity of a performer.
Let’s face it, we all have voices, so any one of us could try and voice a script, but it’s knowing what to do with that copy that makes you stand out from the rest. There are many forms of transitions. Dead Pauses (But you must be careful using this trick. DEAD AIR MEANS WASTED MONEY – so you really need to know what you’re doing to use this one). Changing of pace – going from fast to slow or vice versa. Changing of tone or pitch. This one is missing from most of our characters. We create a really good voice and then we are stuck in the placement and steadiness of the character when we start bringing them to life. That makes it boring and predictable. We need to be able to bring changes to our characters, while still STAYING IN CHARACTER. In everyday life we don’t always speak at the same octave and pace, so teaching your characters how to change is vital to an outstanding performance.
We want to always shock our audience by taking them on a roller coaster ride of variety. Many twists and turns to move the plot. You need an expert coach to help you with this one. It either comes naturally to you – which is rare- or you have to be taught, so be patient and take the time to learn
Until next time everyone
All my best
Vo Chef Deb