Thanks to Google+ I met another groovy Voice-Over colleague. He's beatnik cool, has a really marketable voice, a playful personality and funky sideburns. He’s Jordan Reynolds. And I just knew early-on he was going to be getting a Debby Barnes Voice-Over Rah-Rah! whether he wanted one or not. After being drawn to his cartoonish VO mascot, I thought he was the kind of guy any one would love to have as their friend, colleague and/or next-door-neighbour. He seemed fun, helpful, encouraging, thoughtful, engaging and communicative. And any guy who openly hashtags: “The gorgeous Downton Abbey theme song. #SongsIDontMindHavingStuckInMyHead” has got my vote! He’s also a gifted Voice Actor, Audio Engineer & Producer, Improv Theater Actor, Music Enthusiast, Tech Geek, and Professional Sideburn Grower. (He's obviously another over-achieving Creative, for sure.)
Well, after viewing his quirky vlog, ‘My latest video: Cheap and free ways to record #voiceover
and #vocals in a crappy sounding room’, I was eager to read a, ‘Jordan’s Chopped Thoughts’ blog. His ‘Voice Acting Is Harrd’ entry is a good read. First of all, he’s
very transparent and writes like he’s gettin’ real. This particular entry is
about his reactions to the book he’s been reading and highly recommending: Acting in Commercials: A Guide to
Auditioning and Performing on Camera. It details the importance of communication
and how to communicate effectively. (…beneficial stuff for any/all VO Actor’s
whether they want to do on-camera work or not, he reminds us.)
After he reads the scientific study they’ve conducted that
states that, “…only 7% of interpersonal communication relies on the actual words, while 55% of
communication results from facial expressions and 38% from the way in which
people use their voices.” He does some
basic math and concludes with a sigh: “…essentially, our ability to
communicate with our listener in a compelling and effective manner is twice as
hard.” (Hence, the title of his blog.) So after
reading the book’s suggestion that we must inject a feeling and/or an emotion into what we’re saying, he urges us
to go further by asking ourselves a different question. And the question he
asks is spot-on and effectual. It actually leads to a more enhanced technique
for him and he finds it ‘…much
easier to stay out of his head and just ACT!’ In any kind of VO genre this
sounds like sage advice. (…and I’m using it.) He even goes a step further
by offering us Soundcloud audio samples comparing his different VO copy reads.
(…a blog bonus, of sorts.) He’s definitely hit on something that won’t make
Voice Acting so HARRD! Rah-Rah!
Jordan.
Read it here:
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