Tag: voice over

You Tube Science

When I am writing, whether its blogging or fiction writing I have a second monitor that is always playing YouTube science videos, primarily space videos. The images are so amazing, brilliant in their composition and striking in the thought of how distant these objects are from our little planet.

The video narrations stir my mind with observations of the surface of Venus or the formula for a black hole. I love this stuff and it gives fuel to the muse. I would love to get a narration gig for science videos.

So I sit at my desk,

MY WORK DESK

my coffee on the warmer, the dog and cat are resting, my hubby sleeping after his 4pm-4am shift, and the magnificent creation of the universe pushing my writing mood.

I will be doing some VO auditions this afternoon, but right now my fictional characters are calling out to me with more of their story to be told. Since this is my place, inhabiting the story this morning, so it means I am in Coastal Maine. How fun it is to travel anywhere I want, and live an exciting, adventurous, and romantic life vicariously through my fictional people.

I’m still trying to get some freelance clerical and/or writing opportunities to work from home, along with the VO work. If you know of someone who needs a virtual admin assistant, proofreader, copy writer, or a voice artist send them my way!

Cheers!

-N

http://www.nuancevoicing.com

Getting my VO groove on!

I just finished a weekly webinar series by SOVAS called #thestateofVO and it gets me so pumped up.

SOVAS

Listening to the guest speaker who could be a renowned voice over artist, a VO director, a talent agent, or any number of professionals in the voice over business is so great! The people who host are in the foremost of the industry. I’m starting to recognize regulars like me.

VO

So much of what they share is spot on, with information that only comes from first hand – hands on – real time experience that I can’t help but feel I’m getting first class tools to expand what I can offer a client’s job.

The person tonight, JB Blanc, has been the voice for several game characters, and just like that he dropped into character and shared his development process. What a great voice.

DAUGHTERS OF DC

He also shared the trailer for a podcast he is directing, “Daughters of DC”. It is so on trend right now.

The hosts and guest speaker also take the time to answer some of our questions during the session and this is where you find out how common your personal thoughts and travails are within the VO community.

Us newbies can use this info to really build on our experiences.

Cheers!

-N

 

 

Yes, that’s my voice

From the time I was little I remember singing. It was something on my mother’s side of the family that happened whenever we gathered together.

My grandmother

My grandmother had a beautiful soprano voice, and she loved to sing hymns whether she was cooking or hanging clothes on the line.

My Uncle

My uncle could out-sing a grand piano with his strong, operatic baritone. His brother could hold his own singing as well.

My mother was a fine alto as were her sisters. Most of my cousins all have varying degrees of singing skills. It’s a family thing.

I’ve always had a good voice which led me to performances in choir and musicals. I love to say I got my voice from my grandmother. After all we do have the same first name!

Now I’m using my voice in a different way by attempting to break into voice-over (VO). My speaking voice when I’ve done readings has always received favorable comments on my sound, tempo, and quality. I feel much of it comes from years of stage plays.

Rehearsing The Fantastics with Marty

I liked acting, and did it a lot in school and after in local community productions.

When I was just out of school I started doing commercials for local radio. It was a blast. The funny part was when someone would say they heard a commercial that sounded like me. I would ask what was it for and then confirm “Yes, that was my voice.” After a while family and friend would listen for me then tell me they heard me.

Years ago in the local malls (which hardly anyone wants to go to now) they had these mini studios where you could go and record yourself. I went in, found the background music for Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” and did a recording. I picked it not because I was a big country music fan, but because I knew all the words. I didn’t try to sound like her, or to try to sound country, but just be myself singing a simple song. Well, we were having a party and I played it. My neighbor, Ed, asked me who it was. I told him and he said “That’s you?”

“Yes, that’s my voice.”

VO Sound booth

I’m looking for referrals for VO jobs so let me know if I can bring my voice to your project.

I work in a zero sound floor home studio that I use to record, edit and deliver professional quality Wav or mP3 files. Let’s work together.

Cheers!

-N

 

Let’s go!

These  efforts toward a VO website and blog website presence are, for the most part, enjoyable. It’s a huge learning curve for me and not having the funds to hire it all done, I must teach myself the skills of the trade. This is not an intuitive process in my mind.

Create

Rather than thinking – dang I gotta blog! What the heck am I gonna write about? When a light bulb moment occurs I can start writing and flesh it out over a few days. This way I am writing whenever I am inspired and then, when scheduling the finished post, I am relieved. New blog DONE!

Sometimes I will open a new blog post page, write a silly question or comment in the title line, and save a draft, just what I did with the above title. Then when next I sit down at the laptop I listen to what my mind thinks this means. Is this the best action? Hmm, perhaps not. So how do I to become a productive blogger? One thing I’ve set up is a weekly appointment on my calendar to remind me to check my blog.

As a blogger what is your preferred method for development of your blog text?

 

Holder of My Flame cover character.

With fiction story writing it is entirely a departure from the process described above. I know the gist of the story and the main characters. Plotting is done with the goal of telling their story authentically and using all the rest of the information to create that narrative. Lots more research into location, problem solving, character building, understanding angst, age appropriate dialogue and responses, and a host of other aspects which are part of the whole as the story develops, and I get to know the people I’m writing about.

With voice-over no writing is involved, rather I am provided with a script or narration, and my job is to interpret it – who, what when, where, why and how of the audience and speaker. My delivery is then based on the voice the client wants; mature, mysterious, friendly, salesman or conversational. I spend hours recording, doing edits, and then submit my audition for consideration. Creative but in a vastly different mode.

Voice over

Create: to produce through imaginative skill.

Cheers!

-N

Revelations

Small revelations about myself have been bombarding me for a week or so. They run the gamut of emotional, physical, spiritual and everything in between. It’s pushed me to find a quiet mind place – place to dissect, delve, scrutinize, explore, eliminate, examine – you understand.

I’m not a huge self-discovery person so when a few things pushed at me I pulled them in and had to take a look.

First – alone time. Due to the extensive travel during my childhood with my Air Force father a type of wanderlust was created in me. Never one to want to be in one place for more than a few years (typical of duty stays in the military) I looked forward to the next place. As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs this kept me from developing friend making skills because, heck, you would move on soon enough. What it did create was contentment to be alone. There are good times for this, but when you are married, have children, working full time, and nearby family it might have instilled resentment that I would retreat, hide, mind wander and make myself comfortable with myself and not be available. Both of my kids are like this as well, especially my daughter.

I love the sound of chimes, bells, rain, ocean, flute, fairy songs, and soft breezes. I love the feeling in my house when there is no sound-no TV, stereo, electronics. Just the random outside noise of birds, dogs barking, the kids next door playing in their pool. I also enjoy my rock & roll, jazz, pop music playlists on my apple music – loud.

But like everything else, the when and where of these live inside me.

I have a friend who is retiring and said she wanted to come hang out at my house with me once she is free from the work day drudgery. I like it, and I know she will respect that sometimes I just have to be alone. My dear friend who moved to St. Louis (actually Edwardsville IL) understood this wonderfully. It’s a true blessing to be in tune with another human this way.

Hubby gets me, most of the time, and gives me space when required. It’s how we’ve stayed together for forty years – yep that’s right. The only human who doesn’t get this is my precious grandson. He is five, busy, silly, active and fun. He can’t understand why Nannie (me) won’t come play sometimes. I explain it, he says okay and is back in ten minutes with something new.

Writing for me is gradually coming together after fits and starts, and my current work is progressing. The first third is written, the next third is plotted and I know the end goal for it. It’s fun and plays in my head like a movie. I’m really digging my blog and have thought of reading it on a  You Tube channel as a companion  vlog, sort of twin telling. We’ll see. I keep pluggin away at the voice over auditions and know that once I get that first job things will fall into place. There is a lot of competition, but I’ve a great space for it, my own little sound proof studio, for learning the software and equipment to record, edit and produce really good work. Anyone have a VO job for me?

So I am slowly coming out of a gloomy funk thanks to weird physical stuff that I had no idea of the source of and it scared me, a lot. Kind of got a bit depressed with that, missing my BFF, needing to hide, and letting God fill me up.

I’m getting there.

Cheers!

-N

Anybody Out There?

When I created this blog it was intended to communicate, interact, and exchange ideas. I tend toward being a loner, not an introvert because I can schmooze with the best of them when it is required. Getting a smile back from the grocery check-out clerk gives me a great feeling. The idea I might have helped cheer someone’s day is wonderful. I try this on a lot of folks.

Conversation. I often enjoy it and I’m pretty good at keeping it going after learning a bit of the art of it, when and how to ask questions, and avoiding trite replies like “you’re kidding! really? no way!” and instead reply with “tell me more or that’s wonderful (or shocking) or I understand” which encourages engagement.

For several years I had a very best friend, one that would call me to check up, invite me over, get together for meals, she loved coming to my place to hang out. She taught me how to be a long term friend, since my youth was spent traveling to different stations my father was transferred to with the USAF. So friend making, true friend making, wasn’t part of my wheel house. My parents had their adult friends – most of whom worked with dad and moved where he did, but I really only had my sisters. Meeting her as an adult was enlightening to say the least. We took trips together, enjoyed music and wine together, loved the beach. But…she and her husband divorced and she moved to St. Louis to be with her elderly parents. We lost a lot of contact, and I lost that friend.

Her parents have both passed now, details of the estate have been sorted and she is staying in St. Louis until her daughter graduates high school. The light in this is she plans to move back to Tucson and I am thrilled.

Maybe I won’t give in so readily to my aloneness or that wee bit of melancholy you saw in last weeks post. BTW the test result from the 19th was good news. The room where I write, blog, do voice over, and sew in has become more and more about being in my own space. I covet my time in it.

However…back to the blog.

I don’t get many comments and I wondered why? Is there something I’m missing in what I share? If you have any constructive advice and comments I would love to hear them. More pictures, videos, book reviews, music reviews?

So I sit, praying for rain and cooler temps in Southern Arizona with a three hour YouTube video of fall rain playing on my laptop. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers!

-N

I need a schedule

Greetings lovely blog followers!

Wanted to share something I have discovered about myself. It appears I require more than just spontaneous efforts in writing, blogging,  and voice over for successful results.

So…

I’ve begun to schedule specific days each week for that work. Mondays and Fridays will be for writing. Wednesdays will be blogging day, Tuesdays and Thursdays are VO days.

So…

This schedule will begin next week. I may have a bit of trouble staying on it next week since the grandson will be here until the 8th. Yet I am determined to persevere.

Cheers!

-N

It’s Official!

01 February 2020, Tucson AZ

NUANCE VOICING is open, live and ready to give a voice to your business.

Do you need versatile voice talent for a radio or television commercial, the smooth sound for your narration project or audio book, a professional, welcoming voice greeting callers to your business phone line?

Let me give your project the unique perspective my voice skill can offer.

Click on the link below and go to my website to hear a demo sample.

http://www.nuancevoicing.com

 

 

 

Cheers!
-N

Welcome to my VO journey

Well beautiful readers, I have started my Voice-Over (VO) journey!! 👏

As I’ve previously mentioned, years ago I was busy providing voice talent for local radio commercials. I was also active in local community theater, both of these fed a performance desire in me. Looking back on those times, and the interesting people I encountered, are some of my most fun memories. Being in that scene, in Tucson, was great for me, and a place I often went in my mind with the thought, “How can I do that again?”

Moving to the now. I saw the ad for the voice over class, and curiosity overcame, prompting me to sign up. After participating in the class, getting a positive response from the VO professional running the class I seriously considered getting the training. I felt confident I could do this. Hubby and I spent time talking about it, looking at the costs involved, and I signed on with Such A Voice for my training. 

It has been amazing, fun, challenging, enlightening, and encouraging. My VO coach is a seasoned professional who is helping me, when we meet weekly, to develop and improve my skills. She is a fun person with lots of experience and cool stories. I have three more sessions with her.

After that I will be meeting with the sound professional who will make sure my in home sound booth is up to my needs in order to produce professional VO auditions. I have an upcoming master class to hone the skills I have developed and network with other VO artist in my area. At this time I will also be meeting with my demo coach who will work with me in preparation of my custom scripts for my professional in-studio demo session. These demos will be my marketing tools.

After all of that is completed Such A Voice has more resources to help me be successful in the VO industry.

So that’s the latest, beautiful readers, of my current adventure. Watch for updates to come.

I am still busy with my two books in process and it is interesting how the script analysis part of VO complements my writing. The best of both worlds for me.

Cheers!

-N

I’m looking for cash

So much of my thoughts right now is on how to work from home. If you google that phrase you will get pages of suggestions-much of it the same kind of thing. I want to work from home for two reasons. First I want to be available if my daughter needs me to care for my grandson, second I want to bring in extra income, but not full time, to help with fun expenses like travel and hobbies.

Writing is fun and when I get to publish a new book its out there for folks to buy and enjoy. I like both of those. The thought that someone would honor me by purchasing one of my titles is humbling. I also love that the reader is going to get caught up in the characters and historical trip the story takes them on – especially when I read a review saying they were digging it! However I am no Stephen King or Janet Evanovich – not yet – so I keep writing.

My blog is such a release for me, relaxing and an immediate gratification as I watch the blog stats after it is published. It is a creative outlet for me, and I like that my followers are coming to know me through this venue. But, I’m not as widely read as I would like, so the $$ support from possible sponsors isn’t where it needs to be, but I keep blogging.

Nancy history: Just out of high school I got a job as a media buyer for a small advertising firm. It was a great job, I met amazing and interesting people, and my creative side was jumping with joy every time I saw a television spot or heard a radio commercial I placed for a client. I was able to be part of some of the production for these as well. It was so cool. With one of these spots I was asked if I was interested in being the voice talent! This led to a couple of years doing radio commercials for a variety of local businesses. A local DJ at KWFM Jim Ray and I had a series of spots for Summit Hut, a local outdoor sports outfitter. It was so popular that we had listeners calling the stations to ask about the “couple” on the spot. Jim and I had a good time with that one.

This leads to my next adventure in cash:

I am delving into the voice over business. I have recorded some audition pieces, but the equipment I have is fairly basic so I am purchasing enough sound equipment and devices to produce professional auditions. So we will see if my studio time and theater work from a few years ago will serve me well in this venture. Keep your fingers crossed!

Cheers!

-N