Being Comfortable With One’s Own Voice Good For Non VO Folk, Too

Giving voice to Jessica Lange or Winona Ryder and Nicole Kidman is just one aspect of Carole Wyand’s experience as a voice-over actress.

She has also, over time, become a medical narration specialist because she has a talent with words.

“I can say words like ‘trimethoprimsulfamethoxide,’” Wyand said. “And I can sound like I know what I’m talking about when I don’t. And I can do it in an interesting manner. My bread and butter is in the medical field.”

Wyand will be sharing her talent and helping participants find their own during a voice-over workshop held during the upcoming White Sands International Film Festival.

“Voice-overs are not only for actors but also for regular people too,” she said.

Voice-overs are used for numerous things, Wyand said. The talent is needed for commercials, animation, on computer programs, audio books, corporations, the medical field and the much dreaded phone menus heard when calling a business.

Learning about voice-overs also is a great benefit in the area of public speaking, Wyand said.

“You know how you come across to an audience,” Wyand said. “That’s what you are learning. It’s being comfortable with your voice.”

The workshop is about being comfortable with one’s own voice, experience and being comfortable in front of a microphone. Wyand will work with people to help them be aware of their own voices, pace their delivery and not to be afraid.

Wyand thinks people are afraid of speaking publicly or on tape. She said voice-overs are not about vocal qualities, they are about attitudes.

“The voice doesn’t lie,” she said. “It communicates if you are excited or worried. Putting a smile in your voice can be as simple as putting a smile on your face.”

The workshop will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 22 at the First National Bank Atrium. Tickets are $40 to participate and $20 to audit the class without participating.

There is room in the class for 10 participants, but if it fills up, Wyand said she is willing to hold a second workshop later in the day.

“For an actor (the workshop) is for really voice acting, and it’s for the average person who wants to improve their public speaking,” She said. “People should not worry about regional accents. You can learn to annunciate better, but don’t hesitate because of a regional accent.”

Wyand also said voice-over can be done anywhere, not just New York and California. “Technology can send your voice anywhere,” she said.

“If you keep the essence of who you are, you can acquire a delivery you can use in meetings, auditions and acting roles,” Wyand said.

Source: Alamogordo Daily News

Game Audio Network Guild Awards Swept by BioShock

The Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), a non-profit organization supporting the game audio industry, has announced the winners of its 6th Annual G.A.N.G. Awards, which honor outstanding creative, technical and artistic audio achievement in games.

BioShock won a total of 8 awards, succeeding in every category in which it was nominated. Additionally, industry veteran Brian Schmidt was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Schmidt is best known for his audio work in games such as Madden Football, Desert Strike, Star Wars Trilogy and Crue Ball. In 1998, Brian left freelance audio for Microsoft, where he set the direction for game audio technologies for Windows and Xbox for the next decade.

Finally, G.A.N.G. member Nathan Rain Schwartz was awarded a $10,000 scholarship to Expressions College, which offers a game audio curriculum at their Emeryville, CA campus.

The winners were voted upon and judged by the game audio industry and members of G.A.N.G. They were announced at the G.A.N.G. Awards ceremony held in San Francisco, CA during the Game Developers Conference and are listed below by category.

AUDIO OF THE YEAR
BioShock

MUSIC OF THE YEAR
BioShock

SOUND DESIGN OF THE YEAR
BioShock

BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALBUM
God of War II

BEST INTERACTIVE SCORE
BioShock

BEST HANDHELD AUDIO
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow

BEST AUDIO – OTHER
Jewel Quest II

BEST CINEMATIC/CUT-SCENE AUDIO
BioShock

BEST DIALOGUE
BioShock

BEST ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTAL
“Welcome To Rapture” – BioShock

BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – CHORAL
“Main Titles” – God of War II

BEST ORIGINAL VOCAL – POP
“Still Alive” – Portal

BEST USE OF LICENSED MUSIC
BioShock

BEST ARRANGEMENT OF A NON-ORIGINAL SCORE
Simpsons Game

BEST GAME AUDIO ARTICLE, PUBLICATION OR BROADCAST
“The World of Game Composing” – Film Music Magazine

MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF AUDIO
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2
(Audio controlling graphics & physics engine)

BEST USE OF MULTI-CHANNEL SURROUND IN A GAME
Halo 3

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Austin Wintory (composer - flOw)
Tomas Neumann (audio programmer - Crysis)

STUDENT/APPRENTICE CONTEST WINNERS
Mike “Skitch” Schichiano (music)
Mikkel Eskessen (sound design)

G.A.N.G. RECOGNITION AWARDS
Russell Brower (audio director & composer - Blizzard Entertainment)
Rod Abernathy (composer - Dead Head Fred)
Michael “Piano Squall” Gluck (Piano Squall album and charity work)

G.A.N.G. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
Sean Beeson
Jerry Lyons
Chance Thomas
Becky Young

G.A.N.G./EXPRESSIONS SCHOLARSHIP
Nathan Rain Schwartz

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Brian Schmidt

Source: Gamasutra.com

Guess Who Drives This Car?

Now, you don’t see this everyday, do you?

Recently, a car totally covered in Hambly Prismatic Stickers was featured on the company’s weblog.

Turns out Fabio Rodriguez, the owner of the car, is an artist who covers cars in different things. This is his new car affectionately called “Liverpool Dreams”, a tribute to the Beatles.

He also has created an art piece consisting of a car decorated entirely with dimes that is in Ripleys Believe it or Not.

Fabio drives Liverpool Dreams back and forth between Vegas and LA every week, and according to the sticker company, their high quality prismatic stickers don’t come off easily.

Fabio Rodriguez is also a voice actor and is currently the voice of Disney Espanol.To view more pictures of the car, click on the source link below.

Source: Hambly Screen Prints

Chicago 10

1968 was a turbulent time in America.

We were in a war that was claiming countless lives every day and had a forthcoming election that would decide where the country would be headed. A significant portion of the population became organized and tried to make their voices heard at all times possible. In Chicago, in the summer of 1968 outside the Democratic National Convention, these voices were going to be heard.

After all was said and down, eight men were arrested and charged with crimes that resulted from this march.

Directed by Brett Morgan (The Kid Stays In The Picture) with a deft touch, Chicago 10 presents a nice piece of history while drawing parallels to the current world situations. By using a mix of golden era protest songs, along with a healthy dose of Rage Against the Machine, the film captures an era and shows how even though we may be done with the past, the past isn’t done with us.

The animated portions are quite good and the voice performances are particularly worth noting, as Hank Azaria does a terrific Abbie Hoffman, and Jeffrey Wright’s portrayal of Bobby Seale is worth the price of admission alone.

Source: MoviesOnline.ca

Celebs Lend Voices to Airport PA Systems

Public Address systems are becoming yet another way for celebrity voice actors to bring awareness to the voice over industry.

USA Today reports that some airports are now customizing their public address messages to make themselves stand out against the general sameness of air travel and to improve communications with travelers.

To accomplish the goals, airports are finding distinctive voices for the routine announcements, injecting some fun into those announcements and using celebrities for specialized messages.

At Boston, Joe LoGiudice, an airport supervisor and part-time professional voice actor, is the “voice” of Logan airport. He delivers not only the routine announcements in the airport, but provides the voice for recorded telephone information and for the airport’s low-power radio station.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., have all recorded personal messages welcoming visitors to the state.

Most airports these days use generic-sounding automated voices or recordings made by professional voice actors to deliver security messages and general information. Typically, an airport will hire an agency that produces radio and television commercials to record the announcements. The “talent” are generally professional voice actors. A few airports use computer software that can generate announcements in several languages.

In Tennessee, the Nashville International Airport partnered with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau to enlist Nashville recording artists to record terminal announcements.

For example, says Emily Richard of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, country artist Lee Ann Womack greets visitors this way: “This is Lee Ann Womack inviting you to relax and unwind in one of the airport’s many restaurants. Thank you for choosing Nashville International Airport.”

Charlie Daniels, Wynonna Judd and members of the Sugarland and Lonestar bands have recorded announcements for the Nashville airport.

“We now have the recording labels and business managers of artists contacting us to provide terminal announcements,” Richard says. “They know this is a great way to get their artist’s voice and name to millions of visitors.”

Customized delivery

At Yeager Airport in Charleston, W.Va., Gov. Joe Manchin’s recorded voice welcomes visitors. Amanda Wilson, a radio veteran who works for the airport’s advertising agency, voices most announcements, and she adds a little bit of fun.

Wilson urges people to “have a fantastic day” while alerting them to security measures. She slips in a few one-liners to keep folks on their toes.

For example, in the standard announcement warning travelers not to accept any packages from an unknown person she adds, “Especially that shifty-looking guy over there.”

The Transportation Security Administration prescribes wording for security announcements, but the agency says it’s willing to work with airports that want to customize the delivery.

Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky., has received permission to replace the recorded announcements supplied by the TSA with the voice of Ray Holbrook, a longtime local radio and television personality.

Holbrook, 78, spent more than 40 years in local media and now does commercials for radio and television. After 9/11, airport officials approached him to record some of the announcements on the airport’s public address system. He continues to do so.

His pay? Breakfast, complete with biscuits and gravy.

Holbrook says he enjoys the positive feedback from travelers who hear his announcements.

“A lot of people tell me, ‘We know we’re home when we hear you.’ I like that I can make people feel comfortable, especially the way things are for travelers these days.”

Blue Grass Airport Executive Director Michael Gobb says Holbrook “has a way of reassuring our customers,” comparing it to the effect that former CBS newscaster Walter Cronkite had on his audience.

Entertainment factor

Holbrook’s voice may be reassuring, but at McCarran airport in Las Vegas, some of the recorded voices you’ll hear at the airport are downright entertaining.

Since the early 1970s, celebrities who have headlined at the many showrooms in town have recorded messages for moving walkways, reminding travelers to stand to the right so folks in a hurry can rush by on the left. Over the years, the voices have included Bill Cosby, Dick Clark, Phyllis Diller, Rich Little and Rodney Dangerfield.

“They all did it for free,” says Randall Walker, airport director. “The messages are all funny and clever. The whole concept is to grab people’s attention. If people don’t pay attention, then it has no effect.”

Paying attention on the moving walkway is important, but at the security checkpoint, it’s essential. So, in 2004, the airport joined forces with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to spice up the videos shown to passengers waiting in line.

Now, instead of the standard, stern, TSA-supplied instruction videos, passengers can be heard chuckling and occasionally guffawing at entertainment icons such as Wayne Newton and Cirque du Soleil, comics Carrot Top and Rita Rudner, and assorted clowns, magicians and celebrity impersonators.

The videos show those characters trying to get their medical devices, loose change, giant footwear, weapons and oversized carry-on bags past straight-faced security officers.

Source: USA Today

Television Networks to Put More Shows Online

Nearly 330 production companies showed off television shows and movies here at the National Association of Television Program Executives conference this week, hoping to sell the syndication rights to local stations in the United States and abroad.

This year at the biggest conference in syndication — where local affiliate stations fill their shopping carts with enough content to keep their schedules lively — the hottest topic was online syndication. In this emerging part of the market, stations buy syndicated programs to show on their Web sites, and they sell advertisements with those programs to local businesses.

As broadcast growth flattens, local stations are increasingly looking to their Web sites for new sources of revenue. Some stations are creating original programming for the Web, but it is far easier for them to purchase the online rights to syndicated shows. This week, for instance, 200 television station Web sites introduced “Big Shot Live,” a national online talent competition promoted through “Entertainment Tonight.”

Online services like Hulu, and Joost as well as the networks themselves, most notably ABC (which offers content in HD), are evidence that this is one trend that’s not likely to fad away.

For the professional voice talent, commercials still need to be produced, however the SAG, AFTRA and ACTRA have yet to put in place union rates that adequately cover what is in effect national commercials, only played online versus traditional broadcast television.

The success or failure of stations’ online ventures will ultimately rest on their promotional abilities. Viewers of local TV are often reminded to go online for weather and traffic updates, but often they go to the site of their local newspaper instead. And when they want to see television shows online, they gravitate toward the networks’ Web sites.

Source:  New York Times, Vox Daily

Peek’n Peak Resort and Spa Secures audio’connell for Campaign’s 2nd Year

Enticing skiers from New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio to “Come and Get Good!”, Peek’n Peak Resort and Spa has completed production of their 2008 broadcast campaign with audio’connell Voice Over Talent providing audio production services.

Professional voice talent and audio’connell Voice Over Talent president Peter K. O’Connell has again provided the voice for the television and radio campaign, producing it with the resort’s popular jingle. O’Connell’s company had also voiced and produced the audio for Peek’n Peak’s 2007 campaign.

The Findley Lake, New York resort that attracts families and groups looking to enjoy the snow on and off the slopes in winter and golf in the summer (its acclaimed upper course has hosted the PGA’s Nationwide Tour) also offers a spa for hotel and condominium guests and groups to enjoy year round.

Source: News Wire Today

Phoenix Comicon January 26-27 at Mesa Convention Center

Mesa - Boba Fett. The Incredible Hulk. Chewbacca. Enterprise’s Lt. Chekov.

Only in comic books and movies can these characters have their stories told, and only at the Phoenix Comicon can you meet the actors who brought them to life; along with comic book artists, anime voice actors, and best selling authors.

“The pop culture lights shine bright at the Phoenix Comicon” says Convention Director Matt Solberg. “From those who grew up reading comic books under the covers to those who cheered the Rebels on in Star Wars, we offer something for everyone who has a little bit of geek in them.”

Media guests attending the Phoenix Comicon are:

Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Walter Koenig (Star Trek’s Lt. Chekov), Tim Russ (Star Trek: Voyager Lt. Tyvok), Peter Mayhew (Star Wars’ Chewbacca), Jeremy Bulloch (Star Wars’ Boba Fett), and Jeph Loeb (writer & producer Lost and Heroes).

“Only at the Phoenix Comicon can you meet Vulcans, superheros, anime ninjas, Zombies, and other characters only found in your imagination,” says Solberg.

The Phoenix Comicon offers a full weekend of events, from the Zombie Beauty Pageant, to Jedi Lightsaber training for kids. A Japanese Fashion Show, Art Auction, musical performance by Star Trek’s Tim Russ, costume contest, dance, and anime dodgeball are just a handful of the 166 hours of programming that is being offered.

The Phoenix Comicon is January 26-27th at the Mesa Convention Center. Doors open on Saturday and Sunday at 10 AM. Full events tickets are $25, with single day passes available. Kids ten and under get in free with a paid adult. Tickets are available online and at local comic book stores.

Source: Anime News Network

Charlotte Metro Credit Union Commercial Graced by Kara Edwards

Recently, head coach Sam Vincent and Jared Dudley of The Charlotte Bobcats joined actress Kara Edwards in a 30-second television commercial for Charlotte Metro Credit Union.

In addition to appearing in the commercial, you can also hear Kara performing the voice over near the end of the commercial, also known as a “tag” line.

Kara Edwards is a professional voice over talent known for her work in character voice acting in animation series. Kara’s voice has given life to characters including Goten, Gotenks, Lime, and Videl in DragonBall Z; Murugu in Yu Yu Hakusho; Upa and Pocowatha in DragonBall; Celica in Solty Rei; Razzles in the US version of Raggs and many more.

Kara Edwards is also a recipient of numerous awards including a Voicey for Best New Voice in 2007 and Best Lisa Simpson Impression in the Simpsons Sound Alike Challenge.

Click here to see the Charlotte Metro Credit Union commercial featuring Kara Edwards on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DYTsrWEQZ8

Source: Kara Edwards

Teen Voice-Overs Used in Anti-Drinking TV Ads

“Choose not booze.”

That’s the theme of the Mesa County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force’s media campaign, which kicked off Tuesday morning at the Two River’s Convention Center.

As part of the campaign, the task force will be running anti-drinking television ads, with voice-overs from local youth, and it will conduct a mass mailing of 10,000 postcards promoting the campaign.

The commercials are aimed at teenagers and adults.

Rebecca Spiess, chairwoman of the task force and undersheriff of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Department, said some people see underage drinking as a rite of passage. “It is not OK,” she said. “It is not a rite of passage.”

The task force, which consists of numerous community organizations such as the Sheriff’s Department, School District 51 and both local hospitals, has been working for the past decade to give parents and youth information and resources to combat underage drinking.

The institute reports that 76 percent of Colorado students in grades 9 to 12 had at least one drink of alcohol; 47 percent had at least one drink in the last 30 days; and 31 percent had five or more drinks in a row in the last 30 days.

In 2005, 16.8 percent of all alcohol sold in Colorado was consumed by underage drinkers, the institute said.

For information about the task force, go to www.youthisallthat.org.

To watch the video and hear the voice overs, click here.

Source: The Daily Sentinel

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