LEICESTER, UK…..HERE I COME!

SUPER thrilled to travel across the pond over to Leicester, a few hours outside of London, for ALCON!  Many Abridgers are fellow guests, so a wild time is guaranteed.  For those who missed me at MCM Expo a couple years ago, here’s another rare chance to meet up.  Hope you can make it out to DeMontfort University this weekend!  Here’s my schedule:

Friday 6pm to 8pm  –  Q&A (TALKS 1.1)

Friday 9pm-11pm – Late night Panel (MAIN STAGE BAR)

Saturday 8pm-9pm – Dubbing 101  (MAIN STAGE BAR)

Saturday 2pm-3pm – Roast of Dragonball Evolution  (TALKS 1.1)

Sunday 1pm-2pm – Video Game Voice Acting  (TALKS 1.1)

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WHAT NOT TO DO ON A CHARACTER DEMO…

People email me their initial demos all the time.  Granted, beginners aren’t going to know everything because….well…they’re beginners.  But I hope anyone in the same boat reads this and takes the following to heart when constructing your first character demos.   Here are some of the pitfalls:

Most amateur demos I hear contain clips that are way too short.  A good length is maybe 5-8 seconds each.  Enough to paint the picture and tell a complete mini-story.  Most importantly to make that character RESONATE.

They should be about 60 seconds long.  Definitely in the danger zone if you’re pushing 90 seconds.  Attention spans are short, so you gotta be efficient and bring your A game.

Remove redundant voices.  Even if they are separate characters in your mind, if they SOUND similar, that’s a huge turnoff.

Sequencing.  The order of your clips can make or break you.  You are lucky if your demo makes it past 10 seconds in a casting person’s ears.  You HAVE to hook them from the beginning.  For example, start with something close to your natural speaking voice.  Then the second cut is dramatically different.   Versatility and variety = BEYOND important.

Don’t let your clips merely contain simple, generic phrases (i.e. “You’ll never stop me!”, “I can’t believe you did that”, etc).  That doesn’t tell me who the character IS.  It’s not enough of a foundation.

Casting people and agents are beyond tired of hearing evil laughs.  You can have a great villain voice and completely sell it WITHOUT resorting to the “mwahahahah” at the end.  Promise.

Don’t overproduce!  Technology has blessed us with the ability to record technically competent sounding audio from home and on the go.  But sticking in cool filters and drowning your dialog in music and sound effects isn’t the answer.  Your acting should not get lost in the mix.

Listen to any random character demo on VoiceBank.net. (click on any one of the agencies listed to see the talent roster and go from there).    Of course you’ll hear some that are awesome, others that aren’t so amazing, and maybe even a few that’ll make you wonder how they even got representation in the first place.  But it’s still a worthwhile experiment in just absorbing what’s out there on the pro level.

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MOTAKU

Off to Kansas City, MO this weekend for MOTAKU.  Looking forward to meeting everybody and diggin’ into some of that famous BBQ!  Here is my panel/signing schedule:
Friday
2pm-3pm-opening ceremonies
6pm-7pm-autographs
9pm-11pm-dragonball evolution roast

Saturday
noon-1pm-guest QA
2pm-3pm-anime password

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NEW PROJECTS: BLUE EXORCIST, NURA, OBLIVION ISLAND

Happy to announce some new roles!  Two shows will be premiering on the new streaming anime site,  NEON ALLEY , soon.  The first, of which, is “Blue Exorcist”.  You’ll hear me as “Bon” Suguro.

Also coming soon to Neon Alley, is “Nura:  Rise of the Yokai Clan”.  I am voicing Aotabo.

Coming this week on a dvd/blu ray combo pack is the acclaimed, “Oblivion Island”.  I play a pig bully character named Decargot.

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ANIME FESTIVAL ORLANDO

Psyched to be heading to the Sunshine state for ANIME FESTIVAL ORLANDO this weekend.  It’s my first time at this con, and I’ve heard nothing but great things.  Other voice actor guests include Sonny Strait, Tara Strong, DC Douglas, Richard Epcar, Ellyn Stern, and Grey DeLisle.  Only way to beat the infamous Florida heat and humidity is party with all the cool peeps indoors.  Here’s my panel/signing schedule.  Hope to see ya there!

FRIDAY

2:30-4:00P     Autographs

4:00-5:30P     Video Game Voice Acting

7:00-8:00P    Opening Ceremonies

SATURDAY

12:00-1:30P   Photo Op

4:00-5:30p    Voice Acting 101

6:30-8:30P   Cosplay

SUNDAY

10:00A-12:00P  Autographs

12:30-1:30P  So You Want To Be A Voice Actor

5:30-6:00P   Closing Ceremonies

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