VO Mindset: A Delicate Dance – Tuesday Tech Tip

Avoiding Friction and Finding Creative Space in the Home VO Studio

On a typical VO day, things change quickly. A quick check of the email brings pickup sessions or revisions from eLearning clients. There could be an immediate remote session request for a project quoted yesterday, or final green light to move forward after months of limbo. All exciting nuggets.

Each day brings new auditions and opportunities. Crazed characters, methodical teachers, knowledgeable neighbors, or epic storytellers must all be created, rendered, and fully realized out loud, before moving on to the next script. Ideally, this is flow state work. Time falls away and it’s pure play.

But, when the question “How long does it take you to do an audition?” pops up in class, I always hesitate.

If there’s a specific amount of time needed to spark creativity, I have yet to find it. Sometimes there’s a brilliant moment of Instant Knowing. Other auditions are a painful process of meticulously building up or grinding down. I mentally block out a half hour for each audition, but it is only the most vague outline of a darkened landscape. While every audition ultimately has a specific deadline, that journey to completion is an unknown distance.

The task becomes to simply be present and ready.

As the quote attributed to William Faulkner goes,
“I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes at nine every morning…”

Whether fact or fiction, I find inspiration in that quote. It nudges me to make sure the studio is up and running at the same time each day with software ready and microphone waiting. The dogs have been fed and calmed. No fiddly tasks lying about to distract from the process. Everything tuned and ready.

Which is not the same as setting up a production line and churning stuff out.

I was in a VO workshop recently where the casting director demonstrated how easy it was to hear when actors made only the simplest, easiest choices. Winning actors had committed deeply in their auditions. Getting beneath the surface to that extent can take time. It also can come in a flash of insight.

A flexible approach to auditioning allows for either path. If brilliance flows quickly, honor it. If the Director Brain says, “try another take…” (and hopefully offers specific changes), reset and respond. A framework of training and trust in the process can be an incredibly supportive tool. That is the challenge of this craft.

With all that going on, I want my recording process to be as direct as possible. It’s why I stress simple setups. I don’t want to have to work to remember how to render my file correctly or combine various takes into one workable audition. Flipping into engineer mode at that time can easily distract from the creative process.

I want a solid VO recording workflow which adds no friction during that delicate dance of creation.

This information recently went out to my email community.
If you would like to join in to receive these the day they publish, please take a moment to share your contact information through this sign up form.
Thank you.