Welcome back, and happy Sunday!
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| Listening Library's audio pub's w/the book on 10/25 |
Through this audio book process I've come to know JB as upbeat, professional and willing to work hard to give his very best. I hope you'll welcome him to our community. Everybody, meet JB!
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The Psychology of a Voice Artist
I’m always so nervous when faced with the
opportunity to bring a new character to life! Who is this character? Who’s the
author? What do they mean? Am I good enough? These are the questions parading
through my mind the night before stepping into the booth to breathe life into a
brand new character for the very first time.
It’s almost like trying to imitate someone
that you’ve only spent one day with. What are their proclivities and habits?
What makes them tick? This happens to be one of my favorite parts. Exploring
the “tick.” Ticks are what make each and every one of us unique, and when it
comes to the characters in The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, they’re no
different.
When discovering personalities in new
characters, the best method to stumble on these ticks is to ask questions. Bold
questions. In the case of Lincoln Jones, there were many intricate questions
just due to the fact that Lincoln himself had so many layers. Why did he love
writing? What made him so imaginative? Oftentimes, when dealing with real
people, they’ll portray the best version of themselves until they feel
comfortable enough not to anymore. In particular, once they’ve reached a point
where they’re either satisfied with the value you’ve given them as a friend and
colleague, or are simply uninterested in trying to impress you any longer,
you’ll begin to notice the layers of humanity shrouded underneath their “best
foot forward” persona. With characters, the psychology of why they do what they
do and the way in which they interact with the people in their environment
really shapes the way that the voice will come across in the final product. As
a voice-over artist, it is pivotal to allocate a precious amount of your time
probing the character(s) by figuring out their psychological makeup, while
studying their uniqueness through the pages of the novel.
One of the other challenges of nailing the
voice, especially in a YA fiction novel, is understanding the author’s
reasoning and intent behind the creativity and words that they wrote. I
personally have never really had the opportunity to connect with the author
before delving into a character, and I think that’s largely a positive thing,
simply due to the fact that being over informed about the character and intent
may lend to a more mundane voice, with safer choices being made along the
journey. Speaking of “safe,” boldness is one of the most integral aspects of
bringing out the absolute best in a character. One must not be afraid to try
new things, experiment with different voices, and “go there” in terms of
pushing the boundaries of voice and style. The amazing thing about an audiobook
is that it’s just you and the director. No camera crew, lights, grips, and
gaffers to distract you by leaving you intrinsically nervous for fear of being
judged by the multitudes. Just you, the character, and the director.
When reading Lincoln Jones, I was extremely
privileged to have the honor of collaborating with award-winning director Linda
Korn, who provided the most constructive feedback that I’ve ever received from
a director. I believe this was due to Mrs. Korn’s innate understanding of the
characters in the novel, along with her own deep connection to the events
throughout. Linda is one of those directors who encourages “going there” for
the sake of, not only the artist, but most importantly, the listeners. I think
that being bold in ones choices for the sake of the listener is both a heartfelt
and selfless choice that, in this case, only serves to enhance the lives of
everyone who has the chance to be touched by Wendelin’s magnificent creativity
and style.
Overall, in order to make the most of any
opportunity to bring a new character to life, your environment, preparation,
creativity, and confidence are some of the most important tools to have in your
arsenal. You absolutely must read and reread the book in order to really
understand the characters and know which questions to ask. You also must be
self-aware, as this affects your level of confidence going into each session.
How am I feeling today? Did I get enough rest? Do I have any more questions for
the characters? Myself? Any insecurities or past experiences that are left
unchecked will affect the way that you deal with the characters when reading.
In this case, Lincoln Jones hit extremely close to home, with him being the
product of a broken marriage, the subject of abuse, and having to move and
interact in an environment where he lacked family or familiarity. This could have struck a serious nerve with
me, having been the product of similar circumstances, and subconsciously had an
adverse affect on the way that I went about attempting to bring the characters
to life, and interact with those in the book that touched on things that
rendered me uncomfortable.
Without going too deep into the psychology,
I think that being a creative, bold, yet effective voice-over artist really
boils down to just that. Psychology. Understanding your own makeup and
proclivities by remaining self-aware will not only aid you in gaining deeper
understandings of the characters that you’re attempting to breathe life into,
but will ultimately help you bridge the gap by making meaningful connections to
the listening audience. I’m extremely grateful to Wendelin for the opportunity
to share this amazing experience, and hope to have the privilege to
team up with her again on one of her phenomenal works in the near future!
Click link to listen to JB performing Chapter 1 of The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones
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I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. You can follow JB on social media here:
Twitter - @jbthesuper
Instagram - @jbthesuper
Facebook - direct link
Or check out his website where you can get to know his unique and inspiring story and meet his beautiful family.
Have a good week--I'll see you in the comments!
2 comments:
What an insightful, revealing look into the world of a voice-over artist. I enjoyed reading about the amount of mental and emotional preparation that goes into bringing the characters to life with one artist's voice that reflects the voices of all the characters in the book. The first chapter is beautifully performed. I can't wait to hear the rest of the novel. Wendelin and JB are the perfect creative team to write and perform this amazing story.
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