10
The Character in the Copy

In This Chapter

You’ll find more about creating characters at AOVA.VoiceActing.com.

How Will You Play the Role?

Every script contains a story that is intended to be told by one or more characters. How you choose to tell the story and present the character you are playing will largely depend on how you approach your acting craft.

Are you a voice actor? Or are you a voice talent? There’s a big difference! These seemingly similar references to our craft are, in reality, radically different approaches to performing and working with a script. As with other forms of acting, there are many approaches to working with a script, none of which is better than another.

When you are performing a voiceover script as a voice actor, you are playing a role, no different than if you were playing a part in a stage play or movie. Unless you are telling your own personal story, the words and situations are not yours—they are those of someone else—a character who may be substantially different from you. To play the role of any character believably requires training and developing the ability to detach personal beliefs and attitudes from those of the character being portrayed. This is the essence of all acting.

On the other hand, there are many talented individuals who make a good living from performing with their voice and personality, but who have little training or acting ability. For these individuals, who I call “voice talent,” the opportunities for voiceover work may be limited simply because they are seen by casting directors and producers as only being able to do one thing or have only one sound. Voice talent may be good story tellers, but they essentially perform as an extension of themselves.

The focus of this chapter will be on the voice actor who, by definition, has studied the craft of acting and has developed the ability to create a variety of believable characters.

The Two Types of Actors

When you study acting for theater or film, you’ll discover a variety of approaches to the craft. However, whether you work behind a microphone, on stage, on television, or in film, there are essentially only two primary approaches to performing and creating characters. Both approaches are valid, and both can result in highly effective story telling.

The first approach is one in which the actor develops a strong and highly identifiable performing style that is at the foundation of every role they play. Many highly successful actors and voiceover talent frame their performance through an interpretation of each script based on skill and instincts that have resulted in a unique style developed over many years.

The actor’s style may be one of a specific sound or voice characteristic, physical appearance, performance rhythm, underlying attitude or body movement. When these actors perform, we have no doubt in our mind that we are watching that person perform. We become involved with their performance, in part, because their acting style is completely appropriate for the roles they choose to play. In other words, no matter what the role, their characters are believable, largely because there is some aspect of the character role that is very similar to the actor. Some film actors I would place in this category are Jack Nicholson, Christian Slater, Adam Sandler, Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Cameron Diaz, Kiefer Sutherland and Jennifer Lopez.

Although many of these performers have the ability to create a wide range of vocal styles, emotions, and attitudes, their performance comes more from who they are and their individual style, than by creating a unique character for each role they play. I refer to actors in this category as celebrity actors, not because of their celebrity status, but rather, because their performance centers from who they are in real life.

The other approach to performing is one in which a wide range of acting skills and abilities is developed which allows the actor to literally create many different emotions, attitudes, and personalities that are outside of who they really are. Actors who have mastered this approach literally become the character they are playing. As we watch or listen to them, we see the character they have created, not the person they are. I refer to these actors as character actors. I consider Jim Carrey, Jodie Foster, Drew Barrymore, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Gary Oldman all excellent examples of actors who truly become the characters they are playing. In the world of voiceover, many of the best known and highest paid voice actors have developed the ability to create a variety of uniquely different voices and personalities for the characters they play.

Both approaches to voiceover work are completely valid, and both offer potential for success. However, it’s important to understand the differences because your individual abilities may direct you to follow one path or the other. Not everyone working in voiceover has the ability to create alternate personalities and voices.

No matter how hard you might try, you may not be able to create a sense of truth as you speak the words. If this is true for you, then the path to developing character acting skills may not be for you. You must follow a different path, with different training that will give you the skills to base your interpretation and performance of a script on who you are. You will need to develop a deep understanding of your innermost self, and you will need to learn how to tell a compelling story from the perspective of you as the story teller. You will need to learn how to be a masterful reader of stories, rather than a creator of characters who tell their stories.

The ability to read a script with a powerful interpretation is no less a skill than that of a voice actor creating a unique voice and playing a believable character. In voiceover, performers with these heightened reading and interpretive skills commonly refer to themselves as voice artists or voice talent. Those who develop the skills for creating compelling characters and unique voices can accurately refer to themselves as voice actors. Both styles are common, but the trend in most areas of voiceover has been moving toward voice acting.

The Dilemma

A common dilemma with performers just learning the craft of acting is the thought that they are “lying” or being “untruthful” when they perform the role of a character who expresses thoughts, ideas, beliefs, or opinions that may be radically different from their own. Or they feel guilty when they are getting paid to read a script for a product they don’t believe in. By definition, the term “actor” simply means playing the role of a character. There is nothing in the definition that implies that the performer is lying, cheating, or being dishonest in any manner. In fact, the underlying precept of all forms of acting is that it is the actor’s job to create a believable reality of the moment for the character he or she is playing. The dilemma occurs because the neophyte actor is confusing their personal beliefs with those of the character they are playing. Without a disconnect of personal beliefs, it is extremely difficult to create a believable and compelling character. This disconnect, or momentarily forgetting who you are, is essential and necessary in all forms of acting, including voice acting. And, in some situations, it can be difficult to achieve.

When it comes to accepting voiceover work, your personal beliefs, ethics, and philosophy should certainly be factors in choosing your performance material. All scripts are not right for all voice actors. Even if you are a highly skilled performer, many scripts may cross your desk that are not appropriate, either for your style of delivery, your acting abilities, or in their content.

But keep in mind that as an actor, you are playing a role and the role you are playing is not a reflection on the real you. Ultimately, it is up to each individual performer to choose the jobs they will accept.

Some acting courses teach that the actor should bring as much of his or her self to the performance as possible, and design their performance on how they would handle the situations, based on personal experience and interpretation. If you are merely “being you” as you perform a script, even on an extended level, then your performance may risk sounding like you doing the words, and there may, or may not, be anything unique or special about your performance. Now, you may be an excellent reader with a talent for interpreting or spinning a phrase, or you may possess an incredible vocal resonance and command when you speak, but if you are personally attached to the words of the script, you are not truly acting by creating a character—you are, instead a story teller.

Your Best Tool Is Your Own Personality

Whether you approach your voiceover work as either a celebrity actor or as a character actor, the best place to begin discovering an interpretation for the story is your own personality. When you know yourself, you can tap into parts of your personality to more effectively tell the story and give life to the character in the copy.

Personality analysis is a subject that has been studied for thousands of years. Hippocrates developed a system for defining personality, which placed individuals into four personality types with dominant (sanguine and choleric) and recessive (melancholic and phlegmatic) traits. The Hippocrates system of personality analysis was very restrictive in its definitions of personality types, but it did provide a basic structure within which people could be placed.

More recently, highly refined studies for determining specific personality types have shown that personality is largely a result of the chemical makeup of the brain. Cultural upbringing and conditioning further contribute to personality development.

There are many excellent books available that will help you discover some fascinating aspects of your personality. Many of these books are written as aids to improving relationships or developing self-awareness. Three excellent personality books are: Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates (1984); Are You My Type, Am I Yours by Renee Baron and Elizabeth Wagele (1995); and Dealing with People You Can’t Stand by Dr. Rick Brinkman and Dr. Rick Kirschner (2002). Another approach to understanding personality types is through the Enneagram. There are many books on this subject, among them, Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery by Ross Hudson and Don Richard Riso (1996). These books look at personality types from different points of view and offer some fascinating reading.

An advertiser’s understanding of who buys their company’s products is crucial when it comes to a marketing campaign. Your understanding of yourself is equally necessary when it comes to creating a character that will effectively communicate the message in the advertiser’s copy. The best way for you to learn more about yourself is to ask questions and find the most appropriate answers. Based on your answers, you will discover some of your dominant and recessive personality traits.

Most studies of personality type start with several basic categories, then divide those into subcategories. Every person has characteristics in several categories, but certain areas are dominant, and others are recessive. The following simple questions will give you an idea of some basic personality differences.

• Do you respond to problems emotionally, or do you think about them before responding?
• Do you have a strong need to express yourself creatively, or do you prefer quiet activities?
• Do you avoid unpleasant emotions (including fear), or are you inclined to take risks?
• Do you rely on your instincts for information, or do you rely on what you see and hear?
• Do you seek approval from authority figures, or do you rebel?
• Do you play the role of a nurturer, or do you treat others in a detached manner?
• Do you express anger readily? Are you accommodating and out of touch with your anger, or do you see anger as a character flaw?
• Do you prefer literal writing or a more figurative writing style?
• Are you more realistic or speculative?
• Do emotions impress you more, or do principles?
• Are you attracted to creative, imaginative people, or to more sensible, structured people?
• Do you tend to arrive at events early, or are you often late?
• Do you do things in the usual way, or in your own way?
• Do you feel better having made a purchase or having the option to purchase?
• Do you operate more from facts or from principles?
• Do you find it easy to speak to strangers, or is it difficult?
• Are you fair-minded or sympathetic?
• Do you prefer planned activities or unplanned activities?

Your answers to these and other questions will only scratch the surface of your personality. When you gain an in-depth understanding of who you are, you will be ahead of the game when it comes to creating a marketable style. When you understand yourself, you will be able to tap into some of the core elements of your own personality as you create a unique character. Discovering the essence of who you are is the first step in developing acting skills that will allow you to create believable and compelling characters.

The Two Boxes

In our VoiceActing Academy Workshops, I teach the concept of The Two Boxes. You and the character you are playing each live in a box. You are very comfortable within the walls of your box. Your box contains all of your life experience, belief system, habits, behaviors, attitudes, emotions, feelings, knowledge, wisdom, and more. The box your character lives in contains all the same stuff you have in your box, only it’s those of the character—not yours. The character’s box may be larger or smaller than your box, and the character you will portray is very comfortable within the walls of his or her box.

You need to understand the real you and how you exist in your box before you can fully understand how your character exists in his or her box.

As an actor, your job is to climb out of your box and into the box of your character. You bring everything from your box with you except the box itself. You separate yourself from the confines of the walls of your box as you enter the box of your character. Everything you bring with you is available as tools that can be used to help bring the character to life.

If your character’s box is larger than yours, you need to be aware of this in order to allow yourself to behave believably as the character. Learning how to do this may be uncomfortable at first, but that’s only because your comfort level is relative to existing within your box and you’ve not yet grown comfortable in a bigger or smaller box. The path to becoming comfortable in the character’s box is through the use of the many acting and performing techniques you’ve learned from this and other acting books, acting classes, and improvisation classes.

Once you’ve climbed into your character’s box, you need to let go of the real you and experience how the character you are portraying lives and behaves. There will always be a part of you there to make your character real. In a very real sense, when you create a character, you are tapping into that part of you where the character lives.

This is the commonality between you and the character. It’s the stuff you brought with you from your box that also exists as the same, or very similar, stuff in your character’s box. Those things in your character’s box that are different from anything in your box must be created through your performance. But in order to achieve this, you must know what they are, and have some way to create them. This is why basic training in acting and performing technique is an essential part of the study of voice acting.

A mastery of this process results in a truly believable character that you can create on demand without thinking about what you are doing. This is what Core Element #6, Forget Who You Are and Focus is all about.

Theater of the Mind

Voice acting is theater of the mind! You do not have the advantage of props, flashy lighting, wardrobe, makeup, scenery, music, and other actors to interact with. All you have are the words on a piece of paper, and your individual creativity. From the words alone, you must create an illusion of reality in the mind of your audience. In order for you to create a believable illusion, you need to know what is going on in the mind of the character you are playing. To learn what is going on in the character’s mind, you need to fully understand the script. You also need to know your character’s role in the story, and his or her relationships to other characters, objects, the audience, and the product or service (if a commercial).

To create effective theater of the mind, your performance must reflect real life, exhibit some sort of tension, contain something the listener can relate to, and have a ring of truth. These are all elements of good theater and should be incorporated into any voice acting performance, regardless of the type or length of copy.

When creating a character for your performance, keep in mind the following basic elements of good theater:

• Interesting characters with wants and needs "at this moment in time"
• A story or sequence of events that builds and leads to a climax
• Conflict in one or more forms with associated tension
• Resolution or nonresolution of the conflict, usually in an interesting or unexpected manner
• Closure in which any loose ends are satisfactorily resolved

Uncover these elements in a voiceover script and you will be able to understand your character better.

An Exercise for Creating Real Characters

Visualization is a powerful technique that can help bring your characters to life, and this exercise will do just that! The first time I used this exercise in my workshop, the result was amazing. We witnessed a total transformation and the student, who was having difficulty finding the proper voice and attitude, was able to create a completely believable character that she did not know existed within her. As I’ve mentioned before, for a character in a script to be “real” to a listener, everything about the character must flow through you just as if you were the character.

Once understood, the following visualization process can take as little as only a few seconds to a minute or so. However, as you learn this technique you may want to spend some additional time relaxing your body and mind prior to doing this exercise. Of course, in an actual session you won’t have much time for a lengthy visualization, but by then the process should be second nature.

Define your character in as much detail as you possibly can, including physical appearance, clothing, hair, posture, mannerisms, and other features. Begin by thoroughly wood shedding your script and making choices for your audience, back story, and character. Visualize this character in your imagination. This character description and image will become important during the exercise, so don’t skimp on the details.

At first glance, this visualization may seem a bit unusual. However, when you give it a try, you may be surprised at what you are able to come up with, not only with physical changes, but also with the sound of your voice that results from creating a believable character.

Visualization Script for "Creating a Character"

You may find it helpful to do this as a guided visualization by listening to the audio file at AOVA.VoiceActing.com, or recording the script yourself. Take your time with this. Speak softly and slowly. The clearer and more vivid the visualization, the better the results, and the more believable your character will be.

Making Your Characters Believable

Find the Music

There is music in your daily conversations, and there is a great deal of music in any voice acting performance. Some of the basic elements of music are pitch, tempo, rhythm, volume, quality, and intonation—all of which are present in every sentence you speak.

It is the music of your performance that will convey the subtlety and nuance of the meaning behind the words. Find the music in the way your character speaks and you will create a believable character.

Study Other Performers

Study film and television actors. Observe how they deliver their lines and interact with other characters. Listen to the dynamics of their voices. Notice that although most actors use a lot of vocal variety and inflection, their performances sound real and genuine. They also move and express emotion physically as well as verbally. As a learning experience, mimic what you see other actors do and how they speak so you can get a better understanding of what they are doing. Study their techniques and apply them to your style. You will soon find the point where your stretch becomes uncomfortable. To grow as a performer, you need to find a way to work past that boundary.

Beware of Over-Analysis

Analyzing, or wood shedding, a voiceover script is very much like reducing a play to its essential parts. The more information you can discover in the copy, the easier it will be to create a believable performance. Single-voice spokesperson or announcer copy is often information-based and may not require much analysis. However, dialogue copy and story-based scripts are short theatrical pieces and must be thoroughly understood to be effectively performed.

Although analyzing a script is helpful in understanding its component parts, it is important to realize that overanalyzing a script can kill spontaneity and cause the voice actor to place too much focus on technique and thinking about what he or she is doing. Remember, to be effective, technique must become automatic and occur without any conscious effort. Study a script just long enough to discover what you need to know, then put the script down and let your instincts and training do the rest.

Stretch Your Boundaries and Be Willing to Risk

Be willing to experiment and risk moving beyond your comfort zone (Core Element #7, Gamble). Practice the techniques to develop the skills that will make moving outside of your comfort zone easier. Don’t worry about how you will appear or sound to anybody! As a voice actor, your job is to perform the copy and your character in the best manner possible. Leave your inhibitions, personal judgments and self-conscious attitudes outside the studio door.

Stretch beyond what feels comfortable. It is better to stretch too far than not far enough. It is easier for a director to pull you back after setting a character that is too far out there, than it is to stretch you further. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to perform. Everything you do is simply a choice. Each performer is unique and different techniques work better for different performers. Do what works best for you to make your performance real and believable.

You will probably feel uncomfortable at first. Remember to be non-judgmental and to not worry about how well you are doing. Each of us has an individual concept of some point at which we feel we would be going too far, or over the edge. Practice taking yourself just a little bit over that line until you begin to feel uncomfortable. Then take yourself a little bit further. The more you move beyond the point of discomfort, the faster you will develop the ability to create any character.

You must be willing to risk total failure, but always intend to perform to the best of your abilities. Become the character and do whatever it takes to make the character real. Remember that you are uniquely you, and that you are interesting just as you are. Also remember that the people you are working with have insecurities of their own and may actually know less about the business than you do. Know that you know what you are doing. If you never risk, you can never learn. Learn from each audition or session. Keep an attitude of always being in training.

Make Every Time the First Time

In the early stages of character voice work, various aspects of the performance tend to go through an evolutionary process as the character’s voice, attitude and personality become fine-tuned.

Throughout this process, you should strive to make each and every performance seem as if it is the first time the words have been spoken. It is very easy to lose focus by take 27, especially when you have been taken in several different directions. Take 28 should sound as fresh and real as take one—only better. Unless your director tells you otherwise, you should maintain the same energy and attitude for each take. Use the director’s guidance as a tool to help you focus in on your best performance. Add a little spin to a word, or shift your emphasis here or there with each take, but keep your energy and attitude consistent. This becomes very important to the editor who needs to put the final project together long after you have gone. Variations in your performance energy can stand out very clearly if you are not consistent and make the editor’s job a nightmare.

Character Has Precedence Over Copy

As you learn how to create believable characters, you will discover that your characters may want to say and do things in a certain way. After all, if the characters you create say things exactly the way you do, what would be the purpose of creating the character?

To be real, each character you create must have its own personality, mannerisms, thought processes, and speaking style. Every subtlety and nuance of your character contributes to its believability. Forcing your character to say or do something that is not appropriate will instantly take your performance out of character.

Scripts are often written with a specific attitude, phrasing, or delivery style in mind, yet what the writer had in mind may not be what ends up being recorded. Provided your delivery is in character, it is perfectly acceptable, for example, to contract or un-contract words that aren’t written that way. This is closely related to the idea of changing or removing punctuation marks and other techniques intended to help create a more natural and conversational delivery.

Your objective as a voice actor is to bring your character to life, and you should strive to do whatever is necessary to create that reality. You can’t change the words in the script, but you can change the way you say the words. The way your character speaks will always have precedence over the written script. This will be true until the director tells you otherwise.

Act Professional

Play the part! Enter a studio—yes, even your home studio—with the attitude of a professional there to do a job and with the confidence that the character you create will be exactly right. Be friendly, cooperative, and ready to work. Making money does not make you a professional. Acting professionally makes you money. When you act like a pro, the people hiring you will believe that you are a pro and they will respect you. Remember that this business is all about creating believability in the mind of the audience. When you enter a studio, your first audience will be the people who hired you. Make them believe you are good at what you do and prove it with your performance.

Become the child you once were! Pretend! Play! Have fun

Tips for Performing All Types of Copy

When you become the character in the copy, you will be believable to the audience, and a suspension of disbelief will be created. When the audience suspends their disbelief in what they hear, they become more open to the message. This all starts when you discover the character in the copy.

• Understand as much as possible about the story and your character’s role in it before choosing the voice for that character.
• Don’t overanalyze your copy. Overanalyzing can cause you to lose spontaneity and cause your delivery to become flat and uninteresting.
• Rely on your instincts and trust the director in your mind to guide your delivery to keep it on track, conversational, and real.
• Learn how to listen to yourself (self-direct) as you perform.
• Tell the story. Storytelling is always about relationships. To be believable, make the relationships appear real.
• Make your character believable and unique by adding something of yourself. Let your imagination run wild. If you believe, the audience will believe.
• Don’t become so focused on your character that you lose sight of the story, the drama, and the relationships between characters and conflict.
• Internalize the wants and needs of your character, both physically and emotionally. Find the place in your body where a tension develops. Hold it there to set your character, and deliver your lines from that place.
• For your first read-through, go very slowly with a very flat delivery with no interpretation. Just read the words to get a sense of the story, phrasing, and complicated words.
• Play it over-the-top as you rehearse. Use more attitude, dynamics, or energy in your delivery than you think may be necessary. You will gradually learn to hear what is too much and too little. It’s much easier to pull you back than to push you further out. Sometimes “more is more.”
• Underplay, rather than overplay. Louder may not be better. Pull back, speak more softly, and be more natural. Remember, sometimes “less is more.”
• Keep your posture in a stance consistent with the character and the choices you have made in regards to how your character stands, moves, and behaves. Maintain this attitude throughout your performance.
• Find the music in the copy. All copy has a tempo, rhythm, dynamics, and other musical qualities. Speak as quickly and as quietly as you would if you were talking to someone in a real conversation.
• Allow your character (even if that is you) to speak the words. Learn how to get out of your own way.
• Stay in the moment. Pick up cues. Interact with other performers. Don’t let your lines become separated from those of the other performers. Listen to yourself, the director, and other performers and respond appropriately (listen and answer).