Today we are featuring special guest blogger and VO Talent, Mark P. Coyle, who provides us with a truly entertaining and in depth look at the creative process of developing character voices. A big Thank You to Mark for sharing such wonderful and valuable insight!
by: Mark P. Coyle
Most of us remember that comedic transcendental scene from the cult comedy classic, "Caddyshack"...in which an exceptionally gifted, albeit eccentric character named "Ty Webb"- (played by a young Chevy Chase) extolls the zen like philosophies of letting go... by imagining and becoming the very thing you are engaged in trying to do....He blindfolds himself and proceeds to successfully sink a series of difficult putts into the intended golf hole, only barely missing just one!
His impressionable, young caddy, Danny Noonan-(played by Micheal O'Keefe") after witnessing this amazing display of uncanny talent, simply mutters..."Amazing"....to which Ty nonchalantly replies "Thank-you very little"....and saunters off the course as unfazed as when he started.
There's a lesson in there-(somewhere) for all of us crazy, character actor, voiceover artists, that are asked to create and come up with voices on demand. How do we do it? What's the technique? What about the technical skills that we need to remember to utilize and call forth when creating behind the microphone?
His impressionable, young caddy, Danny Noonan-(played by Micheal O'Keefe") after witnessing this amazing display of uncanny talent, simply mutters..."Amazing"....to which Ty nonchalantly replies "Thank-you very little"....and saunters off the course as unfazed as when he started.
There's a lesson in there-(somewhere) for all of us crazy, character actor, voiceover artists, that are asked to create and come up with voices on demand. How do we do it? What's the technique? What about the technical skills that we need to remember to utilize and call forth when creating behind the microphone?
Answer:
BE THE CHARACTER!
That's right...at the end of the day, we need to remember that our creative imagination is the most organic tool available to tap into....I have always viewed this process of creation, of simply becoming, of being....as a bit of a mystical gift...the God given talent/ability to morph and match a unique character voice to what we are presented to work with, perhaps a drawing or artists rendering of a toothless gorilla....an old beat up jalopy...or an old withered plant. Our job...(or process, if you will) involves taking an intangible and breathing life and soul into it, through a selected, created/adapted vocal... thus making it a TANGIBLE entity. Again...how do we do that?
This process can be highly individualized to be sure, and certainly subjective...the variables being...are you skilled in the art of mimicry...or impressions? Can you look upon a person, place or thing... and call forth and believably employ a voice or vocal inflection to match your intended subject matter?
While some voice teachers may teach how to create and perform different types of voices and vocal effects by altering the voice-(ie...speaking with a nasal tone...from the top of the head....from deep in the throat, etc.)... I simply harken back to the Zen teachings of ol' Ty...BE THE CHARACTER!
Inhabit what you see in your script...BECOME, with every focused concentration in your being, what you desire this intangible to BECOME. You are... giving birth in a way-(minus the contractions...well...sometimes) for lack of a better term. Who is this character? Where do they come from? How did they get here? Do they like people? What's their sense of style?
When I create, and then immerse myself into an intended character, so strong is the concentration at hand, that if I looked into a mirror, I would physically see what my minds eye had created, matching with what was coming out of my mouth vocally. I expect the transformation to be so complete, that I want to be amazed and thrilled at the lack of any trace of me upon playback...If I'm unrecognizable-(character voice-wise) to my own ears...then I know I have successfully transformed my very being into that character. Check please...
Creating a history/background in your mind...(some write it down) of the character that you're creating, can be helpful to the process...I once auditioned for the part of a talking convenience store shelf to be used for a 7-11 Training film. The angry shelf-(according to the script) kept spitting out cases of cigarettes that the jobber kept placing upon it. In the development of this particular voice, I went into a quiet meditative state, and saw this store shelf from fabrication-(its birth if you will)...delivery to his current destination, and infused him with his current dispostion. In his current situation, he felt disrespected, put upon, was "mad as hell...and not going to take it anymore"! What came out of ME representing HIM, (at least vocally) was a "Gilbert Gottfreid" (think :Geico" duck) type screeching voice. Perfect! The character had its soul... and was complete!
This is a great trick of the trade by the way, when creating character voices, if you are gifted with an ear for impressions or mimicry. I sometimes will loosley base the character voice on a celebrity voice, which is very freeing as far as creative flexibility goes. (If you're auditioning for a spot on impersonation, that becomes another story, and you need to be able to deliver the goods per the casting directors direction).
When we performed the Rocky Stone radio show, nearly half of the characters that I created and voiced were based on celebrity impersonations. The main character, Rocky Stone, who reported on traffic patterns from a Hot Air balloon called Skyhook One, was a nerdish, shy character. Thus, he was infused with a "Woody Allen" type voice. The voice for the domineering Airfield Base Officer...Col. Braggard, was based on Jack Nicholson. And finally, the Base Therapist, Dr. Psychie ,was based upon famed therapist, Dr, Ruth Westheimer! Again...I simply matched the qualities and nuances of the assorted characters and channeled the appropriate celebrity voices into them! Sometimes, when studying a potential character, you can create a celebrity hybrid if you will....whereby you take the voice of one type celebrity and fuse it with another for maximum effectiveness. It's a bit like creating a character stir-fry dish!
Let me illustrate this process for you:
I was once called upon to provide the voice of a 1000 year old ancient troll. EXCITING, right? Here is an example of my creative process in creating that particular character voice....
I was provided with a black and white artists rendering of the character. He reminded me of a character from an old Cecil B. Demille film, the way Charlton Heston might dress while playing Moses. (My little artists drawing even had a wooden staff).
I withdrew to that still quiet place where the magic starts to happen...I silently stared into the trolls eyes...he stared back into mine...then I shut my eyes...and focused....I mean REALLY focused...I felt the hard canvas of his old robe upon my tanned, weathered old skin....I felt the desert sand in my eyes, and the scratchy stubble upon my cheeks and chin...until.....I ...BECAME! His voice found ME...and upon playback, he sounded like a cross between an old Walter Brennan and the American Indian actor Chief Dan George! (Think of the Clint Eastwood classic-The Outlaw Josey Wales, for a memory peg...he played Clint's second sidekick in that one).
I had simply taken both actors voices from my ingredients list...combined them in just the right measure...and voila! A New Character voice was born!!
Creating and performing character voices upon request is probably the most fun you can have with your clothes on...getting PAID quite well to do it is the GIANT cherry on top! If you assess your current skill sets, and realize that you possess a booming baritone announcer type voice...congratulations! The Voice-Over world needs your talent! If you have a profound articulation of medical subject matter, and 12 syllable medical jargon type words flow effortlessly from your lips like honey from a jar...congratulations, for they need your talents as well!
Now...if you've been creating funny little voices since before the age of 10... imitating teachers, then assorted bosses later in life...if you find yourself during the course of a day speaking in different dialects and character voices 80% of the time...if people sometimes beg you to talk to them again in your REAL voice...well then...Congratulations...you just may BE a Character Voice Over Actor! So...Go and Get your Freak on! :)
About the Author:
That's right...at the end of the day, we need to remember that our creative imagination is the most organic tool available to tap into....I have always viewed this process of creation, of simply becoming, of being....as a bit of a mystical gift...the God given talent/ability to morph and match a unique character voice to what we are presented to work with, perhaps a drawing or artists rendering of a toothless gorilla....an old beat up jalopy...or an old withered plant. Our job...(or process, if you will) involves taking an intangible and breathing life and soul into it, through a selected, created/adapted vocal... thus making it a TANGIBLE entity. Again...how do we do that?
This process can be highly individualized to be sure, and certainly subjective...the variables being...are you skilled in the art of mimicry...or impressions? Can you look upon a person, place or thing... and call forth and believably employ a voice or vocal inflection to match your intended subject matter?
While some voice teachers may teach how to create and perform different types of voices and vocal effects by altering the voice-(ie...speaking with a nasal tone...from the top of the head....from deep in the throat, etc.)... I simply harken back to the Zen teachings of ol' Ty...BE THE CHARACTER!
Inhabit what you see in your script...BECOME, with every focused concentration in your being, what you desire this intangible to BECOME. You are... giving birth in a way-(minus the contractions...well...sometimes) for lack of a better term. Who is this character? Where do they come from? How did they get here? Do they like people? What's their sense of style?
Creating a history/background in your mind...(some write it down) of the character that you're creating, can be helpful to the process...I once auditioned for the part of a talking convenience store shelf to be used for a 7-11 Training film. The angry shelf-(according to the script) kept spitting out cases of cigarettes that the jobber kept placing upon it. In the development of this particular voice, I went into a quiet meditative state, and saw this store shelf from fabrication-(its birth if you will)...delivery to his current destination, and infused him with his current dispostion. In his current situation, he felt disrespected, put upon, was "mad as hell...and not going to take it anymore"! What came out of ME representing HIM, (at least vocally) was a "Gilbert Gottfreid" (think :Geico" duck) type screeching voice. Perfect! The character had its soul... and was complete!
This is a great trick of the trade by the way, when creating character voices, if you are gifted with an ear for impressions or mimicry. I sometimes will loosley base the character voice on a celebrity voice, which is very freeing as far as creative flexibility goes. (If you're auditioning for a spot on impersonation, that becomes another story, and you need to be able to deliver the goods per the casting directors direction).
When we performed the Rocky Stone radio show, nearly half of the characters that I created and voiced were based on celebrity impersonations. The main character, Rocky Stone, who reported on traffic patterns from a Hot Air balloon called Skyhook One, was a nerdish, shy character. Thus, he was infused with a "Woody Allen" type voice. The voice for the domineering Airfield Base Officer...Col. Braggard, was based on Jack Nicholson. And finally, the Base Therapist, Dr. Psychie ,was based upon famed therapist, Dr, Ruth Westheimer! Again...I simply matched the qualities and nuances of the assorted characters and channeled the appropriate celebrity voices into them! Sometimes, when studying a potential character, you can create a celebrity hybrid if you will....whereby you take the voice of one type celebrity and fuse it with another for maximum effectiveness. It's a bit like creating a character stir-fry dish!
Let me illustrate this process for you:
I was once called upon to provide the voice of a 1000 year old ancient troll. EXCITING, right? Here is an example of my creative process in creating that particular character voice....
I withdrew to that still quiet place where the magic starts to happen...I silently stared into the trolls eyes...he stared back into mine...then I shut my eyes...and focused....I mean REALLY focused...I felt the hard canvas of his old robe upon my tanned, weathered old skin....I felt the desert sand in my eyes, and the scratchy stubble upon my cheeks and chin...until.....I ...BECAME! His voice found ME...and upon playback, he sounded like a cross between an old Walter Brennan and the American Indian actor Chief Dan George! (Think of the Clint Eastwood classic-The Outlaw Josey Wales, for a memory peg...he played Clint's second sidekick in that one).
I had simply taken both actors voices from my ingredients list...combined them in just the right measure...and voila! A New Character voice was born!!
Creating and performing character voices upon request is probably the most fun you can have with your clothes on...getting PAID quite well to do it is the GIANT cherry on top! If you assess your current skill sets, and realize that you possess a booming baritone announcer type voice...congratulations! The Voice-Over world needs your talent! If you have a profound articulation of medical subject matter, and 12 syllable medical jargon type words flow effortlessly from your lips like honey from a jar...congratulations, for they need your talents as well!
About the Author:
Mark P. Coyle has been in the Radio-Voice-Over Industry for over 16 years, and spends the majority of his days speaking in OTHER voices...He also wrote, produced and performed the Rocky Stone show on WERA radio. He can be reached at: markpcoyle@gmail.com
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