Alcatraz audio tour update "I'm scared!"

 Now that the pandemic restrictions are easing, if you ever visit the San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend you take the ferry from Pier 33 and head out to the infamous Alcatraz. It's a very short ride.  I was joined by my sister and brother in law from Ohio when they vacationed here and we went on the walking tour through the prison. The award winning narration and sound effects you hear through the rented headset are really outstanding. The audio tour is optional, but you'll be missing a lot if you decline. You'll get an amazing look and listen into the way things used to be for the inmates and guards. It's a bit creepy, but fun. Bring your best warm jacket or a coat! It can be chilly out there, even in the summer. Or as Mark Twain said, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." 

Travel tip: Get your tickets in advance as the tours book very quickly. Showing up at Pier 33 the day you want to go over to Alcatraz is no guarantee of being able to go that day. You can get ticket information here

Bonus travel tip: There are 2 bathrooms on the ferry and only a few on the island. It's a good idea to check with the island personnel when you get off the ferry as to where they're located. (Take it from a guy who had an "emergency close call" shortly after arriving on the island).

                                                                        

Kirstie Alley (before she was famous) and "You'll never make it!" stories.

There are tons of stories about famous people who were told they'd never make it; some of them well known voice actors. (Voice ace Scott Rummell comes to mind. Search for his TED Talk on You Tube).

Oprah was fired from a Baltimore TV station as an evening news reporter because some clueless director said she became too emotionally involved in her stories and was "unfit for television news." (how would you like to be the fool who fired Oprah, and then later be quizzed about it at small talk parties... F-O-R-E-V-E-R).

Hugh Jackman was fired from a 7-11 convenience store job because his boss said he talked too much to the customers.

J.K. Rowling of "Harry Potter" fame was once fired because the boss said she was writing stories on her computer all day, instead of working.

On a more personal level, while I was filling in for our afternoon drive time deejay on WIRK in West Palm Beach back in the 90's, our program director came in the studio to tell me he had passed on some up-and-comer kid named Tim McGraw to do a telephone interview with me because 'he's the son of some famous baseball player (Tug) and I don't think he's ever gonna go anywhere in the recording industry. So I told the promoter NO.'  Last time I checked, our program director was still wiping egg off his reddened face. No word if he's still working in radio. Somebody throw him a towel...would you please? (Mercifully, I won't put his on-air name here).

Here in the Bay Area, I've been watching Buzzr TV, which is similar to the Game Show Network. They broadcast old episodes of shows like "Password," "Match Game," "Concentration," "What's My Line?," "Family Feud," "Hollywood Squares," and beyond.

I enjoy watching them as these are shows, and celebrities, I grew up on---many of them now resting peacefully in that big game show hall of fame in the sky. By the way, did any celebrity do more game show panelist appearances than the late Betty White? Almost like every-other-show. Of course, her husband, Allen Ludden, hosted Password. I loved it when Betty would go on Password and her and Allen would tease/squabble a bit. It made for good TV.

Recently, one of the really lovable actresses from "Cheers" passed away. What a surprise I got the other day when Buzzr TV broadcasted Kirstie Alley's appearance on "Match Game" before she became a big star. In her former life, she was an interior designer. Here's a clip of Kirstie on MG. She gave off a ton of confidence and sexiness, even way back then. No doubt some astute talent scout was watching that day. She "auditioned" on a gameshow and got the role of a lifetime on "Cheers."  Smart lady.

       

"Don't Touch That Microphone!"

Let me say up front that this information is for beginning voice over talents as more experienced ones will already know this. There is a thing called "studio etiquette." It's sort of the "code of conduct" when you go outside your home to record in a studio with a client or customer.

When in the recording booth, never EVER touch or move, in any way, the microphone. That may get you a major look of disapproval (or scolding) from the recording engineer who is there to set up the session. It's his job to reposition the microphone, if necessary. Microphones can be very sensitive and expensive. So remember, while out in a studio, "Hands off!" 

While recording the  script and being directed, should you flub a word, don't whine on and on and beat yourself up verbally. That makes you look like a beginner. And you won't win any points with the director(s). Simply listen to the direction as to where they want you to do the retake.  This is called a "pickup." Typically, you'll go back to the beginning of the sentence where you made the flub and read the line again. By the way, it's no big deal. Even the best of the best flub a word or two. Nothing to be embarrassed about.  

As noted in another post here, arriving late for a session is a HUGE no-no. (No explanation needed for this one).

NEVER make fun of or mock the copy you're recording. The person(s) who wrote it may well be at the session.

After the recording session, come out of the booth, sign any necessary paper work, thank them... and LEAVE. Don't linger with endless chatter. These folks are busy and that's bound to be very annoying to them. It's all about carrying yourself like a pro. It'll go a long way in your voice over career. The business is tough enough as it is. Don't shoot yourself in the foot and look like an amateur.  Be grateful for the work and move on.

So You Want To Do Animation/Cartoon Voices

 There are lots of folks teaching the various niches of voice over.  One of the most qualified is animation voice legend-Pat Fraley. Over the years, he's voiced thousands of cartoons. Years ago, I ordered his cassette course (remember those?) and was beyond impressed. Now, if you have a sincere desire to explore with Pat, you might be thinking, "But I live in Minneapolis and he's in LA!" Good news. He has home study courses as well as remote teaching/coaching over the Internet. Here's a short, cool interview with Pat running through a few of his voices. Very entertaining.  It runs about 8 minutes.

Go to his website at pat fraley.com to see all that he has to offer, which goes way beyond just animation. He also has regular course offerings on audio book narration which has been a booming segment of voice over for years now. There's a "free stuff" section you might want to check out. And be sure to click on "demos" to hear Pat's amazing animation demo.

Hoarse throat relief to the rescue!

One of the challenges of voicing many scripts in the same day is that your voice may decide to get in a funk from time to time. Dryness, raspiness... just plain ol' sore throat. Not being able to deliver projects on time can mean money lost, or worse yet, the loss of a client. (We covered in another post the need to drink water throughout your day and stay hydrated).

I use to live in Charlotte before moving back to the Bay Area, and when Spring rolled around, it was not uncommon for yellow pollen to be all over the place---on cars, on buildings... and on yourself. I would usually catch a bout of scratchy throat. Or worse yet, a case of mild laryngitis. I dreaded pollen season in the South. Here on the West Coast it's a non-issue for me.

A number of years back, I heard about a terrific product from that great animation voice actor and coach, Pat Fraley. It's called "Entertainer's Secret." This stuff's been around for some time and professional singers, including Billy Joel and Katy Perry, swear by it. You spray it into your throat or sniff it into your nostrils. It's distributed by a company out of Indiana. The bottle indicates the main ingredient to be Aloe Vera Gel; not surprising as we've long known the power of and many uses of AVG.

I know that there are many other tricks of the trade that VO folks and singers use to keep their voices fine tuned, but this stuff works for me. And it's not messy. 

Check it out here. 

It's like show business. If you don't take care of business, there'll be nothing to show!

 As Woody Allen said years ago, "Just showing up is half the battle." 

If you want to find a terrific way to never get hired again to do an in studio voice over session... show up late. You MUST show up on time. The people who have hired you to do the voice over are paying good money to use the studio. If you show up late, you're costing them money. They won't be pleased. Instead of greeting you with a friendly smile and hello as you stumble in, you'll be met with a smirk of displeasure. It will be very easy to see they are not happy with you. And chances are, they've heard all the excuses before. "I got stuck waiting for a train to go by." "Oh, traffic was awful coming into the city...backed up for miles." "My alarm didn't go off." "My dog was out of control." Um, you're not fooling anybody. If you're chronically late to your recording sessions, you'll come off as unprofessional; maybe even a bit disrespectful of everyone's time. Playing the diva role and thinking it's cool to be late, well, you better think again. Divas are a dime a dozen. "Next!"

I once did a morning radio show with a co-host in West Palm Beach. When I was hired, our show started at 6 AM. I'm a morning person by nature and getting up early was no big deal. Later, our program director told us we needed to start the morning show at 5 AM. Again, for me, no big deal. (Not sure how my co-host felt, but I'm pretty sure she was not an early bird.) Now going on the air at 5 AM meant me getting up at 3:30 or so. I didn't have an overly long drive to the station. Patting myself on my back a bit; in the four years we did the show, I was never late to go on the air. Not once. And I had a few late nights out on the town. OK, maybe more than a few.

I was hired to voice a number of learning projects at a studio in San Francisco. I would take BART (rapid transit) from my town in the East Bay, to the city. It took about 30 minutes or so to land at Powell and Market in the city. I would always leave my place early and had about a half hour to kill before the recording session at the studio. That was fine. I was able to grab a snack before walking down to the studio; about a 10 minute walk. It was all very comfortable for me. If you get off BART with minimal time to get to the session, you'll be racing not to be late and perhaps anxiety will creep in. Not especially good for your nerves and voice over efforts. You want to have time to chill out front near the receptionist in the lobby and gather yourself. You might need to use their bathroom. Grab some water. Whatever. I say show up to your session 10-15 minutes early and you'll have enough time to focus and relax a bit. Showing up an hour early is not recommended.

Back to that radio station where I did that morning show. Our on-air time was from 5 AM to 10 AM. The lady deejay who followed us was ALWAYS late to go on the air. Instead of her going on at 10, she'd be late and take over the control board at 10:10 or 10:15. And this was almost EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! My patience was wearing thin. I heard all the excuses. One day she was 20 minutes late to go on the air as I covered for her and kept the music playing. She casually walked in and said "I'm sorry John. I'm always late." "Yep, I see that," I said. (even Mr. Magoo could see that).  She was an otherwise nice person with a pleasant on-air style, but showing up on time was a major challenge for her. And the problem was her showing up late all the time came off as very inconsiderate and unprofessional. The station was not asking her to be there by 5 AM. She needed to show up at 10 AM and ready to go! 10 AM!  Apparently, it was too much to ask.

Veterans of the voice over world know how important it is to be dependable and show up on time. Actually, that goes for everything in life; not just voice over sessions. SHOW UP ON TIME and be the pro that they expect. If you're always late, you better figure out a way to fix that if you want to work in this very competitive voice over industry.