As an actor, I’m learning to be more cognizant when 
watching movies or streaming shows to notice the believable actors. I’ve watched TV since my childhood. My favorites were the Flintstones, Speed Racer, Happy Days, and many more. These days, I watch quite a bit of Classic TV and new stuff, but now I see the actors in a different light. In every movie genre, I began to notice the subtleties of the scenes and how the actors worked the moments without dialog by using emotions, body inflections, and other cues to steal a scene. These same attributes can work for professional voiceover talents too. Experience is never overrated; take time to notice what works and makes any great actor great.
Don’t Just Watch, Study
The next time you watch a video or other visual performance, notice the actors that capture your attention. Watch with such intensity as to extract the fundamental nature of a show through your scrutiny. Notice the people who entertain with such passion that they evoke an emotional response. Good actors have learned how to become immersed in their characters so as to seemingly physically become the character. Watch the eyes of the actors as well as their range of feelings and how they interact with each other. Do all the actors play well together, or do some seem shallow, self-absorbed, or stand out above all the rest?
Isolate the Believable Characters
When you see a character actor who is believable, ask yourself why you believe in their performance. What touches your heart and makes you want to see more of them? Believable characters have a way of acting and performing that reaches the audience and communicates verbally and spiritually. Good actors know how to steal a scene and light up a room. See if you can pick up on that spiritual interaction that makes scenes believable and memorable. Actors like Robert Shaw playing Quint giving his USS Indianapolis Speech in “Jaws” and Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon in the “Game of Thrones” character portrayals are so unique that their performances are remembered for years.
Spot the Rookies
Some indie and newer films may have all kinds of actors in the scenes. Often, you can tell the performers who just barely leaned their lines but still haven’t gotten a handle on acting in a scene. These performers lose our attention pretty quickly. The inexperienced actors’ words and actions seem almost rote and fall flat or are uninspiring.
Apply the Good Traits, Drop the Bad Traits
As you take the time to notice experienced actors over the novice, take the good traits and incorporate them into your voice acting. Voice acting requires more focus and believability than on-screen actions. Still, once a voice actor learns to implement the style, habits, and actions of an experienced screen actor, a voiceover delivery takes on a new level of emotion and connectedness behind the mic.
Likewise, when you see bad acting, note what doesn’t work. Does the actor seem more involved in or focused on worrying about how they look on screen than how they act? Are the actors relying on their physical appearance to compensate for the lack of talent, focus, and experience? Some beginner artists believe acting instruction would detract from their natural ability (I say, or lack thereof). Being cute will get you so far and certainly nowhere near acting accolades.
Voice actors should always connect to the VO script, whether it’s industrial or commercial and especially in audiobook pieces. The experienced actor knows how to take a script apart bit by bit and decides how to best apply emotions and feelings to a read.
“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” Steve Jobs
It’s all acting, so whether you’re in front of a microphone or a camera, experience matters. By noticing what you see around you, the verbal, non-verbal, and emotional cues can shape how you interact with others. The better you study those around you on and off screen, the better and more experienced voice-over actor you will be.
Go and break that lip!
If you’ve been in your profession for some time, you probably think you have cornered the market in knowing all about your vocation. For example, voice actors with decades of experience are willing to share their knowledge through VO coaching and teaching. But sometimes, you must step back from your smarts and be open to learning new things and embracing new encounters. It’s no drama. Being open to unexpected experiences can enrich you in beneficial and marvelous ways.
February is celebrated in America as Black History Month. As a Black person, I’ve been studying history, including Black American History, for most of my life. Many of the programs and movies showing on streaming services highlight the lives and journeys of famous Afro-American actors and writers. Most of the programs also have commentators who tell their stories and how they identify with the famed person of color. These are feel-good stories of sorts. I thought about how in my family, the children were encouraged to break in and breakthrough. You see, if my parents or relatives accomplished a goal or some remarkable feat, those coming up behind them were expected to take what others had done to the next level. Not too much time was spent reflecting on what had been done, but more time was spent thinking of what one could do more significantly than what had already been done. Voiceovers are a lot like that. Don’t just break in, breakthrough as a voice talent.
