Experience vs. Pay vs. Need Experience to GET paid!

[Mike Sommer]

I was going to say about experience gleaned from working in a radio station is the technical side of it, and I'd think a tech guru like Mike would at least acknowledge that.

Absolutely Scott, some have production skills, but some don't. And you for one, have a great ear for it. I've said so many times in these threads. But I know lots of radio talent that never touched a board, they simply showed up and did their thing.

To be precise, there is something we must establish, are we discussing Voice Over the acting craft, or Voice Over Production craft? To take insult because someone has a different sets of skills that are not being recognized in a confab seems to be a little prickly.

For me the craft of Acting needs to come first. I think we can agree that in the VO Biz, the better actor will land the gig, not the better technician. How many times have we told folks in the critique section to get Acting and Improv training??

Rick, there are lots of radio folk that have morphed over into VO, but I know more that haven't. Just because there are exceptions to the rule, it does not mean the rule does not exist, only that there is an exception to the rule.

We can only speak in general terms here. So if the the shoe fits -whatever that shoe is- wear it.

All I'm trying to point out is that there is more to this than just rip 'n' read. This is the craft of acting, and it does not come to anyone overnight. It takes sacrifice and total commitment to do it well. If one has distractions or other responsibilities something will suffer. This is true with most any task, career or endeavor we pursue.

[RickRileyVoice]

Rick, there are lots of radio folk that have morphed over into VO, but I know more that haven't. Just because there are exceptions to the rule, it does not mean the rule does not exist, only that there is an exception to the rule.

These threads just go back and forth, back and forth, but the good news is, they hopefully, finally get whittled down to something definable. So let me attempt at some more whittling.

Let's get something straight here. The people I cited, that I worked with, David Scott and Scott Chapin, DID NO MORPHING. They were Production Directors. Thei rjob was VOICING spots, whether they be Radio or TV. The same thing ANY VO ARTIST does. THEY ARE ACTORS. They do Promos. In Promos, one ACTS. They do Commercials. In Commercials, one ACTS. They were immersed in ACTING, day in and day out. ACTING IN FRONT OF A MICROPHONE IS ALL THEY DID... and then shipped it out to be played.

Why do you think their credentials are so long? BECAUSE THEY LEARNED HOW TO DO IT, BY DOING IT, DAY IN AND DAY OUT. VOICEOVER WAS THEIR JOB!

When I would do work with them, they would instruct me in ACTING. THEY TOUGHT ME TO ACT!

AGAIN... THE ORIGIINAL THREAD, ASKED ABOUT DOING RADIO PRODUCTION. NOT about an ON AIR GIG, NOT about being a DJ, NOT about being a TALK SHOW HOST. HE ASKED ABOUT DOING SOME SPOTS THAT WOULD AIR ON THE RADIO STATION, AND BEING ABLE TO USE THE RADIO STATION'S FACILITIES TO DO THEM. I CAN'T SHOUT ANY LOUDER HERE... THAT WAS THE QUESTION AND I'M TRYING TO ANSWER IT!!!!

RADIO PRODUCTION EQUALS VOICEOVER WORK!!! That's the equation and that's the answer, that's all there is to it. AND, it equals NO equipment investment on his part to get it done.

The only thing that MORPHS on these threads is a way to demean radio and the people that work in it! SHEESH!!!!

[Mike Sommer]

AGAIN... THE ORIGIINAL THREAD, ASKED ABOUT DOING RADIO PRODUCTION.

Was it?? I thought it was "How bad is it to take on an unpaid spot in order to gain some experience?"
Nothing was said about production until you brought it up in post #10.

So I'll ask the questions again, are we discussing Voice Over the Acting Craft, or Voice Over Production Craft?

Rick you said, "You don't have to take classes to learn to act. You don't have to do it with other people." I'll just say YES YOU DO. This is acting period. One needs to be directed and contoured. You might gain some initial aspect of acting by yourself, but it's not until you're told or suggested how to play a line or a scene, and you are truly stretched as a performer, that a novice actor can even begin to fathom the depth of the craft. Every form of acting is directed, even voice over, until it went into the home studio, then it went to crap when folks said this looks easy.


Charlie Nelson Reilly told in his class how "years ago when you wanted to become an actor, you did something unheard of these days... you studied."
I truly believe one needs to study. As a matter of fact, our best actors today Studied.

And nobody is Demeaning Radio. I came from a radio background, I loved it, and I got over it. Radio is Radio, and Voice Acting is Voice Acting. Don't believe me? Then ask Beau Weaver, Brian Cummings, Corey Burton, Joe Cipriano, Jeff McNeal or Randy Thomas and they will tell you these are two different animals performance wise. Radio can and will give you some talents and skills, but to be a solid voice actor you need to learn the acting part first.

[RickRileyVoice]

Rick you said, "You don't have to take classes to learn to act. You don't have to do it with other people." I'll just say YES YOU DO.

OK... sorry. I didn't realize it was the law. You win. Thank you for clarifying that everyone HAS to take acting classes and HAS to do it with other people.

I gracefully bow out. I'm wrong, and I admit it. My input to this thread if officially done.

[Mike Sommer]

It's not the law, it's my Opinion, and the opinion of many others who have been in this biz a lot longer than me.

Rick you maybe the exception to the rule, but the rule still remains: If you want to be more than a middling VO copy reader, learn how to act.

[chucktaylor]

As a radio person myself, I want to jump in here and point out the the perception that all a radio person does is rip and read is absurd. I just recently got back into radio after 3 and a half years out of the biz. I host a morning show in DFW and I most certainly don't rip and read. I'm up at 2:30 every morning prepping for my show...that doesn't start til 6am. Everyone on my show plays a part, that's right we ACT! The persona that comes accross on the radio isn't the same person that I am in my private life and from my 20 plus years in radio, I've found that true at most of the stations I've worked at. Even when I was working on my BA in Broadcasting, one of the core requirements was acting classes. Maybe you're thinking of some of these voicetrackers that many of the big corp radio stations have. I'll give you that those guys rip and read, but if you're live on the air, I promise you, 80 to 90 percent of what you think the dj is like is a role he or she is playing.

As Joe says, just putting my 2 cents in.

Chuck

[JoeActor]

(... is there a club for Actors that secretly want to be morning radio DJ's? 'cuz I'd totally join ;-)
(( just don't tell anyone, ok?))

[chucktaylor]

There is but if I tell you about it, I'd have to kill you and I don't want to do that. (-;

[BobbyH]

As a radio person myself, I want to jump in here and point out the the perception that all a radio person does is rip and read is absurd. I just recently got back into radio after 3 and a half years out of the biz. I host a morning show in DFW and I most certainly don't rip and read. I'm up at 2:30 every morning prepping for my show...that doesn't start til 6am. Everyone on my show plays a part, that's right we ACT! The persona that comes accross on the radio isn't the same person that I am in my private life and from my 20 plus years in radio, I've found that true at most of the stations I've worked at. Even when I was working on my BA in Broadcasting, one of the core requirements was acting classes. Maybe you're thinking of some of these voicetrackers that many of the big corp radio stations have. I'll give you that those guys rip and read, but if you're live on the air, I promise you, 80 to 90 percent of what you think the dj is like is a role he or she is playing.

As Joe says, just putting my 2 cents in.

Chuck

Rip and read does not refer to being on-air; it's how most dj types handle copy for commercials. There is little to no script analysis. I was guilty of it for a time, too.

I had a radio friend tell me he thought people got into VO because they couldn't hack it in radio. How's that for irony?

[chucktaylor]

Rip and read does not refer to being on-air; it's how most dj types handle copy for commercials. There is little to no script analysis. I was guilty of it for a time, too.

I had a radio friend tell me he thought people got into VO because they couldn't hack it in radio. How's that for irony?

When you say most, you are stereotyping just as your friend was doing. Which is unfair. And by the way, rip and read was a radio term long before it was ever a vo term, so please don't get all condesending and correct my usage of it.

Thanks
Chuck