Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.
Why am I even setting myself up for this?
Because it’s been bothering me, I have a blog, and it’s time to be honest.
VOICE ACTING IS NOT REALLY ACTING.
There, I said it, and I’ll follow it with some big exceptions:
- Anime’
- Cartoons
- Video games
- Audiobooks
- ( you name yours here )
But all the rest: eLearning (especially eLearning), commercials, explainer videos, political, corporate, medical, technical, promos, documentaries and more… NOT ACTING.
I know, I know, it all depends on your definition of “acting” and I’m not offering one.
Hit me with your best def.
In the meantime, let me remind you of the single most overly-emphasized direction you see in all your audition requests: “everyman”, “conversational”, “authentic”, “real”, “genuine” and the like.
Don’t all those words eschew the very foundation of acting? Clients don’t want an ACT…they want the regular, honest guy…the non-chalant comment…the almost thoughtless talking-to-your-friend, face-to-face REALISM.
I already hear it: “Yeah, Dave, but if you’re a good actor, you can sound authentic even though you’re acting.”
Ah, but can you?
[See George Burns quote above]
So if voiceover-ing is not really acting…then what is it?
Work.
it’s just doing the work, putting your best voice with your best equipment, with your practiced diction, with your excellent soundbooth, utilizing all the practice and experience you have, TRYING to meet the client specs, in the time allotted, and offering two or more takes within a timely response.
It’s either ALL acting…or it’s not acting at all.
(I’m going with the latter)
I think what beguiles so many in this profession with the illusion that it’s all ACTING, is we’d like to feel self-important about VO…like it has tangible value.
It does, and that’s your paycheck for the WORK.
It’s a pride thing…nothing intrinsically wrong feeling accomplished about your work until you get to be snobbish about it.
The allure of being an “actor” (say that word with a long, drawn-out British Royal accent) is that it’s ethereal, indefinable, and therefore you get to make up your own ego about it all. If you’re just a VO, but you can tack on “actor” to your title….well then! You’re someone special aren’t you?
In High School, I played the KING in the musical “The King and I”. That’s the extent of my formal acting experience.
No, wait…that’s not entirely true.
For over 40 years, I sold news stories like they were really true and mattered. Now I could agree THAT really was some masterful acting!!! LOL
Of course, acting is an honorable profession in itself, with legions of defenders…I mean who could argue with Meryl Streep!
What Meryl Streep Says About Acting
(total claptrap in my opinion, but she’s a multi-millionaire with the world at her feet, and I’m not))
…or Mark Westbrooks’ take on it:
I suppose I was warming up for this position when I wrote my blog about IMPROV being a mythical hoop that all voiceover people MUST jump through.
I think I just prefer the term “voiceover”. Not voice actor, not voice talent, not voiceover actor…just VOICEOVER….or VOICE WORKER…that may be best.
So let me have it! Give me your best excoriating POV on why I’m totally off-base with this position that VO is not acting, in your comments.
Then let me finally ask you…have I been acting as the author of this blog, or is this the real me?
CourVO
Essentially Voice Actors Don’t
EVAD (Dave backwards)
Ahhh but what about if I post a picture of my first girlfriend who dumped me on my monitor when I narrate a sad spot? Is that cheating? (Just having some fun. Great article)
Larry….
Thanks for commenting, and asking your provocative question….LOL
Dave C
I try for achieve a state of, what the Italians call, “sprezzatura.” I don’t always get there, but I sure try to.
Bill,
Thanks for responding…I’ll have to look up the translation of that word.
Dave Courvoisier
“Sprezzatura” is an Italian term that is often used in the context of aesthetics, particularly in the realm of fashion, art, and social behavior. It is a concept that originated in the 16th century and was popularized by Baldassare Castiglione’s book “The Book of the Courtier.” The term “sprezzatura” does not have a direct translation in English, but it can be roughly understood as “effortless elegance” or “studied nonchalance.”
Sprezzatura is a quality or attitude that is characterized by the ability to make difficult things look easy and natural. It is about maintaining a sense of grace, poise, and style while seemingly not putting much effort into it. Sprezzatura implies an air of casualness and spontaneity, while in reality, it often requires a certain level of thoughtfulness and attention to detail.
In the context of fashion, sprezzatura refers to the ability to dress stylishly without appearing to have tried too hard. It is about combining different elements and creating a unique personal style that is both refined and seemingly effortless. A person exhibiting sprezzatura might wear a well-tailored suit with a slightly undone tie, or a combination of contrasting patterns that somehow work together harmoniously.
In the arts, sprezzatura is often associated with the concept of “grace under pressure.” It is the ability of artists, musicians, or performers to make their craft appear effortless and natural, even though they have put in years of practice and dedication behind the scenes. Sprezzatura in this sense embodies the idea that mastery and skill should be concealed to enhance the overall effect.
Beyond fashion and the arts, sprezzatura extends to social behavior as well. It encompasses the ability to navigate social situations with ease, charm, and confidence, while appearing relaxed and unaffected. It involves the skill of engaging in conversation, displaying good manners, and being attentive to others, all without giving the impression of trying too hard to impress or please.
I guess you could say that sprezzatura is a multifaceted concept that encapsulates the art of effortless elegance, whether it be in personal style, artistic expression, or social interactions. It is about achieving a delicate balance between appearing effortless and maintaining a level of refinement and sophistication. Sprezzatura celebrates the beauty of making something difficult appear easy, and it has become an important cultural value associated with Italian aesthetics.
Full Disclosure: My ethnic background includes Sicilian.
Paul,
This is an awesome response, and so well constructed/documented!
I agree with much of what you say, but I think my point was that inserting the concept of “acting” into what we do overly complicates what can often be a more pedestrian task.
Good to hear from you Paul! I hope all is OK with you and your family,
Dave Courvoisier
Thank you Dave. Very kind.
Your initial post warranted a thoughtful response. I always enjoy reading your blog. 🙂
So Dave, I read this with interest, and after reflecting a bit, digging a bit, and assessing my own experience in the business, I’m going to respectfully disagree.
So first, words from people smarter than me. 😉
“Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.”
Then the mimetic mode bit at the end: “…imitation, nonsensuous similarity, receptivity, representation, mimicry, the act of expression, the act of resembling, and the presentation of the self.”
Both of those are from Wikipedia and I’ll leave the links at the end.
I’ve called on all of those bits nearly every day or all of my 26 years in business as a full-time voice actor. I, too, recoiled a bit at using that phrase for years. As an ex-broadcaster, I felt it was pretentious and that I wasn’t really “acting” since that’s for film, TV, and stage people, etc. All the usual BS.
However, after years of deepening my craft, taking many acting classes of various types, and understanding what I do better than I ever have, I know that I definitely adopt a character every time I’m behind the mic.
Whether it’s to actually create a character for an eLearning client – for example, I’ve been asked to create comic-type characters that are IT superheroes in what would otherwise be a boring IT security course.
I’ve been a rooster (in English or French) to teach kids how to code.
Or simply being the guide in a narration for NASA on how to break down and then reassemble the space shuttle engines, I’ve assumed a character.
Although you were joking when talking about presenting news stories etc, that too was assuming a character. As a person I’ve met, I KNOW you had more depth and certainly different opinions than the 1 or 2 dimensional presenter role you assumed to relay the information. That was the prototypical “reliable narrator”.
There’s also an important perceptual element to this in the business of our industry. No matter what description you use for yourself personally, there is an element of “stardust” as Marice Tobias has said, for many of us when we perform in our jobs. If “anyone” could do it, then “everyone” would. But they can’t and they don’t. The people who hire us marvel at our skill in bringing both easy and difficult material to life.
We take dead words and turn them into living, breathing moments of connection. That requires acting skills as defined above.
Whether a person calls on a shallower subset of performance skills to simply present, or digs into something more deeply to be genuinely empathetic (like, for example a recent narration for homeless military veterans), we’re acting. I’ve never seen military service. I’ve never been a member of a family grieving over the sudden traumatic loss of someone in combat or who faded away into mental illness due to PTSD.
Finding a way into an emotional state to be present for those moments requires acting skill.
So I could go on, but I’m comfortable with the way I’ve articulated that. 🙂
Here are the two links I mentioned:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimesis.