Delivered at Casual Connect USA 2018. This practical talk will provide you with tangible techniques that will help you when producing voice-over content. As much as these tips will help in directing talent, they will also support you in the evaluation phase giving you new metrics to critically assess what qualities you will want the voice to convey. Finally you will learn the importance of a casting document that the actors receive in the audition phase and what should ideally be included in it.

1. Practical Insights for Effective VO
Eric Weiss
Casting and VO Director

2. Perspective
Over 15 Years in the VO business
Directed VO dept. AAA Games Company for over 5 years
Trained as an actor
Talent Agent
Now currently casting and directing

3. Casting Document
King’s Quest
Include character art
In this example both actual model and tone art to convey style

4. Casting Doc. cont.
• Voice Description
• Old Graham’s voice should be warm and slightly grizzled with a hint of
youthfulness piercing through. After all these years the old man has still
hung on to his humor and charm. Graham’s voice is a voice that you
would love to hear narrate your favorite fairytale. He speaks with a
twinkle in his eye and with a great sense of adventure
• Prototype
• Samples Tones (American)
• Old Graham: Jeff Bridges
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54P0JsLH5Ks
• or
• Old Graham: Donald Sutherland
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoE6gV87HgM

5. Casting Doc. cont.
Sample Dialogue
- 10 lines or 30 to 60 seconds of material.
- Choose lines showing the emotional and physically
range
- Provide context to help ground the actor and see
how the actor will handle direction.

6. Directing talent
The Golden Triangle of Directing VO.
Action
Relationship
Context

7. Action
Foundation of Behavior:
The Verb.
The basic question:
What are you doing
(what to do to get what you want)
Example:
“You are unbelievable.”
To prize, to seduce, to demean

8. Relationship
If Actions are about verbs,
than Relationships are about -
ADVERBS
How you are going to do what you want to do.
Who are you talking to?
Be as specific as possible
Example:
Your dog, your romantic partner, your boss.
Use of “pre-life” or lead-ins
Helps to both direct from and as an aid for the actor

9. Context
The Environment
What is going on around the character
Where, What, When, How much noise is in the environment
Most importantly and often forgotten:
How close is the person you are talking to
Terry Gross Cowherd
Example
Talking to someone 2 ft away, 10 ft away, at a Nascar race,
A secret - you don’t want to be overheard

10. Tips
Talk less, listen more
(especially when setting the character voice)
Let the actor initiate
Empowers the actor
Many times their ideas are better than yours
Gives you a baseline to work from which is easier and quicker to direct from.
Find the Flow
more important then precision
(especially with long sessions)
Rhythm is the language of emotion - Promotes spontaneity and intuition

11. Thanks for coming.
Any questions, drop me a line.
Eric Weiss
Eric.weiss108@gmail.com
323.605.7393