voice over

Voiceover – My FaffCon Wrap-up and …Now What?

September 25, 2014 by Dan Friedman

Another FaffCon has come and gone and …WOW, they just keep getting better and better. Each and every FaffCon holds a special place in my heart. My friend and fellow “Faffer” Brad Venable wrote in his latest blog how “transcendent” the FaffCon experience can be. Definitely check it out. Many people, including myself, have either had a similar experience, will have a similar experience, or experience this transcendence every single time. Pretty cool.

This FaffCon took place at the Westward Look Resort and Spa in Tucson, AZ. A place that seemed to get more beautiful every time I turned around. Thanks to a year and a half of acting classes, where I learned deep relaxation/meditation techniques, I was able to take full advantage of the meditation labyrinth. IMG_1385I also enjoyed a massage and my first ever facial (Didn’t know what to expect, thought it might be silly, but actually …ITS AWESOME). These experiences were a great way to start the unconference. All of this (plus the learning opportunities, reconnecting with old friends, making new friends) as Joey Schaljo so eloquently described it… “exfoliated my soul!” Haha, brilliant!!

Upon returning home, the goal is to keep that momentum going. For me this means taking a day to rest, collect my thoughts, and reflect on all that I learned and experienced. Once that day is done, its time to begin putting it all to work. My first task is follow-up. Plans get made while at an event such as this and I find that following up immediately with the people with whom I made those plans is critical. Next, I go over my notes and set goals. I also write a blog about it. 😉

Some goals will be simple, easily attainable and require just a small amount of effort. Other goals will be bigger and the ingredients needed to achieve them will need to simmer awhile to develop. Voiceover is, after all, a Crockpot career. As a relatively new solopreneur, goal setting, list-making and tracking will need to become a part of my everyday routine. Thanks to all that I learned from so many amazing people over this past weekend, I should have an easier time with all of it. I’m so grateful to everyone who shared their experience and expertise over the weekend. More importantly, thank you for your love, support and friendship. It isn’t often that, as adults, we make friends who will last a lifetime. Over the last few years, thanks to FaffCon, I have made several.

What’s next? I’ll be heading to Nashville on October 5th to co-teach a workshop with Joe Loesch. Nashville is a great city and I’ve heard they might even have a recording studio there should I need to use one. 😉 After that, I’ll be heading to Ft. Myers for the November to Remember VO Event hosted by Randy Thomas. In December, I’ll teach a voiceover workshop at my acting home, Screen Artists Co-Op. Then, almost before you know it, FaffCamp in San Antonio!

I look forward to seeing everyone again very soon! I wish you all phenomenal success in your VO career.

In Memory of Paul Armbruster

October 24, 2013 by Dan Friedman

When I think back on pivotal moments in my life, I can’t help but think about my teachers. I’ve been so fortunate to have great teachers and mentors throughout my life (a pattern that, thankfully, still continues today). Paul Armbruster was definitely one of those great teachers. He is responsible for building the foundation on which my career in voiceover rests. He made me the producer, director and voice talent that I am… and I am eternally grateful. He was a sweet, talented and humble man who touched many lives. More lives than he could ever know.

Paul Armbruster was my first voiceover teacher. When I took Paul’s workshop in 2000, I had very little idea of what voiceover was really all about. Rock radio hadn’t exactly been the best training ground to learn how to be a voiceover talent and back then, it didn’t even occur to me that voiceover was a career. I met Paul when I took a job working as a studio manager at GMVoices in Atlanta. Paul was one of our voice talent. I knew about recording engineering and about being on the radio, but not what it really meant to be “a communicator” or how to do it.

He taught me how to breakdown a script and how to identify the message behind the the words… to read between the lines. Like any good coach, he could be tough, but also offered plenty of encouragement. As his student, I really got the sense that he was on my side and wanted me to succeed. I appreciated his honesty… even on our last day of class when he told me I “wasn’t ready”. He was right. At the time I wasn’t ready to be a voice talent and it would be nearly five years after taking his class until I would do my first paying voiceover job. However, in my role as producer and director, the tools he gave me proved to be useful immediately.

Paul taught me the language of voiceover. Thanks to his lessons, I learned how to direct other voice talent with clarity and confidence. I learned about the different styles of copy and how to get the best read from a talent. His toolbox… became my toolbox.

The skills he taught me are the skills I teach and practice everyday. If I think about all of the voiceover sessions on which I have played a role as engineer, director or as the talent since taking Paul’s class (which is an enormous number), I can’t help but think how much better and easier so many of them were thanks to him and all that he taught me. Through those sessions, he touched more lives than he ever could have known. Even now, after passing on, he will continue to do so through my work and the work of many of his students.

A couple of years ago, at FaffCon 2 in Atlanta, I was able to thank Paul at FaffCon’s closing circle. In front of all attendees, I had the opportunity to tell him just how much he meant to me. That the education I received from him allowed me to have a place in this industry and that he was instrumental in helping me develop into who I am today. That opportunity was a gift and I will never forget it… and I will never forget Paul.

Thank you Paul Armbruster… I will miss you.

Here is a collection of just some of Paul’s voiceover work.

PaulArmbruster

FaffCon 6 – Voiceover Unconference San Antonio

October 10, 2013 by Dan Friedman

Sound4VO's Dan Friedman-097 Anyone who follows Sound4VO knows that I’m a huge believer in FaffCon, the voiceover unconference that never fails to inspire, motivate and raise the bar for our industry. Here is my recap and some thoughts.

Thursday – Let the Faffing begin!

Although it hadn’t even officially begun, on Thursday night, “faffing” was already in full force. While I can’t say for sure, I would guess that at least a third of all attendees were in San Antonio and made it out to a bar across the street from the Omni Hotel. Many of us in the group are like family now and while we sometimes go months without talking or seeing each other, we effortlessly pick up as though we just hung out together yesterday. It is nothing less than beautiful.

While I love seeing familiar faces, I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to also see some new faces. In some instances these are people with whom I’ve worked, but have never met in person. This is always a thrill. Their passion is what brought them to FaffCon and I know they will leave overflowing with new ideas, tools, advice and support that will help them soar to new heights.

Beginning that very first night, I was the beneficiary of some of this advice. Specifically, about protecting my voice. I had been doing “full commitment” exercises in acting classes the prior week and I will admit it had been tough on my voice. My good friend, singer/actor/voice talent Liz Aiello gave me some herbal remedies to help get me back on track more quickly. She has also promised to give me some additional tips and tricks that will help me in the future.

Friday – Now its Official

By opening circle on Friday we were all fired up and ready to go. We began to lay out the agenda and set personal goals for what each of us hoped to get out of the event. After that, we had a festive new meet and greet opportunity with sponsors (and friends) in a trick-or-treat style game where attendees filled their event bags with swag and their heads with tricks and tips. Then it was off to dinner and back to the hotel lounge for… karaoke! Now normally, I’m not a big fan of karaoke. But in this crowd, we have some serious professionals. The singers were outstanding.

San Antonio Saturday Night

Saturday we were underway with sessions on everything from SEO, performance, ISDN alternatives, marketing, union vs. non-union… truly just about everything that a working VO pro needs in an effort to remain up-to-date and to advance their career. Saturday night we had the opportunity to see the sights at the river walk in San Antonio. I had no idea it would be so spectacular. My hometown, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida has been called the “Venice of the Americas”, but I have to say that the river walk area of San Antonio resembles Venice, Italy much more closely. It was wonderful to cruise the waterway and explore. Of course you can’t go to San Antonio and not visit the Alamo… which we remembered to do. (SORRY!)

Sunday Send Off

Sunday, we were back in sessions. Home studio and recording session topics were where I spent the majority of my time. Improv sessions were also a hot ticket for the day. Business management, marketing and health and wellness were additional session topics. This is a peer lead conference where you get the information you need, simply by asking for it. The truth is, if you can’t find what you want at FaffCon… then you did not ask for it.

Closing circle always seems to arrive way too soon, but Faffers are always left with inspirational ideas and directives to work on over the next several days, weeks and months. While the event must come to a close, the true benefits take place when everyone arrives home and puts their plans into action.

My Summary

As always, the hotel lounge was packed each night until the early morning hours. Many of us did not want to waste a single minute of that time doing anything other than catching up, sharing, laughing with old friends and making new ones. Some of the strongest bonds are formed during these late hours and these are also some of the best networking opportunities.

Sometime in the last several months leading up to FaffCon, I read something that suggested (or perhaps stated… I honestly do not remember) that voiceover conferences were just a big waste of time and money. That what you have to do to succeed in the voiceover business is sit in your booth, practice and get better. Or, if you need information, just call up someone in the industry who knows what they’re talking about and get the answers you need. While this may be true for some conferences and that method may work for some people… FaffCon is not that conference and FaffCon attendees are more ambitious (and fun) people. Yes, you must practice. Yes, you should have a mentor or someone to call for advice. For me… the brain power, talents, and support of the 100 attendees at each FaffCon are the people I call. Two heads are better than one. One-hundred heads… are an unstoppable force.

I have gained so much as a result of my participation and attendance… new connections, agents and work. I’ve learned about the business and learned about myself. Best of all, I’ve made some of the best friends anyone could hope for. Thanks to all of you that I have met, worked and played with at FaffCon’s 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. You all ROCK! Be well and I’ll see you at FaffCon 7.
THE STARS AT NIGHT, ARE BIG AND BRIGHT…!

Voiceover – The Lost Art of Listening

August 29, 2013 by Dan Friedman

Sound4VO's Dan Friedman-097 While out on a hiking trip this past weekend, I took the time to simply listen to nature. For several minutes, not a single device of modern technology could be heard. It was truly music to the ears. Listening… truly listening, seems to be a lost art. When was the last time you sat down and listened to an album? I don’t mean casually, with the music playing in the background as you perform other tasks. I mean sitting down in front of some speakers, or putting on headphones, and simply listening.

I’ve been around many younger people lately, high school and college age, and they just don’t listen. I’m not talking about, “hey, pick those clothes up off the floor and put them away”… and they don’t do it, kind of listening (although that is certainly an issue as well). I’m talking about truly using their ears and hearing the world around them.

This isn’t limited to young people. When teaching home studio> classes (mostly to adults), I’m often asked, “how do you know which (whatever piece of gear) sounds better?” The answer is, you have to listen and compare in order to know.

This isn’t entirely the fault of today’s typical listener. Tiny and inefficient earbud, computer and television speakers have become common place. These are all truly terrible devices for critical listening and are barely good enough for enjoyable listening. Then of course, there is the MP3 format. Listening to an MP3 of a song and then listening to that same song on a record or CD (on decent speakers and in a decent environment) is a truly ear-opening experience.

When it comes to voiceovers, I’ve often said that listening is more important than speaking. The best voiceover coach is your ears. But, in order for your ears to guide you properly, you must train them… by using them. Take the time here to open your ears when listening to commercials, audio books and any voiceover you hear. Ask yourself, “what do I hear?” Is the delivery speaking to you? Why? What words are emphasized and how? How does it sound? Harsh and edgy? Dull and muddy?

By the way, want to know what your studio sounds like? Record yourself and play the recording in your car. Mix engineers and musicians have been referencing their mixes in cars for years. It makes perfect sense; the car has traditionally been the place where we do most of our listening. Furthermore, modern cars are well-designed for sound.

Take the time to listen. Notice what you hear. Compare sounds and learn what sounds good to you. It can be like opening a door to a world you barely knew existed. You’ll be surprised to discover the difference between what you think you hear… compared to what you actually hear. You may even benefit from the experience in ways you never thought possible.

Remember: You have two ears and one mouth to remind you to use your ears twice as much.

Be A Sponsor – FaffCamp 2013!!

March 10, 2013 by Dan Friedman

There are many great voiceover events each year. But none have had the impact on my career, and on my life, than FaffCon. The FaffCon crew has created a new event that is open to everyone at all stages of their voiceover career… FaffCamp!! This isn’t some watered down version of FaffCon. FaffCamp will be everything FaffCon is, but with more structure and more participants. More structure and more participants means there will be new things to experience, more people to add to your network and a variety of new opportunities.

FaffCamp will offer more to help advance your VO career than you’ve ever seen before!

FaffCamp still has opportunities for sponsorship and if you would like to see your name or logo on the back of the coveted FaffCamp t-shirt all you have to do is contact Peter O’Connell for all of the sponsorship details. The following is from his blog… I look forward to meeting you at FaffCamp!

It’s already time for Daylight Savings Time so we all know that May 3rd and the start of FaffCamp will be here before you know it (55 days from now).

As with FaffCon, FaffCamp needs the support of sponsors to continue to make the event viable (successful events do not live by registration fees alone 🙂 ).

BUT (great news coming….) because of FaffCamp’s unique format…THERE ARE STILL REGISTRATION SPOTS OPEN!!! However, while attendance will be greater than FaffCon, FaffCamp’s attendance is NOT unlimited. Now is the time to register!

Our Faff Events have been extremely fortunate to benefit from the support of some amazing sponsors (thank you to you all) who love the events and know that they are cost-effectively getting their marketing messages out to business owners and decision makers within the voice-over community who are continually investing in their businesses.

There are some very unique and affordable sponsorship opportunities only available at (our larger audience…more eyeballs…more opportunities) FaffCamp. If you’d like information on the sponsorship opportunities, please email me here or call me at 716-572-1800.

Either myself or the great Natalie Stanfield Thomas will get you the information you need and begin the process.

Finally, if you are a FaffCon or FaffCamp supporter, I would be greatly appreciative if you would SHARE THIS BLOG POST on all your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc) so that all of your followers will be made aware of this cool FaffCamp opportunity.

Thanks for all your help. See you in Charlotte!

What Else Do You Want From Your Voiceover Talent?

October 14, 2011 by Dan Friedman

This blog post is for everyone who uses voiceover talent in their productions. A voice talent’s job is to communicate the message of your script. But what else should you expect from the talent you choose? How do you prefer that the talent go about assisting you with achieving your goals? Other than being great communicators, what can the talent bring to your production that adds value and makes your recording session great?

What is most important to you:

Delivery?

Versatility?

Efficiency?

Tonal Quality?

Assistance?

Q: Do you like to allow the voice talent to give their interpretation of a script, or do you prefer to direct them first?

Professional voice talent are trained to interpret a script and use the words as a road map. The words usually determine the tone and delivery. Unless… they don’t. You can allow the voiceover talent to follow the map, or ask the talent to explore other paths.

Q: Do you prefer to hear several different deliveries?

Going into a recording session, you may not have a good idea of what the exact tone of your script should be. It could be very effective delivered in several ways. Asking your voice talent to offer a variety of options may allow you to discover a bit of magic you hadn’t thought of or help you make a final decision as to what delivery works best.

Q: Do you prefer the talent you are working with to deliver the script completely or do you prefer to massage each line and piece together the “perfect” read?

Reading a script straight through, or at least large sections in a single pass, allows the voice talent to maintain tone and pace. This will usually result in a more consistent and cohesive read. When necessary, the talent can pick up lines afterward to get the nuance you may be listening for if they didn’t get it on the first pass. With the assistance of your session’s audio engineer, you can have the best lines edited together quickly to see how they work together as a whole.

Q: Do you choose a talent based on voice quality alone?

Every voice talent has different strengths. Some are best suited for announcer reads, while others shine in more conversational or character roles. If you cast based on voice quality alone you may have mixed results when you get into the studio. This is where casting directors, who know the abilities of the voice talent, can help you choose the best voice for the job.

Q: Do you find it helpful if a voice talent has the ability to actively assist you with your script, whether it be grammatically or with overall tone and flow?

Professional voice talent learn to become good copy editors. Whether the problem is length of copy, grammar, or a scripts tone and flow, the voice talent you hire may have suggestions that can improve the final product. If your voice over script isn’t sounding right and you can’t put your finger on it, ask the talent for help.

You may find it helpful to ask yourself these questions as you begin each project. There is no doubt that your level of experience with voiceover production may determine some, or all of the answers. Furthermore, everyone chooses a voice based on different needs and what is appropriate for each project. But the answers to these questions could help you decide which voice talent is best for your current or future projects.

There are many voices available and often voice quality is not the number one factor in your choice. If you have narrowed your choices down to two talent and you know that no matter who you choose, the delivery would be great; would the answers to these other questions make a difference in who gets the job? Only you can decide. So, what else do you want from your voiceover talent?