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There are, of course, a few exceptions to this – the first being when you’re recording a version of a game that was originally produced in another language. In that case, you may have reference tracks in the original language, cut scenes (the short movies that play in between gameplay) that you’ll have to match, and strict timing concerns to be aware of.

In another scenario, near the beginning of a game’s development, you may have done some work on the game while no animation was yet available; and then eight months later the producers ask you to come back and do more work on it. Only now they’ve got animation and gameplay to show you as a reference.

But most often you’ll have very little (if any) preparation, and not a lot of time to learn about the game before you’re thrown into the fire. And this is where the director will be your best friend, giving you context for your dialogue – which you will sometimes record very quickly, one line after the other, two or three takes per line (i.e. two or three different recordings of the same line), with not even the other characters’ dialogue for reference. Other times you might get the entire script, but it’s unlikely you will have the time to do much more than scan it as you jump from line to line.

We’ve said that a strong imagination will help you in this business. To make this stuff work, you’re gonna have to imagine quite a bit. So, listening to the director, using your imagination, and making bold choices – all at high speed – are important, and together can often be the key to finding yourself on the top of the call list when a studio is auditioning and booking future jobs.

Very often these days, video games are developed in tandem with major motion pictures so that when the movie comes out, the game based on that movie is also available. Now before you get too excited about doing the VO for these video games, we have to let you know that voice actors in video games get paid a lot less than their on-screen counterparts. Why? Because the budgets for video games are nowhere near the budgets of the movies they accompany.

But now’s your chance to get excited again because, in most cases, a major motion picture actor will not want to lend his or her voice to the video game; the salary paid is simply not worth the time involved. This is where you come in: the game will likely require a voice actor to voice match the actor from the film. See, you always knew those impressions would come in handy one day.

On the downside, video game work, because of the nature of video games themselves, can be very stressful on your voice if you’re not careful. This is certainly a place where vocal control is important. If you play a lot of video games, you know that they’re chock-full of shouting, screaming, yelling, getting blown up, being set on fire, and falling from great heights. And that’s just in the opening cut scene.

These recording sessions can last up to four hours at a time. There have been times when we’ve emerged from them sweaty, hoarse, and shell-shocked – as if we’ve actually been through the war we were just playing at. Many voice actors refuse to do video games for this reason, and some will intentionally schedule VG sessions in the afternoon on a Friday so that they have the whole weekend to recuperate. But don’t let that scare you. Just keep reading: we have ways of keeping you safe.

Interview with Voice Actor, Tara Platt!

July 6th, 2011 FROM: BigDamnGeeks.com

You might not recognize her face but her voice will jog your memory! Tara Platt is an amazing voice actor whose worked on shows like Naruto and Ben 10, films like the upcoming Tekken: Blood Vengeance and video games like Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe and Marvel vs Capcom 3. Aside from her work in animation, Tara Platt is an accomplished stage actress who’s played the title role in Romeo and Juliet and as Titania in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. She’s worked multiple times in shows written and directed by Star Trek: TNG’s John De Lancie. In 2004, she and her husband Yuri Lowenthal created Monkey Kingdom Productions, an independent film company and they also co-wrote a book on Voice Acting called Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind The Mic.

You started acting at a very young age, but when did you first get into doing voice work for animation?

The acting that I did when I was younger was all stage, I didn’t get into film or TV until after college, and then I didn’t start working in VO (animation, video games, etc.) until moving to LA in my early 20′s. So although I’ve been acting for much of my life, the VO part has been the latest “medium” to play in… Read the entire article

PlaybackSTL , Sarah Boslaugh
Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt/ Voice Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic
Bug Bot. 2009. c.216p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-9840740-0-6. pap. $19.95. 256 pages. Emerald Book Company, 2010. $19.95 (paperback)
“Even if you have no aspirations towards a career in voice-over, there’s a lot you can learn from this book.”
“…What I like best about this book is the informal yet business-like tone taken by the authors: they don’t offer shortcuts or “secrets to success” but point the way down a path which can lead to a rewarding career. And they’re not afraid to have some fun in the process: anecdotes, cartoons and fun facts are salted throughout the text, along with sidebars from other industry professionals which offer advice, war stories and other information about working in the voice-over business.
If you think you know something about voice acting (and even more so if you think it’s easier or somehow a lesser skill in comparison to conventional acting) I invite you to listen to the demo reels of Yuri (YuriLowenthal.com) and Tara (TaraPlatt.com). Pretty amazing, huh? Not only do these demo reels demonstrate the versatility of these two actors, they also provide examples of how to assemble clips to showcase your talents briefly and effectively.
You can learn more about Voice-Over Voice Actor from the book’s web site:
(VoiceOverVoiceActor.com/) which also offers bonus materials like exercises to improve your skills.”
Read the entire review at PlaybackSTL

Library Journal Review, Barry X. Miller
Lowenthal, Yuri & Tara Platt. Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic. Bug Bot. 2009. c.216p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-9840740-0-6. pap. $19.95.
“…new guide, with a specific focus for different audiences, address the practical needs and concerns of actors seeking voice-over work. First-time authors (and husband and wife) Lowenthal and Platt have extensive professional voice-over credits and offer a thorough nuts-and-bolts guide to all facets of the profession. Introductory chapters delineate the diverse voice-over spectrum, provide useful information to identify and strengthen vocal quality, and list necessary preaudition considerations. Middle chapters examine the hellacious realm of auditioning, technical aspects of the voice-over process, and the business side of entering the field (e.g., the demo, securing an agent, self-promotion and marketing, and ongoing practice). Written in a breezy, conversational style, the text includes numerous sidebars featuring anecdotes from working professionals, cheesy cartoons, inane inspirational quotes, and technical factoids.
VERDICT … their guide is a viable addition to the working actor’s bookshelf…”

Technorati Book Review: Voice-Over Voice Actor
Author: Jon Herrera July 26, 2010
Voice-Over Voice Actor is written by Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt, who have been doing voice-over work for 12 years and have steady gigs doing cartoons and video games. They also take any other work for which their voices are suitable. The best info in Voice-Over Voice Actor is that any kind of voice can finds its way into the profession, as there are now so many products and roles needing to be filled.
With chapters like Finding Your Voice, The Audition Itself, What To Do To Get Started, The Demo Yuri and Tara, the book manages to cover all the basics. It includes a number of exercises and tips, and a nice glossary of terms common to the world of voice-over acting. There are also some sample copies for practicing. There are cute little cartoons at the end of each chapter, and the overall tone of the book is a nice mixture of informal and informative.
The only thing missing from Voice-Over Voice Actor was a CD in the back of the book with vocal exercises and examples of the kind of work that the authors do. Voice-Over Voice Actor’s companion website is colorful and has a few additional voice exercises.

GoodReads Review
By Jason Milligan
Voice-Over Voice Actor reads easily and quickly and that is good. Its conversational tone keeps you interested and learning without being didactic or dogmatic. This book makes the material fun, yet crams copious amounts of information into a mere 230 pages. A reader can finish this book within a few hours and then spend many years following its advice and building a career instead of squandering months trying to wade through verbose text and redundancy.
Yuri and Tara intend this book for aspiring Voice Actors, but I think it is useful to anyone who intends to work in animation, video games, or other areas of entertainment requiring voice work. I only occasionally do voice work (primarily when necessary or when doing puppetry), but I do often direct or work directly with voice actors. After reading this book, I feel like I better understand the industry and can work more efficiently with voice actors. I also find the advice for building a career as a VO is germane to many areas of entertainment outside of voice acting.
If you want to be a voice actor or work with voice actors, it would be irresponsible not to read this book.

SomeAudioGuy Blogspot
Book Review – Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind The Mic
There’s a new book available for people interested in Voice Over, and I’m liking it a lot!
Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind The Mic is hitting bookshelves now, and I was fortunate to get an early copy to review.
Written by Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt, two voice actors at the top of their careers, VOVA is an excellent resource for those beginning their VO journey, while including enough helpful resources to also aid more experienced performers.
VOVA chronicles Tara & Yuri’s entrance into the craft, while at the same time providing practical advice for not only the art of voice over, but the business of VO as well.
The book is a fairly comprehensive introduction including sections on styles of VO, auditioning, home recording, demo preparation, and advice for scoring an agent/manager. They of course are not promising you a career in VO by reading their book, but you get a really in depth look at the industry as it stands TODAY.
That’s one of my favorite things about VOVA. There is a lot of very good literature out there for VO, but this is easily one of the savviest books written on the subject in this modern era of digital recording. It’s one of the most up to date accounts of what it’s like working in this field right now. Yuri & Tara are both working talent at the top of their game (each with an incredible list of credits), and every chapter is augmented by other working professionals including directors, engineers, producers, agents, and other talent.
The book has a really fun voice, with information cleverly and intelligently delivered to readers of all skill levels. Voice-Over Voice Actor is a really easy book to recommend to those interested in trying the craft, and those already working in it.
You can buy the book at their website VoiceOverVoiceActor.com, and people who purchase will also get access to online resources including practice copy, warm ups, and additional content not found in the current edition. I’m already quite impressed with Yuri & Tara’s commitment to keeping the information available on VO as current as possible.
You can also follow them on Twitter as VOVoiceActor.

Feathered Quills: Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic
By: Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt Publisher: Bug Bot Press
Publication Date: January 2010 ISBN: 978-0-9840740-0-6
Reviewed by: Pamela Victor Review Date: February 17, 2010
Though brisk sales hopefully will profit Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt, I get the impression that they have written Voice-Over Voice Actor because of their love of voice acting, not to mention their all-around niceness and super-heroic good will towards all. The authors don’t hold back secrets of the field, which would be understandable given the competitiveness of the acting world. On the contrary, Lowenthal and Platt write with abundant generosity, welcoming those new to voice-over acting with open arms. If you are contemplating or starting out in voice-over work, Voice-Over Voice Actor is a must-own. I mean it, folks. And I’m not just saying that because I like talking in funny voices.
In fact, I had hardly dipped my toes into the roiling waters of this book before it became crystal clear that Voice-Over Voice Actor is an essential, invaluable treasure that the voice actor will return to again and again. This book provides a plethora of vital guidelines to make any newbie look more like a seasoned professional. A mere sampling of the topics include: understanding your voice’s range, exercising your voice and maintaining vocal and over-all health, indentifying your vocal signature, preparing for the audition, making a demo reel, and what makes Christopher Walken and William Shatner so entertaining to listen to. As the authors suggest, “Hmmm. Christopher Walken as muse…William Shatner as muse. Ponder that for a while.”
In addition to the basic topics, Lowenthal and Platt offer bountiful tips of the trade, such as how an audio engineer wants you to relate to the mic, why it’s a good sign if the producers ignore you, how a teeming walk-in closet can work for you, and why a Granny Smith apple might be your best friend. These are gifts to the voice actors that will dramatically increase chances for success.
Are you familiar with any of these terms: “Popper Stopper” “walla bed,” “loop group,” “flaps,” and the all-important “three beats”? Within a working context as well as in the glossary, the authors provide definitions to the terminology a voice actor needs to know, so when someone says to you, “Give me a slate,” you won’t look at them like a blank slate. And this sentence will make perfect sense: “If you can master the skills required for dubbing, you’ll look really good in a pick-up or ADR session for a pre-lay animation project.”
This treasure trove of knowledge is presented in a casual, chatty and humorous style that puts the reader at ease, open and ready to soak it all up. From the Roy Lichtenstein-inspired book cover to the eye-catching comics and the retro-styled shout outs peppered throughout the book, Voice-Over Voice Actor sparkles with energy, youthful enthusiasm and wit. We feel like we could hang with Yuri and Tara, and maybe even geek out with Yuri over sci-fi comics if that’s your bent. Because, after all, “Yuri’s been a prince of Persia, a man of steel, and a boy who smacks his watch and turns into ten different aliens; while Tara has repelled inter-dimensional invaders with her Lasso of Truth, fought ninjas, and saved the universe by dreaming the future.” Pretty cool work if you can get it, don’t you think?
Quill says: For the fledgling voice-over actor, this book is a must-own. It’s just that simple.
For more information on Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic, please visit the book’s website at: www.VoiceOverVoiceActor.com

As if the voice acting couple of Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt aren’t busy enough, now they’ve gone and published a book.

Entitled Voice Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind The Mic, the book is an easy-to-read, step-by-step primer on the profession that Lowenthal and Platt have established themselves in quite successfully.

“I think the one thing we want the fans to get out of it is to get more information about the career of voice acting,” Platt explains. “What it’s really all about.”

“We get asked the same questions so often by fans and fellow actors about it; how to get into voice acting, what’s a good career path, how to do it. So what we’re trying to do with this book is to offer a glimpse into the world of voice over as we know it. We’re giving them a personal reference of what the career is like and some of the things we’ve learned that can help them.”

“We also tell them to try to have fun while doing it,” adds Lowenthal. “We do.” The tips include the highly logical. Such advice as the importance of a good agent/manager (and tips on what distinguishes a pro from a fraud), keeping the vocal chords healthy and ready to go, and just what a casting director, engineer and a number of others do in the job.

It also distinguishes the requirements of animation, doing game work, commercial voice work, even book narratives. From there, it can get into some rarified areas such as the importance of green apples and avoiding cigarettes and dairy products; even some solid tips on setting up a home studio. “I think it’s pretty comprehensive,” says Lowenthal. “I’m sure there’s some area we could have done more on. That’s what the second edition will be for.”

“I think it’s a good starting point,” adds Platt. “It is very comprehensive. It covers all the various categories of voice over work — how you get started, where you can find it, how to promote yourself — but we also talked to other pros in the various fields, even people like agents and engineers. So you are getting more than just our perspective.”

Lowenthal and Platt also recognize they aren’t the first providing such how-to advice for young VA’s. That didn’t stop them though. “I know people have said there are other people who have done books or some other thing,” says Lowenthal. “For us, it was really more constantly getting all these emails and letters from fans asking how they could do it as well as from people that we knew. We would always do our best to answer them. In a while, we saw we couldn’t keep answering the same questions all the time. Maybe we should write a book.”

That’s when the duo discovered one honest truth; wanting to write a book and actually doing it are two very different things. “It was kind of hard,” Platt acknowledges “When it’s your first, you don’t know what kind of mountains you’re going to be climbing. So it was a learning experience.”

“At the same time, it was fairly easy because we have our own production company. We’ve done a lot of things on our own including movies. Having done a lot of self-generated projects, this became just another one. It would end up us learning such things like an ISBN number, contacting the Library of Congress, every other piece of information that we needed. In that sense, it was definitely a task, but none of it was insurmountable.”

“Luckily, there are resources out there,” adds Lowenthal. “We also had friends we could go to ask questions. Even some of those people who gave us the anecdotes for the book, like Wil Wheaton and Dallas Travers, were absolute founts of knowledge. The resources are definitely out there.”

“Currently it’s available at the publisher’s website, www.bugbotpress.com,” says Platt. “It will be up on Amazon in another month after it finishes printing which will be another month. We’re also talking about having it up on Kindle so it will be downloadable.” As for the actors themselves, they are keeping themselves in front of the public eye.

Lowenthal will be recapping his roll of Ben Tennyson in this upcoming weekend’s Cartoon Network special, “Ben 10: The Vengeance of Vilgax.” He’s also hard at work on the next “Ben 10” series. “We’re recording right now, and it’s been a blast, as usual,” says Lowenthal. “It’s the same cast of fun characters, and more. I love going to the recording sessions just to see who’s going to show up each time and what cool guest star they have that day. We’re still working with Glen Murakami and Dwayne McDuffie along with a crew of talented writers under him. It’s just so much fun. I can’t say enough good things about it.”

Both have been working hard on a number of video games, but are currently sworn to secrecy about the projects. They are also in the upcoming American dubbed version of “Naruto: Shippuden,” Platt again playing Temari while Lowenthal returns as Sosuske. Word from Viz, the American producer, on that release is apparently forthcoming.

If that isn’t enough, they also are in the process of releasing their second live action film, “Tumbling After,” which Lowenthal wrote the screenplay for and Platt produced. Both have key rolls in the film, too. “It’s currently being submitted to film festivals,” says Platt. “We hope to be hearing soon where it will be accepted. We’ve submitted to a lot of the horror-genre film festivals and we’re very excited about its possibilities.” “In the meantime we’re exploring several other different avenues, including some people who might be interested in distributing it,” says Lowenthal.

Fans will also soon be able to see Platt in another live action film, which starts shooting this September. “I’ve just passed the audition for a live action feature film that I’m very excited about,” she said. “It’s called ‘A Girl, A Guy and A Space Helmet.’ I start shooting that next month. I play the sister of the lead actor.”
No doubt their fans will be hearing and seeing a lot more from them in the immediate future. In the meantime, they have Voice Over Voice Actor to keep them occupied.

If you watch TV or play video games, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the voices of Yuri Lowenthal and Tara Platt. Along with being a couple and working in the same industry, they’ve decided to write and publish a book together. “Voice-Over Voice Actor” is everything you want to know about voice acting and more.

Sonic Eclectic: Can you tell us about your book?

Yuri Lowenthal: It started because fans kept asking questions about our acting — at conventions or through email — and a lot of them were the same questions. I said, “You know, maybe we should write a book.”

Tara Platt: Basically, we did try to make the book as comprehensible as we could for anyone, whether they’re already in the entertainment industry or whether they’re somebody who’s interested in getting into it. Or if they just happen to be a fan. We make it so it’s an easy and fun read, but it gives all sorts of information on tips and tricks and tools. Like how to read copy, audition, warm your body up and do vocal exercises. It also tells how to create and build a viable career.

YL: We break down all the different kinds of voice-over work that’s out there. We found that there are a lot of different things a voice actor can do. Sure, there’s animation, but there’s also foreign language dubbing and looping for films. There’s commercial work. With video games, we looked at other people’s books to see what was out there. We found that not a lot of people cover voice acting for video games. We thought that was important because that’s a huge percentage of the work we do.

TP: Video games have been growing so quickly, so there’s a lot more work in the video game industry.

YL: We also didn’t want it to just be us talking the whole book through, so we got anecdotes from twenty different other professionals in the industry. Some of them were funny, some of them were observational, and some were just hard fact. We got those from engineers, directors, agents, other actors…so you get different perspectives throughout.

TP: We both think it’s important not only to get our own perspective, but to talk to other people within the voice-over community. Not just the actors, because the actors’ experience is very specific. So you’re understanding how the whole machine works. Also because — who knows? — someone might read our book and read our excerpt by Juan, the audio engineer, and go, “That’s what I want to do.” It can help fill out the picture.

DD: How was the process writing the book together?

TP: Because I sort of was the spearhead, I actually sat down and wrote a first draft on my own. Then I handed that off to Yuri. He went through it and said, “I think we also need this,” or, “You totally forgot this,” or, “That was great.” We handed it back and forth. We did have several meetings where we brainstormed. It gets a little tricky when we sit down and try to come up with sentences at the same time. We have different brains.

YL: Tara just ignored the big part, which was that she had to research how to publish your own work.

DD: So you made your own publishing company?

TP: Yeah. I realized it would be easier and more efficient for us if we just started our own publishing company. I had to go through all the various things of forming your own company, like contacting printers and editors. I became the project manager of getting this thing going.

YL: Tara started the cornerstone of a publishing empire.

TP: [Laughs]

DD: Are you planning to publish anything else through it?

TP: It’s funny you should ask, because we’ve had other people approach us and ask, “Will you publish our book?” But I didn’t create the company with Yuri to be a publishing company. We’re actors first. Anything we’re doing is to help get our stuff out there. At this point, I don’t know how many other projects we might be publishing. There will probably be other books, because we’re both creative people.

DD: Is there anything else you’d like us to know?

YL: The book’s available at Amazon and many Barnes and Noble and Borders stores. And through our website, which is www.voiceovervoiceactor.com.

TP: I’m very proud that we won a Pinnacle Book Award this year and we won a Nation Indie Excellence award this year. I think it’s really exciting that it’s getting singled out.

YL: We travel as much as we can, going to book signings and such.

TP: And if people are interested, they can follow @Vovoiceactor on Twitter. During the week, we put out tips on that.

And if you love the eBook leave us some feedback, we’re hard at work at also getting it up on to the iBookstore, with more exciting products coming soon!

Adjective/Adverb List

Wry                                 Calm                          Perky

Honest                            Open                         Cut-to-the-chase

Sarcastic                        Happy                      Clipped

Giddy                              Haughty                   Innocent

Secretive                       Emotional               Bored

Inquisitive                    Playful                         Cool

Sexy                                 Witty                         Crazed

Earnest                            Angry                       Grounded

Trustworthy                 Confident                   Relaxed

As you go through each word on the list, be really honest with yourself when deciding if it fits your voice naturally. Right now the focus is not on whether or not you can sound a certain way if you push it, but how you normally sound without pushing. Happy hunting!

We are so proud of our recent 2010 NABE Pinnacle Book Award for Voice-Over Voice Actor for “How To.” The North American Bookdealers Exchange offer Pinnacle Awards for independent publishers throughout the US who present outstanding achievement in various categories.

We’re also extremely proud of our Winning Award in the “Young-Adult Educational” category of the 2010 National Indie Excellence Awards. The NIEA award finalists and winners in various categories for independently published books, so we’re quite pleased to be the Winning book in our category.

Getting an award is always both flattering and appreciated, since it’s always nice to know others think highly of whatever you’ve spent such time & energy working on. Go VOVA!!