Archives for June 2011

Power of Human Voice – Hi, Ella

June 27, 2011 by George 1 Comment

Hi, Ella.

It’s your daddy. I’m that low rumbly sound you hear talking to you through you mommy’s belly. I try to talk to you every day, so you know what I sound like when you make your big arrival in October. I know, it will be different when my voice comes through air instead of skin and fluid. But I want you to hear me and know me.

Did you know your mommy sings? You found out just how good she is a couple of weeks ago, when she sang “Quando me’n vo’” from La boheme and “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess when her friend Keri was here and played for us. Mommy sings MUCH higher than Daddy does, and wow, she can hold a note for a long time! I sang “I Got Plenty of Nuthin’,” but you probably didn’t hear it quite as well as you did your Mommy.

One of the coolest things you do now is when I talk or sing to you, Mommy tells me that that you pat inside her when you hear and feel the low frequencies. So I know you can hear me…and you probably can feel me. Until you are big enough to see when you move, it’s nice to know that you are responding by Mommy pointing to where she can feel you move. Oh, did you know all your brothers and sisters sing too? Jordan, Grace, Logan, Naomi and Sean all sing in one thing or another. They all love music…big brother Jordan, you almost never see without a headphone in his ear. All the others have been in musicals, choirs, everything…using their voices with music to communicate, entertain, and have fun.

Daddy sings, but he also talks a LOT! People ask him to talk like an announcer, like their best friend, like someone they have never met…like all kinds of things. Just this past week, I had to sound like a guy who needed to go to the hospital, needed to take his wife to the hospital, talk about a sad moment in North Carolina history, and give people options for going to college. I love doing that, and I can’t wait to do the same for you, when I get to read stories about saying good night to the moon, or that Velveteen Rabbit, or any of the hundreds of books you will get to grip and mouth and watch and listen to and eventually read yourself.

Ella, did you know who you are named for? Your name comes from someone people think is the greatest jazz singer of all time, and one of Mommy’s favorite artists, Ella Fitzgerald (we’re still working on a middle name). She was incredible, and she could scat sing better than just about anyone. When you get older, we will show you this video of her scatting to “One Note Samba.”

You know, you will do something like this as you learn to talk, making up syllables that make no sense to anyone but you. And we will love every minute of it. I keep talking about singing and talking. Ella, there is no pressure on you to be a singer. You go ahead and be a teacher, or a scientist, or a basketball player or anything you want to be. We love you so much already. I just wanted to tell you that, Ella.

We love you, and we can’t wait to see and hear you. Looking forward to meeting you in October, baby girl.

Interview with Dialect Coach Pamela Vanderway – Part 2

June 22, 2011 by George 3 Comments

In part one of my interview with dialect coach Pamela Vanderway, she shared her background and her path to becoming a dialect coach, is there a difference between dialect and accent, and what level of determination is necessary to learn a dialect. Here in part 2, we’ll hear more about the dialect acquisition process, her dream clients, and what gets her up in the morning.

I have referred to you as a “fountain of ideas.” What drives you and inspires you?

What drives me and inspires me? I’ve got to say that would be two things– curiosity and the tick-tick-ticking of the clock! This world is so full of fascinating things, ideas and experiences, yet in our lifetimes each of us is given so little time to explore. I realize that no one of us will get to learn everything there is to learn on Earth, but if I have my way I’m certainly going to die trying!

Is there an actor or public speaker you would love to work with?

In the category of high-profile actors I haven’t collaborated with yet but who would be good matches for my teaching style, Jackie Chan and Steve Martin top the list. Why Chan and Martin? Because these two actors are detail oriented, have an incredible work ethic and already possess excellent body awareness. Add to that the fact that neither is known for their dialect work — yet– and you have a challenge that I would take on in a heartbeat.

Give me a general idea of what a working session with you would be like

That’s a tough one, as every situation is a little bit different. I can start by saying that I work with new clients for a minimum of 12 1-hour sessions. I also offer ‘shadowing’ where I am available to the client every single day, up to 10 hours a day for anywhere from a few days to a month or more. I realize this is not the norm for most dialect coaches, but I want to guarantee that the actor has what they need to absolutely succeed in the illusion they are attempting. For clients I have a longstanding relationship with on the other hand, I routinely do individual one hour sessions — usually to brush up on a particular skill, or to coach them on particular text. In any given dialect session, a client and I might be working at a table listening, analyzing and practicing sound samples, or looking in a mirror to get visual feedback about how we are creating certain sounds, or then again we might be running around the room throwing soft pillows that are sewn in the shapes of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Yes, you read that right. Pillows. Shaped like phonetic symbols. I know it sounds a little ‘out there’, but used properly these lighthearted tools can really speed an actor’s learning.

Do you have a success story with an actor you feel defines and validates what you do?

I have been very fortunate to work with some wonderful actors so far in my journey. The kind of clients I tend to attract are focused, imaginative explorers who continually work to improve their craft so for me every single one of my clients has not only contributed to validating my work, each of them has taught me something in return.

I want to thank Pamela for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer these questions and share a bit about her vision and her work. Follow her on Twitter and check out the Dialect 411 website and blog for more about dialect acquisition and how to treat your voice.

Interview with Dialect Coach Pamela Vanderway – Part 1

June 21, 2011 by George 4 Comments

It was a little over a year ago that I met Pamela Vanderway on Twitter. We were discussing my near annual “fake a Jamaican” gig, in which I do a Jamaican accent for a radio commercial, and we had a great conversation on what it takes to learn a dialect or accent. Since then, we have talked about a wide array of topics, and I have discovered the she is an idea generator, a lover of the arts, and probably more energetic than 90% of the people I know. As a dialect coach based in Los Angeles, she has worked with many, many actors on acquiring the proper dialect for films, television, and other projects. You can see her work on her website at Dialect 411, and follow her on Twitter. I was able to squeeze into her busy schedule and ask her a few questions about her profession, how she became a dialect coach, and more. Here is part one.

Tell me a little about your path to becoming a dialect coach. When did you decide this is what you wanted to do, and was there a special program you were in or developed to get you there?

For every coach I’ve met, the path has been different. I was training to be a professional actor when I realized that more than any other thing, dialect work was what I wanted to do. After earning my BFA from California Institute of the Arts, I searched for programs in the United States that were geared toward training dialect coaches. While I found many schools with speech therapy and linguistics programs, I could not locate a program which integrated the scholarly side of dialect coaching with any sort of deep understanding of the actor’s craft. I decided to approach CalArts to ask if they would consider creating a masters degree program that would meet my needs. Fortunately for me, CalArts is known for creative risk-taking so I was invited to work with the faculty at CalArts to design a program in which I could earn an MFA in speech studies for actors. For two years I observed nearly every speech and dialects class session the school offered and took notes on course content, instructional style and student progress. In addition to speech, I took voice-for-the-actor classes, sometimes repeating the same course in order to deepen my knowledge and to observe how a different set of students may or may not influence the outcome of the class. I took text analysis, theatre history,and various film history courses. I regularly observed student actors as they worked with their acting teachers. I tutored students in phonetics, eventually working my way up to co-teaching courses. I also tended to ‘crash’ every class, rehearsal or student film set I thought might enrich my knowledge, studied every scrap of dialect information I could lay my hands on in those days before the wonder that is Google, and worked on student film and stage projects in every capacity I could. My philosophy was (and continues to be) that the more one knows about the big picture of something, the more skillfully one can enhance that picture with their talents.

My training of course did not end with my MFA. To better understand and serve my clients, in addition to the dialect research my job requires, I’ve taken group and private voice and voiceover classes, ADR classes, traditional storytelling classes, marketing classes, earned my 200-hour Yoga RYT certification, explored movement modalities such as the Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Technique and Hellerwork, attended voice conferences, and observed actors rehearsing as much as possible so that I have exposure to the myriad approaches an actor may have to his/her craft. I even took horseback riding lessons for a while in order to experience centering and grounding in a new way. I really love what I do and want to provide my clients with the most comprehensive instructional experience I can, so I’m always open to trying out new modalities and techniques.

Many people equate “dialect” with “accent.” Are they the same?

The terms ‘dialect’ and ‘accent’ are hotly debated in linguistic circles. Ask five professionals and you’ll get five variations of an answer. Me? I tend to be of the mind that a dialect includes word and phrase choices while ‘accent’ is a word referring to pronunciation and musicality alone. That said, since I work mainly one-on-one with my clients, I allow myself flexibility in my usage of these terms, so that my client feels as comfortable as possible. (I figure that since learning a dialect is about as challenging as learning to walk on the high wire, I should extend comfort to my client wherever I can!)

Does an actor have to immerse themselves in a dialect in order to become “fluent?”

The simple answer is yes. An actor needs to have sufficient exposure to the specific sounds, rhythm and melody of a dialect in order to be able to accurately duplicate these components and then effectively integrate them into performance. How much time will be sufficient? That’s the million dollar question. Every case is different and depends on many factors including how much experience a person has at learning dialects at the professional level, how much prior exposure to the target dialect a person my have had incidentally in their life thus far, and how many components in the target dialect differ from the actor’s own dialect. This list only scratches the surface.

Clearly this isn’t a simple process, and there is no “Rosetta Stone” to get it done quickly

It’s a complicated formula to say the least. One thing I can say for certain is that anyone who claims to be able to teach an actor a dialect in one or two lessons is being overly optimistic. The actors you see collecting shiny golden awards are spending weeks and months rather than hours preparing for those award worthy dialect roles.

Is there a particular issue that would cause an actor to have more difficulty learning a dialect? Are there habits that you need to overcome or break before learning a dialect?

As I mentioned a little earlier, many factors influence the length of time that dialect training may take. One factor I have not mentioned though is an actor’s ability to hear. When an actor is living with significantly compromised hearing, learning a dialect can become quite challenging indeed. If the hearing loss is great enough this is a challenge that unfortunately may not be completely overcome. As far as habits are concerned, the only habits one must overcome is any tendancy one might have to give up when the going gets rough. Learning and then integrating a dialect is a project that requires a great deal of energy, focus and specificity coupled with a sense of curiosity and permission to step outside what is known and comfortable. The process can be at times thrilling and at other times a bit intimidating. As long as you don’t hit the first rough patch in the road to learning a dialect, declare yourself ‘not good at dialects’ and quit, you’ll reach your goal.

Look for part two of this interview tomorrow, where you get to hear more about the dialect acquisition process, and find out just what the heck these are:

CourVO’s Voiceover Social Media Plan

June 10, 2011 by George Leave a Comment

Rather than get into a long detailed analysis of the individual points, I will simply direct you to Dave Courvoisier’s blog to read about his multi-part social media plan for voice artists. If you didn’t know, he has been discussing this kind of stuff for quite a while, and he has put together an impressive series of steps and tips for you to follow in order to make the best of your social media presence. Start with Part 1, and go from there. You will not be disappointed.

Archives for June 2011

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