A bright start for a challenging session with Papa Neil Tolentino

The silence was immediately broken as he entered the workshop room, as if carrying the sun with him. The next thing we knew, everything was just so bright.


It was his never-changing wits, perhaps. Unsurprisingly, it was never short to awaken the mind of the participants who were there for the fifth session of Voiceworx which is devoted to scriptwriting and translating.

Actually, this was a blessing in disguise. The lesson for the day was not easy, after all as the real thing is not easy in fact. Papa Neil even emphasized the importance of the writer s’ role in the industry of dubbing for according to him, these writers are the minds behind the lines every dubber throws. So, it was just a perfect match—a bright morning, warm up for a challenging session.

Pochology: Inspiring 4000+ youth in one day

It is epidemic. Now, there is no other way than to accept the fact that it continues spreading even more. It is the power of Pochology, the Psychology of Pocholo “The Voicemaster” Gonzales.

The Voicemaster, in fact, has already inspired millions of youths after having spoken in so many schools around the world. Yet, he never gets tired. So, currently, he still continues inspiring more young people. Even more, he is taking it to the next level.

Davao City

Tagum City

10th Filipino Franchise Show, World Trade Center,

In these three talks, the Voicemaster talked more of Personal Branding and Creative Management.

'Ama' has a new style

Mr. Danny Mandia, known as the “Ama” or the Father of dubbing, has a new approach in facilitating Voiceworx. Being the one who takes care of the introduction to dubbing part, he now wants more and earlier engagement of the participants in hands on dubbing.

This is unlike the past batches where there were no hands on dubbing exercises and just more of introduction to the dubbing itself plus some other exercises. Now, the participants are already given a chance to experience the real thing through mock dubbing.

This just shows that the instructors in Voiceworx do not stop in looking for ways to make the workshop even better and t make the participants more prepared. Voiceworx, in spite of its already long existence, is continuing to improve.

Voiceworx Day 3: Getting closer to the new self

Shyness is but a usual enemy of Voiceworx participants most especially during the first session and this, in fact, is also one of the most important concerns that the workshop is addressing. At the end of the workshop, each participant is expected to develop his or her self confidence on and off stage.

This is made possible through a lot of appropriate activities which make sure that at the end of the day, each workshopper would no longer mind proceeding in front of the class to perform or present something. This also ensures that they will have ample amount of confidence even when it comes to their daily interactions with people around.

Packed with activities like these, the third day of the workshop lasy July 16 never failed to make every participant absorb this point even more. Facilitated by the Voicemaster and CreatiVoices Productions CEO Mr. Pocholo Gonzales, the third day was made sure to have included a couple of exercises that would allow each one to go in front and perform.

Apparently, there were already positive results. In fact, even the shyest of the shyests among the participants during the first meeting was already able to perform. Also, workshoppers also learn to volunteer themselves, very far from their habit of pinpointing who the first to present would be. In addition, since day was devoted to character voicing, they also learned how to be less concious whenever the artform requires some kind of performances that are really out of the box.

Three down, five more to go. Surely, there are more things to look forward to. And yes, the next five days would be steps closer to their new selves.

'The Voice is in the Ears of the Beholder.'

 

"If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the voice is in the ears of the beholder as well," said the Voicemaster Pocholo Gonzales during the third day of Voiceworx! Basic Voice Acting and Dubbing Workshop, July 16.

This is in relation to his point that voice acting is not just about possessing a good-sounding voice. In fact, he even emphasized that even "goodness" in terms of the sound is something that is really crucial since it is very subjective and like beauty, what is pleasant for one may not work for another.

Also, he pointed out that besides the quality of the voice in terms of its goodness, something that is more important is a voice artist's ability to deliver the message he or she needs to deliver and the effectiveness of this particular manner of delivery. This means that how one uses his or her voice is something that really matters.

The Art of Voice Acting

Like any other art form, voice acting is something that should be taken seriously. And that means devoting ample amount of time, energy, and effort in order to improve and attain a particular level before being able to really get involved in the field. So, along with this fact goes the availability of different means of learning and mastering the art. One of these is through books.

When it comes to voice acting, James Alburger's The Art of Voice Acting is almost a bible. From the title itself, this book is about everything an aspiring voice artist should know before he dives into the sea of voice acting. It essentials from facts about the voice over industry up to the most specific tips and teachnical bits of information for aspiring voice artists.

Truly, this book is a must-read for erveryone who wants to learn more about the art form. However, reading alone should not be enough. To fully learn things about it, it is still better to also seek help from the experts in form of wrokshops. This way, a voice acting enthusiast does not only learn the theoretical aspects of it but also and most of all, its actuality which is the real thing.



Voiceworx Day Two: More learning, fresh from the experts

The second day of Voiceworx opened with so much learning. Mr. Pocholo Gonzales, the Voicemaster opened the session of the Morning Class by imparting some words of wisdom which both can inspire and equip the participants in the journey they are currently in. Spontaneously, the Voicemaster was able to make them realize some things which are, in fact, not just important in terms of voice acting but also in real life.

The Workshop proper, on the other hand, was facilitated by Mr. Brian Ligsay who discussed more things about voice over. There were also giving of some pieces of advice and tips that are needed in the field.

CreatiVoices Congratulates Eloisa Cruz Canlas

CreatiVoices Productions congratulates Eloisa Cruz Canlas also known as Lola Sela Bungangera for being the 2011 UP Gawad Plaridel Awardee. She used to be one of the facilitators for CreatiVoices Productions’ Voiceworx!

Click here for the complete story.

The Voice Over of Narnia’s Trailer Joins CreatiVoices

Duke Morgan the voice behind Narnia Trailers joined CreatiVoices Productions VO pool.

Duke Morgan - CreatiVoices American Movie Trailers by creativoices

Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Voice Over Actor Starting a Voice Over Studio Working as a Voice Over Actor at Home

Voice Over Actor

Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Voice Over Actor
Starting a Voice Over Studio
Working as a Voice Over Actor at Home

One of the biggest misconceptions about voice over acting is what we like to call the myth of the Golden Voice. Do you have to sound hugely resonant and deep like James Earl Jones, or authoritative like Don LaFontaine to make money in voice over acting? As a matter of fact, you do not.

There are many facets of the voice over acting career where, for example, a person with a distinctive voice can create a career, or where someone who finds it a snap to sound as if they are in a casual conversation when reading a script can carve a recurring market for their voice.

A “golden voice” is absolutely not essential when pursuing your future in voice over acting. Another common fallacy associated with a career in voice over acting is that a lack of a background in professional acting can harm your chances for a future. Not true! While some acting ability is a helpful and marketable talent to have, it is absolutely not a deal breaker.

Acting experience is something you can pursue over time to enhance your current ability to read a script, be expressive with your voice, and make your success as a voice over actor soar.

What if you have never worked in radio or television – does that prevent your future in voice over acting from happening? Absolutely not! Every voice over actor has to start somewhere.

Those voice over actors with names you recognize started out with no experience, the same as you are. Experience is something you have to go out and create for yourself; it is not an insurmountable obstacle. It is a simple hurdle that every aspiring voice over actor must jump at some point to get their career off the ground.

Do you live in a small town or a rural area? Are you afraid that voice over acting will require you to relocate to a larger city, or to a major entertainment hub city such as Los Angles or New York? That is patently untrue because voice over acting is a career you can build right from your own home, wherever that may be.

A rural or small town location can be easily overcome with the advent of modern technology, allowing you to set up a home studio, record your voice and market your self, all without having to leave the comfort of your own backyard.

So, what's voice over work (or acting)?

Any time you hear a person’s voice without seeing the actor, you are witnessing voice over work. Not all voice over work is considered voice over acting, however although your market as a professional (especially when you are first establishing your name as a viable voice over actor) will certainly include some basic voice over work.

To be what is typically considered a voice over actor you need to be able to create a character for your project or product that you can sustain with your voice alone for the entire time you have your listeners’ attention. As a voice over actor, you can choose to use your own home studio, rent one or work at your client's premises, such as:

Production houses (videos, commercials and films)
Corporations (training videos or audios)
Book publishers (audiobooks and info products)
Radio stations (announcers, commercials and radio shows)
Educational institutions (teaching new talents)
Software companies (video game effects)

As a voice actor, you don't need to educated at an Ivy League school, not even at a community college, which is the beauty of this career. You can also work from home by using portable equipments and can easily set up a home studio. All you need is some vocal coaching and, perhaps, attending some vocal acting workshops. Reliable equipments would help as well.

The key is choosing the right "specialization" for your particular voice and acting talent (if you choose the "acting" path).

Today, breaking into as a voice over actor is easier than before. With sufficient preparation on what you're going to encounter, you should be able to break into and succeed in this growing field with confidence.

StyleCareer.com Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Voice Over Actor contains most, if not all, the information needed to secure your first gig. It also prepares you to begin your own home studio, which allows you to take orders from all over the world.

As a voice over actor, your typical gigs include:

Commercials
Announcements
Audiobook readings
Video trainings
Audio trainings
Web-cast announcements
Web-cast trainings
Cartoon characters
Movie characters
Translated movie characters
Special effects
Video game characters

This eGuide provides insightful information, advices and tips for anyone who is contemplating to become a voice over actor. Numerous hard-to-find resources are included to help you locate pertinent information.


Do You Know?

U.S. Department of Labor Statistics:

The median earnings for Announcers in the year 2002 were between $7.13 and $15.10 per hour. Those announcers with more experience and education earned as much as $24.92 in 2002 in some markets.

The Actors, Producers and Directors category had broader, less specific numbers. They implied that a voice over actor or producer who was working at union scale could earn in the range of $683 per day

Based on our forecast, in 2006, an entry-level voice over “announcer” can expect to earn anywhere from $15 to $20 per hour. In the second category, a voice actor who is a member of a union can expect to earn $600+ to $750+ per day.

VOICEWORX: BASIC VOICE ACTING AND DUBBING WORKSHOP

SABADOKYU: Gintong Tinig Video

Aired at ABS CBN Channel 2 last July 2, 2011.
Featuring: The Best Filipino Voice Over Artists.

Gintong Tinig: Golden Voices from creativoices on Vimeo.

Giving the voices ‘faces’

Walking along a particular street in Makati, wearing shades which compliment their total packaging, Pocholo “The Voicemaster” Gonzales and voice artists Brian Ligsay, Lily Nichols, and Liesl Bumatoc remain unrecognized by the bystanders who are there until they start throwing their ever-famous lines in different voice over projects they have already done. And that is the only time when people, exposed to different media and advertisements of different sorts, realize to whom they are talking to.

This may seem weird—being known as a voice and not as a person with a face. Yet, in a voice artist’s point of view, it is something that is not to be worried about. Besides, whenever moments of revelation like this come, there is always surprise. The crowd, after recognizing the voices and finally realizing that who they are talking to is the real person behind each voice, is always mesmerized. It is one of the things explored in the July 2 episode of ABS-CBN’s SabaDocu. The documentary exposed the real people behind these voices. On the other hand, the fact that people only recognized them after they spoke and delivered some of their well-known lines already implies a general truth with regards the nature of their professions.

So, to give them faces, today’s episode of ABS-CBN’s SABADocu focused on fleshing them out and informing the general public of who they are as persons as they talked about their personal stories which are involved about their personal lives and circumstances, professional life, and even the stories behind some stories which inspired them to go on and fight for what they do now. Through these, they are given faces.

This was done to the persons who were behind voice overs applications in different media and forms of communication from radio, television, mobile phones, computer games, and even voice over applications in different places like the MRT.

This episode might have been a road to their exposure—visually—and helped them to be known to the consumers and their fans that, after all these years, might not have any idea who they are. At the end of the day, however, there is still this tendency that people who were able to watch this lose in their memories the faces of these artists and go back to the state of being remembered as voices.

Yet, this is never a bad thing. As these voice over artists put it, one of the many things to love about being a voice artist is anonymity. Unlike celebrities, they are not mobbed and stalked. Even better, they would never go out of the limelight because they never get really famous, in the first place.

The Voicemaster gives a talk to out of school youths of Lipa

Pocholo “The Voicemaster” Gonzales gave a talk to some out of school youth in Lipa City, Batangas during the emPower Youth Seminar last June 30.
Being a youth advocate himself, inspiring people most especially the young ones is also one of his passions, making him a very effective motivational speaker. Yet, being cool at the same time, he gives twists to his talks.

In fact, he opened his talk with an activity which, at first, seemed to be just a joke yet was very relevant. He asked everyone to find a partner to who he or she would say good and inspiring things in and about life.

The Voicemaster shared a lot of things and covered a wide range of topics that were really inspiring for the audience. He shared his insights on things like being young. He told his listeners that being young is a blessing that would soon be taken back from people. Apart from this, he also discussed about poverty.

According to him, poverty is not something that is always to be blamed to the government. Instead, why people die poor is they simply did not work for their future.

The Voice master also talked about Rizal and how the hero’s desire to be someone different inspired him to be extraordinary. According to him, it is through this desire that one can start having a specific goal to strive for something better. In fact, he even likened this to some of his personal circumstance which just shows that even in the modern days, someone can be great as long has he has a goal or a dream and he chooses to realize this in his own great ways.

Apart from this, he also talked about poverty and reminded the audience that when it comes to poverty, more than the government or any other party, the one to be blamed is simply one’s self. According to him, when a person dies poor, it means that he did not seize every opportunity that came on his way.

And this is where the idea that youthfulness is a gift which enables people to function well and seize each moment. However, this gift is something that would be taken away soon: people grow up. So, the bottom line is, since it is impermanent, yes. But if it will be used and spent wisely, this stage can be used as a milestone for more great things in the future.
Like his every talk, this one is another great opportunity for the Voicemaster to share his insights and knowledge in different things that really inspire people. Plus, apart from inspiring them, the Voicemaster was also able to entertain them through his talent. In the end, another group of young people were inspired by his talk.

Voiceworx 17 starts today

Another group of individuals coming from different fields responded to the question:
“Do you want to be a voice actor?”

So, here they are now in CreatiVoices Productions’ Voiceworx! Basic Voice Acting and Dubbing Workshop.

Beyond Voices

Voice acting stuns as we all know. Voice artists, whenever heard, simply amaze other people. However, voice acting is not just possessing pleasant voices. Instead, it is something that is beyond good-sounding voices. Which is why, not because one continuously receives compliments for having a good-sounding voice does it automatically mean that he or she is already prepared to enter the world of voice acting.
The truth is, there are a lot more things to be considered before really delving to the field. Voice acting involves, in fact, things like acting, translations, and a lot more. So, it is better to seek proper training first and when we say training, consult only the experts.

In CreatiVoices Productions’ Voiceworx, you learn voice acting’s basics only from the Philippine’s finest voice artists. Made rich with many years of experience in their field, they can share the best learning every aspiring voice artist deserves.