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Class Descriptions

Beginner? Working Pro? Click on your category below.

Whichever category you click, those will be the online and hybrid classes you see.

  • For Beginners

    THE BEGINNING SEMINAR

    Directors: Roni Gallimore, Aaron Miner & Vicki Baum

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: None

    If you are ready to begin your adventure into voice-over training, THIS IS THE PLACE TO START! Launch into a class packed full of information, performance exercises and FUN. You’ll explore basic voice acting fundamentals including detailed acting choices and script interpretation – including playback and feedback of recorded performances, making this class a unique experience in online training choices. As your directors take you through commercial and character scripts, by the end of the day you’ll have a much clearer understanding of the voice acting craft, and an awareness of the particular set of skills and techniques you’ll need to succeed in the current voice-over marketplace.  THREE DIRECTORS in one class make this a unique training experience!

    ENROLL NOW!

     

    Directors: Chuck Kourouklis, Brian Sommer

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: None

    Whether or not you think you “do characters”, we’re here to tell you that you DO! Why? Because you’ve been six years old, when playing wasn’t about pretending to be a character, but about being the character, letting go and using your imagination. And with that mindset, you can learn to do anything, even characters. This daring duo will share their insights, tricks and techniques that have led to their remarkable success in the character genre. Gain an enhanced understanding of the character creation process and realize just how freeing and exhilarating it is as an adult to simply let go and play. After this weekend, you will possess an increased confidence in your ability to invent colorful and memorable, yet realistic characters. With Chuck and Brian’s expertise and encouragement, get ready to unleash the characters that live within you that you never knew existed.

     

    INTRODUCTION TO DIRECTING

    Director: Samantha Paris

    Length: 7-hour one-day seminar

    Class Notes: None

    There is no time like the present to start your expedition into one of the most important skills for working voice actors: self-direction. And there is literally no one better on the planet than our intrepid Founder, Samantha Paris, to help you take those first steps. Learning the basics of self-direction including figuring out who you are talking to, and really WHY you are saying the words on the paper (and btw it’s not because you are selling a product,) will not only give insight into what is ultimately going to be expected of you in those more advanced classes, but it will add value to any class you take in the meantime, as you will hopefully be silently directing your fellow students along with the instructor. A class within a class. Neat.

     

    INTRODUCTION TO NARRATION

    Director: Vicki Baum

    Length: 11-hour weekend seminar AND a 14-hour four-week seminar

    Class Notes:  This class is being offered in two different schedule formats.

    We live in a world where communication is way beyond the written word. Companies brand their innovative products through videos, employers train their employees through videos, medical professionals learn about new treatments through videos and on and on and on. And what do all those videos around the world need? You guessed it… narrators! The different genres of narration are endless including audio tours, audio books, tutorials, medical narration, television shows and documentary narration amongst many others. During this class, you’ll explore some of those narration styles and techniques as you work with a wide variety of copy including the always growing field of narration for the populous tech companies. Learn not only the technical elements of narration, but also how to engage the listener and weave an engaging story that takes your audience along for the ride, without overpowering the visuals. You’ll acquire a clear perspective on the storytelling skills required to deliver strong, connected, narration performances.

     

    SIMPLY ACTING

    Director: Frank Coppola

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: None

    This class could just as easily be called “Introduction to Script Analysis”. Frank teaches the fundamental acting techniques he’s learned and used successfully for decades on-camera and on the stage, both as an actor and director, including breaking down the script into beats and assigning intentions, developing your character’s back story and asking yourself what happened right before the script starts. These script analysis skills are a critical and mandatory expertise that every actor – from community theatre to Hollywood – whether it be voice-over, on stage or on-camera absolutely needs to book the job. Through participation in theater games and improv exercises you’ll increase your comfort level, gain confidence in your performance ability and learn to make bold choices that will bring your acting to life. Spend time learning how to apply these fundamental acting concepts to performing commercial voice-over copy.

     

    THE WORLD OF VOICE-OVER: AN INTRODUCTION

    Directors: Vicki Baum, Chuck Kourouklis

    Length: 3-hour overview (with performance participation!)

    Class Notes: None

    Ever dreamed of what it would be like to voice a commercial, a cartoon or a video game? Is it time you dipped your toe into the pool known as the voice-over industry? There is no better place to start than right here. The morning will start off with a hybrid format (students in-person AND online), where you’ll learn to voice actual commercial and character scripts that are simple in nature but packed with fun! Then Vicki & Chuck will offer a straightforward outlook regarding the financial realities of the business, the commitment and training required to become a successful, working voice actor, the advantages and pitfalls of online casting, and how you’ll know when you’re really ready for a demo and a talent agent. You’ll get to ask all your burning voice-over questions. What a fun way to spend a Saturday morning!

  • For Intermediates

    Director: Chuck Kourouklis

    Length: 9-hour three-week workshop

    Class Notes: None

    What color is love…Orange? Trust…Blue? Excitement…Red? The Colors method has helped thousands of actors including your instructor, construct a richer, more vibrant voice-over foundation by assigning different emotions to a specific color. As Chuck leads you through an exploration of your full vocal and emotional spectrum and associates it with colors, you’ll uncover a multitude of voices and interpretations that you’ve never before considered or realized you were capable of delivering. Not to mention you’ll now possess a tool that is so relevant and effective, it is used every single day by busy, working voice actors.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    IMPROV FOR VOICE ACTORS

    Director: Anna Mathias

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: None

    Ever wonder what a bowling butterfly would giggle like? How would a rhino with low self-esteem approach a confrontation with a co-worker? Get ready to find out as you open your mind to all the endless possibilities that live in the universe within you while getting rid of that pesky fear that oppresses your true creative self! In this energetic and fun workout, Anna will jolt you out of your predictable everyday choices, freeing you to take chances and find new and unusual characters, voices and approaches to copy that even you didn’t know you had. Using a variety of tried and true theater games and improv techniques that she’s perfected over decades of experience, you’ll gain confidence as you learn to relax. Not to mention that well-placed improv is an effective way to shake up an audition and get you noticed by casting professionals, a true secret weapon for working voice actors.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    INTRODUCTION TO HOME RECORDING 

    Director: Kevin Cleland

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: Prerequisite: Students must understand basic computer commands such as Cut, Copy, Paste, Save, Save As, Undo/Redo, etc.

    In a voice-over industry full of remote live direction and where auditions are predominantly (and by predominantly we mean, like…99.9%) done at home, the opportunity to break into the business is as ripe as ever. And while being a well-trained, skilled actor will always be paramount, so now is having a professional-grade home studio. Don’t fret, that does not mean spending thousands of dollars or being a genius engineer, but you do need to be educated. Join Voicetrax’s Los Angeles-based, demo production master Kevin Cleland as he takes you through the basic fundamentals of home recording including recording hardware and software, editing conventions, exporting sound files along with suggestions for a basic set-up if you don’t already have one. By the end of this factually jam-packed workshop, you will know how to record, edit and submit an mp3 of sufficient quality so you can start getting in on all those super cool, intermediate and advanced Voicetrax classes that require home recording capabilities and be several steps closer to professional grade recordings.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Roni Gallimore

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: None

    Ah, comedy. The art of making people laugh. Easy, right? Not so fast. Comedy is not just about fun and games… it’s a serious and lucrative business. Behind every well-timed punchline and perfectly executed bit, there’s machinery at work, and it takes more than a good sense of humor to pull it off. Join Roni, one of our resident redheads (did ’ya see her on the cover laughing her you-know-what off?), to explore what makes something truly funny. She’ll utilize numerous theatre games including improv to assist you in the timing necessary to bring comedic radio ads to life, some that are brilliantly written, aaand perhaps some that aren’t quite, let’s just say, Clio Award winners, and leave it at that. When done right, comedy is an art form. It requires patience and practice, and that’s exactly what you’ll get in this world premiere workshop.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

     

    VOICE-OVER 411

    Director: LA Agent

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: None

    This intensive workout with one of Los Angeles’ most experienced and enthusiastically supportive talent agents will consist of industry insights, advice and how-to’s. Topics such as professionalism, attitude, goals and industry do’s & don’ts will be explored. Along with the informative industry conversation with someone who knows the lay of the voice-over land, you’ll participate in live in-class performances, getting feedback from Agent B, while getting an exclusive behind the scenes peek at what agents are actually looking for in the auditions they receive. You’ll get to ask an industry veteran all your burning questions. A voice-over gift for sure!

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    WHAT A CHARACTER

    Director: Brian Sommer

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class and weekly homework assignments.

    Explore the cornucopia of characters that perhaps you don’t even realize are lurking inside you. How might your dastardly villain sell earthquake insurance? Or what about your best superhero on a first date? Find out as you perform an ambiguous script and examine how a character would act in different situations and surroundings. You’ll gain practical experience as you are challenged to dig deeper into the psyche of your character making it more authentic, well-rounded and easier to sustain, a must-have skill when it comes to video games, animation and narration recording sessions.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

  • For Everyone

    Director: YOU and your fellow students (and perhaps a Guest Director will pop in!)

    Length: 3-hour lab, monthly

    Class Notes: None

    There’s seriously never been something so “for everyone” in the 37-year history of Voicetrax. We really mean it: Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced/Working Professional students, even Alumni! E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E. is invited. This special lab was born from our desire to give back to our Voicetrax family and provides the virtual “bricks-and-mortar” for a FREE monthly workout group. For one day each month we are opening one of our Zoom channels for you to remotely drop in and work on whatever kind of script you choose including dialogues as we utilize breakout rooms for partners to practice in private. You’ll get the opportunity to receive performance feedback from your fellow students as well as providing constructive critiques of your own, which we all know very specifically helps with the ever-important self-direction skills necessary for success. Learn and have fun in a casual environment. And did we mention there could just maaaybe be a surprise pop-in by an elite Voicetrax Guest Director? Guess you’ll just have to show up to find out!

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

  • For Intermediate/Advanced

    3… 2… 1… BLASTOFF!

    Director: Brian Sommer

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: None

    Take flight with Voicetrax Alum, Brian Sommer, in this rapid-fire workshop. Your turn will begin with an unseen character audition sheet. On the ready, set, “GO” from Brian (he has a stopwatch and he’s not afraid to use it), you will have 3 minutes to make your acting choices preparing for your performance, 2 chances to record the copy with Brian and will choose 1 of those takes to submit. Because Brian will be putting a “revolving door” on the class roster, there’s no time for deep philosophical character study. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in finding the character, that we forget the basics (who, what, where, etc.), so this class compels the student to return to those basics. The rapid-fire approach and limited time will force you to focus on the fundamentals and trust your training to create a believable, unique character.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    ANIMATION MOTIVATION

    Director: Matt Moy

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    From his time on prime-time television or his character credits, Matt is stoked to guide you through a variety of animation scripts. It’s time for you to work with this very special Voicetrax alum rock star! From home recording performances that will receive feedback in class, to fun and exciting animated characters performed live in class, you’ll get an opportunity to pick his brain and learn how Matt’s experienced, comedic timing applies to dissecting scripts. How does he bring variety to his individual reads? How do you create different reads for the same script? With Matt at the helm, all those questions will be answered, and a wondrous time is sure to be had by all.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    BEAT IT!

    Director: Vicki Baum

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class and weekly homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    When telling a story in a 30 or 60 second commercial script, you don’t have time to dilly-dally (it’s a legit word youngins… look it up). To be competitive, it’s crucial for you to understand the structure, rhythm and emotional shifts – called beats – within the story being told. Being a unit of action within a script that typically signals a shift in energy, mood or direction, beats help build tension, reveal character motivations and drive the story forward. Hone your abilities to expertly recognize when one beat ends and another begins, and the significance of these transitions. Additionally, you’ll learn how to create a “beat map”, a written outline that details the progression of beats within a script assisting you to track the emotional journey and making it easier to bring the words up off the page. A technique that makes your life easier? We’re here for that!

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Vicki Baum

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class and weekly homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Tired of spending time auditioning online with few positive results? NEW FLASH: It may not be your performances that are holding you back. (Insert pearl-grasping gasp here) Do you need to apply your training and submit a creative, organic performance? Of course! But when it comes to online casting sites there is much more strategy to it and it can be super intimidating to know where to start but have no fear! Vicki has booked in the top 10% nationwide on Voice123 for year, and this comprehensive, A-Z class reveals not only how she does that, but how she consistently books through various other audition resources as a result of her networking and hustle. Vicki will cover her entire online auditioning strategy including which auditions to choose, how to build your profile and professionally communicate with potential clients as well as how she keeps track of her finances, bills clients… basically how she acts as CEO running her voice-over business. And as a special bonus, for the first time EVER, Vicki will welcome in a bonafide Voice123 employee to ask all of your burning algorithm (and other) questions straight from the platform’s mouth!

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    DIALECT INTERVENTION

    Director: PJ Ochlan

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment.

    Your bad accents have affected us negatively in the following ways: it makes us sad that your British video game character sounds more like he’s from New York high society and it keeps us up at night thinking about the session where you’ll have to sustain your shaky Chicago accent (that regrettably sounds equal parts Irish, US Southern and just plain bad) for 100+ lines of dialogue. But don’t give up, there is hope! We’ve invited interventionist, award-winning voice actor and dialect dynamo, PJ Ochlan, to rehab your inconsistent dialects. This class is formatted to give you the time you need between classes to absorb the process, so that when you finish you will possess the knowledge necessary to practice and polish an accent you can take to the bank. Throughout this odyssey PJ will introduce you to his tried-and-true approach to building ANY accent in the world, which translates to solid gold for a video game voice actor. The time has come for you to make a decision. Will you seek help today?

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    DIGGING DEEPER

    Director: Chopper Bernet

    Length: 18-hour six-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes homework assignments. Students must have home-recording capabilities.

    The idea of this class has been burning deep in Chopper’s soul for some time now, and for those of you who don’t know Chopper yet, that’s deeeeep. Yes, he has worked in the voice over world for twenty plus years doing animation (Spirit), commercial (Charles Schwab) and promo (NBC, MSNBC), but he has also been on-camera on television shows, as well as acting in micro budgeted films as well as massively budgeted films (Terminator 3). He is an actor through and through, and he is ready to share his hard-earned experience with our students. Chopper will utilize monologues and scenes from film and television, as well as some improv exercises, assisting you to keep going deeper into the motivation and behavior of your characters. Chopper’s knack of bringing out of you a depth of acting you didn’t know your soul was capable of, will certainly keep you riveted all six weeks.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Samantha Paris, Sirenetta Leoni

    Length: 8.5-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: None

    By now you’ve had a touch of the self-direction ideology of voice-over, and you’ve likely (and by likely we mean absolutely, 100%, for sure) heard from multiple teachers and working professional students that self-direction is the name of the game when it comes to auditioning, and they’d be exactly right. These days you are on your own to create an attention-grabbing, competitive audition. This seminar presents your chance to sit in the actual director’s chair, and you’ll soon realize that by having to articulate a clear analysis of a script as a director for one of your classmates, you will gain confidence in your ability to break it down for yourself when you are recording alone in your closet. Spend a weekend in the director’s chair channeling your “inner Samantha”.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    GET IN THE ACTING GAME

    Director: Dave Fennoy

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: None

    Join one of the first Voicetrax students ever, Dave Fennoy, as he explores approaching video game performances from a true actor’s perspective, as if they were cinematic characters because in video games these days they are! Dave is globally known for his gaming credits (The Walking Dead, anyone?), which means his ability to create a multi-faceted, genuine character is on point! With a million-dollar voice, Dave could have rested on his laurels, but he’s studied hard to develop his acting chops and he’ll absolutely do the same for you. Spend the weekend with Dave as he shares his philosophies examining how authenticity and context always bring a starring and even a bit player video game performance to life.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    JOIN THE CONVERSATION

    Director: Libby Clearfield

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    In this immersive, world premiere workshop with actress, casting professional and brand-new member of the Voicetrax clan, Libby Clearfield, you’ll hone the art of conversational acting, focusing on techniques to make scripted monologues feel natural, spontaneous and most importantly? Authentic. Whether you’re performing in a film, on stage, or in voice-over auditions, this class will equip you with the tools to create believable, relatable characters through organic speech patterns, savvy script analysis and real-life interactions. Through these practical exercises with Libby’s guidance, you’ll explore ways to break down scripted lines and bring your own unique voice to every role. Discover how to shed rigid line readings (ACTOR CAUGHT READING!) while overcoming common habits that make your performances feel “stiff” and enhancing emotional connection and spontaneity in your delivery. Embrace a more fluid, emotionally truthful performance style that resonates with audiences.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    LESS IS MORE, BUT NOTHING IS NOTHING

    Director: SF Agent

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: None

    You know that saying, “less is more”? Well, this is an entire seminar focusing on that exact premise. With the preponderance of real and conversational requests from producers and casting directors, the phrase “not over the top” is showing up all the time in copy specs. What does that mean? How far is too far? Most importantly, how do you stop from going too far in the opposite direction and delivering a boring, flat performance? Join this revered San Francisco agent whose been at the top of this industry for decades (and continues to be) to get an insider’s view on this very popular current trend and learn the balance between going for it and leaving your audience wanting more.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    OFF THE PAGE

    Director: Tasia Valenza

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: None

    As you start to really amp up your performances to a working professional, real-world, competitive level, one of the hardest things to do is to take words that you didn’t write and might not ever say, at least not in the way they’ve written it (have you EVER said introducing while sharing an exciting secret with a best friend?!?), and make them feel genuine, alive and real, aka “getting the words off the page”. Professionally performing since childhood both in front of the camera and behind the microphone, Tasia will employ her tricks of the trade, literally born from a lifetime of breaking down scripts of all flavors, to assist you in digging deep to flush out the true meaning of the script while developing the skills necessary to get unnatural voice-over copy to sound off-the-cuff and true. Approach commercial scripts as “mini plays” from a true actor’s perspective to get the most of out the script and your performance.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    REMOTELY SPEAKING: THE BERMUDA TRY-ANGLE

    Director: Agents from New York and Los Angeles, Erik Braa

    Length: 9-hour three-week workshop

    Class Notes: This class includes weekly homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    New York… Los Angeles… San Francisco… The holy geographical trinity of voice-over populated by two bad-ass talent agents from New York and Los Angeles, and San Francisco acting powerhouse, Erik Braa. These experienced industry professionals, who are in the trenches every day, are ready to give you direct, non-nonsense feedback to your performances. We’re pulling out all the stops so you can virtually criss cross the country to hear what the best in the business thinks of your acting chops. And before you automatically assume (and we all know what that makes out of “u” and “me”) you know exactly how this class will unfold, you don’t! The instructors steering this will ship will illuminate different approaches or angles for you to try (see what we did there, huh, huhhhhh? Boy, are we clever…) in the scripts provided to you to record in your home studio for in-class feedback.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Directors: Samantha Paris, Vicki Baum, Chuck Kourouklis, Sirenetta Leoni

    Length: 18-hour six-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes weekly homework assignments.

    Simply put… if you don’t get the script, you don’t get the gig!  This quintessential quad of teachers will help you unravel the mysteries of script interpretation as you analyze a variety of TV and radio commercials, animation, video game and narration scripts while discovering how to dissect copy intelligently to give you a leg up on the competition. You’ll learn to look for hidden clues (aka “bunnies”) and not just the ones buried in the body of the copy, but the ones you can glean from the sound effects, visuals, directions, music, length, even the agency name. Strengthen and broaden one of the most important foundational skills necessary for voice-over success.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Ned Lott

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: A professional sounding singing voice is not required. Seriously! 😉 This course includes a pre-class homework bassignment.

    Over the last several years the demand for characters that sing in feature films, television series and apps has greatly increased, and that will be the focus of this super unique class. Now before you say “Nope. Not me. I can’t sing!”, pleeeease remember that not every nutty, silly animated character sounds like Mariah Carey, Barbra Streisand or The Candlestick from Beauty And The Beast, so you don’t have to either! And if singing is totally comfortable for you, then it’s time to bring that “shower superstar” into the light. Get out of your comfort zone, let loose, remember why you started in voice-over in the first place and have some fun. And we haven’t even mentioned how singing your copy can bring about a freer you – oh wait... we just mentioned it… Whether singing scares you or you’re eager and ready to get your singing groove on, we know you’ll leave this class with an expanded fearlessness to audition singing characters.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    TAKING ON THE PROTOTYPES

    Director: Thom Pinto

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment.

    Producers frequently (what’s a word that’s more frequent than frequent? Oh yeah, always…) cast voices or write character specs using “prototypes” as a frame of reference. Whether they’re looking for someone who sounds like the hot “celebrity du jour” or a veteran voice actor who is highly regarded within the industry but not a household name, this seminar will give you a chance to immerse yourself in a wide variety of styles while listening, duplicating, and broadening your own vocal range by “borrowing” from the most sought-after spokespeople and character actors. By mimicking another actor’s syncopation, tone or attitude it will not only widen your interpretation possibilities, but it can open the door, inspire creativity and be the foundation of a whole new character for you to develop. This is a “must have” skill for any working voice actor.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    TEAMING WITH TALENT

    Director: Vicki Baum, Aaron Miner

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes:  This class includes weekly homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    We stopped short of calling this Vicki vs. Aaron (who would you bet on?), but it’s true that each week the roster will be divided between two teams who will duke it out for serious bragging rights. And don’t get too cozy on the team you’re on initially because each week the teams will be rearranged based on a very specific genre and style including commercial girl/guy next door, accented video game and cartoon characters, villains and villainesses, wise storytellers and authoritative but approachable narrators. This class hits on self-direction, script analysis, script choice, performing without much time for preparation, and includes a wide variety of genres and roles that are asked for often in auditioning. Super relevant and taught by two working voice actors. And if this jam-packed workshop isn’t enough, at the end of the four weeks, both Aaron and Vicki will each pick an overall “winner” and whomever they pick will win a free private lesson from them. C’mon, we needed to have some kind of contest, it is called Teaming With Talent.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    THE VERSATILITY FACTOR

    Director: Chuck Kourouklis

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes:  This course includes a pre-class assignment as well as weekly homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    It’s no secret that flexibility and adaptability are major ingredients to achieving success in the San Francisco Bay Area voice-over market, but let’s get real: it’s important everywhere. Do we honestly think there are a bunch of “one-trick pony” actors crushing it in Los Angeles? Not likely… And even more relevant, in the course of one day of home auditioning, an actor can very easily be asked to audition numerous different styles. In the four weeks of this workshop you’ll expand your skill set by covering four different genres of audition exercises. Unearth the secrets of delivering a memorable monologue, compare and contrast new school and old school narration, fine tune the art of acting in a vacuum with wild lining and navigate those pesky, deceptively difficult tags. You’ll traverse the rocky landscape of multiple genres and develop the true “versatility factor”.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

     

    Director: YOU!!

    Directors: Vicki Baum and whatever Guest Director/alumni/working professional student might pop in… mwahahahahaha!

    Length: All Participants – Preliminary round recorded at home

    Finalists Only – Final round recorded at home plus 7-hour one-day lab

    Class Notes:  Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Ladies and Gentlemen START… YOUR… ENGINES!! Rev up for a fun and exciting class/competition that will result in the winner receiving a FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR class credit. Have we got your attention, now?? We’ve brought back our real-world Voicetrax competition due to its immense popularity. With self-direction mandatory for today’s working voice actor, (it’s never too much practice) this class will dive headfirst into the what-do-you-do-with-a-script-when-left-to-your-own-devices quandary. In the preliminary round, each participant will submit three home recordings (just like the real world) that will be judged by The Legen-wait for it-dary Voicetrax Think Tank. Every single preliminary participant will receive feedback on your recordings. The 12 chosen finalists will be advanced to the one-day lab and asked to submit further home recordings. During the Finals lab, you’ll work out with fresh scripts as well as decompress with Vicki, as she reviews your home recordings, gives her valuable feedback and announces who took the checkered flag as the winner of the Voicetrax 500!

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Chuck Kourouklis,  SF Agent

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes:  This course includes weekly homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    A shell game of another flavor, this class will ask you to keep your eye on “The Lady”, namely a feedback-eligible script from an industry veteran. To play, your “dealer”, the delightful Chuck Kourouklis, will offer three scripts each night, one of which is a recent audition script that will be eligible for feedback from a top SF agent that works in the trenches every day listening to hundreds of auditions. The twist? You won’t know which of the three scripts the feedback-eligible audition is. Will it be the scripts you record live in class, or will it be the one you recorded at home? Only the dealer knows for sure. Guess you’ll have to bring your best stuff each night, script after script after script. The engineer will send the recordings of the selected script to the SF Agent who will not only provide straight-forward, get-to-the-point, professional-standard feedback, she’ll also tell you if you performed an audition she would submit to the client. Learn exactly where you stack up compared with working voice actors, or if you are a working voice actor get that precious audition feedback you long for. Get used to handling your nerves while you focus in on a brilliant performance when it’s truly all on the line.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Vicki Baum

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: Students must have home recording capabilities.

    You may be wondering who the “H-E-double hockey sticks” is Veebz? Funny story. Chuck has the habit of giving Vicki a variety of nicknames because she signs everything VB, and one of those nicknames is Veebz! Although perhaps you could have figured that out on your own with her name listed above as Director. Hmmm… ANYHOO, let’s talk self-direction! No matter your skills as an actor or your ability to analyze a script, if you lack the appropriate level of self-direction know-how, booking a voice-over job is made a whole lot more challenging. Join Vicki aka VB aka Veebz as she employs her “Vibe Check” philosophy to strengthen and SIMPLIFY your approach to self-direction. And if you think because you’ve been in a class and/or a private lesson with Vicki where she’s talked about this that you already know what this class is all about, trust us when we say she is taking The Vibe Check thing to a whole new level. Are you picking up what we’re putting down? Groovy.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    VOICE-OVER VISION BOARD

    Director: Vicki Baum

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes:  This course includes a pre-class and weekly homework assignments.

    Vision boards have long been an effective tool for successful people (Tyler Perry, Jaime Foxx, Oprah Winfrey… heard of them?) To create a stable of core characters for commercials, narration and animation that you can use time and again throughout your career, you really need to dig deep (nope… deeper) into the details, and that’s where Vicki comes in. After a decade of constant creation, Vicki will finally share some of the pages from her voluminous character binder. To create your own pages, you’ll use visual elements including magazines, books, online pictures, key words and fabric (yes we said fabric) to create a life story for a commercial, narration and character persona and then perform them using an appropriate script. Vicki has over 50 questions that she’ll continue to ask as your creation materializes before you. Brilliant acting comes down to being the role not just playing the role, and with your newfound inspirational character vision board, you’re well on your way to exceptional performances.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    WOMEN ONLY: WELCOME TO ANNOUNCERVILLE!

    Director: LA Agent

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes:  None

    Ladies, if you’ve been told once, you’ve been told a million times in specs, “we don’t want an announcer”. But what about all those roles as newscasters, promos, phone prompts, retail (shoes, malls, supermarkets and cars), talk show hosts, field reporters and infomercial gals? (take a deeeeep breath) If you’ve been told you’re too announcery then this class is for you. And even if you haven’t been told you’re too announcery, there is money to be made in this area, so ALL WOMEN serious about expanding their range and marketability should be developing these skills. Act now!! Limited time offer!!! Operators are standing by.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

  • For Advanced/Working Professionals

    ACTING FOR AUDIOBOOKS: VOLUME II

    Director: Roni Gallimore

    Length: 14-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Prerequisite: Once Upon A Time, Acting For Audiobooks Level One or prior approval from Voicetrax.

    You’ve dipped your toe in the billion dollar a year pool known as audiobooks by taking the original Once Upon a Time class and it felt nice, safe and warm. You’ve started working on your male/female character separations and begun to hone your ability to talk to yourself as well as developing a consistently engaging narrator. The time has come to turn the page and take it to the next level. In Volume II, you will delve deeper into the treacherous tones of convincingly voicing the opposite sex, a mandatory skill for audiobook success. Additionally, Roni will open a whole new chapter by sharing her expertise, hard won by trial & error and real-world experience, on how to clean your files of all auditory annoyances such as mouth noise, clicks and buzzes which will lead to your “happily ever after”.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    AM I MISSING SOMETHING?  AUDITION REVIEW… & SO MUCH MORE!

    Director: Samantha Paris

    Length: 5.5-hour one-day lab

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Have you submitted an audition that you thought was great but didn’t book it? Naaah, that’s NEVER happened… How about submitting one that seemed to feel just a bit flat, but you were at a loss as to how to fix it? Bring ‘em in and let the ears of your fellow auditioning ‘Traxers guide you to the answer. Your classmates can’t figure it out either? Well, guess who can and will? Yeppers… that’s riiiight! The idea for this class was based on all of you who have done “Audition Review” private lessons with our Founder, Samantha Paris. This one-day class will be a fun, fast paced, informative, love/tough (but still supportive!) love class with the goal being to bring you one step closer in more consistently submitting stellar, competitive auditions that book the job. The “so much more”? Hmmmm… guess you’ll have to show-up to find out.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    ARCHETYPE INSIGHT

    Director: Melissa Gray

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes weekly homework assignments.

    Knowledge of present-day trends is always half the battle when putting together a voice-over performance, especially when it comes to commercial copy, and archetypes are an often-underutilized technique to hitting the perfect pitch. Melissa will guide you through the current, major archetypes for commercials including (but certainly not limited to) the bold and confident trustworthiness of the hero-heroine/protagonist for an inspired, new product, the soothing, alluring invitation of the seductress for luxury product ads or maybe even the menacing and condescending vitriol of the villain-villianess/antagonist in… who knows what! By mastering these archetypes, you’ll learn to move seamlessly between the diverse types of commercial scripts with a keen understanding of how to adopt distinct archetypes to suit the needs of different commercial projects. The framework that Melissa will provide will get you one step closer to booking the job by putting you one step AHEAD of your competition!

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    AUDIO TOUR NARRATION II

    Director: Peter Dunne

    Length: 14-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Peter Dunne who has for years produced audio tours for the largest companies in the world is supremely qualified to guide you through the most challenging aspects of this specialized and lucrative niche of the voice-over industry. In this Level II class, you’ll tackle “real world” audio tour recording issues like working under severe time pressure or dealing with complex scripts that require you to be able to understand and communicate abstract concepts like “synesthesia” and “Dadaism.” (Look ‘em up!) You’ll also learn how to handle character scripts which are frequently used in both adult and family tours and require you to sustain a specific dialect or vocal placement for hours at a time. And because as is it with most of the voice-over world that auditioning is done completely from home, Peter will assess your self-direction skills on scripts that you’ll be asked to record at home throughout this workshop.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    BE SCENE AND HEARD

    Director: SF Agent

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment.

    In this monologue master scene study class, one of the most successful agents in the country is bringing his razor-sharp wit and finely-tuned ears and eyes to guide you through the emotional nooks and crannies of a pre-selected, fully memorized scene from a play or movie that you might actually be cast in. Work collaboratively with this agent who’s watched thousands of actors perform monologues, with a theatre acting background himself, as you open the hood on your interpretation and dig deeper to create an authentic portrayal that gets to the heart of the matter and transforms the words in the scene into a rich, layered, purposeful and thoughtful performance that transcends.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     


    Director: Jeannie Elias

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: The course includes a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Unleash the multitude of unique and genuine characters that you know (and some you don’t know) are inside you. During this seminar, animation veteran Jeannie Elias invites you super advanced students into her world of cartoons and how she analyzes scripts to produce an attention-getting, show-shopping performance. And she should know. Have you seen her IMDB page? You’ll be challenged to bring a two-dimensional soup of words to life by breathing authenticity (even in the goofiest of situations) and fun into characters both wacky and more straightforward. Up your character game and unbottle your potential with Jeannie.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    COMMERCIALS vs. CARTOONS vs. VIDEO GAMES

    Director: LA Agent, Brian Sommer, Dave Fennoy

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This class can and should be repeated.

    This uniquely formatted seminar offers you a side-by-side-by-side look at the differences and similarities between commercial, cartoon and video game characters – when to be broad, when to be subtle and real and everything in between. You’ll discover the appropriate lively tone and energy for your Saturday morning characters and learn how to “dial it down” while sustaining the reality and intensity required for video game characters, not to mention developing the funny yet conversational and believable characters that commercial copy demands. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the nuances of these unique voice-over genres and challenge your versatility.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    FIFTY SHADES OF REAL

    Director: Scott Parkin

    Length: 9-hour three-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment.

    Doesn’t it seem that darn nearly every audition you receive has the direction “real, natural, genuine, conversational”? It’s time to get your mind out of the gutter (we know what you were thinking when you read that class title…) and get ready for Scott Parkin, a nationally, in-demand voice actor and ex-copywriter/casting professional who ACTUALLY knows what it means when they ask for real; just how “real” do they truly want it? TV commercial real, radio commercial real, narration real, conversational real? There are oh so many shades to choose from. And how do you get to that place within your own personality in the most unobtrusive, comfortable and natural way while still being able to show numerous, slight variations of real depending on the script and product? Scott will use several of his proven methods including improv (DON’T PANIC… improv doesn’t always mean funny) and will provide students with practical application that you’ll be able to incorporate into your process as soon as you click “leave meeting.”

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    F#@K THE SPECS

    Director:  Samantha Paris, Brian Sommer

    Length: 11.5-hour three-week workshop

    Class Notes:  This course includes homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    The specs on a piece of voice-over copy have long stirred epic debates on how much or how little to pay attention to them. Are the specs a barren wasteland that say, “friendly and conversational?” On the other end of the spectrum, are the specs verbose (longer than the actual script even) and conflicting, making it easy to get caught up in them, getting in the way of a truly connected (translation: bookable) performance? So, what do you do? Every time you look at a new script the FIRST THING you should be asking yourself BEFORE you look at the specs is “what are the words in the script telling me?” In this workshop, you’ll get the answer to that all-important question. Samantha and Brian will take you through various spec-centric exercises with commercial and characters scripts respectively including reading the script without benefit of the specs to see if you naturally SEE the specs in the script. Find out what happens if you let the words on the page tell you what to do instead of relying on the specs. Take your script analysis skills to the highest level by making strong acting choices that result in a SPEC-tacular performance. See what we did there?

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

     

    INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH STORYTELLING

    Director:  Thom Pinto

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home-recording capabilities.

    Every story matters whether it’s revealing a new wonder drug, introducing breakthrough software, sharing a company’s philosophy to new employees, or navigating a tutorial about investments. As a vastly experienced documentary narrator, Thom knows how to tell a great story. And although there are numerous technical plates to spin while navigating the industrial style narration prevalent today, being able to engage your audience through dynamic storytelling remains at the heart of any competitive narration performance. Through imagery, music and immersing in the subject matter, Thom will teach you to treat even the dry, informational or technical non-broadcast narration with same kind of TLC. And just for good measure Thom will be throwing in a round of sh*##y scripts because you’re bound to come across those in your career, especially if you are auditioning on the myriad of online casting websites. Focus on making your perspective crystal clear, especially since audiences will only see and hear your message once. Experience a weekend that will assist in bringing a memorable, winning quality to your auditions.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Samantha Paris, The Voicetrax Think Tank

    Length: 8.5 hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This course has a pre-class homework assignment that includes memorizing an assigned scene prior to class which means this course has a drop deadline that is one month (not two weeks) before class starts. Class may and should be repeated.

    Dive into the invigorating world of partner work using scene scripts from plays and movies. Explore the true, honest, human connections that allow the craft of acting to truly awaken in your soul and lead you to a riveting or hilarious or poignant performance. Your time with Samantha will strengthen your overall acting skills including being more authentic, “in the moment” and letting the character speak through you. Then on Sunday, The Voicetrax Think Tank will come in to bask in your scene study glow and choose one set of scene study partners who will each receive a free private lesson. Ultimately, this experience will absolutely, positively make you a better voice actor.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    IT’S DIRECTION & THEN SELECTION

    Director: Samantha Paris, Lee Porter

    Length: 8.5 hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes:  This course includes a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    This dynamic duo are ready to bring you into their world (with a little role-playing help from Samantha Paris and YOU!) with this world premiere class. It’s your lucky day as you have just been “signed” with Voices by Samantha Paris, a brand-new start up talent agency created just for this class. For your first audition, your animation chops had best be in order because the very busy and successful showrunner, Lee Porter, has a new (faux) project! The bar will be set high, as if you were actually up against professional caliber competition. Will your auditions make the cut? Will you need to be sent back to the drawing board? And how will Mr. Porter feel about your work? Are you going to book the gig? Find out in this fun, super-fast paced weekend where your auditioning and self-directing skills will be pushed and pulled, stretched and tweaked.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    LEAVE NOTHING ON THE TABLE

    Director: Janet Varney

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    A table read (aka read-through) is an organized reading of a script with all the actors present at one… table (see what we did there?) in which the voice-over, stage direction and scene headings are read out loud. Table reads are an essential part of the script development and writing process, as writers use them as an opportunity to fine tune their stories, sharpen their dialogue and hear what works and what doesn’t. Join the table read universe as you pre-record auditions at home for Janet to listen to and cast ahead of class. Then a true-blue table read will commence in-class with all the expectations of exploration, improv and living in the moment as the scene moves you to whatever your imagination can create. Be a part of this collaborative undertaking with one of the founders of the iconic SF SketchFest comedy festival.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    ONE-TAKE MASTERS

    Directors: Vicki Baum, Chuck Kourouklis

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Let’s be crystal clear, we aren’t going to drop you in the deep end of the “one-take pool” straight away, but you best be ready to step up to the plate knowing you have one swing at booking the job. Gone is the wiggle room of letting your first couple takes be a warm-up, lazily leaning on the director to manufacture your performance, eventually hitting on something only to be asked… why wasn’t that your first take? Time is money, people! And if you’re actively auditioning (or even home-recording for class homework), allowing yourself more than two or three takes risks working the copy to death and overthinking everything. Overthinking? We don’t know any actors who do that! We all instinctually know that the 7th, 8th or 9th take is never going to be better than the first few fresh ones. As two of the three members of the Voicetrax Think Tank take you through imaginative exercises and simulated auditions you’ll gain confidence in your choices to be bold from the start. What happens when preparation meets pressure, so that you come “hot out of the gate” on your very first take?

     

    Director: LA Agent

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This course will include a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Have you ever found yourself at home, trying to self-direct and gone on so long in your head that you don’t even remember what the actual freakin’ question you asked yourself was? Have we got the class for you! Half game show, half talent agent wisdom, our industry veteran agent and one hell of a lady will take you on a self-direction odyssey where you will have to explain to her (without nattering on, please) right before you perform just exactly what you are directing yourself to do. What’s the twist? There’ll be a maximum word count allowed for your explanation. Can you do it in 50 words? 20 words? Can you describe exactly what you are going to perform in just one word? Yikes! With the master of short but potent direction herself, Agent R will help you to create the habit of being precise and concise with yourself, so you come out the other end with a specific, authentic and job-winning audition, all by yourself from the comfort of your own home.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Chuck Kourouklis

    Length: 7-hour one-day lab

    Class Notes:  This course includes a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Are you a professional voice actor whose booking rate is in a bit of a slump without the benefit of feedback to know what needs adjusting? Are you a dedicated, well-trained Voicetrax student who is on the precipice of auditioning and looking to hit the ground running as you launch into the auditioning era of your voice-over career? Perhaps, you’re doing ok with your booking rate and are just looking to check-in, get some of the valuable feedback most auditioning voice actors never receive and get inspired by your fellow thespians. If characters are where you are looking to rev up your reads, then Chuck is the perfect pit crew chief to fix you up. In a collaborative effort, Chuck and your fellow students will be offering up feedback on your character home recordings all day long so you can leave the pit stall ready to win the race and the job!

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    PROFESSIONAL PIT-STOP: NARRATION

    Directors: Vicki Baum

    Length: 7-hour one-day lab

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    So, yeah, ummmm, it has probably not escaped your attention that this class is titled nearly the same as the one listed above. And it has likely further not escaped your deductive reasoning that the class description would be quite similar, if not nearly identical… and you would be right. This is our attempt to thwart that awkward situation by needlessly nattering on about nothing in particular. So, bottom, line? Read the class description above and substitute narration for characters and Vicki for Chuck. That is all.

     

    Directors: Brian Sommer,  Ben Gabaldon

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: None

    Let’s get ready to ruuuuuumble!!! Join Brian in this voice-over octagon of his making, where real-life is gonna smack you in the face. In this video game class Brian will provide you with audition sides which you will perform live, (so no chance to do 4,000 takes and edit the hell out of it like – ahem – perhaps you do at home). Brian will then cast the video game after giving you “the gloves are off”-type feedback on your audition. You’ll practice your assigned role with Brian, all to get ready to perform like in a real session for former video game director/producer extraordinaire, Ben Gabaldon. It’s time to get real, and this class is as real as it gets.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Sirenetta Leoni

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class and weekly homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    In this immersive class created for those of you about to embark on auditioning and THEREFORE BOOKING jobs (you’re damn right!) or working professionals that want to up the ante on their live recording session skills, participants will experience real-world voice-over recording sessions from somebody who actually directs real-world voice-over sessions for a living! Sirenetta has spent her days for many years as a session director and will bring all that wisdom to roost in this workshop. From call times, to mic technique, to receiving directorial feedback and adjusting components like emotional context, pacing and phrasing on the very next take, to session etiquette do’s & don’ts, ALL will be revealed. With Sirenetta, you’ve never been so darn prepared for the real thing.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Aaron Miner, Rhiannon Brogan

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: None

    Let loose in the playground of educational toys and apps! Aaron & Rhiannon, two very experienced toy voice actors, will visit multiple sectors in the voice-over toy industry where the FUN is baked right in, and review the specific skills toys demand including consistency, diction and, of course, acting! And even if you think you’ll never voice a toy (NEVER say never) in your career, the character work in this class will up your animation and video game skills, too. Besides, the opportunities in the toy genre continue to grow year after year and once a toy producer knows you can handle the session, they call you back time and time again, without auditioning! That’s the dream now, isn’t it?

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    THE MAKING OF A 3.0

    Directors: Vicki Baum

    Length: 9-hour three-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class and weekly homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Jump in to four weeks of sharpening your critical ear by explaining what you would do to make a performance better, the fundamental skill of successful self-direction. Sounds simple, right? Sure… You should know by now that with Vicki there is always a twist meant to propel your comprehension forward. The twist this time around? You won’t be rating yourself and deciding what to do to make your performance better; you’ll be breaking down the performances submitted by all of your fellow students and telling each of them what to do to make their performances better. Learn to achieve that elusive, yet majestically perfect 3.0 score on our Founder Samantha Paris’ infamous performance rating scale, by bringing a colleague’s good performance to a beautiful, bookable masterpiece.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    THE SHOW MUST GO ON

    Director: Lee Porter

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This course will include a pre-class homework assignment. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Welcome to a FIRST for Guest Directors at Voicetrax (for at least as long as we can remember, which honestly is not saying that much…)! An animation house SHOWRUNNER. That’s right, we said showrunner. And what is that? Exactly what it sounds like. When executive producing an animation series, Lee is responsible for… well… everything under the sun including budgets, casting, writing and directing, which shhhh! don’t tell his bosses, is his favorite part of the job. Not only will you get an incredible look behind the curtain, but Lee will give his straightforward feedback to pre-class, at-home recordings. He will also bring his very actor-friendly style of directing to the mock-session work you will experience in-class throughout the day. And who better to ask any questions you might have on how the animation sausage is made?

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    Director: Ummm… Charlie Adler

    Length: 12-hour four-week workshop

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class and weekly homework assignments. Students must have home recording capabilities.

    Sometimes you get an opportunity to learn from absolute genius and this workshop is one of those instances. We’ll be completely honest, we aren’t exactly sure what Char- lie’s animation lesson plan will include, but see, that’s the thing. You don’t sign up for this class because of the format or curriculum. You sign up because it’s Charlie Mother F’ing Adler. He is an icon in the voice-over industry, from his brilliant acting career to directing big-name animation projects to his one-of-a-kind, straightforward sense of humor. It’s easy to see there is literally nobody else on this planet like Charlie. ‘Nuff said.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    TO EACH THEIR OM

    Director: Erik Braa

    Length: 7-hour one-day lab

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class homework assignment.

    What’s that? Over the hill and beyond the horizon? It’s you, envisioning yourself in a scene, fully engulfing yourself, letting the moment take you over. No phones, no computers, no responsibilities. Just you and your imagination taking you to creative and inspiring places. Once back from that mind-bending projection, Vicki will assist you in applying that freedom of imagination to your acting experiences, bringing realism, authenticity and heart to anything you do in the future whether it’s Pulitzer-prize winning play, a comedic television show or ruminating on celery for 99 cents a pound. You’ll travel through numerous visualization exercises that will no doubt connect you to a deeper, more profound part of yourself. If you are experiencing challenges connecting to authentic emotions from within, this is the class for you! A far-ranging and illuminating seminar to be sure.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    VERBALIZING THE VISUALS

    Director: Roy Samuelson

    Length: 7-hour one-day lab

    Class Notes: None

    Just when you think you’ve heard about all the different ways a voice actor may ply their trade, we’re bringing you the opportunity to study yet another one: Audio Description. Providing a verbal version of the visual image and using words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative, properly trained audio describers convey the visual image that otherwise is not fully accessible to nearly 10 million blind or low vision Americans. One of the biggest stars of audio description (seriously, go check out his bio), Roy Samuelson, will open this world to you by exploring the skills necessary to create a concise, yet energized and nuanced description of the scene unfolding in front of the visually impaired audience members. He’ll also discuss how you get in on these opportunities. And whether or not this is an arena you think you’ll pursue, the chance to level up your storytelling skills with one of the best in the business, is a smart bet for any voice actor. Oh yeah, and did we mention that Roy will be bringing into class actual visually impaired consumers to provide feedback on your performances? It truly doesn’t get more real-world that that, people. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the best audio describers need only a few well-chosen words to conjure vivid and lasting images.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

     

    YOU TALKIN’ TO ME?

    Director: LA Agent

    Length: 10-hour weekend seminar

    Class Notes: This course includes a pre-class assignment. Students must home recording capabilities.

    How many times a week do auditioning voice actors see the words “friendly, natural and conversational” on a script? Ahhhh yes, the over-used, generic Triad of Death. The place where commercial performances go to die. You scream to yourself, doing your best Janet Leigh from Psycho impersonation, asking yourself: “How do I do that? What do they want?” The challenge is the vast majority of commercial opportunities are calling for that type of read. That’s where Agent N comes in! She will guide you through understanding how to hone in on being the best YOU, you can be, instead of trying to emulate what you know it’s supposed to sound like – or as we like to call it “chasing the melody” – of the style of commercial script you are performing. You’ll work on commercial scripts that are in your wheelhouse, as well as ones that make you stretch. At the end of the weekend, you’ll no longer fear the natural, conversational commercial read.

    CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

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