Unlocking the Power of Seeing the Whole Picture in Voice Acting
During a recent three-session voice acting class, I realized that the best read I can give, is the one where I am seeing the whole picture. If I'm not in-the-weeds, as they say in golf.
I noticed that the times that I received the best feedback was when I had been able to take a step back, and I could look at the script to really see the story, and a through line. A beginning, middle and end. This leads to this, which leads to that...
I realized that I was seeing the story of the script, rather than just random words.
Leading with a 'Big Picture' Approach
I have been actively involved in the behind-the-scenes of a local children's theater for over 23 years, and was first a patron of their offerings to the community over 27 years ago. I proudly served as President of the Board for over a decade and have enjoyed my role as President Emeritus ever since. I found that I was most effective as President if a took a 'big picture' approach. It was almost as if I could imagine myself hovering over a groove of really interesting trees, but if I lowered myself down into the grove, then I could only see the trees right around me. I had no idea what the trees just beyond them were doing. Like what their needs, wishes and creative ideas were. As these were talking trees (this is my vision, so stay with me...), I could also only hear what the 'trees' closest to me were saying. It became a drone-like sound of chatter, and I wasn't able to understand what any one of them were saying. If I could imagine myself staying up above all of the ideas, comments, concerns and even complaints, their voices would float up to me and I could hear them one at a time. It was the only way that I could assimilate all of the input, and make decisions that were beneficial for all stakeholders; staff, actors, volunteers and patrons.
The Whole is More than a Sum of it's Parts
I just recently ended an organizing spree In my house. For now anyway... seems like it's a never ending job. I organized office-stuff, household papers, book cases, storage boxes, a closet... it was a lot! But the only way I could do it was to keep my eye on the big picture. If I stopped to read every Thank You, Happy Holidays or Happy Birthday card (and I read a lot of them...) I fell behind in my goals of what I wanted to accomplish for the day. I would fail to move forward! I would feel just as stuck as I had when I started. In fact worse, because the area I was working in was an even bigger mess than it had been. I wasn't helping myself and in some instances, was making life harder to navigate for my family.
In voice over, it's the same for me. I'm not helping myself get to good reads if I'm not looking at the overall theme of the script. What is the story that the writer is trying to convey? If I give a read that is line by line, and even worse, word by word, I fail to connect with the script and in turn my audience will not relate and will tune out. I won't sound like a storyteller. I'll sound like AI, and we all know how irritating that can be! Just listen to most every on-hold phone message out there these days.
I just was in a coach-led workout and I selected an Animation script. My first take was passable but when the coach advised me to focus on the scene, think about what was going on around this character at the time, what was she seeing, it clicked for me. It was about The Voice, versus The Delivery; it was either about The Big Picture or The Scene. Once I did that, my acting came to life.
Just another example of not seeing the forest for the trees.
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