Yesterday In The Studio

I consider myself a fairly lucky guy. It’s been a good year, so far: I’ve had the chance to do some good work on stage, and that work has been recognized and appreciated. I put Tuxxer together and tried to see it published. While the results of those efforts were not positive, they were encouraging. I know some of what was done wrong, and what I need to fix for the next time.

What happened yesterday, however, was nothing short of winning-lottery-ticket lucky. I’ve wanted to be the voice of cartoon characters for years; it’s been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. Yesterday that dream came true. Unfortunately I’m contractually obligated to refrain from divulging specific details, but I’ll tell you as much as I can about the experience.

An educational cartoon for elementary schoolers, the program will be animated in the next few months. They provided miniature cardboard cutouts of the characters we were voice-acting yesterday. Seeing the bad guy on my music stand; I thought, “I’m providing the voice of this guy, me and no-one else. Hot damn.” The villain looks great. He even has henchmen and a sidekick. How cool is that?? My one regret is that we had to give back the cut-outs, or else I’d love to keep that guy on my desk.

At one point, I had to make him sound like he was struggling underwater. I’ve been doing the gurgly “Hello, Mr. Gepettoooooo!!!” for years, but they wanted the real thing. So, I recorded some tracks with a mouth full of water, spilling it all over myself as I kept my head up (so as not to spit all over the script). We had to do it a few times, we were laughing so hard.

The highlight of the day is a no-brainer: Towards the end of the session we were recording ‘filler’ sounds, including villainous laughter. I’ve got an evil laugh that people have been asking me not to do for years. They think it’s obnoxious. It is, a bit. It’s also fun as hell. Yesterday, in that booth, we recorded that exact laugh at various lengths for the cartoon. For the first time, it was actually appropriate to the situation. Rock. On.

My co-star is a SAG and AFTRA Union actress, she and I had a terrific time working together. We were each in separate sound booths, with the director, producer, and tech man in a studio control room. From time to time we got a little goofy, breaking into song or making snarky remarks to each other; still in character. They recorded *everything*. Maybe I’ll send out a Christmas e-card with the outtakes, who knows…

I’ve only been actively pursuing a Voice-Over career for the last six or seven months. I don’t know what I was waiting for, either. The time was definitely right, though. I’m making contacts, beginning to network, and I’ve started giving what few tips I know to others that are interested in the field. It’s pretty damn exciting.

I know exactly how lucky I am to have had this happen. I’m only 24 and in a few months; six episodes of a cartoon with my voices in it will be produced and released. I don't think I could ask for more. (Doesn't mean I won't be shooting for it, though...)