Dispelling 5 Voice Over Myths with Gary Terzza

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Welcome to Vox Talk, your weekly review from the world of voice over. I'm your host. Stephanie cesarelli from Voices Do you find it hard to tell facts from fiction when getting started in voice over? On taoday's show, Gary Terzza joins me from his studio in Hertfordshire to discuss five commonly believed voice overs myths. You may know Gary as a creator of VO Masterclass, a company providing comprehensive voice over training for beginners since 2005 in the United Kingdom. Alumni of VO Masterclass can be heard on TV, radio, reading audiobooks, narrating documentaries, and, of course, voicing in video games. Welcome to the show, Gary.

Gary Terzza:

Thank you very much, Stephanie. Hello, how are you?

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

I'm good, how are you?

Gary Terzza:

I'm okay, thank you. Not bad at all.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Wonderful. So I know today we're going to be dispelling those five voice over myths, and thank you so much for posting on social about them. That's how this all came to be. I'm sure people have noticed a theme in our shows. If you post something worthy on LinkedIn to be noted for the show, you're going to get noticed.

Gary Terzza:

It's an interesting routine, isn't it, really? Using LinkedIn?

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

It is, absolutely. And I'm so glad that you're doing it absolutely so well, I think there's postings every day from you in there, Gary. But today we're going to be focusing on those myths because they're quite interesting. There are five of them. So tell me, where did they come from and how common are these myths?

Gary Terzza:

Well, I think they've been around for a long, long time. I don't think the myths have changed over the years, to be honest. These are complete beginners, and they will say things like, oh, you need a silly voice, or ‘I've got a silly voice, or I can do some funny accents,’ or ‘I can't do it because I'm not an actor,’ or ‘good voice is essential,’ whatever it happens to be, or you need to be a certain age, or It's all about talking and nothing else. Those common misconceptions, I suppose they are, really have been around for a long, long time, and I think they just perpetuate. And even though lots of people like ourselves try and are trying to dispel them, they are very persistent and they hang around, and I'm sure they'll be around in ten years time as well.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, they just don't seem to go away. And it's good that we've got a decent, I would say, group of people in our industry who do work to dispel those myths. So, Gary, if you would, let's go over the first myth and then we'll move on to the second, third, fourth and fifth in sequence.

Gary Terzza:

Sure. Well, one that I mentioned earlier was this notion that doing silly voices, so accents or just making your friends laugh down the pub or over coffee or whatever is in a way good enough. It's a good qualification for getting into voice overs. And I always say, well, look, that's great. Maybe your silly voices might be used on an audiobook, perhaps playing characters in a video game or animation, and you shouldn't ignore them. But the vast majority of voice over work requires you to use your own voice and that's what you're using, that's what you're selling. And silly voices are not the same as acting. I think most of us can put on a silly voice. Most people in the world could probably do another couple of voices, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be a voice actor. And also, people tend to hide behind silly voices. They hide their own genuine voice behind a rather stupid one just because they feel comfortable like that. So the vast majority of your work is going to be using your own voice. So silly voices, yeah, they may be required, but 90% of the time, 95% of the time it's going to be you and your voice.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yes. And yes, I think that we've heard that over and over again in various conversations, is that your natural, authentic voice, who you are, is going to make you not only stand out from other talent, but it sounds better, it's authentic and genuine. It's really to shine through. And I'm just trying to think of people who are putting on voices and maybe personas people who come from a broadcast background often have trouble shaking those sorts of routine voices that they had incorporated into their, I guess their voice over wheelhouse when they were on the air.

Gary Terzza:

Yeah, I mean, you do get people who grow into a silly voice that maybe the voice they have is so stylized, all the performance they gave once and has resulted in repeat work, you can end up like that. And sometimes we have just on our course, we have people who may have come from a different genre, but sort of related genre, maybe they've related industry, maybe they've come from radio and radio DJs or whatever, or been sports commentators. And not that they're putting on a silly voice particularly, but it's not necessarily their normal voice and they accentuate that and then apply it to all sorts of voice overs where perhaps it doesn't require that type of voice. Yeah, you're right. I mean, it's authenticity, isn't it? That's what it's all about.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Right? And so much of the work is not silly, right? So much of it. Seriously, you're teaching someone something. So I'm really glad that we just spelled the whole silliness myth. You don't need to be the class clown to be a voice actor. So, perfect. Let's move on to our next one.

Gary Terzza:

While the second one is “You don't need to be an actor.” Now, this is probably a more controversial myth because some people say, well, voice overs are all about acting. It's voice acting, as it's often called. But that doesn't necessarily mean that you need to be one. And you will find that a lot of voice overs, because they are from areas like business to business, a lot of corporate stuff, a lot of elearning, a lot of straight narration, just as we were talking about, needs your own voice. And that doesn't mean you necessarily need to give an acting performance. You don't need to be an actor to do that. There is a performance element in voice overs, but it's not necessarily an acted one. Now, really interestingly when we have trained actors, some are brilliant at doing voice overs, some can easily slip from playing a character role, being on stage or on TV or even in the movies, and they can slip very easily into being a voice over artist, but a lot can't, and a lot of actors find it sometimes difficult to be themselves. And I've come across this in the studio with people, with our students, where I've had an actor and said, well, here's the script, let's give it a go. And they've said, ‘All right, well, what role do you want me to play?’ What character do you want me to play? And I've said, ‘Just yourself.’ ‘But I don't want to be myself. That's why I became an actor, to hide behind different roles.’ So it doesn't necessarily mean if you are an actor, you can do voice overs and vice versa. And you certainly don't need to be one to get into voice overs. There is a performance element, of course there is. And if you're going in to do things like radio drama or you're going into the more video game animation side, then your acting skills will certainly be very, very useful indeed. But for mainstream voice overs, where you're being yourself, then certainly, no, you don't need that acting skill. You just need to be able to get under the skin of the words and bring those words to life. But as you, and the less acting, the better. It's almost like that. Less is more, I think, certainly when it comes to acting. So again, it's one of those myths. And if you're listening to this and think, well, I'm not an actor, can I still do voice overs? The answer is, you certainly can. Give it a go. And yes, you should.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yes, absolutely, acting background does help, but it is not the defining characteristic of a successful voice sound.

Gary Terzza:

When I worked at Channel Four. They would frequently have a sort of milkround where they would recruit new announcers, new voices who would do live announcing and they would do the trailers as well. And they would actually say, ‘Any actors that apply. We're going to ignore them.’ Because there were probably some very good potential candidates out there. But they just said. We don't want that acting background. Now, interestingly, probably 20, 30 years before that, a generation before that, there would have been an emphasis, I think, much more on acting, and they would have recruited actors. And that's probably the same with the voice over industry generally that go back a generation or two and yes, acting probably was a prerequisite, or would certainly be a big advantage and like I said, things have moved on. We've got a more naturalistic tone and style now. You don't need to be an actor.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

No, you don't have to be an actor, necessarily. And even those actors that are actually very talented, like we take a look at, say, Richard Burton, for instance, like even he fumbled in some of his voice over recordings on YouTube.

Gary Terzza:

Yeah, that's right. There's that famous, famous YouTube clip, isn't there, of him getting his words wrong. And the same, if you listen to Stephen Fry doing Harry Potter, he couldn't say, ‘Harry, put it in his pocket.’ No, he couldn't say ‘Harry pocketed it.’ That's it. He couldn't say ‘Harry pocketed it.’ This was when he was doing the first book and he said, can I say this to J.K. Rowling, ‘Can I say Harry, put it in his pocket?’ And she said, ‘No, I want you to say Harry pocketed it.’ But he still couldn’t do it and the poor sound engineer had to stick the words together. And then in every subsequent book, she then added ‘Harry pocketed it’ into the book. And if you ever look, there's always that line just for Stephen Fry to stumble on.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yes, I don't know if Jim Dale struggled on that line, but I know he's a narrator of those books as well. But yes, you don't have to be silly. You don't have to be a trained actor who's come from a certain background in order to do voice over. So what's our third myth there, Gary?

Gary Terzza:

Well, the third one is having a good voice. You need a good voice. Now, lots of people get into voice overs because someone has said to them, ‘you've got a nice voice, you could do voice overs.’ And I think what I would say is, look, your voice or how people interpret it is very subjective. It is not an absolute, it's not kind of definitive in any way. The idea of what a good voice is is totally down to individual taste, isn't it? Really, if you think about it. And so some people think they have got a good voice, so they can get into voice overs, but perhaps they shouldn't be doing that, shouldn't be pursuing that line, and vice versa. Some people think they haven't got a good voice, but actually their voice is very relevant and will work with certain subjects. So different voices are required for different jobs. You're never going to get the same two twice. So what I say is, don't just think that having this golden, this golden fleece of a voice, that you think, ‘right, that is the definitive kind of voice. I haven't got it, so I can't do voice over,’ that doesn't work. I mean, it used to be in the olden days, you had to have if you were a male voice, you had to have a deep, rich voice. If you were a female voice, you had to have a husky voice. And they're great traits, wonderful traits, but they're not necessarily what you need for voice overs. All sorts of voices do voice overs right across the range from young, middle aged, old accent, no accent, scratchy voices, to deep, rich ones, to everything in between, really. Voice overs are terribly subjective. You're picked at the end of the day because someone does like your voice, but that's a very personal choice. So there is no such thing as a good voice,

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Right? So you don't have to be Morgan Freeman or Dame Judy Dench to have a great voice because as you said, it's totally subjective. So I think we all understand that one because we all know we're very different, have different voice prints, and you hear these voices in the market all over the place, so I agree. So we've got don't be silly, or you don't have to be silly. You don't have to be a trained actor. You can use your own voice that you have. You don't have to have a certain sound. So what is our fourth myth, Gary?

So, number four, the fourth myth is age. You must be a certain age to do voice overs. That's one of the kind of misconceptions that people have and that - that is completely untrue. I mean, I get people contacting me all the time saying, ‘Am I too old? Am I too young?’ And the answer is, well, there are voices for everything in every age demographic, it doesn't really matter. You play to your age and as of course you get older, you will play slightly different roles, probably, and do different voice overs. So age isn't a determining factor. I mean, age is important to the client because they will be looking for someone with a mature voice, for example, or someone who's very got a young youthful sound. But those things are largely out of our hands, of course, because they are often the stage we're at in life. But also over time, like I say, voices will change, they will mature, usually. And so your voice age is important, but not in the way you think it is. So you can be in your 60s or 70s, still go for it. And likewise, you could be a child actor, you could be a child voice over artist. So you could be a twelve year old or whatever and still get into voice overs. So you don't have to be a specific age. Just embrace your age and say, right, this is the demographic I'm going to go for. Probably the demographic that will pick me. Yes.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah. And some people can do multiple voice ages. So you've opened up other work for yourself, potentially. Some people don't sound the age that they actually are. And again, you'll have work in those areas. So if you meet any of those descriptions dear listener, don't worry, there's work for you. So that's our fourth myth. Now into the last one, myth number five. What is that one, Gary?

Gary Terzza:

The fifth one I've identified is that it's all about talking. So people will say, all I have to do is talk. And I run some Facebook ads here in the UK and someone had put on the comments at the bottom they'd put something like, well, all I have to do is talk. Why do I need to learn how to do it? But of course it's not talking, it's actually reading. It's reading out loud. If it was talking, everyone would do it because we all talk all the time. But it's actually being able to take somebody else's words and make them yours. So you are talking at the end of the day. Of course you are. But really you are reading a script and bringing that to life as you so it's more than just talking. That is kind of the starting point. But it's so much more than just talking, isn't it? It's about being able to own somebody else's words and make them yours and make it sound like you're not reading, but you are talking. So, just don't have that preconception that it's all about talking. It's not, it’s about reading those words and getting them off the page and bringing them to life and telling that story.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

I wonder if that's the hardest part, is to sound like you're not reading. Like, is that what you find when you're teaching people, Gary, is that even though you tell them, ‘read what's there,’ how hard is it for someone to get themselves out of that place where they're literally like it sounds like they're reading what's on the page?

Gary Terzza:

Absolutely. It's all done in the mind, doesn't it, really? Although we think it's all about vocalization and the larynx and using your diaphragm and so on. Well, those things are important, but at the end of the day, it is about being able to get those words off the page and make it sound like you are not just reading a script, but I'm actually talking to that one person and that, I think, is the key to it. So, yeah, it is difficult and it's the hardest part. Yeah, one of the hardest parts anyway, that people face when they're starting out in voice overs and they see the script, just some dry old words on the page and they think, ‘right, blimey, how am I going to get there? How am I going to bring those words to life?’ It's tough but doable and you can learn how to do it.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah. Now does some of that, I guess, kind of hesitance to read in a way that sounds natural, is that because someone hasn't quite mastered the use of their voice, they're not quite appreciating where their voice can take them if they only let it?

Gary Terzza:

Yes, I think it's practice, isn't it? It's been like playing a musical instrument, really, albeit an instrument you've had all your life. But it's about being able to use your voice and use everything you have in your personality and individuality to bring that to the words. So it is about kind of being able to take somebody else's words, however unlike how you speak, take them and make them yours. But yeah, I mean, it's practice. At the end of the day, the more you do it, the more you read out loud, the better it will be. And that's definitely what you should be doing. Even before you put a microphone in front of your mouth, then you should be reading out loud. And reading out loud is the key. Not doing it in your head, because your brain fills in all the gaps and makes it sound fantastic. But if you can read out loud and talk to that one person, then you're halfway there at being a voice over artist.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

That's amazing. It really is about just reading aloud and hearing those words and being lifted off the page. So many people, and I know writers are guilty of this, they won't read aloud what they actually wrote. And so when it comes time for a voice talent to read it or a narrator, they're like, ‘oh, well, this didn't seem like it was written for the spoken word,’ right?

Gary Terzza:

They always overwrite these things. So you've got to go ten to the dozen, you've got to go faster than they think and they just go no like that in their heads rather than actually trying to read it out loud and tell it as a story and how other people would listen to it. Yeah, sure.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah. I think it's a real treat for a writer to actually hear an actor read out their manuscripts before they've actually submitted it for review because then you get a real sense of what is actually in there for the voice and words. But that's amazing stuff. So we have gone through five voice over myths. I hope everyone has taken some notes and written them down. We know that these are kind of all over the place in the industry. I don't know if it's because people honestly don't know the right answer to this question and they're looking to all kinds of sources for those. But where can we go, Gary, to understand what is a good answer in voices? Like how do I know if I'm too old or too young? Or is there a filter that people can be using to sift through the information?

Gary Terzza:

I think you should go to blogs, talk to other voice actors if you can. If you can just contact them on social media and just pick their brains, really and pose those questions that you have. And certainly you guys run a Beginners Guide to Voice Overs and there are a few of those around. Check your sources. I mean, make sure that it's a reputable person doing it or reputable organization that's doing it. But there's so much good information out there. Lots of YouTube videos, videos by people like Bill DeWees, a great kind of resource, I think, a repository of fountain of knowledge. And there are others as well. So go to those people, read their stuff, read their blogs, watch their videos, and ask questions at the end of the day.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Wonderful tips. Thank you so much, Gary, for joining us on the show today to debunk these voice over myths, but also to give some direction and insight into what we can be doing or how to interpret this information. So it's so important that we do have the right information. Before we go, I just want to thank you so much for coming on Vox Talk today, Gary, and everyone should know how to find you, so what is the best way that they can learn more about what you do and where can they go to find you?

Gary Terzza:

Oh, yeah, well, they can pop onto my website, which is Vomasterclass.com, so just VO and then MasterClass.com. Or they can hop along to my YouTube channel, which is YouTube.com. GaryTerzza, One R, two ZS. So if you can spell that, you're doing well. But, yeah, more people come along, have a read, then great post comments on my YouTube videos. If you've got a question, please do that.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Wonderful. Well, thank you again for coming on the show, Gary.

Gary Terzza:

Thanks for having me, Stephanie. And that's the way we saw the world through the lens of voice over this week. Thank you so much for joining us here on Vox Talk. It was such an amazing episode. If you liked what you heard, Gary's done episodes of Voice Over Experts. You can go check that out. And there are other voice over resources on Voices that Gary's contributed to, but, you know, just so much good stuff we learned today. And that's the show. So for voices. I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli, host of Vox Talk. Our producer is Geoff Bremner. Thank you so much for listening today. We'll see you next week.

Gary Terzza dispels five of the most common voice over myths plaguing the industry. Discover what they are and learn the truth about what it takes to make it in voice over.