Setting the Stage for Better Voice Over Auditions with Aiden Dawn

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Hi there and welcome to Vox Talk, your weekly review from the world of voiceover. I'm your host, Stephanie Ciccarelli from Voices, how to set the stage for a read when you're in the booth. On today's show, voice actor and singer Aiden Dawn joins us to share her perspective on what you need to know to create an environment experiment in your booth that will help you to do the best auditions possible. Welcome to the show, Aiden.

Aiden Dawn:

Thank you so much for having me. Of course, you already know Stephanie, but I've been listening to the Voices podcasts for forever since I started doing voice over, so it's really amazing and exciting and I'm only geeking out a little bit here.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Oh, so oh, my goodness. It's just such a pleasure to have you here because honestly, I've been watching your Twitter too. That's one of the reasons why we're here. And I must say, Aiden has the most epic Twitter threads, if anyone is looking at that just goes into so many different topics that are relevant to career and what you should be thinking about and things that maybe you didn't even know you should be thinking about. So before we get going, I just wanted to let people know that I've also been watching what you've been doing, but we're here to talk about environment. That was the main, you know, there's a couple of different Twitter threads and you're going to come back for another episode on some other tips, but this one is the booth in the environment. So, Aiden, can you tell us what you mean by the environment in your booth?

Aiden Dawn:

Yeah, so environment in acting is everything around you that has the ability to affect you. So this encompasses what we see, hear, feel, who and what we interact with. And for me, it's really anything outside of my character that is in the scene with me.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Okay, yeah, that's a lot.

Aiden Dawn:

Very encompassing.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah. Right. And so we're going to talk about how to create an environment, how to build one. So now that we understand the environment is literally anything that is around us, but it really does start with a script or anything or the job posting. That's what gives you the building blocks so that you know what to do. Voice actors have to know who they are, what they're doing and why they're doing, who's the audience. So, Aiden, what clues does the script hold and how can we find them? And in other words, what does a voice actor actually need to know?

Aiden Dawn:

I love this question. So the answer is the script holds so many clues that we can use in so many wonderful ways. I'm of the mind that the actor needs to know everything that is on the page or posting. So if it weren't important, it wouldn't be there. And if we're going along with the theme of environment and how we analyze here, putting the focus on the lines of characters that are not your own or actions and descriptors in the text. These are parts of the environment that will help inform our choices. So it's a great way to see the full picture and often tells you who your character is better than your own lines do. We can find the why or the purpose of what our character is doing based off of environmental factors that the writer gives us. And this goes for job postings, too. So take commercial work, for example. We can find so many useful hints within the company that we're auditioning for. Knowing your client, the kind of work they produce, and what types of reads they look for is an important step to any audition. So take the time to watch previous commercials, read their mission statement on their website, and learn about who they are before recording anything. It works wonders. And I swear they notice.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yes, I think they do. Especially if you say their name correctly or incorrectly, they notice. Good for you. So Aiden, now that we know everything well, almost everything that we would ever need to know about how to set ourselves up for an audition, how do we go about building an environment piece by piece? And that's something that you've emphasized in the past.

Aiden Dawn:

Yes. Personally, I really love to write it out like a bit of descriptive text. This isn't always necessary for shorter works, and everyone does it in their own way, but I will do this especially for character roles. So the first thing I do is figure out where my character is in regards to the space they are physically in. So are they standing in the middle of a small room? Are they sitting underneath a tree? Are they floating in the ocean? I place myself. Then I start to explore and build beyond where my character is, what, and who exists around me. The more detail, the stronger the picture you have to connect to. So, to be clear, I never add any details that change the crucially important story we've been given by the writers, but I use their work. The given circumstances. That's a big term in acting. The given circumstances. What are your given circumstances? I use those to create a space to live in. The point of this exercise is not necessarily to give context for relationships between characters or even answer any specific questions concretely, but it's simply to put a picture in our minds that we can use. So the whole piece would be a little long, but I wanted to include a condensed version of what I write when I'm exploring my surroundings for context. In this excerpt that I wrote, the scene is about two young adults who are coming to terms with the fact that the world is ending.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Oh, okay. Sure. Yeah, let's hear it.

Aiden Dawn:

So here's what I wrote. We are lying on an old damp mattress with a tarp and a couple layers of blankets protecting it. We've got a couple of pillows and an open bag of cheetos sits in between us. We are both looking up. I hear June's left hand crinkle in the bag as she grabs a fresh handful and starts munching. It's a mild night. Not too hot, not too cold. 10:00 p.m. There is a bit of wind up here, but it's not bad for a city rooftop. To the left of us is an old air exhaust vent and by our feet is a rickety metal fire escape which leads down to the street. There isn't a cloud in the sky and the stars are actually a little visible from here. I hear some sirens and faint horn honking in the distance. But for the most part, this place is peaceful, which we don’t get a lot of peace. We're both breathing it in.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Wow. I say if you spend that much time on each audition, my goodness, I'm sure you don’t go into that much detail for everything you do.

Aiden Dawn:

Not for everything.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

I can't say, I gave up Cheetos. I'm afraid it did kind of make me want one. But that is like, really intricate. Like, what you've created is this whole world down to the most minute details of their surroundings. Not necessarily about, as you say, anything other than just what is happening in front of the character you are, and the periphery and who might be around them, what those people might be doing. I think that's just really, really interesting. So how does painting the picture, what does that do for you as an actor? Because I think you do like to visualize. You've kind of suggested this in your tweets about just kind of putting yourself in a place. But is that having that level of, like, verbal or written granularity? How does that make your performance better?

Aiden Dawn:

So I find what this type of writing does for me, especially when I'm working on those larger character roles, is it gives me something tangible. So pushing yourself to actually paint the picture makes it more real for you because it's coming from you and you are actively inserting yourself and your authenticity into the role when you take that step and write those words. And when we write it out, we can better walk through it in our minds and it doesn't have to be perfect and we can pick and choose what we include. Like, it's up to you. But the goal is to write how you write in your own way so that you can picture it.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

I like that. I also am just thinking of a past episode with Leah and Nic where we're talking about writing things down and the importance of doing that. And I know you're a fan of that as well, so it just seems like the actual physical act of writing something out, even a description of where your character is and what you're doing and maybe what they ate for breakfast that morning. You're actually like getting it more into your body, if you will. I think it's just another one of those things where I think when Nic said if you write something down, you're more likely to remember it and the same maybe there's a muscle memory or something that comes from doing that when you're in character, too.

Aiden Dawn:

Totally. And with anything, the more you practice something, the more you feel it and your muscles literally remember the act. So, yeah, that's what I like to do.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Interesting, because I know that there's some cerebral kind of stuff going on here where we're thinking things through and whatnot, but there's also the more kinesthetic side where we're the active part. So I like that there's some active activity in there, too. So for some people who aren't necessarily as thoughtful in the same introspective way as someone might be, if they like to really write things down and do exercises like that, is there a way that we can do that with physical items like props or decorating the studio in some way to set the stage for the environment?

Aiden Dawn:

Yeah, I mean, I think ultimately you have to use what works for you. For me, I wouldn't personally use a prop, and I might not necessarily recommend it if I'm teaching someone my methods, but I tend to encourage actors to lean into the imagination because you have to build that muscle in the industry. But there are exceptions. Like, I myself used a prop recently for a submission to a voiceover competition, but that was for a visual bit because they specifically requested videos. But if it's something that works for you, whether you just put it in the booth to look at, or if the prop helps it feel more real for you. As long as you aren't interrupting one your mic placement. Two, you aren't making noise in the booth, and three, the sound engineer is able to get a clean recording out of you. Go for it.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yes. The sound thing, I would say no. I wouldn't call myself clumsy, but I tend to use my hands a lot and you can see, obviously, me Aiden, right now, there's nothing on either side. And I think that's by design, Geoff has done this so I don’t hit something or make a noise, which is more likely what it is. But that is a very good point because even what you're wearing, like, some people like, oh, I'm a pirate or something in this, I'm going to dress like when it's like, well, don’t wear your jangly jewelry, don't have a parrot, and there's going to talk unless it's part of the bit. But you know, you have to be thinking of those things because you can go overboard, perhaps, with getting too much into a scene and lose yourself and forget what you're doing, too, I imagine.

Aiden Dawn:

Yeah. You know, speaking of a pirate, I actually had an audition for a video game that was a pirate role. And what I did for my two takes is I went on Google and I found pictures of two very different types of pirates that I liked in animation styles I liked. And I had those pictures in front of me. So when I was referring to one character, I was that one and the other one was the other. So if you need that visual in front of you, that's an option too. And it's fun.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

That's great. And it also helps you to separate the characters, as you said, like distinct voices. You might be in a show or auditioning for multiple roles, you know, in something. And you don't want to have the same voice or the same kind of approach to each one. So I'm guessing those pirates were very different in their own way, but that's really interesting. Well, thanks for sharing that, because people do connect more to images in some cases. Or like you're trying to do the real person read or someone who is the guy next door, the girl next door, you're going to be looking at someone that you love, perhaps like a picture of a family member and just talking to them. And that's more natural, right? So it isn't just about getting the character or the full building environment. It could help you in any kind of voice over your recording because you do need to remember that you are a character of some kind. You're playing a role, be it an educator or you're a spokesman or you're something in this kind of great big happy voiceover world that we live in where you could literally be, you know, like a talking squirrel or you could be, I don’t know, like a politician or something else. So as we know, the voice actor’s body is also their instrument. So we're talking about music, physicality movement, environment. You know, in order to get into character, sometimes people need to move around a bit. So what role can physicality play in building the environment?

Aiden Dawn:

It can play a big role. First of all, don't even get me started on how important it is for our bodies and instruments to be physically awake before we start recording. That's a whole other thing. But in terms of how we use our bodies when we're creating a character, there's so much we can do if we're thinking smart about it. So in our bodies, we have to account for things like pace of movement, level of comfort and posture. Did you just finish a workout and are you vibrating with endorphins and excitement? Or did you just finish the most exhausting work out of your life and do your legs feel like literal pillars of jelly? Is it really brutally cold and are you hunched forward and shivering as your breath is hitching, trying to get the words out? Did you just tell a lie and are your eyebrows raising and is your voice probably creeping upward? Are you trying really hard to open a jar of pickles and are your abs fully engaged in teeth gritted and huffing and puffing? So, like, there are plenty of ways, and these are perfect examples that call for our bodies to be involved. So, of course, we don't have a ton of space in the booth, but it takes getting used to working with that space. But we can absolutely play physically.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, I think that's important because your body is your instrument. You got to move, you got to breathe, right? You need to have some means of getting it. And for a lot of people, again, it's the muscle memory, it's the movement, it's the bringing something from a physical sense that helps them get into the character itself. Especially if there's something about that character, like they got a limp or they have dentures or there's any number of other things that might – a physical trait might influence how someone speaks. So another good one to think about. But I love that, the whole posture thing, everyone's got to sit up straight, shoulders back, you know, like Inquire was always sit on the edge of your seat. And it's like, I don't think I sit on any chairs properly now because I've got a coral training that tells me to sit on the edge of my seat. But these things are important posture, for sure.

Aiden Dawn:

Absolutely.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

So, you know yeah. If I had to guess here, Aiden, not only does posture play a role, but personality plays a role in how we build our environments, too. So would you say that there's a difference for how an introverted actor would create an environment versus an extroverted actor?

Aiden Dawn:

Yes, personality plays a huge part in how we build environment, but I think regardless of introversion or extraversion, the environments we create are going to be vastly different. Just like person to person, human being to human being, there are a bazillion different ways our minds work. And I think that's the point. There's no one right way to do it. The whole purpose of visualizing your environment is discovering how you would represent the character, how you would see the world presented on the page in front of you. That's what casting wants from you. So I don't think there's a wrong way to do it, as long as by the end you have a better idea. And I think that's pretty cool.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yes. I like that answer because part of me is thinking, oh, the introverted actors are probably sitting there writing out tomes of things that they're going to prepare and mentally get into their mind palace and all that. This is where my mind goes, because I'm not an introvert, but I know many. But as an extroverted actor, it feels so much more like physical, right? Like everything's outside of yourself. So when I think about that, I was just curious, but what it really comes down to is you just bring what you are bringing, because that makes you different. And as you had pointed out, it's really the casting folks that care the most about what's going on with your interpretation versus someone else's. And they want the absolute best from you, for sure they do. But if you do something that's kind of like I've heard comments from people, I think it might have been David Goldberg. I have to go back and listen. But, David, if it wasn't you, maybe you'll adopt this anyway. But the whole idea that a bunch of talent received the same spec, the same direction, same whatever, and they literally took this spec and they did it all the same way. It's almost as if they had a meeting and said, ‘how shall we do this?’ And they went and they did it. But you need to bring something that is uniquely you to every read that you do and the characters and all that, just thinking about how important it is that, yes, you prepare as an actor, but you got to leave some room for some fun. You got to also be thinking, well, you know, maybe something cool will happen in this, or I should keep that take that I didn't think I would do, or who knows? So I think that that's important. But preparing, it's like the little fun bits that you can do on your own. Now, that all being said, what is one thing, like, let's say someone doesn't have a lot of time to prepare, and they're like, oh, you've got an audition. You're being called in. Maybe it's even an in person one. Scary, scary you're being brought in. What can they do if they're given, let's say, 2 hours notice that they have this big audition coming up, and they have to, as you say, create an environment, build in what that looks like… what can they do when they don’t have a lot of time to prepare? But it's a really important audition.

Aiden Dawn:

So I would say, first of all, don't get tied up in the fact that you think you have to read it out loud and like, the words will come in your body if you know them. But if you let yourself panic and you're like, oh, I just have to read it out loud a bazillion times, that's not going to be the most beneficial to you. I always like to read my scripts several times, top to bottom with, like, just in my head. You know, if you read something out loud before you're ready and before you understand what's going on in the scene, naturally you build a pattern. And we don't want to build that pattern before we know what's going on because then we're using the wrong inflection and we're not fully making sense. So I like to read it a couple of times, at least without reading it out loud, and then I ask myself a few crucial questions and maybe write out a couple of notes about it on the page. So what can I physically feel right now? Temperature, objects, the ground underneath my feet, something to root me, and then, what has just happened that is affecting me emotionally? And then the third one would be, what do I need from the other person in the scene? Or for commercial work, how am I hoping to affect my audience?

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Those are very good tips. There's nothing worse than reading something out loud and it getting stuck the way you did it and you did it wrong. You know, that's even worse when you say something incorrectly and it's like, oh, that's going to get locked in. And it probably is never a horrible thing to ask for guidance from. If you are in person with someone, you say, well, can you please confirm the way that you say this word? Because if it's important, I want to honor that, I want to get it right. And then you're also, as you say, you're not mispronouncing it ahead of time. That's one thing that would always get me. I just I just go back and I think there's one episode of the show where I was reporting on the news and I said someone's last name wrong. And I said it wrong so many times, it's in the back of my mind, like, I will never do that again. But that's one of the things that you learn. Sometimes, this is just a process and you won't get it right every time. And you have to be patient with yourself. Yes.

Aiden Dawn:

You have to be okay with making the mistake, for sure.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Yeah, absolutely. That's wonderful. All right, so, Aiden, it's been an absolute delight to have you here. We're going to be back, obviously. Before we go, can you tell everybody where they can find you and especially what your Twitter handle is?

Aiden Dawn:

Yes. So you can find me on Twitter at aiden_dawn. That's Aiden and then Aiden Dawn on LinkedIn. And I've got a handy dandy contact form on my website at AboutTheVoice.biz. Just all one word about the voice, and you can email me at Aiden Dawn at aboutthevoice.biz to get in touch with me about voiceover coaching or voiceover.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for coming on today, Aiden. It was a real treat.

Aiden Dawn:

Yes, thank you.

Stephanie Ciccarelli:

And that's the way we saw the world through the lens of voice over this week. Thank you very much for joining me today. And thank you to our special guest, Aiden Dawn, for sharing her tips, for building an environment to make your reads more believable as you bring the written word to life. For voices. I'm Stephanie Ciccarelli. Vox Talk is produced by Geoff Bremner. Thank you for listening to Vox Talk, and if you enjoyed this episode, share it with your VO friends and give us a rating and review wherever you listen to your podcast so that others can find Vox Talk and benefit from the show, too. That's all for now. We’ll see you next week.

Housekeeping items:

Thank you again for listening to Vox Talk, a couple housekeeping items for you. We’ll be taking a holiday break to spend some time with our families, so the next time you’ll hear a new Vox Talk episode will be Tuesday January 3rd, 2023. So that’s the first week of the new year, we’ll be back with an amazing episode. And also, we’re going to invite you to tea time. I know so many of you were watching our Instagram and Facebook posts and I think it’s about time. We need to do a live, we need to get together and have a grand old voice over tea party! You’ll get more on that in the new year. Keep watching your social channels, and in the meantime, I’m wishing you and yours a joyous holiday season, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.