Does a voice actor need "Range" to be considered good/skilled

>>88407889
Not in my opinion, Bob Bergen (Porky Pig) had it right when he said it's more important to be a brilliant actor first than being able to do a million voices

>Richard Horvitz
>Paul Warburton
>Charlie Adler

How many of these people are typically casted for their range/the impressions they can do?

File: Screen Shot 2016-12-09 at 7.47.40 AM.png (366KB, 637x537px) Image search: [Google]

366KB, 637x537px

>>88407984
>>Paul Warbutron

Jesus Christ it's late, I obviously meant "Patrick"

>>88408022

R.I.P.

It's only an issue if they need to talk to another character voiced by themselves but are so similar that it'd be confusing/jarring.
H Jon and Kristen haven't encountered that issue yet. As is they're both pretty good voice actors good at displaying character and personality through voice alone which is far more useful than being able to have a massive stable of goofy voices.

>>88407889
>Does a voice actor need "Range" to be considered good/skilled at their job? Or does their voice just need to be entertaining?

Range in emotion is what's most important. You can do a variety of voices till the cows come home, but if the script calls for edgy anti-hero to be hit by an inversion spell that makes him 1950s goody two shoes style, or it's a flashback episode and he's more of a sarcastic prankster, you need to be able to deliver.

The actor part is what's important in the end. In cartoons or video games, emotional depth will take you far. Some people are good hollywood actors, but have trouble with voice work, or don't feel challenged because it's their Hollywood persona as, say a cartoon duck, or Smurf or something. Though then you get people who are just damn good no matter the medium like Ron Perlman or Patrick Stewart.

>>88407889
Does Gene's voice actor on Bob's Burgers make a living as a Patton Oswalt impersonator? I seriously thought that was him for the longest time.

File: came.jpg (9KB, 76x210px) Image search: [Google]

9KB, 76x210px

>>88407889
i want to come deep inside kristen schaal's insidious jewish uterus

You don't need range as a voice character.

You just need to have the right voice for the character to bring them to life.

>Want to be voice actor
>Voice isn't super good.

It hurts.

Benjamin doesn't show his range often, but it's there. Example: He actually voiced Jason in Home Movies and Walter too (I literally just learned this checking to confirm he did Jason)

Beyond that I think Shcaal and Benjamin both bring enough distinction to each role that they unmistakably different.

If Schaal read the same line, once as Mabel, once as Louise you know they'd both sound completely different. Same for Benjamin, I'd never mistake a Sterling Archer reading for a Bob Belcher one.

>>88409060

He's a comedian, pretty funny one too. I saw him once, opening for fucking Andrew Bird of all people.

>>88407889
They just need to be good actors

>I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times. (bruce lee)
there are many VAs with a single good voice that carries them throughout their career, yuti lowenthal comes to mind
however you feel about them, the fact remains that if you can only do one voice, but it is a good voice, then that is enough

>>88409651
You should be more concerned about your acting skills (or lack thereof)

That's what most people in this thread are trying to teach you

>>88409997
Playing a role isn't difficult, but I just can't do anything interesting with my voice.

>>88410155

fa/tg/uy here who does a lot of voices for tabletop shiz,

I find the best practice is just to do accents. Pick characters you enjoy listening to and try your best to imitate them out loud. Practice lines first and then try improvising some. Once you start to pick out differences in the voices you use it becomes easier to distill them into more nuances alterations, like just changing your pitch or tempo ala Kevin Conroy, or speaking from a different part of your throat like Rorschach.

You'll find some accents easier than others. The Boston accent is one of the hardest one to do if you're not native IMO but some people just slip it on

>>88407889
Well, acting ability should always be considered.

Don't need a bunch of voices for that.

I'd like to be a voice actor one day.

File: MSDYV.gif (623KB, 480x530px) Image search: [Google]

623KB, 480x530px

You don't have to, because they never are.

Compare to Japanese VA, they are practically superstars

How do you break ground as a voice actor? I've always wanted and thought I could be one (will provide examples) (yes I am female).

>>88410878
I also have a decent range, but I can't do deep voices without mods.

These captchas make me hungry.

>>88410878
I imagine it's the same as regular acting. Audition for roles and build a portfolio.

>>88410934
read yuri lowenthals book, he wrote it specifically to help people wanting to break into the biz

>>88410934
I went to fucking cartooning college.

How the fuck do you build a portfolio as a fucking nameless actor??

>>88410946
>yuri lowenthals book
literally what book

>>88408022
>Wonderful! I got paid.
Kek. Based Paulsen.
Btw, is Talkin' Toons dead? Last time I checked, he hadn't uploaded a new episode in forever. This had to be at least six months ago, though.

>>88410971
Voice-over Voice Actor: What It's Like Behind the Mic
-yuri lowenthal and tara platt

>>88410991
Ok.... so...........?

>>88411034
but nothing, its just helpful advice if you want it, not necessary i guess

>>88410991
>acting as a character behind a microphone
>director tells you how to act
>oh my god it's soooooooooo harrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd
>buy my boook!!!!!!!!!!!

File: baggy4888b67b23f2d.jpg (26KB, 610x457px) Image search: [Google]

26KB, 610x457px

>>88411050
>implying it's that easy to say whatever crazy bullshit is printed on your script
>implying some dickhead firectors aren't picky
>implying it's easy to avoid being nervous knowing how many people are going to listen to and critique your acting
>implying you don't gave to be at your best when talent scouts are always listening

>>88407889
While Kristen's voice is always the same, her characters are always different. She's an excellent actor with an entertaining voice.

It's not easy being god emperor Steven J Blum.

File: the_voice_of___charlie_adler_by_legion472-d839a07.jpg (2MB, 1472x1080px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 1472x1080px

>>88407984
>>Charlie Adler
>Implying he doesn't have range.

Excuse me?

>>88410663
wut

>>88407889
It kind of takes me out of the action when a character speaks and all I can think is "Hey, it's Bender" or "Jeez Blum give someone else a chance"

>>88410663
Japanese idol market is getting really big, its only a matter of time VAs will be on the same league as America.

>>88408022
"I got to be Jim Carrey for a whole lot less money."
-Rob Paulsen on "The Mask" cartoon.

>>88408022
>"You were in this thing I don't like, how can you live with yourself?"

Absolutely can't stand people like this. They probably don't spend a second thinking about their own shitty jobs and I doubt they all work for something selfless and noble.

>>88411647
Not that guy and not gonna say he doesn't have a few different voices but Ed Bighead, Red Guy, and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head all sound exactly the same.

>>88407889
Yes, because then they'll fall into type casting and people will get sick of hearing them.

That being said, acting, and being able to emote also help tremendously.

>>88407889
Don't quote me but I think maybe "acting skills" would be required for the job.
I know, crazy notion!

>>88407889
You dont NEED range to be good voice actor, you just need range if you're gonna do a lot of work.

Being a good voice actor has a lot more going on than just range.

>>88412373
This.

Not having range isn't inherently bad. But it becomes a problem when you're in a million things and especially with Blum often voicing multiple characters in the same show.

File: kevin-michael-richardson-scandal.jpg (3MB, 1920x1440px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 1920x1440px

>>88414423
Yeah, that happens with VAs.

Kevin Michael Richardson has a great range, but ends up getting hired to do the same one over and over anyways.

Fuck, even Frank Welker has been hired to reuse voices.

>>88409689
>He actually voiced Jason in Home Movies and Walter too

Shit, I had no idea. I always thought he was just the coach.

>>88411647

>Charlie Adler

Has he moved complete from acting to directing? I've seen him as the director in credits recently but I haven't heard his voice in a cartoon in yeeeaaaarrrrsss.

>>88414671
According to IMDB he's had seven roles this year.

He's also listed to be in the new Rocko's Modern Life special.

>>88409689
>If Schaal read the same line, once as Mabel, once as Louise you know they'd both sound completely different.
I disagree

Grey DeLisle's voice gets me hard specifically azula

>>88411647
T-bone is my husbando

>>88410878
well, and those examples...?

File: 1000509261001_2152013867001_Don-Knotts-Early-Life-HD-768x432-16x9.jpg (42KB, 768x432px) Image search: [Google]

42KB, 768x432px

>>88407889
You need to be entertaining. Range is good but if you're entertaining enough you only need to do one thing really really good.

File: 1477667887974.jpg (88KB, 720x900px) Image search: [Google]

88KB, 720x900px

>>88410878
>>88410934
>>88410932
1. Move to Los Angeles
2. Take Acting/Improv classes (if you are 100% confident in your performing abilities and experience, you can skip this step, but you'd be taking a huge risk)
3. Pay for someone to produce your demo reel (costs thousands of dollars in order to get one of these made, but you NEED it in order to get an agent, like how you NEED an agent in order to get work). It only takes one episode of a cartoon or one national commercial to pay off your demo costs.
4. Send your demo to agents until they are willing to pick you up and help you find work.

I highly recommend watching the documentary "I Know That Voice" or listening to interviews with voice actors on how they got their start.

File: charlie cox laugh.gif (2MB, 500x250px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 500x250px

>>88408022

>>88407889
Range is great, but I think having a certain tonal quality to your performance on top of being a good actor can also be important, there are plenty of great VA's that don't do a wide variety of voices, in the same way there are VA's that have a huge range but can't really bring the gravitas required for serious scenes or have bad comedic timing.

File: BradSwaile.jpg (3KB, 168x192px) Image search: [Google]

3KB, 168x192px

>>88407889

acting range yes.

Someone like Brad Swaile might not have the most voices they can do, but the emotional range he's able to bring out in roles like Light Yagami, Rock Okajima, Setsuna F. Seiei, Amuro Ray, Gohan...etc...etc. is nothing short of amazing.

>>88418304

Overlay actors aren't pretty much the bottom tier of the VA industry. They fight over the scraps the prelay actors wouldn't debase themselves to even consider.

>>88418188
>I highly recommend watching the documentary "I Know That Voice" or listening to interviews with voice actors on how they got their start.

Keep in mind that most of them got their start in the pre internet days, before voice acting became "vogue".

Most voice acting then was borderline anonymous and you usually fell into voice acting when you failed at another aspect of the entertainment industry (Rob Paulsen was a failed screen actor from teen comedies, Frank Welker and Maurice LaMarche were failed standup comics, etc.).

The internet has given celebrity and notoriety to the VA industry so now more people than ever before want to be VAs. You have a thousand times more competition than they ever did when they were getting started.

You pretty much don't stand a chance unless you "know a guy".

>>88418554
>You pretty much don't stand a chance unless you "know a guy".
An excellent point, Bob Bergen once mentioned that "Brilliant demos are a dime a dozen," and that the best way to get an agent in the industry were through referrals/recommendations.

>>88418554
>>88418583

Dan Gilvezan said that getting into voice acting was "the hardest secret handshake he ever learned". And Dan started in the early 80s when getting a VA job was supposedly easier and with less competition (he was a commercial spokesman before he became a VA).

So yeah. As the old adage goes, "It's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know".

>>88418188

5: Don't be a little bitch when met with challenge or adversity.

Seriously, a lot of "would be" voice actors you see online get really, REALLY pissy when you mention that getting into the industry might be a challenge.

Check the comments in this article:

>http://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/2011/12/22/6-reasons-why-it-would-suck-to-be-a-voice-actor/

Nothing but wannabe VAs whining that the article is "disheartening" and makes them want to quit trying.

>>88418606
>>88418554
Well, another thing to keep in mind is that back then, there weren't NEARLY as many TV cartoons/VO work as their is now. We've got a multitude of networks dedicated to 24 hours of animation, which was probably unheard of in the 80s and early 90s.

>>88418639
Damn I'd imagine those types of comments must be really encouraging to someone prepared to be a voice actor but is worried about the competition

>>88412373
>going through Hitman Absolution
>getting threatened by Blum
>strangle a Blum
>get into a firefight with three different Blums simultaneously yelling combat high private security jargon

>>88418686

Well, a lot of the people who "want to get into voice acting" are probably also socially stunted and would never audition or put themselves out there ANYWAY and are just looking for an excuse not to do it.

>"Too much competition so I won't even try".
>"I don't have any friends on the inside so I won't bother."
>"Some guy on the internet wrote a disheartening article so I lost the will to go on."

They were never going to be voice actors, anyway.