Total Page : 204
Publisher : Diane Pub Co
Publication Date : 1995 02 01
>> Good information but partially obsolete
I liked this book and the author s easy going narrative Elaine Clark is clearly talented and well respected in the voice over field That being said the book clearly needs an update When I bought the Second Edition I thought I would be getting more up to date info This may be partially my fault as I guess I did not scrutinize the publishing date before I clicked the Buy button There is half a chapter on casette duplication and cassette artwork The section detailing salary expectations is also 8 10 years behind We don t want to work that cheap If there isn t a more recent update then certain infomation should be completely omitted from the book Reading the above mentioned sections and some others made me wonder what other antiquated advice I may take to heart and then make a mistake as a direct result If you can buy this book at a discount and keep the above caveats in mind there is much useful information for your tool belt
>> Tough Great Read Which Needs Revision
I enjoyed this book very much Its best features are that it breaks down the types of work and gives many chances to practice sample reads followed or preceded by an analysis of the motivation problem tone audience age behind the copy The only thing that hampers this book from being a a great work today is that it was published 9 years ago looks like it was initially written in 1995 and does not appear to ever be updated As an example the sections dealing with DAT demo box design have little application and some of the practice exercises refer to either products or character exchanges which seem a bit dated today Some information might wish to be compared with more recently authored work No one needs insight about Wang Computers in the age of the Mac One can only hope this work is quickly updated It used to be one of the bibles to many It should be that way again Perhaps the print size might be increased as well
>> An All In One Guide
OK as a disclaimer I must say I have studied with Elaine for 2 years at her studio in San Francisco and I have worked on voice jobs for her as well However I bought this book prior to discovering her voice over school and I was blown away by the depth of information included in it When I found out I could study directly from Elaine I jumped at the chance and I have not been disappointed
The number one thing that most new voice over students don t understand is that a good voice is not the most important thing in voice acting It is the acting In this book you learn how to apply Elaine s methods for bringing emotion and honesty into any kind of read Whether you are selling cleaning products on TV narrating a corporate report or providing the voice for a wacky robot toy you must be grounded in reality This book will show you tips and techniques to achieve the level of real that is desired by agents directors and clients
There is a huge diversity of voice jobs out there and Elaine covers them all Television promos commercials narration audio books radio plays toys animation etc all are given specific information and hands on techniques While I must say that nothing can equal the work a student does in one on one sessions where you get immediate feedback this book goes a long way to providing you with a springboard for study If you read and apply the lessons by practicing recording and critiquing you can get ahead of anyone who thinks they can go it alone on natural talent Voice over is a landscape of techniques and this book is the Atlas of that sometimes strange land
