To my faithful followers in all things voice acting and voiceover (all 19 of you),
pondio! has moved to www.pondsf.com/blog. I sure hope you'll make note. and come visit.
The management (Sam)
pondio!
My opinions on writing, teaching and directing comedic voice acting and voiceover.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
freshly produced!
Freshly cast and produced this spot for the gang at Butler, Shine, Stern
& Partners. Pretty darn funny. Featuring the one and only Tom Kane
and the one and only Debra Mooney.
For writers and producers: Below you'll see the end of the original script. And while
the idea was really funny, the end of the spot needed a boost. It needed to cross the line. We recorded the talent separately but covered
off the VO with some extra (and increasingly perturbed) "found"
ideas, then covered off the female talent with some wild lines. After that
we just goofed off with the editing until it made us laugh. Thanks to an
open-minded client and agency folks for their help and support.
Goofing off can be very productive.
WOMAN: Oh
what the heck neighbor, look at me standing on ceremony when I should be
letting myself in.
VO:
Found: Locksmiths.
WOMAN:
Ready or not, here comes your neighbor.
VO:
Found: Moving companies. Relocation experts.
VO: The
YP Real Yellow Pages℠ directory, YP.com℠ site and YP℠ app…
Sunday, August 19, 2012
yelling is funny
I
think it’s funnier than hell when two people shout at each other because they’re
in different rooms or in noisy places. Or when they’re both wearing hearing
aids.
For
example, I was producing a script where two people were talking in a nightclub.
A very funny script based on miscommunication. They started as if they were
cozied up shoulder to shoulder at the bar. But it got really funny the louder
they got, as if the music was drowning out all reasonable conversation.
Finally, I just pumped horrible club music into their headphones and they had
to not only yell to be heard, but they had to enunciate every word. Which
created pauses because the other person had to take a moment to try and
understand. The combination of yelling and enunciating and trying to
communicate was, well, hilarious. And it made us all realize how exhausting
trying to communicate in a nightclub is. Because it’s not possible. I guess
that’s why people dance.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
a thrilling missive
Just got this very thrilling missive from a recent student. She describes exactly what we try to accomplish in our classes - curiousity, non-judgement and openness. Actors, people for that matter, don't know how funny they are until they start at a place of authenticity.
"As you may remember, I expressed a bit of
anxiety early on about being able to be "real." Getting to this place
of being myself--I mean, who's that? I still can't quite put my
finger on exactly what it was that got transformed in there, but, whatever it
was, I know it stemmed from the trust we had in you. Because you were
open, real and available. You explored and questioned with us--without
judgment. You were curious and delighted to learn something new.
How infectious is that?!
I had a notion, coming into this, about
comedy-- and it didn't include me. Even though I'd done funny parts in plays
years ago, in my mind there were the funny people and the rest of us. But the
gift you just gave me is the realization that when relaxed, listening and
available, funny things can happen--even for me.
But here's the thing--now, every time I go
into the booth to audition I imagine you out there. And I think of what it was
like to just tell a story. Not acting being real. Being real. Being me. And I
suppose that's it. That's what you gave us. I have a reference, now, to what's
real, to that elusive "me" behind the mic."
I hope you get a thousand jobs.
free upcoming intro class, a friendly reminder
San Francisco – Wednesday September 5th at 6:00.
If you’ve ever dreamed of a career in voiceover, now is the time to give it a try. This free introductory Professional Voiceover class is just the thing to get you going. You’ll meet teacher and voiceover guru, Sam Pond, and learn about the business, how to access your authentic voice, the right way to discover the character voices inside of you and how to befriend a microphone.
Bring every question you got. We’ll have a mic and some scripts at the ready so you can try taking direction then hear what you sound like. The whole thing is be fun, interactive and mind-opening.
Register now on our mailing list! 12 student limit. All introductory students will get a 10% discount to the following week’s “Comedy and Your Authentic Voice” course if you sign up that night!
All classes are held at our studio at 1160 Bryant Street near the corner of 10th, SOMA.
For more information, click here.
For more information, click here.
your audition starts with your slate
Think
about it. The only preconception the writer or producer has about you is your
name on an mp3. In theatre and film, they see and hear you before you audition.
They’ve built up a mini-assumption about you and your job is to either bust
that open or make them feel good about their preconceptions. But as a voice,
the only thing that exists before your audition is the audition that they just listened to. Or that corned beef sandwich that's coming up for another tasting.
So
I like it when actors start their audition with their slate. (I know some writers
and producers don't but this is my blog.) Get your clues from the spec or
script. It can be as simple as reading your name, agent and role in character.
It could be a funny (but quick) ad lib. Catch attention. Because there are some hard facts you have to contend with. See next posting.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
comedy and the blind obsession
The comic character has a blind obsession. He is trying to
win in spite of the fact he has not the skills, the personality, the moral
character in which to succeed. (In a movie, eventually, the comic hero does
learn something about himself but the funniest parts of the movie are always
the first third when we watch him haplessly negotiate life.)
Don’t forget archetypes and clichés are our comedic
friends. They are shorthand for people we think we know. But throw in
blind obsessions, terrible reasonings, absurd justifications, the soccer
mom/the businessman/the valley girl/the kindly old lady are ripe for a twist. I
wrote a monologue once about a manly man who walked into a crowded gay bar and
thought it was a sports bar. His flaw was that he naively could not see
the world for what it was. He wanted to experience masculine, athletic
camaraderie and was so blind he misinterpreted everything – come-ons, glory
holes, even the porn on a TV set he saw as men’s wrestling. He could not be
saved from the way he needed to see the world in that moment.
John Cleese as Basil Fawlty is a perfect example. He’s a man who
believes himself to be worldly and charming but in fact hates people. And he
owns a bed and breakfast! His cast of helpless observers all try to be as
helpful as possible – bossing him around, placating him, scrambling for him—but
none of them can save him from his blind obsession to be right in every
situation. And, of course, blame everyone else for the mishaps he himself causes.
He is own worst enemy. All brought to life in this scene. Notice how Polly can't stop him. The Germans can't stop him. He takes it to the end of the line. Blind obsession equal comedy.
If you haven’t watched and studied every episode of the British
“The Office” with Ricky Gervais, shame on you. His character, David Brent, believes
himself to be well-loved by his employees, a great musician, a comic genius, a
business philosopher and he’s none of these. He’s a man in search of other
people’s approval and love. He is the loneliest man in the world. In this scene, he's brought in an outside consultant for workshop on customer service. David can't help himself, he has to take over.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)