This way madness lies…

My three years at drama school were traumatic.

I spent two years auditioning to get into one of the top institutions in the world.

Finally selected as one of 30 in a field of 3,000.

I'd read countless actor biographies about the importance of training and was totally focused on dedicating the next three years into making myself a better actor.

But then the wheels came off:

😅 New teachers on the course weren't qualified.

😩 New building works for the course were delayed, leading to less than ideal facilities.

😱 The school took over another drama school, thus doubling the number of students.

It was a salutary lesson about putting ANYTHING on a pedestal.

There were still a lot of good things about the school in question, but there was no sense of safety. Which I'd argue is pretty integral to effective learning.

I'll be honest that the disparity between what I'd hoped 'my dream' would be and the reality got to me.

I got depressed.
I second guessed myself.
I became overly-competitive.

And by the end of my second year... I was NOT in a good place.

So I did something radical.

I asked the head of the course if I could take a year out, so I could get my head back together and rediscover my love for the craft.

And to their credit - they said yes.

I spent the next year back in the 'real world', and it was the single most important year of my acting career.

✅ I took time out to actually LIVE a life outside of my passion.
✅ I took time to work with an acting teacher who spoke to me.
✅ I took time out to make my OWN work.

And the result?

A greater sense of who I was as a person and artist.
A confidence that I was in this for the long haul.
And a critically celebrated one-man show*.

It's not all been smooth sailing since then.

But it's a necessary reminder that we're shaped as much (if not more) by adversity than success.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

What to try on a second take?

Most of my clients know what they want.

By the time a script reaches me - whether for an explainer video or video game character - it's passed through so many hands, the brief is clear.

If you're working with an excellent actor like me, I'll be able to provide you with what you need with time to spare.

So how do you make sure any additional takes offer up something 𝘐𝘕𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎 rather than just repeating what you have?

Here are three things you can 𝘚𝘐𝘔𝘗𝘓𝘠 adjust:

1️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀.

Give both the voice talent and the audience a͟ ͟s͟t͟a͟t͟u͟s͟ ͟f͟r͟o͟m͟ ͟1͟ ͟t͟o͟ ͟5͟.͟

For example, a CEO talking to staff  might be a 5 talking to a 2 - leading to a more formal and instructional tone.

Whereas peer to peer might be 3 to 3 - typically more conversational.

But that will be different from a 1 to 1 or 5 to 5, and that's when nuance comes in.

This approaches takes generalised direction like 'make it conversational' and places it in a clear context.

2️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲.

Establish what 'space' your first read was in and c͟h͟a͟n͟g͟e͟ ͟t͟h͟e͟ ͟s͟i͟z͟e͟ ͟o͟f͟ ͟i͟t͟.͟

For example, if it sounded emphatic and more presentational as if being delivered from a stage, turn the space into something quiet and intimate.

If the first read was 'comfortable', what happens if the actor imagines its much colder or hotter?

3️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱

Take the speed of the first take and t͟u͟r͟n͟ ͟i͟t͟ ͟u͟p͟ ͟o͟r͟ ͟d͟o͟w͟n͟ ͟b͟y͟ ͟2͟0͟%͟.

A good actor will be able to 'justify' this so it doesn't become a technical exercise:

They're that bit more urgent because of a tight deadline
𝘖𝘙
They're that bit slower because they're scared to say something out loud.


A second take isn't about reinventing the wheel.  But it should only take a relatively minor adjustment to get a very different result.

Whether you end up using it or not, it means you've interrogated the brief thoroughly with the talent you've hired rather than just made do.

Behind The Scenes of the week:

Over the past year, I’ve pivoted into recording audiobooks.

Rather than working purely through established publishers, I also get a ton of enquiries directly form authors.

Renia by Karl Forshaw was one of those - and as soon as I started reading it, the writing really blew me away. As a result, I’m aiming to use my platform not just to get the work, but also to help support it on release.

Check out the extract below, and if intrigued you can find Renia on Audible here as well as on Spotify and most other platforms!

@chrisnaturallyrp

My latest audiobook - RENIA by Karl Forshaw #fantasybook #fantasybooktok #fabtasybookrecs #audiobooktok #audiobooknarrator

Media Recommendations:

Every month, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This month…

1. AI voice lawsuits are happening

   It’s still early days, but news that a group of actors are accusing Eleven Labs of using their voices for training purposes without permission suggests there’s still some way to go in establishing such platforms legitimacy. A similar case with Lovo has also been made.

2. ANOTHER podcast about Voice Acting in Games!

   Writer, content creator and performer Alanah Pearce hosts this new podcast with some of the newer stars of the VO acting industry. A potentially great insight on how the space is operating in 2024.

3. #PROJECTTROY is now live

   Last month I mentioned the launch of #Project Troy - a modern reimagining of the Trojan War told through the form of monologues, performed by a variety of brilliant actors. 26 speeches were released over August and are now all publicly available for FREE on Youtube.

Favourite Writing of the week:

DEMURE

One of the quickest ways to grab attention?

Find a current trend and flip it in any way you can.

That’s what i did with the recent ‘Demure’ trend by putting it in the voice of a Warhammer Ork. And the result was 500k views on Instagram, 430k on Tiktok and 100k on X.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next time, Honey and I wish you a wonderful month!