That work/life balance thing... and true detecting.

What are you outside your job?

That was the big question explored in one of my favourite podcasts, The 98% this week. And it gave me a lot to think about…

(For those that don’t know, the 98% referred to are the percentage of actors not in gainful employment at any one time)

For creatives especially, it’s easy to conflate your work with your self worth.

You’re only as good as your last job after all… which can lead to a pretty toxic work/life balance.

So the best way to address this?

Forming a clear idea of your identity OUTSIDE of what you do for a living.

This might seem like some happy clappy nonsense, but hosts Katie and Alexa share their challenges and coping strategies with real humility and a total lack of b*llshit.

It made me take five minutes to think of some things I’m good at besides talking into a mic. I’d certainly recommend doing it to anyone else.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

What do you do if a sentence is too long?

Well firstly - edit it. If it’s difficult to say, then it’s likely difficult to listen to.

But if we can’t do that?

Look away at the end of the sentence. In other words: stop READING and say the end of the line from short term memory instead. You’ll find yourself having that extra bit of lung capacity because you’re focusing on finishing the thought rather than the word.

Behind The Scenes project of the week:

Nervous at the suggestion of a remote directed session?

Whether you’re voice talent or the person directing the talent, it can be difficult to know what to expect or how to run a session effectively. So in the below video, I walk you through my real life process of running a session to give you some guidelines!

Top talent of the week:

Justin French is creative director of Dream Harvest Games, who I had the pleasure of working with last year. As well as being a wonderful game developer, the company also offer a range of services from casting, dialogue, facial capture plus audio/animation post production. Check them out here.

Media Recommendations:

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

1. Detecting the AI like a True Detective

   I’ve been very excited to catch the latest season of True Detective starring Jodie Foster. But I’m a little less excited to find out that the set designers opted to use obviously-floored AI art rather than making historically accurate posters This and the use of CGI animals provide a stark contrast to the gritty, stylised mise en scene of the first season.

2. Remaster vs Director’s Cut: The Last of Us 2

   The Last of Us 2 is arguably one of the most significant games in the last decade and has just had a ‘remaster’ released. But one of the main additions to this game - famed for its meditation on the destructive, cyclical nature of violence - is… a mode offering mindless violence. Giovanni Colantonio offers a really thoughtful critique on this.

3. The CHALLENGER brand

   Video producer and agency owner John Mouratis does a great job analysing how Burger King use their underdog status to take on MacDonald’s in a recent commercial. Read his LinkedIn post and then give the man a follow.

Favourite Writing of the week:

My second audiobook for Games Workshop set in the Warhammer 40k universe was released this week. Sons of the Emperor is available on Audible and all good audiobook platforms. So how else to celebrate than with this extract from one of its stories…

@chrisnaturallyrp

Kharn the Betrayer - MY FATHER’S NAME #kharnthebetrayer #kharnthebetrayer40k #angron #angron40k #angrontheredangel #worldeaters30k #worlde... See more

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