Voice Acting

[SisterHipster]

I didn't particularly know where this topic would go, so might as well be here. Has anyone ever thought or dabbled in the idea of becoming a voice actor? What are your thoughts on it? Do you think it would compromise your Christian integrity or beliefs based on a lot of the anime or cartoons that you've seen?

[Anirac]

I thought about it, but I sound a lot worse than I think I do XD when I finally heard myself recorded... boy, was I embarrassed. Of course, I could've gone to training courses, but it wasn't a very strong dream anyway. If you really want to go deeper into it, by all means, do it!

And no, I don't think it would compromise your Christian integrity or beliefs. If you can watch anime without it affecting your integrity now, you can probably voice act without damage to your beliefs too.
Surely, with all sorts of acting, you should try to become the character in order to do a good job. In doing so, a part of the character might linger within you. I believe it would be a matter of you steeling yourself to make sure your integrity and beliefs remain unchanged. "The old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost"

Also, you don't HAVE to accept whatever role they offer you. If you don't want to voice act for a character or anime you don't agree with, you can decline. It will probably not help your career, but hey which one do you value the most: career or integrity?

[SisterHipster]

Thanks, Anirac. Wow, you did some VA? What you do? What character you got to play? This was more of a curiosity idea since Krispin Freeman has a VA class he teaches and people can apply and do it online. It was a thought about maybe voice strengthening and controlling pitch as well as a little bit more confidence building. But when you see how much you have to spend on equipment and you don't have the cash or the real heart for it: PHEW! I also was turned off by one of the guys who took the class saying he VAed a "blow job" scene or something. Doing it for a living...eh~...seems too fickle and unpredictable of whether you get the cash or gig. Now, if anyone ever been to a con...eh...some VAs seem to get raunchy with their entertainment or innuendos for the sake of a buck and making other fans happy.

[Anirac]

Thanks, Anirac. Wow, you did some VA? What you do? What character you got to play? This was more of a curiosity idea since Krispin Freeman has a VA class he teaches and people can apply and do it online. It was a thought about maybe voice strengthening and controlling pitch as well as a little bit more confidence building. But when you see how much you have to spend on equipment and you don't have the cash or the real heart for it: PHEW! Doing it for a living...eh~...seems too fickle and unpredictable of whether you get the cash or gig. Now, if anyone ever been to a con...eh...some VAs seem to get raunchy with their entertainment or innuendos for the sake of a buck and making other fans happy.

LOL no I just made a Youtube video. Too shy to even try acting, maybe that's why my performance was awful.

If what you want is more confidence when speaking, maybe some courses to help speaking in public would be an easier, cheaper choice VA, like most things in the entertainment industry, is unstable throughout and there's a lot of investment to be made before you can reap any benefits. Even well-known actors with years of experience grow short of jobs! I read the other day an interview with Paul Bettany in which he said he had come out of a meeting with some producers that told him his career was done for, that Hollywood was not a place for him anymore. Right after that, he got a call with an offer for a role in a pretty big movie...

I've been to a con back in Brazil, and the Brazilian voice actor for Goku, Ash, and Spongebob was there. I had gone just to meet with him, paid $15 for a shabby, small-town con... He did get raunchy with his jokes, and boy did that ruin my childhood! Goku swearing? Spongebob saying dirty, explicit stuff? 10-year old Ash saying stuff not even 19-year old me would dare to? I was mortified. And I wasn't even Christian back then. Didn't even try to get an autograph. But almost everyone liked it. He managed to captivate the crowd; that's his job as an entertainer, I guess...

[SisterHipster]

Oh wow. It was like your childhood was ruined at that moment. Maybe we have more expectations for those who act behind a mic to be better role models when in reality they are people who do art and what they sell is cheap when they perform.

Anyways, a piece of me was like "I need more self-confidence. Maybe I should act." I get where the public speaking thing is from. Our local art museum puts on poetry slams. First time I did it, I was so nervous I felt like I was going to pass out--shakes and I needed a prayer and hugs from one of my friends. LOL Back to VA: remembering lines kinda makes me nervous and VA work seems like a lot of fun, but by the way you describe your experience, it may make a person feel awkward.

[Anirac]

It was ruined. Since then I haven't watched a single episode of those series. I might try again in English though.

I think if you're aiming for more self-confidence, you can start lessons with no strings attached. You could approach acting as a hobby, unpretentiously. Fear of speaking in front of crowds can be debilitating. Imagine if the difference between getting a job and not depends on your ability to sound confident and get your point across, which it often does for some positions. Who knows? You might become an actress that has valuable art to sell

Here's a TED talk on confidence: http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your ... en#t-18487

Her hacks do work these could be a base to your interest in acting.