And now a few messages for those producers and directors of voice actors. We all want the best performances but sometimes we forget that voice actors are people. No, they’re more than people. They’re called talent because they have talent. And our job is to not get in the way.
1. Don’t bring the actors into the studio to meet the clients. Clients have higher “status” so the actors’ first reaction is to please them, to smile at them, to say something clever. People-pleasing is a very bad way to start. Great performance begins with having no emotional attachment to the outcome or what anybody thinks.
2. Have the paperwork ready and take care of it before you start. It’s demeaning for the actor to hang out, forced to make small talk with the clients. I mean, what do you talk about after you say, “Good job.”? Let them have their dignity and let them leave with a wave of their hands.
3. One person, one talkback button. For godsake, keep the all those people who are eating cheese and crackers and texting their boyfriends from talking to the actors. Nothing confuses actors more than getting direction from more than one person.
More annoying opinions to come.