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Acting: To Create Core Characters, By Penny Abshire
VoiceActing.com
We don't have the luxury of several weeks or months to develop our characters, as does a stage or screen actor. We have to be able to produce fully developed characters with unique voices and attitudes on-the-spot! So when I work with actors on character development, I often refer to "the characters I keep in my pocket." These are my core characters - the ones I go to first when I receive any audition. In a way, I'm holding my own "auditions" before I decide which lady to use. I have 10 or so of these alter egos and each of them gets her turn at delivering the script. If one of them resonates with me, then she goes to the next level where I'll make minor changes in pitch, attitude and mouth work to make her unique for that script. In this article, I'll introduce you to some of my friends and show you how I use them in my commercial voice work. Click here or on the character links to hear audio examples (all links play the same audio). LOUD MARJORIE FINKLEOne of my favorite characters is Marjorie Finkle.
Marjorie is a very loud, obnoxious Jewish mother with flaming red hair, who has lived most of her life in New Jersey, but is now retired and living in a lovely condo in Boca Raton, Florida (such a deal they got!) with her husband, Herb (a.k.a. Jim Alburger, my VoiceActing.com business partner).
Yes, she's overbearing, but she's got a great heart and always means well when she gives advice... which is often... and to everyone! She talks with her hands and is flamboyant in the way she dresses and with the expensive jewelry she wears. Marjorie (in her true form) doesn't get much commercial voice-over work - mostly because of her ethnicity. However, if I keep Marjorie's energy, take out the accent, take off the jewelry, dress her in sweats, make her a California blonde and put her hair in a ponytail - I've got the character of Debbie Delaney, who is my soccer mom.
DEBBIE WORKS A LOTDebbie gets LOTS of work. She's very enthusiastic about anything to do with her kids and their sports - even their peanut butter. Her life revolves around her kids and sports (both theirs and hers). I bring Debbie to life by removing Marjorie's accent and giving her a new attitude - my voice placement stays about the same. I can use Debbie for a mom-next-door, concerned young mom, gal-on-the-street, news reporter, kindergarten teacher, and many others just by adding layers to her natural enthusiasm. THELMA HAS OPINIONSBack to Marjorie Finkle: To create a character who has a similar accent, but not the energy of Marjorie, I pitch my voice down into my throat, where there's lots of "gravel," to get my character, Thelma Jones.
Thelma is in her late 60's and has been a heavy smoker for years. She is adamant that her smoking has never affected her voice at all - although it obviously has. She has very low energy and a rather caustic attitude about life, men, and the world in general. Thelma gets a lot of work doing political commercials - need I say more? WHAT A SNOB!If I need a character who is somewhat of a snob, and she's say, from New Hampshire, the New York accent can't be used. But Marjorie can still lead me to the voice. I use Marjorie’s energy but attach a snobbish attitude, which brings it down a bit. I take out the Jewish accent and use mouth work to create a kind of "locked jaw, thin-lipped" delivery. And voila! I have my character Buffy Desmond- of the Hainesport Desmonds.
Buffy lives to go the club and enjoys tennis very much (oh, and she's sleeping with the tennis pro). She's unhappy in her marriage but has to keep up appearances for the sake of the family (and her bank account). VERSATILE EMILYAnother of my ladies is Emily Fernwood - the librarian. Her personality includes a high-pitched voice and nervous giggle that has the sound of little bells.
She wears very thick eyeglasses that come to a point at the corners, accented by sparkles. The glasses also give her the appearance of having highly magnified eyes. A chain attached to her glasses lays on her shoulders. Emily wears a pink sweater with pearl buttons with which she fiddles constantly when she speaks. And she always wears "sensible" shoes, and is quite introverted until the topic turns to books. Emily has done quite a bit of commercial work. One of the reasons she works a lot is that her voice is so easy to manipulate. With just a little bit of pitch change (and an older attitude) I can use Emily for an elderly character - a sweet little old lady - or even a grouchy one. Or with a few more changes I can use Emily's voice for my Christmas Elf , a nervous chipmunk or a young child (boy or girl).
SHE’S LILLY, Y’ALLLilly Lambeau is my very genteel southern lady. She speaks in a soft and deliberate manner, sits with very good posture - her knees and feet together and her hands folded on her lap – and is impeccably groomed.
Lilly lives in Georgia and comes from "old" money. She has very little tolerance for the poor, but tries to be kind. She knows she's attractive, and that she has a great deal of power over men. She's not above using it, if that will get what she desires. I have been able to find work for my southern belle on occasion, but not often because she's a little too quiet for most commercials. However, if I need a very quiet, gentle tone for, say, a hospital spot, Lilly's personality works quite well - sometimes with the southern accent - and sometimes without it. My energy remains the same. I also use Lilly as a starter voice for many other southern accents. MAKE ‘EM REALThe more real you can make your core characters, and the more you "know" them, the better. It may seem odd to you that I know exactly what Marjorie looks like, or that Buffy is sleeping with the tennis pro, or that Emily always wears pink - but making my ladies real to me allows them to come to life in an instant - when I need them the most. Because of this group of ladies, I don't have to "re-invent the wheel" (with a brand new character) every time I get a new script - I just use the characters in my pocket and they do the work for me. My friends come in very handy! As voice actor Wally Wingert says, "I used to have voices in my head - but then I got em' all jobs!"
Embrace the voices that live in your head! You'll find they will become your most treasured friends. Penny Abshire is senior producer, creative director and voice talent at VoiceActing.com in San Diego, CA. She is also co-instructor with James Alburger for The Art of Voice Acting Workshops. Visit her personal website and hear her demos! Email: info@voiceacting.com
Web: www.voiceacting.com
Demos: www.pennyabshire.com
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Creating a "stable" of characters is an invaluable tool for any actor - especially voice actors who have to produce characters very quickly - sometimes within minutes.
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