EXPLORING THE INSTRUMENT

Director: John Baron
Length: 18-hour six-week workshop
Skills Focus: Relaxation; Confidence-Building; Spontaneity;
Vocal Conditioning

In this workshop you’ll learn how to rid yourself of “blocks” – vocal patterns that interfere with your ability to speak naturally and with ease. You’ll explore how your own breath, articulation, clarity of sound, mind/body connection, range, tone, placement, vocal tension and performance anxiety can each affect the way you communicate. But it’s not all hard work and vocal diagnostics... John keeps the proceedings entertaining, fast-paced and light-hearted.

Participants will be expected to complete two hours of outside work/exercises each week. Comfortable clothing is advised for group exercises.

INSIDE THE VOICE ACTORS’ STUDIO
NEW GUESTS!

SESSION 1
Director: Kevin Reher, Sirenetta Leoni (moderator)
Length: 3-hour evening lecture
Skills Focus: Acting; Believability; Character Development;
Choice-Making; Confidence-Building; Mic Technique; Script Analysis; Self-Direction; Setting the Scene; Spontaneity; Taking Direction

SESSION 2
Director: Chopper Bernet, Sirenetta Leoni (moderator)
Length: 3-hour evening lecture
Skills Focus: Acting; Announcing; Believability; Critical Listening;
Confidence-Building; Mic Technique; Script Analysis; Taking Direction

Voicetrax is proud to continue our ongoing lecture series with the very top talent in the voiceover business. And when we say very top voice talent, we are so not kidding. (Eat your heart out James Lipton!) These luminaries agree to come to Voicetrax because they’re excited to be able to share their stories, experiences and insights regarding the craft of voice acting with such an appreciative, enlightened audience.

So, to get Voicetrax’s twentieth year off to a rocking start Samantha was determined to come up with an extra-special guest to kick it off, and boy, did she ever! Not only are we honored... we are thrilled... elated... over-the-moon... to welcome Kevin Reher, Pixar’s top voice casting executive, to Voicetrax for the first time to share his unique perspective. Using actual examples and anecdotes from numerous projects he’s cast, including “Finding Nemo” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille” and “Wall-E,” Kevin will explain how Pixar’s casting process works – from the early conceptual stages to final casting decisions. Kevin will also discuss what he looks for when casting non- celebrity talent and where he goes to cast those roles.

And what to do for an encore? We’re bringing in one of the most successful and renowned voice actors in the country, Chopper Bernet, who, like you, started his career at Voicetrax. While you may not immediately recognize the name, you’ve no doubt heard him on promos for MSNBC, NBC, Fox Sports Network, ESPN, and the Discovery Channel; or in ad campaigns for Verizon, Coors, McDonalds, and Starbucks to name just a few. Chopper returns to Sausalito to tell his real Hollywood Horatio Alger story... How – armed with only his Voicetrax training and a strong recommendation from Sam – he moved to LA and went on to become what he is today: one of the most in-demand promo announcers in the business.

For Intermediate/Advanced-level and above students only. In conjunction with our speaker series, we’ll be offering special “lecture-inspired“ labs the very next day. For more information on the lecture/lab combination option, please see the “All-Day Intensive Promo Lab” and “All-Day Intensive Character Lab” descriptions in the following Intermediate/Advanced section.