Image Description: Pictures of Roy Samuelson and Colleen Connor. Each image features a quote: "Become a human metronome. Learn what one second feels like." - Roy Samuelson.
"Be the eyeballs for the audience. Say what you see within the story." - Colleen Connor
This November, Roy Samuelson and Colleen Connor brought the world of Audio Description to life for the VO Peeps. Roy Samuelson, who did the audio description for HBO’s The Watchmen series, brought his years of experience and showed us the basics of this genre. Roy was joined by consultant Colleeen Connor, who is a blind voice talent and consultant for Audio Description. We learned from Roy and Colleen about the various recording conditions, the types of AD scripts we might receive, and how to provide a narration voice that doesn’t distract from the story. Colleen gave each participant tailored feedback on how their performance came across to a blind listener. Roy and Colleen also stressed the importance of making all of your media accessible to blind audiences.
Words of Wisdom
"Audio Description aims for a performance that is in between a chill conversation and a loud full character. It’s a hire wire act and trying to find the tension of what’s happening on screen and communicating that in a way that doesn’t distract from the story." -Roy
"Our job is to make sure that what we communicate matches the intent of what is happening on the screen." - Roy
"Add alt text to your social media images." - Roy
"If there’s something intense, ball your fists up. If it’s heartfelt, put your hand over your heart. There’s a lot of physicalities you can bring to your reads to add to the emotional depth of the scenes." - Roy
"Start listening to audio description, and also listen with your eyes closed to see how much you get from media." - Colleen
"In Audio Description, we’re so used to filling those gaps of silence that we forget that a movie is happening, and you don’t have to fill every silence. Sometimes silence is just as important as dialogue." - Colleen
"If you have the time, read something a few different ways and see what hits you to find different pauses and moments." - Colleen
"Take time to listen to AD in media, because it will help you as a performer and think about it from the casting side." - Colleen
Image Description: Pictures of VO Peeps with Roy Samuelson and Colleen Connor.
What Peeps are Saying ...
“This was one of the best and most inspiring webinars I have ever taken. The feedback from Roy Samuelson and Colleen was revealing and ear-opening. This is a new genre of interest for me, and I feel I know exactly what I need to do now in terms of future training if I want to add this critical genre to my offerings.” - Jane Beverley
"I have been a member of VO Peeps for a few years now. This is because of the many marvelous offerings Anne puts forth. for instance, Anne curates an exceptional line of webinars on timely subjects that spark imagination and increase interest in different aspects of Voice Acting. An excellent example is the inspiring Audio Description webinar with Roy Samuelson and Colleen Connor on November 18, 2021. My curiosity about this genre has bloomed into determination to become part of the ever growing world of audio description. Thank you Roy, Colleen and of course Anne. What a remarkable evening!" - Maria Makis
Video Replay:
As always, VIPeeps have access to workout archives in the member's section of the website. Purchasing a VIPeeps™ Club membership will give you instant video access to previous and future VO Peeps educational archives, as well as over 150+ hours of educational content that you can access at your convenience, 15% off all live Guest Director Workouts, a directed monthly workout with Anne and other great guest directors, exclusive on-site forums with VO Tips and Tricks, your own VIPeeps Member Page, and an exclusive members-only Facebook Group.
Upcoming Events
Makes sure to Check out our events page for more exciting guest directors and workout opportunities. Our next event is:
This December, find out the new direction of Promo work with Jeff Howell
Practically every year, a new network or channel pops up, and a few others disappear. Keeping up with the everchanging rebranding in this volatile area of the voiceover business takes a lot of skill and perseverance. In this session, you will be given the necessary information to take the next leap into promo, and then discover ways to find your own path towards booking in this exciting area of the voiceover business.
Sign up to read for Jeff and learn:
Information on the current trends
Steps to getting access to promo copy
Skills required for the new styles of promo
In this special two-part Master Class, Fred Melamed will teach the techniques that he, himself utilizes in his acting. Participant spots are sold out, but audit spots still remain.
Everyone auditioning for a role uses the same words, so what makes one person’s reading more compelling––superior to the others? It is what the performance delivers besides the words, or, more precisely, that illuminates the words: sub-text. Artists in the class will learn:
How to derive potent, useful sub-texts for any text
How to apply them with full commitment
How to develop a sense of their own inner-mechanics, so they can determine if a given choice is working, or if it requires adjustment