Voiceworx Day 3: Getting closer to the new self

Shyness is but a usual enemy of Voiceworx participants most especially during the first session and this, in fact, is also one of the most important concerns that the workshop is addressing. At the end of the workshop, each participant is expected to develop his or her self confidence on and off stage.

This is made possible through a lot of appropriate activities which make sure that at the end of the day, each workshopper would no longer mind proceeding in front of the class to perform or present something. This also ensures that they will have ample amount of confidence even when it comes to their daily interactions with people around.

Packed with activities like these, the third day of the workshop lasy July 16 never failed to make every participant absorb this point even more. Facilitated by the Voicemaster and CreatiVoices Productions CEO Mr. Pocholo Gonzales, the third day was made sure to have included a couple of exercises that would allow each one to go in front and perform.

Apparently, there were already positive results. In fact, even the shyest of the shyests among the participants during the first meeting was already able to perform. Also, workshoppers also learn to volunteer themselves, very far from their habit of pinpointing who the first to present would be. In addition, since day was devoted to character voicing, they also learned how to be less concious whenever the artform requires some kind of performances that are really out of the box.

Three down, five more to go. Surely, there are more things to look forward to. And yes, the next five days would be steps closer to their new selves.

'The Voice is in the Ears of the Beholder.'

 

"If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the voice is in the ears of the beholder as well," said the Voicemaster Pocholo Gonzales during the third day of Voiceworx! Basic Voice Acting and Dubbing Workshop, July 16.

This is in relation to his point that voice acting is not just about possessing a good-sounding voice. In fact, he even emphasized that even "goodness" in terms of the sound is something that is really crucial since it is very subjective and like beauty, what is pleasant for one may not work for another.

Also, he pointed out that besides the quality of the voice in terms of its goodness, something that is more important is a voice artist's ability to deliver the message he or she needs to deliver and the effectiveness of this particular manner of delivery. This means that how one uses his or her voice is something that really matters.

The Art of Voice Acting

Like any other art form, voice acting is something that should be taken seriously. And that means devoting ample amount of time, energy, and effort in order to improve and attain a particular level before being able to really get involved in the field. So, along with this fact goes the availability of different means of learning and mastering the art. One of these is through books.

When it comes to voice acting, James Alburger's The Art of Voice Acting is almost a bible. From the title itself, this book is about everything an aspiring voice artist should know before he dives into the sea of voice acting. It essentials from facts about the voice over industry up to the most specific tips and teachnical bits of information for aspiring voice artists.

Truly, this book is a must-read for erveryone who wants to learn more about the art form. However, reading alone should not be enough. To fully learn things about it, it is still better to also seek help from the experts in form of wrokshops. This way, a voice acting enthusiast does not only learn the theoretical aspects of it but also and most of all, its actuality which is the real thing.



Voiceworx Day Two: More learning, fresh from the experts

The second day of Voiceworx opened with so much learning. Mr. Pocholo Gonzales, the Voicemaster opened the session of the Morning Class by imparting some words of wisdom which both can inspire and equip the participants in the journey they are currently in. Spontaneously, the Voicemaster was able to make them realize some things which are, in fact, not just important in terms of voice acting but also in real life.

The Workshop proper, on the other hand, was facilitated by Mr. Brian Ligsay who discussed more things about voice over. There were also giving of some pieces of advice and tips that are needed in the field.

CreatiVoices Congratulates Eloisa Cruz Canlas

CreatiVoices Productions congratulates Eloisa Cruz Canlas also known as Lola Sela Bungangera for being the 2011 UP Gawad Plaridel Awardee. She used to be one of the facilitators for CreatiVoices Productions’ Voiceworx!

Click here for the complete story.

The Voice Over of Narnia’s Trailer Joins CreatiVoices

Duke Morgan the voice behind Narnia Trailers joined CreatiVoices Productions VO pool.

Duke Morgan - CreatiVoices American Movie Trailers by creativoices

Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Voice Over Actor Starting a Voice Over Studio Working as a Voice Over Actor at Home

Voice Over Actor

Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Voice Over Actor
Starting a Voice Over Studio
Working as a Voice Over Actor at Home

One of the biggest misconceptions about voice over acting is what we like to call the myth of the Golden Voice. Do you have to sound hugely resonant and deep like James Earl Jones, or authoritative like Don LaFontaine to make money in voice over acting? As a matter of fact, you do not.

There are many facets of the voice over acting career where, for example, a person with a distinctive voice can create a career, or where someone who finds it a snap to sound as if they are in a casual conversation when reading a script can carve a recurring market for their voice.

A “golden voice” is absolutely not essential when pursuing your future in voice over acting. Another common fallacy associated with a career in voice over acting is that a lack of a background in professional acting can harm your chances for a future. Not true! While some acting ability is a helpful and marketable talent to have, it is absolutely not a deal breaker.

Acting experience is something you can pursue over time to enhance your current ability to read a script, be expressive with your voice, and make your success as a voice over actor soar.

What if you have never worked in radio or television – does that prevent your future in voice over acting from happening? Absolutely not! Every voice over actor has to start somewhere.

Those voice over actors with names you recognize started out with no experience, the same as you are. Experience is something you have to go out and create for yourself; it is not an insurmountable obstacle. It is a simple hurdle that every aspiring voice over actor must jump at some point to get their career off the ground.

Do you live in a small town or a rural area? Are you afraid that voice over acting will require you to relocate to a larger city, or to a major entertainment hub city such as Los Angles or New York? That is patently untrue because voice over acting is a career you can build right from your own home, wherever that may be.

A rural or small town location can be easily overcome with the advent of modern technology, allowing you to set up a home studio, record your voice and market your self, all without having to leave the comfort of your own backyard.

So, what's voice over work (or acting)?

Any time you hear a person’s voice without seeing the actor, you are witnessing voice over work. Not all voice over work is considered voice over acting, however although your market as a professional (especially when you are first establishing your name as a viable voice over actor) will certainly include some basic voice over work.

To be what is typically considered a voice over actor you need to be able to create a character for your project or product that you can sustain with your voice alone for the entire time you have your listeners’ attention. As a voice over actor, you can choose to use your own home studio, rent one or work at your client's premises, such as:

Production houses (videos, commercials and films)
Corporations (training videos or audios)
Book publishers (audiobooks and info products)
Radio stations (announcers, commercials and radio shows)
Educational institutions (teaching new talents)
Software companies (video game effects)

As a voice actor, you don't need to educated at an Ivy League school, not even at a community college, which is the beauty of this career. You can also work from home by using portable equipments and can easily set up a home studio. All you need is some vocal coaching and, perhaps, attending some vocal acting workshops. Reliable equipments would help as well.

The key is choosing the right "specialization" for your particular voice and acting talent (if you choose the "acting" path).

Today, breaking into as a voice over actor is easier than before. With sufficient preparation on what you're going to encounter, you should be able to break into and succeed in this growing field with confidence.

StyleCareer.com Breaking Into and Succeeding as a Voice Over Actor contains most, if not all, the information needed to secure your first gig. It also prepares you to begin your own home studio, which allows you to take orders from all over the world.

As a voice over actor, your typical gigs include:

Commercials
Announcements
Audiobook readings
Video trainings
Audio trainings
Web-cast announcements
Web-cast trainings
Cartoon characters
Movie characters
Translated movie characters
Special effects
Video game characters

This eGuide provides insightful information, advices and tips for anyone who is contemplating to become a voice over actor. Numerous hard-to-find resources are included to help you locate pertinent information.


Do You Know?

U.S. Department of Labor Statistics:

The median earnings for Announcers in the year 2002 were between $7.13 and $15.10 per hour. Those announcers with more experience and education earned as much as $24.92 in 2002 in some markets.

The Actors, Producers and Directors category had broader, less specific numbers. They implied that a voice over actor or producer who was working at union scale could earn in the range of $683 per day

Based on our forecast, in 2006, an entry-level voice over “announcer” can expect to earn anywhere from $15 to $20 per hour. In the second category, a voice actor who is a member of a union can expect to earn $600+ to $750+ per day.

VOICEWORX: BASIC VOICE ACTING AND DUBBING WORKSHOP

SABADOKYU: Gintong Tinig Video

Aired at ABS CBN Channel 2 last July 2, 2011.
Featuring: The Best Filipino Voice Over Artists.

Gintong Tinig: Golden Voices from creativoices on Vimeo.

Giving the voices ‘faces’

Walking along a particular street in Makati, wearing shades which compliment their total packaging, Pocholo “The Voicemaster” Gonzales and voice artists Brian Ligsay, Lily Nichols, and Liesl Bumatoc remain unrecognized by the bystanders who are there until they start throwing their ever-famous lines in different voice over projects they have already done. And that is the only time when people, exposed to different media and advertisements of different sorts, realize to whom they are talking to.

This may seem weird—being known as a voice and not as a person with a face. Yet, in a voice artist’s point of view, it is something that is not to be worried about. Besides, whenever moments of revelation like this come, there is always surprise. The crowd, after recognizing the voices and finally realizing that who they are talking to is the real person behind each voice, is always mesmerized. It is one of the things explored in the July 2 episode of ABS-CBN’s SabaDocu. The documentary exposed the real people behind these voices. On the other hand, the fact that people only recognized them after they spoke and delivered some of their well-known lines already implies a general truth with regards the nature of their professions.

So, to give them faces, today’s episode of ABS-CBN’s SABADocu focused on fleshing them out and informing the general public of who they are as persons as they talked about their personal stories which are involved about their personal lives and circumstances, professional life, and even the stories behind some stories which inspired them to go on and fight for what they do now. Through these, they are given faces.

This was done to the persons who were behind voice overs applications in different media and forms of communication from radio, television, mobile phones, computer games, and even voice over applications in different places like the MRT.

This episode might have been a road to their exposure—visually—and helped them to be known to the consumers and their fans that, after all these years, might not have any idea who they are. At the end of the day, however, there is still this tendency that people who were able to watch this lose in their memories the faces of these artists and go back to the state of being remembered as voices.

Yet, this is never a bad thing. As these voice over artists put it, one of the many things to love about being a voice artist is anonymity. Unlike celebrities, they are not mobbed and stalked. Even better, they would never go out of the limelight because they never get really famous, in the first place.

The Voicemaster gives a talk to out of school youths of Lipa

Pocholo “The Voicemaster” Gonzales gave a talk to some out of school youth in Lipa City, Batangas during the emPower Youth Seminar last June 30.
Being a youth advocate himself, inspiring people most especially the young ones is also one of his passions, making him a very effective motivational speaker. Yet, being cool at the same time, he gives twists to his talks.

In fact, he opened his talk with an activity which, at first, seemed to be just a joke yet was very relevant. He asked everyone to find a partner to who he or she would say good and inspiring things in and about life.

The Voicemaster shared a lot of things and covered a wide range of topics that were really inspiring for the audience. He shared his insights on things like being young. He told his listeners that being young is a blessing that would soon be taken back from people. Apart from this, he also discussed about poverty.

According to him, poverty is not something that is always to be blamed to the government. Instead, why people die poor is they simply did not work for their future.

The Voice master also talked about Rizal and how the hero’s desire to be someone different inspired him to be extraordinary. According to him, it is through this desire that one can start having a specific goal to strive for something better. In fact, he even likened this to some of his personal circumstance which just shows that even in the modern days, someone can be great as long has he has a goal or a dream and he chooses to realize this in his own great ways.

Apart from this, he also talked about poverty and reminded the audience that when it comes to poverty, more than the government or any other party, the one to be blamed is simply one’s self. According to him, when a person dies poor, it means that he did not seize every opportunity that came on his way.

And this is where the idea that youthfulness is a gift which enables people to function well and seize each moment. However, this gift is something that would be taken away soon: people grow up. So, the bottom line is, since it is impermanent, yes. But if it will be used and spent wisely, this stage can be used as a milestone for more great things in the future.
Like his every talk, this one is another great opportunity for the Voicemaster to share his insights and knowledge in different things that really inspire people. Plus, apart from inspiring them, the Voicemaster was also able to entertain them through his talent. In the end, another group of young people were inspired by his talk.

Voiceworx 17 starts today

Another group of individuals coming from different fields responded to the question:
“Do you want to be a voice actor?”

So, here they are now in CreatiVoices Productions’ Voiceworx! Basic Voice Acting and Dubbing Workshop.

Beyond Voices

Voice acting stuns as we all know. Voice artists, whenever heard, simply amaze other people. However, voice acting is not just possessing pleasant voices. Instead, it is something that is beyond good-sounding voices. Which is why, not because one continuously receives compliments for having a good-sounding voice does it automatically mean that he or she is already prepared to enter the world of voice acting.
The truth is, there are a lot more things to be considered before really delving to the field. Voice acting involves, in fact, things like acting, translations, and a lot more. So, it is better to seek proper training first and when we say training, consult only the experts.

In CreatiVoices Productions’ Voiceworx, you learn voice acting’s basics only from the Philippine’s finest voice artists. Made rich with many years of experience in their field, they can share the best learning every aspiring voice artist deserves.

Bob: Now in Ayala Cinemas Nationwide

Bob Quilapio, a product of Voiceworx Batch 15 is now the voice behind Ayala Cinemas’ safety guidelines.

He was a DJ at a local radio station in Lucena and went abroad to work there for years. It was during his stay there that he heard about CreatiVoices Productions and set his mind that when he goes back to the Philippines, he would look for it and start pursuing his dream. Eventually, he did it. He enrolled in Voiceworx until he started doing voice overs for different events and companies. In fact, apart from the Ayala Cinemas project, he was also the voice behind Aquabest’s “Shift Happens” Teaser Video.

Extraodinary Lives behind the Voices

When you hear the voices, you immediately recall them. You may even memorize the exact lines delivered and the product it is trying to sell or the programs they are from. At one point of your life, surely, you have even tried mimicking them. Yet, have you ever wondered what the people they are coming from are like?

Don’t get them wrong. Like us, they are also real people. They are voice actors and they are real people behind the voices we have always known and loved. They are the ones responsible for giving life to different things we consume like animes, radio and television commercials, message on-holds, and a lot more?

Unlike the common misconception, what they are doing is not just about having a nice voice (let us say, big voices for men) and being able to imitate voices of different famous personalities nor is it about possessing a program which enables you to switch from one voice to another when it is needed. In fact, what they are doing is an art and like any other art form, even though talent is something that is an advantage, it is still something that has to be studied in order to master.

This is made possible by workshops like CreatiVoices Productions’ Voiceworx! Basic Voice Acting and Dubbing Workshop, a workshop that trains aspiring voice artists for them to learn the basics in their desired field. Packed with the country’s finest and most reputable voice artists as the instructors, Voiceworx is a great way to start anyone’s journey in the world of voice acting, a key to the dreams of many individuals who want to pursue their passion in the said art form.

One good example is Carla Mejia, a graduate of Voiceworx 3. Wanting of doing voice overs since before, she found this workshop really helpful since she has also known to herself that voice acting is never an instant so she really wanted to learn things about it before being involved in the art. Then, she enrolled and finished said workshop from which she learned a lot most especially about translation. She focused in translating and even before her graduation in the workshop, she already started translating fro telenovelas and animes for ABS-CBN which she is still involved in up until now. Zorro, Las Tontas”, and “Blow to the Heart” were just some of her projects. Apart from these, she has already done other projects like audiobooks and manuals.

Like Carla, Kyle Nofuente is also a product of Voiceworx. He found out about CreatiVoices Productions and Voiceworx in Go Negosyo Magazine and he was so inspired by what he read. So, after graduating from UP Diliman, he enrolled in the said workshop where he also learned a lot of things like, believe it or not, being “sexy.” By this, he did not mean teaching you how to dress up but how to be confident with yourself. Now, Kyle is a radio DJ on Mellow 94.7.

They are just two of the many personalities created through Voiceworx and are living proofs that through proper coaching and workshop, some innate talents concerning the art form, as well as the desire to be involved in the field, are good beginnings in the pursuit of the passion in voice acting.

And at the end of the day, they may still be ordinary humans, physically. Yet what their voices have reached and become make them extraordinary lives behind what others can hear.

Voiceworx16

Voiceworx16 Testimonials

Julius Babao visits CreatiVoices

Julius Babao went to CreatiVoices Productions to interview the Voicemaster Pocholo Gonzales and other voice actors for an episode of ABS-CBN’s SabaDocu, June 24.

Babao, apart from asking a couple of questions with regards the art of voice acting including the basics and the most piercing insights of the interviewees, also tried doing some voice overs in order to fully understand that voice acting is not simple.

The program’s episode which is all about voice acting and voice over will be aired on July 2, Saturday at 4pm.

Enroll in VOICEWORX now and expect a new you!

Want to experience something new? Still waiting for a life-changing experience? Go out of the box, test your limits and join VOICEWORX!
VOICEWORX is not just a mere Voice Acting and Basic Dubbing Workshop but also a personality development training which aims to help individuals become more confident as they are trained to go out of their comfort zones and explore themselves more. Through its lectures and hands on trainings which open the eyes of each participant not just to the world of voice acting but also to the real worId, it changes individuals and make each one of them realize that this is, indeed, a chance of a lifetime. ln fact, it has been changing lives for years and as well, contributing to the advocacy–Voice Acting as an Art.

Be part of it, enroll now!

Or, want sample? Watch Voiceworx16 Testimonials and know how this workshop changed their lives.

More words of wisdom and inspiring anecdotes from the Voicemaster

Pocholo Gonzales, The Voicemaster, indeed, is an icon in the field of voice acting. With his wide range of experiences in his field and art form (for voice acting is an art) and his long list of credentials, it is no longer a surprise that a lot of people most especially the ones who have passion for voice acting are very curious about him and are longing for more words of wisdon and inspiring stories about the Voicemaster. So, given this, we are now bringing you Pochology 102. Here, you can get to know more about the Voicemaster and even know what’s on his mind.

'Graduation is not the end.'

“This is not the end. In fact, this is just the beginning,” Mr. Pocholo Gonzales, the CEO of CreatiVoices Productions said during the graduation of VoiceWorx16, June 11 at the Red Box Greenbelt 5.

After two months of intensive yet fun-filled training under reputable and well-known voice over artists in the country which started on April 9, the nineteen individuals who uplifted their passions for the art form finished the VoiceWorx! Basic Dubbing and Voice Acting Workshop.

Like what Mr. Gonzales said, this graduation might seem to be and end since it marked the end of the workshop but this, in fact, was more of a new beginning. He even testified that it is after this mark that doors would start opening for the graduates for whatever the world of voice acting saves for them.

This was also assured by Ms. Gabrielle Tiongson, a graduate of VoiceWorx1 and the special guest in the event. Ms. Tiongson, one of the most in-demand dubbers of ABS-CBN stressed in her speech that it was after graduation that opportunities really start coming which means that graduation, therefore, is really a start.

Apart from the awarding of certificates led by Mr. Gonzales and Voicewox Director Brian Ligsay, the graduates also prepared some presentations which showcased their learning in the said workshop. The Morning class presented a skit about making voices while the Afternoon class mimicked different TV commercials and connected them in order to create an entire story.

The graduates, inspite of being aware that there really are a lot of things to miss about the workshop were still smiling at the end of the day for like what they were able to hear from their speakers, it is not the end. Instead, they are all hopeful that it is just the beginning of their journey in the world of voice acting, an art form where their fully-baked passions already are in.