Leo Donato

High speed legal copy

admin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:56:11 +0000

You’ve heard it 100′s of times the guy or girl that does the legal disclaimers on ads, car ads , medical, special deals etc etc. They talk so fast you cannot believe they are actually speaking but they are. Legal disclaimers are an area of voice overs that is a specialty and there are few that can do it. If you can there is so much work to be had you will be very surprised. As a voice over talent, I have always believed that you should be as versatile as possible and continue to expand you abilities that way you can offer many services. One such service it the legal disclaimer. Can you, how do you practice, how to improve. There is a lot in Voice over that can be learned but there is some that require special skills that not everyone can d0. To practice this skill what you need to do is find some legal copy or medical disclaimers from say a magazine ad on a drug or procedure, a paragraph will do, 2-3 sentences in fact. Make sure the language is technical or filled with legal-ease. First read through the copy slowly and work on pronunciations , words you aren’t familiar with. Next speed up a little bit and see if you can still deliver the copy so that it is understood and gradually increase your speed. Now you won’t be able to do this in a day or a week but after a few months of working on this you may find you can do this. But the key is to practice and of course to listen to them on the radio or tv. Don’t give up keep at it and see if you can master this skill, it will be worth your while if you can.

Practice makes perfect sort of

admin — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:45:50 +0000

If you plan on doing Voice overs as a career or even as a possible career you need to develop great habits. habits that will keep you at the top of your game as a voice over talent. That means practice every day in every area of Voice overs. You will need to develop this more or le4ss on your own for no one can tell you how or what to do, how to practice your voice over workout.

It should start with vocal warm ups or tongue twisters that get you mouth moving and enunciating words and sound , try red leather yellow leather, that will do it first thing in the morning then work on placement of your voice , then different types of copy like commercial or promo or narration or cartoon, or video games maybe even trailer each has it’s unique requirements and each is a different muscle you must build an develop until you are facile at it . It is extremely important to do this each and every day so that you develop a routine that keeps you warmed up and ready

Name that Voice

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:53:20 +0000

How many voices can you recognize? Do you know the Voice over artists that voice various commercials? Can you tell celebrities from voice over artists? There are many celebrities on commercials today, you are so use to it that you may not even realize. Who is the voice over artist on Hyundai? Nissan, Mercedes Benz,Honda to name but a few they are all famous actors that you are very familiar with. The idea behind using celebs to voice car commercials, or any commercial for that matter, is that you feel like you know the voice, it is a friend or someone familiar. You may not know the name immediately but you feel a comfort with that voice and you aren’t even aware of it and therefore an immediate connection to the product it’s all very subtle stuff but try listening and see if you don’t feel as if you know or feel comforted by the voice you are hearing on these commercials. That’s why celebs are used for voice overs on commercials. Here’s a piece of information you may not have ever thought off. Only in Voice over would the completely unknown voice over talent be auditioning for the same job as Robert Downey Jr.! In every other area of “Show Business” there is no way anyone but a major name actor or celeb would ever read for the lead in a major motion picture

Volunteer work for Causes of Value

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:46:35 +0000

As a voice over actor , one needs to give back to his or her community at least I think so. Either by mentoring, coaching, directing or lending your voice and skills to a worthy cause. It really helps the foundation involved put out a product of merit and helps them in their work. Some of the organizations I ‘ve done pro bono work for are Lighthouse, Public Service announcements, start-up radio stations that I felt had an important message to broadcast and children’s foundations. I also offer advice to those starting out or seeking direction as to how to start or what to do next. What about you do you give back? do you as a voice-over talent or someone trying to break in to the business volunteer locally ? It is a good idea to do so and can really help you feel and experience what a voice over session is like . You can email me about the voice over business and I’ll be glad to respond with any assistance I can. It is just part of my karma to give beck when I have been so nicely rewarded. what do you think?

The Sports Voice over

admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:07:13 +0000

You may not realize but there are many different sports that require different read today. For example the NFL read used to be a heavy handed in you face sort of read however now that read has become very quiet almost reflective. Take boxing a harder read emphasizing the combative element of the sport is the standard read although that read too has become softer and more acessable of late. then there is baseball. For the Voice over actor there are few jobs a consistent as sports and of all f them baseball is the longest. It has the longest season so that if you become the voice for a team you will work for a lot of months and continuously. But to get a in that game( no pun intended) requires the voice over performer to deliver the “baseball” read at a moments notice. Listen for your self and see if you can tel the difference between football, baseball, NASCAR,and boxing. Al these sports require a different take. can you tell the difference? Listen and see what you hear.

Panama, Where the World Meets #1

admin — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:43:48 +0000

Okay folks I posted several spots I did for the Panama board of Tourism. They asked me to do them as if they were movie trailers, which was part of why they hired my voice over services. All the spots are done that way except for one . That one is done as a commercial, more like a commercial at least which means friendlier, more relaxed, conversational, and so on. The voice over actor‘s job is to interpret what they ask for. So listen and see if you can hear it. Do you agree or not does it sound different to you than the others. I’d like to know your thoughts …

Promax: The Long and Short of It

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:47:17 +0000

Promax has just ended for all you VO-ers interested in voicing promos. Promax is the annual event that draws producers, editors creative directors, directors and the like to meet under one roof once a year and talk everything Promo. New styles, new formats, new techniques and of course voice over artists and new ways of doing promos. It is the opportunity to meet and schmooze with those at the networks (cable too) that will or could eventually hire you to voice their shows, specials, sports teams etc. As a voice-over talent this is the gravy train, everyone there is someone to talk to and mingle with. It is also a great party for a couple of days with required drinking and more. A lot of fun and some work lots of networking and the opportunity to develop relatio0nships. Come one come all. I think next year it is in LA, not sure about check back later for more info.

Squeezing it All In

admin — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 22:41:57 +0000

Boatyard LSD 60_2011 VO2

Can you do it ? Can you as a voice over artist a bring the copy in on time? In the required amount of time either 30 seconds or 60 seconds?

It is crucial for the voice over talent. to be able to deliver the copy in he amount of time allotted EVEN if there is a lot of copy.

Okay now that you’ve delivered the copy in the time needed can you do it and not sound rushed? You can if you work at it. Now one more thing, can you give the interpretation and emphasis the producer wants even though you are moving through the copy at a fast rate. Can you bring out specific words with out sounding to obvious and can you just be conversational ?

It is a lot to ask but one has be able to do this and do it quickly.

Listen to a spot I just did for a company that is a 60 second spot with a lot of copy and see if you can hear what I mean. Also do you think I achieved what I mentioned above?

Take a listen and tell me what you think.

Boatyard LSD 60_2011 VO2

The World is Your Stage

admin — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:08:10 +0000

s Voice over artist today have the entire world as his platform. It is a testament to our digital age and the power of the Internet , Social Media and websites.

I recently did a job for Mercedes Benz in China and wow what a cool experience. To be able to do a spot and send it to china , have them use it in the opening of a Mercedes event in China was truly humbling. I recorded in my studio in LA , posted it to my FTP site, they downloaded it gave me additional direction and out went a revised version all in the space of less that 45 minutes.

Another spot for radio was done for a client in the Netherlands that needed to go on the air that very night , so it went the same way recorded edited posted they listened and changed a line or two redid it and boom it was on the air that night!

Another in Barbados for a series of clubs on the island, I am always surprised to get those jobs because wouldn’t you think an English speaker would be on media in foreign countries? In any event the world of voice over is a highly competitive one and any job I get is always a blessing, i take nothing for granted. I am lucky to be able to do this work.

So amazing what is done today and with such ease . I am so grateful to those clients and companies that choose to use my services and for the Internet. I am always more than happy to help someone out with a project if they are having budget struggles because down the road they always remember the favor

We still do not know how this new media will work in terms of entertainment and in terms of work but one thing we know the world is your stage

Voice Over Jobs Long Distance

admin — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 04:33:54 +0000

Today’s Voice over artist is required to be many things as you may already know not the least of which is the process of get the job done to the likes of the client. I recently completed a series of commercials for the Tourism Board of Panama. I learned that although there was a language barrier because I speak no Spanish and they didn’t speak a lot of English we were able to communicate with each other fairly well. At first I got the simple direction to consider the spots as if they were movie trailers which was clear enough and I provided that in a expedient manner. However , they asked for more “heart” a term I understand to mean compassion and feeling for the piece I was voicing which I again provided them. It seems in the translation “heart ” really meant to them a more conversational tone, a familiar feeling and so we went back and forth with me sending a number of variations on what they wanted until they felt that I had hit on what they had heard . The work of a LA voice over talent is always varied and never dull but does require you to be on your toes and go the extra distance to provide just the right sound for the client. My back ground as a stage actor used to taking and at times interpreting direction really comes in handy.