As an actor and voiceover, you need to give yourself plenty of room to play. You need to allow yourself room to create and discover, often under great time constraints, so the pressure to deliver your very best on the fly is imperative.

Here at Actors’ SOUND ADVICE, we refer to a specific technique as ‘Stretching the Canvas’.

We call it that because far too many talent make a habit out of ‘ramping up into their performance’ anticipating a longer runway than we are typically given to deliver a well-executed performance. And if we’re given the luxury as voice talent to audition in front of those most likely to hire us (which rarely happens anymore) the pressure to deliver can introvert us, rather than the other way around. So, by conditioning yourself to offer a broader playing field right off the bat (or ‘stretching the canvas’ wider than what might be assumed for a desirable performance) will allow you greater room to create, instead of ramping up into your delivery and settling for a mere passable take, if not slightly below-par performance. The point is you need to aim farther with the very first take, even if it’s not the end performance you’re hoping to achieve. Instead, you must go further than you might initially imagine is appropriate with your initial reads.

Why? Because we create a certain muscle memory the first time we do anything let alone voice a narration, a commercial or an animated project. Giving ourselves the freedom to create and ‘go too far’ from the very start allows you room to fully animate your performance even with the most dry, unimaginative text.

We’d rather see you go too far and calibrate you back a bit if necessary, rather than having to come at you with a whip and a chair to get you to offer anything of real value performance-wise. And we’re not referring to strictly pitch, volume or speed to vary up your read, but rather go much farther with your point-of-view (POV)/expression, with your degree of interest and with your sense of ease or effortlessness. Fleshing out those details are generally reserved for private coaching here at Actors’ SOUND ADVICE.

Your goal as a talent is to continually surprise yourself with each and every take, rather than attempt to craft only one, single, solitary delivery. You’re perfectly capable of an unlimited number of exceptional performance options. Every true professional embraces this precept of mastering agility. It’s in part what defines us as creative professionals: The ability to continually create with each take and to do so right from the start.

Self-direction is a performance muscle that only develops and responds with continued use if you intend to increase your skill and agility and want to ensure you’re a talent that can be valued and consistently relied upon. To master that end, every talent needs a routine that challenges their comfort zone, remain agile, and creative no matter the genre.

That’s where we come in. Schedule a little coaching time and up your game!

Copyright © 2023 by Kate McClanaghan. All rights reserved.