This way madness lies…

My three years at drama school were traumatic.

I spent two years auditioning to get into one of the top institutions in the world.

Finally selected as one of 30 in a field of 3,000.

I'd read countless actor biographies about the importance of training and was totally focused on dedicating the next three years into making myself a better actor.

But then the wheels came off:

😅 New teachers on the course weren't qualified.

😩 New building works for the course were delayed, leading to less than ideal facilities.

😱 The school took over another drama school, thus doubling the number of students.

It was a salutary lesson about putting ANYTHING on a pedestal.

There were still a lot of good things about the school in question, but there was no sense of safety. Which I'd argue is pretty integral to effective learning.

I'll be honest that the disparity between what I'd hoped 'my dream' would be and the reality got to me.

I got depressed.
I second guessed myself.
I became overly-competitive.

And by the end of my second year... I was NOT in a good place.

So I did something radical.

I asked the head of the course if I could take a year out, so I could get my head back together and rediscover my love for the craft.

And to their credit - they said yes.

I spent the next year back in the 'real world', and it was the single most important year of my acting career.

✅ I took time out to actually LIVE a life outside of my passion.
✅ I took time to work with an acting teacher who spoke to me.
✅ I took time out to make my OWN work.

And the result?

A greater sense of who I was as a person and artist.
A confidence that I was in this for the long haul.
And a critically celebrated one-man show*.

It's not all been smooth sailing since then.

But it's a necessary reminder that we're shaped as much (if not more) by adversity than success.

Me definitely not acting mad in 2007.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

What to try on a second take?

Most of my clients know what they want.

By the time a script reaches me - whether for an explainer video or video game character - it's passed through so many hands, the brief is clear.

If you're working with an excellent actor like me, I'll be able to provide you with what you need with time to spare.

So how do you make sure any additional takes offer up something 𝘐𝘕𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘛𝘐𝘕𝘎 rather than just repeating what you have?

Here are three things you can 𝘚𝘐𝘔𝘗𝘓𝘠 adjust:

1️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀.

Give both the voice talent and the audience a͟ ͟s͟t͟a͟t͟u͟s͟ ͟f͟r͟o͟m͟ ͟1͟ ͟t͟o͟ ͟5͟.͟

For example, a CEO talking to staff  might be a 5 talking to a 2 - leading to a more formal and instructional tone.

Whereas peer to peer might be 3 to 3 - typically more conversational.

But that will be different from a 1 to 1 or 5 to 5, and that's when nuance comes in.

This approaches takes generalised direction like 'make it conversational' and places it in a clear context.

2️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲.

Establish what 'space' your first read was in and c͟h͟a͟n͟g͟e͟ ͟t͟h͟e͟ ͟s͟i͟z͟e͟ ͟o͟f͟ ͟i͟t͟.͟

For example, if it sounded emphatic and more presentational as if being delivered from a stage, turn the space into something quiet and intimate.

If the first read was 'comfortable', what happens if the actor imagines its much colder or hotter?

3️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱

Take the speed of the first take and t͟u͟r͟n͟ ͟i͟t͟ ͟u͟p͟ ͟o͟r͟ ͟d͟o͟w͟n͟ ͟b͟y͟ ͟2͟0͟%͟.

A good actor will be able to 'justify' this so it doesn't become a technical exercise:

They're that bit more urgent because of a tight deadline
𝘖𝘙
They're that bit slower because they're scared to say something out loud.


A second take isn't about reinventing the wheel.  But it should only take a relatively minor adjustment to get a very different result.

Whether you end up using it or not, it means you've interrogated the brief thoroughly with the talent you've hired rather than just made do.

Behind The Scenes of the week:

Over the past year, I’ve pivoted into recording audiobooks.

Rather than working purely through established publishers, I also get a ton of enquiries directly form authors.

Renia by Karl Forshaw was one of those - and as soon as I started reading it, the writing really blew me away. As a result, I’m aiming to use my platform not just to get the work, but also to help support it on release.

Check out the extract below, and if intrigued you can find Renia on Audible here as well as on Spotify and most other platforms!

@chrisnaturallyrp

My latest audiobook - RENIA by Karl Forshaw #fantasybook #fantasybooktok #fabtasybookrecs #audiobooktok #audiobooknarrator

Media Recommendations:

Every month, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This month…

1. AI voice lawsuits are happening

   It’s still early days, but news that a group of actors are accusing Eleven Labs of using their voices for training purposes without permission suggests there’s still some way to go in establishing such platforms legitimacy. A similar case with Lovo has also been made.

2. ANOTHER podcast about Voice Acting in Games!

   Writer, content creator and performer Alanah Pearce hosts this new podcast with some of the newer stars of the VO acting industry. A potentially great insight on how the space is operating in 2024.

3. #PROJECTTROY is now live

   Last month I mentioned the launch of #Project Troy - a modern reimagining of the Trojan War told through the form of monologues, performed by a variety of brilliant actors. 26 speeches were released over August and are now all publicly available for FREE on Youtube.

Favourite Writing of the week:

DEMURE

One of the quickest ways to grab attention?

Find a current trend and flip it in any way you can.

That’s what i did with the recent ‘Demure’ trend by putting it in the voice of a Warhammer Ork. And the result was 500k views on Instagram, 430k on Tiktok and 100k on X.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next time, Honey and I wish you a wonderful month!

Or why you might be a BAD person…

Nike’s latest commercial spot to celebrate the Olympics has polarised opinion in some circles.

This ‘winning isn’t for everyone ‘ campaign deliberately pushes back at traditional notions of sportmanship and team work, opting instead for something far more subversive.

Again and again, the question is posed - ‘Am I bad person’ - supplemented by a laundry list of deeply competitive, unpleasant and combative traits.

The choice of voice actor - Willem Dafoe, notoriously off the wall - is central to making the spot work. Few actors can pull off maniacal quite like him, and the read is the antithesis of the grounded, relatable everyman. The vocal pitch and inflection constantly varies, as does the emotion. Making the voice as slippery and unpredictable as the athletes they’re reframing s antiheroes.

Whether you love it or hate it, this return to Nike’s heritage has become a talking point because of its bold artistic choice. There’s enough playfulness in here that notions of ‘bad’ aren’t being discussed with total seriousness.

And the effectiveness is in its simplicity, going back to a very simple acting exercise - play the opposite. Simply by providing the opposite of what’s expected and committing to it, the spot stands out from its competitors.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

The biggest factor in my success (besides the voice)?

My recording studio.

Yes, you need to be able to act in order to book voiceover work.

But without a space that allows you to....

1️⃣ Act freely.
2️⃣ Deliver perfect audio.
3️⃣ Connect with clients worldwide.

Acting 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 simply won't be enough.

(It's an over-subscribed profession, apparently 👀)

I got my current studio built by Miloco Studios over lockdown.

That's why my hair is longer and I'm ten pounds heavier in the video.

But even when making it, I didn't fully realise just what a game changer it would be to my 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚.

Having a space where I can create content easily transformed my marketing output.

It encouraged me to shift from cold emailing to creating video.

And as a result, there have been over 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪𝗦 of me recording in it online.

So I'm pretty proud of it.

For 14k all in, it's been my single shrewdest investment.

(Beyond the three years of classical acting and countless workshops, obviously).

Behind The Scenes of the week:

Video case studies are a NIGHTMARE.

❌ You need client permission.
❌ You're stating the obvious.
❌ They take time to make.

So I guess that's 𝘞𝘏𝘠 I'm the only voice actor who has them on my website*.

I made seven case study videos two years ago, covering the processes behind different genres of voice project.

Looking at the different client needs.
Looking at the different workflows.
Looking at the different results.

And I did this for two reasons:

1️⃣ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁.

More clients hire voice actors directly.
They often don't have the knowledge more established producers have picked up.  So they need educating.

2️⃣ 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁.

Each video gets not just my work, but also:

✅ My face...
✅ My voice...
✅ My studio...

Out into the internet. On BOTH my website and socials.

Having narrated countless case studies and explainer videos FOR THE VERY CLIENTS I WORK FOR, it seemed slightly insane to not embrace this format for my own work.

And all this was shot using my iphone, over ONE day to script, film and edit.

So yeah.  Case studies are a nightmare.
If you're a voice actor who shares my casting,
I STRONGLY advise not doing them at all.

Waste of time... 👀

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Equity advice in wake of SAG AFTRA strike.

   SAG AFTRA have recently gone on strike due to a lack of agreement with various large game developers regarding performer rights and AI. While British Equity performers cannot legally strike, they have shared this guide on recommended action.

2. Is social where the spend is?

   An interesting post that suggests advertising spend for big brands is focusing more and more on social, yet many still fail to adapt their approach to fit the format.

3. The monopolisation of games journalism

   The Play Watch Listen podcast dives deep into the journalistic repercussions after more independent providers are bought up.

Favourite Writing of the week:

PROJECT TROY

Recording speeches from various media has been a tremendous outlet for me in the last few years as a result.

It's flexed imaginative muscles that aren't used as much in most voice jobs. And it's introduced me to a ton of great writing...

Many of my peers have expressed an interest in doing something similar.

On a project where there's no massive financial stakes involved.

So I thought, why not channel that into telling a bigger story on a larger scale?

Stories don't come much bigger than the Trojan War...

So here's announcing #ProjectTroy 😅

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next time, Honey and I wish you a wonderful month!

Because cloning simple isn’t reliable enough. Yet.

Not all assistants are created equal.

As the video below proves, just because someone is great at one thing (brand recognition) doesn't make them great at another (email management).

But rather than just bang on about how great outsourcing can be (because it is 𝗜𝗙 you can afford it 𝗔𝗡𝗗 work with the right people)...

I thought I'd just share what I currently outsource.

💵 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁

Because I'm always terrified of financial mistakes,
especially with an LTD to look after.

📽️ 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿

Because a skilled editor takes half the time.
And also comes up with great suggestions.

👀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿

Because my business needs to be consistently growing.
Relevant info in one place is a godsend.

📱𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿

Because when you have a following of 500,000...
You need someone to keep on top of responses.

✏️ 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿

Because getting someone to mark-up a book
Saves you having to read it one more time.

🎧 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿

Because getting someone to edit out all your mistakes...
Means you can focus on what you're good at.

👂 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳𝗲𝗿

Because having an objective ear listen back to your work is the best way to check if your accent goes funny.

🐱 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗿

Because there's no easier way to win in the attention game than a furry friend.

Have any questions about my outsourcing process? Feel free to email me and I’d be happy to answer them!

Voice Acting tip of the week:

I pretend to care.

That's what you're paying me for.

❌ It's not a 'nice voice'.
❌ It's not creative liberties.
❌ It's not my expert opinion on the subject.

It's taking a message or character I likely knew nothing about and filling it with meaning.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀?

One is the ✨'𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗳'✨.

Once I understand the relationship of the speaker to their subject, I substitute what I'm talking about with what would provoke a similar, authentic reaction within me.

For example:

I don't know what it would be like to kill a king.

But can I imagine an authority figure doing something so terrible in my actual life, that I would want to destroy them?

Yes.  Oh yes I do.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝟮𝗕 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

It's just a question of degrees.

Do I need to understand a company's exciting new offer in exact detail to talk about it?

No.

I need to know my r͟e͟l͟a͟t͟i͟o͟n͟s͟h͟i͟p͟ to that new offer.  What does it represent?

Even if the objective is simply to 'teach' someone, grounding that in an emotional need is only going to make it more effective:

🤔 Is it to stop someone from making the same mistakes I did?

🤔 Is it to ensure our children a better future?

🤔 Is it so I can achieve unimaginable wealth?

It's not the incidentals that make an effective performance.

It's cutting to the emotional need b͟e͟h͟i͟n͟d͟ the words.

So when briefing a voice talent - keep this in mind....

The first thing a speaker needs is a clear sense of the WHY, so that they can make their own personal 'why' as strong and appropriate as possible.

Behind The Scenes of the week:

Having a professional home studio means I can connect with anyone seamlessly for live direction.

A client doesn't have to worry about:

✅ Hiring a studio.
✅ The sound quality.
✅ Worrying if I'll be on time.

But there are times when adding an audio engineer into the equation is vital.

The recording of the Lavazza advert above was a case in point.

During this session, three different versions of this script needed to be recorded - versions of 30 seconds, 20 seconds and 10 seconds.

They also needed to be synched to picture live as there was a time pressure.

Having an audio engineer present brought a number of benefits:

1️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳.

Audio engineers know how to cut and splice takes with their eyes closed.

They could play the video while I recorded and then immediately play it back for the client for review.

2️⃣ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴.

One of the (three) directors on the call was having issues with listening in.

The audio engineer knew exactly what questions to ask and the steps required to resolve this issue quickly.

3️⃣ 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀.

Knowing someone else is handling the recording side means the voice talent can focus exclusively on their performance and working in detail.

4️⃣ 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿.

Not all directors are experienced in working with VO talent.

While an actor has to be skilled at understanding direction that might be unclear, an audio engineer can step in as an intermediary when necessary to ensure feedback is consolidated.

5️⃣ 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸

An audio engineer is another (skilled) set of ears that makes sure there are no audio gremlins in the mix.

That stomach gurgle?  That tiny bump of the mic?

They'll hear it and address it at source.

If you're ever unsure about whether an audio engineer would benefit your session, always feel free to ask the voice actor you're working with.

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Microsoft’s terrifying take on ‘freeware’.

   According to Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman, ‘the social contract thats is on the open web is that it’s freeware’. Seems to be profoundly misunderstanding the basis of fair use!

2. Voice actors sue AI platform

   AI voice cloning platform Lovo is being sued after two actors accused the platform of breaching contracts that were supposed to control the scope of usage.

3. An insight into the vision of Elden Ring

   The Guardian has a great piece on the artistic vision behind one of the biggest video games of the last few years.

Favourite Writing of the week: MEGAN

Who's your most surprising client?

Mine is Megan Thee Stallion 💅

Yes, the multiple Grammy-winning rapper currently sitting at the top of the Apple Music charts 👀

I was honoured to voice the teaser for her new album, Megan, released last week. And got to channel some David Attenborough vibes while doing so.

Over 4 million views later... it seems to be going okay?

Instagram post

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next time, Honey and I wish you a wonderful month!

And NO - it’s not buying another pen…

'Love the art in yourself, Not yourself in the art'
- 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘷𝘴𝘬𝘪


𝗣𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 & 𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗙𝗧 > 𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗦 & 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗗𝗘𝗦

(Though having been runner-up in 20 awards, I would say that) 👀

There are 3 key ways to embrace this mindset:

1️⃣   Immerse yourself in the craft because you love it.
Genuine passion fuels creativity and innovation.

2️⃣   Prioritise learning and development.
When you focus on the art in yourself, it's about getting better than you were  yesterday rather than whether you got lucky.

3️⃣  Your Authentic Impact.
Focus on the value you bring to others.  When your motivation is rooted in art, your contributions are more meaningful and lasting.

I'm not saying that awards or fancy client lists aren't important.
We're all running businesses after all.
And that stuff is 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦.

But if your core criteria for success is validation beyond your control.
Then you're setting yourself up for a fall.

I can't control how many awards I don't win.
I can't control not being selected for a project.
But I can control my actualisation as the artist I want to be.

And within THAT lies the power.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

Repeating a word or phrase can be very effective
But you don't need to 𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗛𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗘 it.

Take the speech below.

'𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶' 𝘹 2 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴
'𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘴𝘬' 𝘹 2 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴
'𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩' 𝘹 5 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴

The repetition of each of these phrases in turn helps structure the argument.

✅ It provides momentum.
✅ It establishes a rhythm.
✅ It provides an aural hook.

At drama school, we would say it helps build a 'ladder of intensity', where each step up escalates the drama.

But I'm NOT stressing the repeated phrase, because the act of repetition is already doing that work for me.

Instead I'm emphasising the thing that CHANGES in each sentence:

'I ask you 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦, 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘'
'I ask you 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗥'

Because THESE are the important details.

Often, I get scripts where these repeated phrases are already italicised.
The writer is consciously using repetition for effect,
And doesn't want anyone to miss this.

But so often this leads to the 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 effective delivery.
The attention is drawn to the means and NOT the message.
So we might end up appreciating the craft, but not the take away.

Of course rules such as these are there to be broken.
A clever repetition can change your understanding of a word or phrase.

But I'd urge any writer to think twice before stipulating where an emphasis like this has to be in a sentence.

So often it gets in the way.

Behind The Scenes of the week:

Below is a fascinating interview with Larian Studios’ Audio Director Stefan Randelshofer about hwo they utilised ‘3D audio’ to make a more immersive experience.

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Rethinking self promotion

   Great podcast on how to make self promotion work for you - and actually find ways to enjoy it too. Courtesy of Helen and Rob Bee, who have recently taken over this VO focused podcast.

2. Apple’s step change

   After widespread negative feedback from their recent ‘Crush’ campaign to herald the release of the latest iPad (see here), it’s great to see them take the response on the chin and offer a more creative, human centric approach.

3. Is Games Journalism broken?

   With the news that games news platform IGN have acquired a host of rivals, this deep dive into the current state of games journalism and what it means for the future of writing ABOUT games is recommended.

Favourite Writing of the week: HAMLET

‘The most devastating moment in a young mans life?
When he quite reasonably says to himself...

"I shall never play The Dane!" - 𝘞𝘐𝘛𝘏𝘕𝘈𝘐𝘓 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘐

Hamlet is still the single most iconic acting role.

Why?

It's huge.
It's brilliantly written.
The role itself is about ACTING.

But probably one of it's biggest attractions?

It leaves room for the actor to make 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗥 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡.

So with Hamlet, so with voice acting. So here’s mine!

⭐ Newsletter Frequency Update ⭐

Last week I mentioned that I intended to change the frequency of this newsletter - and you you have spoken. Or about 35% of you have anyway.

From this point moving forward, this newsletter will be MONTHLY rather than weekly. I’ll still compile as much valuable content as I can into it and may well continue to play with the format. I greatly enjoy sharing news and insights with you and thank those who had the time to feed back!

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next time, Honey and I wish you a wonderful week month!

The people selling it are.

Another week...
Another AI controversy 😞

We're kind of used to this now, right?

But it seems like we still need to draw attention to this sh*t.

Chat GPT creators Open AI showcased their AI voice model 'Sky' last week, which just happened to sound VERY like actor Scarlett Johansson.

This is no coincidence.

One of Johansson's roles was playing an AI in the film 'Her'.
Open AI's Sam Altman even referenced the film in a Tweet.
It's an easy way to score extra publicity points.

It's now been revealed Johansson was approached twice to use her voice.

The second time was just after the AI voice sounding like her was publicly previewed, giving the impression they were trying to apply pressure.

To her credit, Johansson stood firm.
In fact, she got her lawyers to push back.
And less than a week later, the voice has been removed.

But if Johansson hadn't been a celebrity?
If she hadn't had those lawyers?
What would have happened 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯?

This isn't just a misunderstanding or  mistake.
These people are seeing what they can get away with.

If someone's voice can't be bought, then what's stopping you creating something nearly identical and trading off the association anyway?

So before you jump back on Chat GPT to brainstorm some more content ideas, or Midjourney for another social media image...

Remember that.

Sure - technology is always evolving.
And almost every bit of tech we use comes with moral questions.

But in the face of all that complexity,
we need to make our consumption 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴.

The creators of this tech are prepared to do lots of things to 'democratise creativity' using assets they don't own.

And sharing this story is part of that.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

Any business is only as strong as the habits you build it with.

Reading James Clear’s book Atomic Habits really changed my thinking about how to build my schedule as a freelancer and in this video, I share some insight into how I applied it to my voice acting goals.

Behind The Scenes of the week:

Ninja Theory are a game studio working on the cutting edge of performance capture. As their latest title Hellblade 2 has been recently announced, I strongly recommend checking out this behind the scenes look at the game’s production!

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Andrew Scott brings spicy audio to the masses

   Many voice actors adopt an alias when voicing erotic content - but not Andrew Scott. In fact, his status as the ‘hot priest’ from Fleabag has led to a… ahem, surge of activity on erotica app Quinn.

2. Brands need to keep moving

   Coca Cola may be iconic, but it still needs to move ‘at the speed of culture’ according to Oana Vald, senior director of the brand.

3. Changing the nature of likes?

   Social media platform X is experimenting with making users likes private in an attempt to counter ‘potential negative connotations of your interests’.

Favourite Writing of the week: THE 8TH LEGION

One tricky aspect of voice acting is that you almost never hear the lines that you’re responding to. In video games, characters are typically recorded separately - while in audiobook narration the onus is on one performer to do all the parts.

So practising with dialogue - especially brilliantly written dialogue like this exchange by Aaron Dembski-Bowden taken from Warhammer 40k - is always a good idea!

@chrisnaturallyrp

‘THE 8th LEGION WAY’ - Kurze and Sevatar #konradcurze #sevatar #jagosevatarion #nightlords #nightlords30k #nightlords40k #warhammer40k #wa... See more

⭐ Newsletter Frequency Update ⭐

Since the start of the year, I’ve loved putting together this newsletter every week and sharing insights with you all. Making it weekly was partly an intentional ‘baptism of fire’ to prove that I could put together something of value and keep engaged with the different industries I work in consistently.

But as more and more of my time is being taken up with long form projects (more news of I will share in due course), I’m planning to change the frequency of these newsletters to either bi-weekly or monthly from June onwards.

If you have the time to let me know which you might prefer, then I’d greatly appreciate it. Just email me ‘BI-WEEKLY’ or ‘MONTHLY’ at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next time, Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

Why it’s ESSENTIAL to screw up…

In 2009 I was rehearsing my own one man adaptation of Nikolai Gogol's Diary of a Madman.

It told the story of a civil servant fixated on social rank and status.

One day, he starts hearing a 'voice', and realises that his bosses lapdog is talking to him - and this marks the beginning of his descent into madness.

As the gap between reality and his 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 reality widens,
he takes greater and greater liberties to explain his situation.

My adaptation took place in one single room.

This meant that it could read as:
• His Bedroom
• His Prison
• His Mind.

At one point, he is dragged into an asylum,
but he attempts to justify this transition,
insisting he has been brought to Spain to be crowned King Ferdinand VIII.

It was a crucial part of the show,
where the divide between the rational and irrational was paper thin.

As part of the transition,
we decided that the character would trash the room.
This would symbolise his fight with the doctors incarcerating him,
but he could then 'interpret' it as his battle to seize the throne.

To help the audience with this transition,
I had the idea of taking an upturned table and writing 'Madrid' on it.

But during the rehearsal, I misjudged how big the letters should be.
And i only had room for the first three = 𝗠𝗔𝗗.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄.

For the director and later the audience,
it created a moment of suspense when you wondered if this 'madman' realised his true situation.

He writes the label 'MAD'.
He contemplates it.
And then writes 'RID' under it...
demonstrating he is actually still completely lost in his fantasy.

All very clever stage business.
And all discovered by accident.

So in Gogol - so in all things.
If you start any creative project with no room for experimentation,
You're cutting yourself off from the best results.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

It's a phrase lots of people like to use with acting...

'Grounded'.

And it's easy to understand why.

Grounded means:
→ 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻
→ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰
→ 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰

It's quite literally anchored by psychological realism.
Grounded in everyday reality.

But beyond being simply 'naturalistic acting',
what does that mean technically?

A big thing  - is finding thoughts.
Taking the TIME to discover them in the moment.

As soon as someone speaks fluidly and consistently without breaks, they appear more PROFESSIONAL, but also more 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗗.

Presented characters can still be 'grounded'.
They can have a need to speak based in psychology.

But the more the pace of delivery varies...
The more it mirrors human thought.
The more anchored it seems.

Take the speech below.

Magneto is speaking to a crowd of people - and he's a 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 speaker.
But giving him time to find the right words grounds him.
He can still go fast when he comes to his point.
But it's not just a speech.

This principle applies to any type of:
• Voice acting
• Acting
• Presentation

By all means know what you're saying and speak fluidly.
But also know when to change gears.

@chrisnaturallyrp

‘DO NOT MAKE ME LET YOU DOWN’ - Magneto from Xmen 97 #magneto #magnetoxmen #xmen97 #xmen97series #xmen97animatedseries #xmentheanimatedser... See more

Behind The Scenes of the week:

Audible recently released a reimagining of George Orwell’s 1984 with an all star cast including Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott and Tom Hardy. This look into the adapting and recording process offers a great insight into the unique demands of audio drama.

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Scarlett Johnasson challenges Open AI

   The movie star has successfully challenged Open AI after it released an AI voice that sounded very close to her own. As Open AI had approach her twice requesting to use her voice (which she turned down), this case may set an important precedent.

2. IGN acquires multiple platforms

   IGN Entertainment’s recent acquisition of a family of digital brands in the gaming space heralds yet more likely redundancies - and possibly a growing media monopoly.

3. The influencer misdirect

   Online influencer Grace Beverley was found to be breaking advertising rules by not explicitly stating some of her content were advertisements.

Favourite Writing of the week: DEFEAT

So if you're connected to many UK voice actors -
You better brace yourself 👀

It was the One Voice Awards this PAST weekend.

5000 submissions.
150 nominees.
In over 30 categories.

There's gonna be a lot of red carpet shots.

I was nominated for my 20th VO award...
And for the 20th time, I did't win it.

SO. I'm going to evoke another artist's words that articulate far more than I could scrabble to say!

@chrisnaturallyrp

‘DEFEAT’ by Kahlil Gibran #kahlilgibran #kahlilgibranquotes #poetrytok #poetrytiktok #motivation

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

It can feel like everything is burning…

The cognitive dissonance of the internet has got to me.

The economy is a mess.
Global conflicts continue to escalate.
Talented people get laid off to boost CEO bonuses.

You can say 'it's always like this'....
But f**k me man.

The job of an actor is to 𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦𝗘.
It's to find the resonance in other people's stories.
But if you actually do that, it can be tricky to disconnect.

Like most of us, I'm just trying to keep the lights on.
If I can do that in an entertaining and educational way that helps my business, even better.

But the first step in any problem is acknowledging it.

So this week I'm mainly going to be:

Spending less time online
Spending more time outdoors.
And donating to UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org.uk/

You’re not alone, if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
And I hope that you get to find the space and time to do what you need to do, to recuperate ✌️

Voice Acting tip of the week:

The quickest way to improve your message?
→ 𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦

If what you're saying:

❌ Isn't building on what's already been said...

OR

❌ Isn't moving the message forward...

Then see what happens if you cut it.

A great example is this speech from 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴.

Steve Martin recently spoke about how John Candy's performance of this speech moved him to tears...

✂️ YET writer/director John Hughes cut it to a single sentence.

It didn't add to the character.
It didn't add to the relationship.
It didn't help the rhythm of the film.

It's a beautiful piece in its own right.
But its inclusion would have diluted the whole.

Look for this in your own writing.

I'm NOT saying only use simple language.
I'm NOT saying only use short sentences.

But if you're ever in two minds about a section of writing, then try removing it entirely.

It might just provide the space for other words to breathe.

@chrisnaturallyrp

‘IT’S THE GIVNG’ - PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES by John Hughes #planestrainsandautomobiles #johncandy #johnhughes #delgriffith #johnhugh... See more

Behind The Scenes of the week:

Stephen Fry’s narration of the Harry Potter series is iconic, so this recent retrospective with him courtesy of Audible is well worth a listen. I’ve just completed an audiobook which is the first in a promised series, so his tips on keeping track of character voices spoke to me especially!

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. (Almost) Everybody hated that, Apple

   Apple’s latest commercial for their new Ipad sparked some visceral reactions… and few were positive. Whether you think all publicity is good publicity or not, it looks like a rare mis-step for a brand so often applauded for its creative touch.

2. Repurposing at source

   Hotels.com’s recent campaign cleverly repurposed the assets of their TV spot to serve their social media campaign in a totally different way. This LinkedIn post breaks it down.

3. How DND made it big

   Dungeons and Dragons has never been more mainstream, so I recommend checking out this article which covers its origins from The Guardian.

Favourite Writing of the week: JIGGLE PHYSICS

A handful of men with too much time on their hands decided to petition Sony Entertainment when a video game character with… ‘considerable assets’ didn’t jiggle quite so much as they were led to believe. This has led to a handful of internet comments that it’s only right to ridicule remorselessly.

@chrisnaturallyrp

THE WAR ON JIGGLE PHYSICS #stellarblade #stellarbladeps5 #jigglephysics #britishvoiceover #britishvoiceactor

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

Being honest about your conversion rate.

Sometimes, I struggle to book jobs.

It's not something I say lightly.
But it's a subject I want to be open about.

Now to clarify:

✅ I'm working consistently.
✅ Q1 of 2024 was STRONG.
✅ I've had many new clients.
✅ I've been nominated for ANOTHER award.

But I've had a run of great auditions through my wonderful agent Emily Dean - and I've hardly booked any of them.

This is the great catch 22 of acting life.

First, you rail at the lack of opportunities.
The battle is just to be seen in the first place.

Then, when you get seen, the anxiety kicks in.
If you're not booking, does that mean you're not good enough???

Now - I 𝘒𝘕𝘖𝘞 I'm good enough.

I've got the work and connections and the 22 award nominations to back that up.

But - voice acting is a SUPER competitive industry.

Have I done things to address the situation?

For sure!

I've started working on auditions with a handful of different coaches  to bounce ideas off.

This hasn't radically changed my approach to auditioning.

But it provides reassurance my instincts are still strong and a welcome sounding board.

It's also been further proof to me that my typical model of getting work is good for me:

I've not built my business on auditioning at scale, because the feeling of throwing stuff into a void with no feedback absolutely kills me.

As a result, I've focused heavily on direct marketing and inbound work, so that when someone DOES send me an opportunity, I'm likely one of a small handful under consideration.

So I can continue to work on my skillset.
I can give my all for every audition.
And I trust the process.

But I think it's a healthy thing to talk about.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

Drop it like it’s hot.

Last week, I spoke about the process of auditioning for my first ever video game role in Dark Souls 2, over a decade ago.

The character was a half man, half scorpion, so like any professional actor, I wanted to make sure I did my research and came in prepared.

But the most important thing about preparation?

Be ready to throw it away!

@chrisnaturallyrp

Replying to @Sog Man #scorpionman #darksoul #darksouls2 #fromsoftware #soulsborne #voiceactor

Behind The Scenes of the week:

Abubakar Salim is an actor who also runs his own game studio, Surgent Studios.

He channelled the grief of losing his father into making their first release, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, which has received a fantastic reception.

In this video, he discusses what spurred him to make the leap, the risks he took along the way (including pouring practically all his savings into the studio) and how he’s managed to build a fully remote team in this insightful interview.

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. The truth about Sora and AI video production

   Heralded ‘the Chat GPT for video’, this recent behind the scenes look at one of the videos used to showcase AI tool Sora revealed that the tool still required considerable human input to make a viable end product.

2. Is marketing in games dead?

   Michael Douse (publishing director of Larian, developers behind the huge gaming hit Baldurs Gate 3) composed this Twitter/X thread about the company’s approach to ‘marketing’ in the gaming space.

3. How Family Voices have changed over time

   Do our voices get higher in pitch over time - or do some of us just pitch lower to be taken more seriously when starting out? This was a fun conversation on the subject featuring the cats of Family Guy.

Favourite Writing of the week: FALLOUT

I’m embracing full nostalgia vibes while watching FallOut on Amazon prime - the live-action adaptation of the beloved video game franchise. So it only felt natural to pick a speech from my favourite title in the series, FallOut: New Vegas.

@chrisnaturallyrp

FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS - The Burned Man aka Joshua Graham #fallout #falloutnewvegas #theburnedman #joshuagraham #joshuagrahamspeech #joshuagra... See more

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

How deep do you need to go?

That’s the big question that hit me when reading the a LinkedIn post about the role of advertising agencies.

It’s one thing to have a full understanding of a brand or project, but another thing entirely to become so immersed that you bring nothing new to the table…

I’m not anywhere near experienced enough to determine how valid Stephanie’s point is in regards to ad agencies, but it certainly highlights the need for balance in any creative brief.

My work as a voice actor is most valuable when I have a solid understanding of the client and their message, but haven’t been overladen with information and direction. Too much immersion can become stifling and end up compromising the creativity that such talent is supposed to offer.

More doesn’t always equate to better.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

Limit the number of takes.

While recording multiple interpretations and experimenting with different approaches is all part of what makes voiceover fun, it’s healthy to limit the number of takes - both when auditioning solo and during actual recording sessions. If you default to recording lots of takes, the focus often gets lost and you leave yourself with more and more material to wade through in the review stage.

Every decision should be fuelled with an intention, so try not to do more just for the sake of it!

Behind The Scenes project of the week:

I was asked about how I got my first voice acting job last week, so shared this story about the audition process and the value of not sticking rigidly to your first instincts!

@chrisnaturallyrp

Replying to @Sog Man #scorpionman #darksoul #darksouls2 #fromsoftware #soulsborne #voiceactor

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Pixar Polish

   This is a lovely insight into the iteration and feedback process that takes place on a Pixar animation.

2. Actor’s Voice restored by AI

   A POSITIVE example of how AI has enabled an actor to rediscover the use of their voice.

3. AI Video Editing

   Adobe demonstrated their next level video editing tools in this video showcase.

Favourite Writing of the week: Charge of the Light Brigade

Alfred Lloyd Tennyson’s poem is a classic example of establishing a rhythm so you can interrupt it for dramatic effect.

@chrisnaturallyrp

‘THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE’ by Lord Alfred Tennyson #thechargeofthelightbrigade #chargeofthelightbrigade #alfredlordtennyson #lordte... See more

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

OR… knowing when to pivot.

For me, it was a year ago.

That was when I agreed to voice my first book.

Despite being an actor for sixteen years,
I'd passed all audiobook projects until then.

Why?

The short answer is that they're often one of the lowest paid genres of voice work.

It takes me 4 hours to come up with one hour of finished audio.

1 x hour to read 🧐
1 x hour to prep 📝
1 x hour to record 🗣️
1 x hour to edit and master 🎧

So a 'per finished hour' rate of £250 (at the higher end of the UK market),
is actually working for £62.50 per hour.

NOT bad at all...

But when my recording rate for other genres is £250 per HOUR - you might see why it wasn't a priority.

Three things changed.

1️⃣ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.

With a following of 500k across socials now, more authors and publishers get in touch directly.

They know what I can do and want to leverage my following for their title.

So - a higher rate becomes more feasible.

2️⃣ 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄

I read the book.
I record the book.
But someone else preps it.
And someone else edits it.

Knowing what can be outsourced to trusted professionals has reduced the workload and stress.
Having a higher rate makes this viable.

3️⃣ 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲.

I love video games.
It's where a lot of the sexy voice work lives.
But it's still rare that you get to go deep with characters in every game.

But if you're narrating the right novels... 🤯

Corporate work is still 40% of my work.
Elearning is still 25% of my work.
Games are still 20% of my work.

But ‘pivoting’ has opened up me up to a whole new rhythm and quality of work that I’d never even imagined. So never rule it out!

Voice Acting tip of the week:

Keep it simple.

All artists are encouraged to keep working on their craft. Indeed it’s essential that we do so. But that doesn’t mean we need to apply all our learning in one go.

In the below video, Robert Downey Jr, Sterling K. Brown and Willem Dafoe all point out that keeping things simple and focusing on the essentials is where the real value lies.

There can be a temptation, especially with high stakes projects and auditions, to SHOW your work. This is a timely reminder that true professionals often learn to forget.

Instagram post

Behind The Scenes project of the week:

One great way to showcasing your skills and what it is you actually do is making case studies.

Not every client understands the entire process. And not every client might be aware of how different projects change that process. So creating step-by-step guides of how finished projects were realised can be educative as well as help build trust.

Below is one of seven case studies that I have on both my website and Youtube channel. Each one covers a different genre of work, explains each project succinctly so as to not outstay its welcome. And most importantly - I use my VOICE to do all this, thus subtly demonstrating my offer throughout.

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Beware of FallOut

   Rarely do I just give a shout out to a whole TV series, but the FallOut universe is one of my most treasured gaming memories. So imagine my relief when the new TV adaptation turns out to be really really good…

2. The origins of DND

   Dungeons and dragons is riding the wave of massive popularity right now, so why not check out this succinct overview of its origins as laid out in this Guardian article.

3. Cinematic Insights into the biggest video game of 2024

   An in depth step by step breakdown of how the cinematics were constructed for the biggest title of 2023, Baldurs Gate 3.

Favourite Writing of the week: A Pale Blue Dot

This extract from Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot so beautifully captures the totality of human experience. Recommended reading for sure!

@chrisnaturallyrp

‘PALE BLUE DOT’ by Carl Sagan #palebluedot #carlsagan #carlsagantok #carlsaganquotes #philosophy #philosophytok #philosoohytiktok #britishvoiceover

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

Make it messy!

That's what voice directors want from actors.

So says Beth Park (senior voice director Baldurs Gate 3).

In this video, Beth provided a fantastic insight into what made three actors stand out amongst a mass of auditions.

@bethparkdirector

Advice to actors for self tapes from someone who has watched a lot of them 💖 #selftape #audition #actorslife

Three quick takeaways:

1️⃣ 𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆.

Don't try to fit what you 'think' a client wants.
Embrace what they give you as an artist, then explore it creatively.

2️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗛𝗬𝗦𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟.

Ground the character in a physical reality.

At drama school, we had an exercise called 'object exercise' which was ALL about this.

Very often, it's the tension between a dialogue we're having and a separate physical activity (ie. trying to get dressed while having an argument, fixing a broken tap while calming someone down) that gives LIFE to a scene.

3️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗬.

It's easy to get sucked into crafting the 'perfect' take.

Whether it's an audio or visual, there's always the temptation to over-prepare the life out of a scene.

Instead, focus on connecting with the essential truth of what's going on (see point 1) rather than sweating the small stuff.

Not saying there isn't more to the art of auditioning than this.
I'll be the first to confess I still grapple with a lot of this.
But these tips a lovely reminder to start the week with.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

Make your ‘competition’ a selling point.

On occasion, our egos like to set us in opposition with our peers, usually due to survival instincts. What good things are THEY doing that I’m not?

But this can easily end exhausting bouts of imposter syndrome when any creative is chiefly in competition with themselves more than anyone. So flip that script.

By framing yourself as a resource to other creatives and being willing to offer referrals, you prioritise a client’s need above your own. This is good karma, helps build organic, non-salesy relationships, and means you’re more likely to be top of mind when someone DOES actually need your skills.

Behind The Scenes project of the week:

I’ve been watching Ripley (the Netflix adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talent Mr Ripley) and marvelling at it’s noir aesthetic. However, it’s the performances which make the drama truly shine.

In the below excerpt, Andrew Scott provides a great insight into how he refuses to label his character. He also talks about how the acting process is as much about finding the character within you as ‘transforming’.

@kevinmccarthytv

From my interview with Andrew Scott for RIPLEY. #andrewscott #ripley #filmmaking #thomasripley #netflix

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Linkedin makes moves in short form video

   Yet another platform is belatedly planning to harness the power of short form video, this time in a business context. How much this turns Linkedin into Tiktok is yet to be seen, but as good as reminder as any to explore what makes good UGC (user generated content) if you’re a business.

2. Monkey Island voice actor who knows their worth

   Frank insight into the negotiations so many creatives face behind the scenes. Alexandra Boyd discusses how she refused to return to a beloved character due to the developer having a strict budget.

3. Open AI-rrrrrrgggghhhhhhh

   Open AI revealed they’ve developed their own AI text-to-speech model but are currently holding its release until more security safeguards are in place.

Favourite Writing of the week: The Strongest of the Strange

Charles Bukowski’s poem is a great reminder that (for better or worse), embracing your own strangeness is the quickest way to creating the most interesting work.

@chrisnaturallyrp

THE STRONGEST OF THE STRANGE by Charles Bukowski #bukowski #bukowskiquotes #charlesbukowski #charlesbukowski🎩 #charlesbukowskipoem #poetry... See more

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

Follow the dance of the other person

Where do you go to network online?

For any creative freelancer, that is one of the single most important questions to be tackled. And it was a subject discussed by game writer Alanah Pearce and developer Mike Bithell on the Play Watch Listen podcast.

During that chat, they both dismissed LinkedIn as a platform relevant for them. Bithell says he would ‘laugh in the face’ of anyone who suggested connecting on the platform, while Pierce (who has a vast online following across platforms) says that she doesn’t use LI primarily because it’s where she gets the most unsolicited, inappropriate DM’s from men [see 19.30 mins onwards in the video below].

Now, just to play devil’s advocate - I’ve got video game work from LinkedIn. And Bithell goes on to admit that many people in the gaming community ARE active on LinkedIn and he’s not attempting to represent the industry as a whole. But it’s a timely reminder that you need to pay attention to where your audience is spending time digitally if you want to be intentional in your network building. You’ve got to ‘follow their dance’, as Bithell says.

For example, Bithell and Pearce are both most active on X/Twitter, which has long been considered the platform of choice for the game dev community generally. But I personally can find that platform so toxic, I need to be super selective of how much time I spend on it. Thanks to developing my content repurposing game, I’ve managed to turn my X account into a viable outlet for me again. And by using the Lists function, resisting the ‘doom scroll’ on there has been easier for me.

So here’s your reminder to check in with where you’re spending your time. Where are the people you want to work with hanging out… and is that digital space a place you feel happy in?

Voice Acting tip of the week:

The art of the self-direct.

95% of my work is self-directed, with nobody else listening in while I record. A lot of corporate, elearning and audiobook work goes this way, so it’s essential to get good both at the recording part - and also in managing the feedback and revision process after it.

Behind The Scenes project of the week:

It’s the beginning of awards season in Voiceover world with the announcement of the One Voice Awards nominations. As a perennial awards-bridesmaid (19 x VO nominations and counting), it was lovely to receive yet another nomination for Best Male Voiceover of the Year.

Whether you like the idea of awards or not, it’s a great reason to keep your portfolio and showreels up to date. The submissions process for One Voice always forces me to review my latest projects and pick out my favourite projects. So on that note - please find my 2024 work showreel below!

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Brands add AI restrictions

   This Ad Age article notes that brands are insisting on stronger AI safeguards in their contracts with creative agencies with growing concerns over copyright/IP conflcist of interest.

2. How AI is affecting video game actors

   David Smith offers a great overview of how AI is affecting voice actors in the gaming industry in this detailed piece for The Guardian.

3. Character Select podcast

   Actress Anjali Bhimani and casting director Julia Bianco commenced their new podcast, talking to actors/composers/writers/directors about their favourite gaming moments.

Favourite Writing of the week: Uncle Vanya

'I've wasted my whole life'.

Anyone else get that fear?
I know - a cheery thought to start the week with 😅

But deep down...
That's the thought that keeps me chiselling away at my career. I don’t want tot leave anything on the table.

The quote comes from Anton Chekhov, a writer who saw the absurd and the tragic in the every day.

@chrisnaturallyrp

‘I’VE WASTED MY LIFE’ from Uncle Vanya. #chekhov #antonchekhov #unclevanya #vanya #monologue #theatretiktok #simonstephens #britishvoiceov... See more

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

Be more Swen.

Last week saw GDC (Game Developers Conference) take place in San Francisco, inviting some of the biggest game developers to discuss their work and projects.

The soundbite that jumped out for me was from Swen Vincke, CEO and Founder of Larian Studios, currently one of the most lauded game developer’s in the wake of Baldurs Gate 3.

He didn’t mince his words…

As the gaming industry continues to announce more redundancies, it feels significant that poor practice be called out consistently. It might not lead to a quick resolution, but we can all hope for greater awareness at the very least.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

Be happy to share!

In a live directed session, clients sometimes like to hear back takes so they can check all is okay before moving on to the next section.

I always check with a client in advance if they want playback, because if so, I’ll often hire an audio engineer to handle this on my behalf so I can focus on the performance. But sometimes the decision only comes last minute - or indeed in the middle of a session - and that’s why I have a playback system in place.

Despite the audio quality not being amazing, so many directed sessions are still held through Zoom. So knowing how to route your audio through it for playback can be a lifesaver. Below is the video I found on Youtube a few years ago to clarify the process.

For producers and directors working with talent, always think about whether playback is necessary for a recording session and let the talent know. This will lead to a smoothly run session where the VO talent is very clear on their responsibilities from the start.

Behind The Scenes project of the week:

Being able to build a home studio affordably is the single greatest development that has changed the voice over landscape in the last two decades. So it’s fascinating to see how developments in tech are making other services far more accessible too.

Animator Onur Erdurak reached out to me about experimenting with some facial capture tech and the below video shows the results. All I had to do was download a free app (Live Link Face) to my phone, film myself acting and then send it to him, and Onur had all the data he needed to animate a digital ‘rig’ on top of my performance.

@chrisnaturallyrp

GHAZGHKULL MAG URUK THRAKA - ‘WAAAGH’. Animation & FX @Blendreams. Give them a follow! #ghazghkull #ghazghkullthraka #ghazghkullmagurukthr... See more

While custom built motion capture studios aren’t going anywhere soon, it certainly demonstrates how smaller projects might be able to achieve greater performance fidelity on a budget.

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Craft, Sweat and Joy

   Patsy Rodenburg is one of the most significant voice teachers in the world, so definitely check out her new podcast discussing the importance of craft in acting and creative life.

2. The power of vulnerability

   I tend to get a bit cynical when people talk about the importance of ‘vulnerability’ in the context of their personal brand, but this chat between host Chris Do and Jordan Rogers is great about exploring your uniqueness as a means of crafting opportunity.

3. Audiobook assistance

   In the most recent episode of Audiobooks with Ana, Ana Clements talks with Adam Fritiz, CEO of Pozotron, about their software that allows narrators and editors to proof recordings at rapid speed.

Favourite Writing of the week: God of War

The God Of War franchise’s transformation from bloody hack and slash-athon to meditation on the nature of parenthood and identity is pretty profound. In one franchise, it demonstrates how video games have embraced more cinematic and nuanced storytelling. So I had to include this speech where the protagonist, Kratos, addresses his former self.

@chrisnaturallyrp

‘GOD OF HOPE’ from God of War Ragnorock #godofwar #godofwarragnarok #kratos #kratosgodofwar #kratosgodofwarragnarok #godofwarvalhalla #gow... See more

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

A workshop exploring social media for voice actors

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

How much do you NEED to know?

While listening to The Campaign Podcast’s Gaming Summit episode last week, I was very interested by the question of whether you needed to be a ‘GAMER’ in order to collaborate with the gaming scene effectively.

On the one hand, ex-Formula E gaming director Kieran Holmes-Darby stressed the huge benefits that existed in his being a gamer himself and how he was able to engage in detail with the community.

But on the other hand, Leah Mates (of the British Heart Foundation) - a self professed NON gamer - gave several excellent examples of how BHF had collaborated with Twitch streamers on a variety of campaigns.

This whole discussion reminded me of the role of a voice actor.

In the same day, I might be narrating a detailed medical explainer video, then a documentary about ancient Rome, followed by a voicing a totally original character in a new IP. I cannot be an expert on all these subjects, equally. And I’m never going to possess the same degree of knowledge as the writers I’m working with. So a lot of my job boils down to information synthesis.

Most voice jobs are on a fast turnaround. So rather than asking LOTS of questions, it’s about knowing the RIGHT questions to ask and letting your storytelling instincts come to the fore.

I might not understand all the science in a medical video, but I can understand why it’s important and which are the most significant points to stress. I might not be an expert on ancient Rome, but I can appreciate how the history is being framed to highlight a particular narrative. And I might be totally unfamiliar with the game my character belongs to, but I can quickly identify their objectives, status and the role they play.

Does this mean I don’t do research?

Of course not. I’ll always do prep work for each job so I’m totally in control of why I’m saying what I’m saying. But it’s a timely reminder that knowing where to dig is so vital as a creative.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

Be a problem solver!

Just occasionally, I’ll read something in a script and not be sure if it’s a mistake.

Now, in a directed session, you can just ask your director to be safe. But even then, quite often you’re not actually working with the writer, so might not be able to make a definitive conclusion.

This is when voice actors and directors need to be proactive about embracing ‘alt takes’. In other words, taking the time to record ‘alternate’ versions of a line or paragraph for safety purposes.

It’s a process that is much easier to do mid-session when you’re immersed in a project than via a cold pick up weeks later. So knowing when to do it and how to do it is a skill. I go into my approach a little more in the video below:

Behind The Scenes project of the week:

Last week I mentioned how I’d been putting the finishing touches to my new gaming demo with the help and guidance of Adele Cutting at SoundCuts.

I actually recorded the demo from my home studio with Adele directing remotely, and I also captured the video. I thought it might be interesting to show how a sound designer splices together the takes to get the final product as well as give a sense of all the great audio touches that were added to really sell the narrative. Check out an excerpt below:

@chrisnaturallyrp

EMET SELCH. Footage from my latest gaming demo recording #emetselch #emetselchfanclub #finalfantasy14 #finalfantasyxiv #finalfantasyxivtok... See more

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Is a Tiktok ban on the Bill?

   The real possibility of Tiktok being banned in the US is a timely reminder that being dependent on just one platform for most of your brand building is a dangerous game.

2. Can big games break even?

   This is a fascinating piece by Tessa Kaur looking at the rising cost of game production and whether it’s actually feasible for many of the biggest titles to break even.

3. The writing behind All of Us Strangers

   Andrew Haigh’s film totally blew me away, and this podcast chat about the writing process, approach to adaptation and use of popular music is a great listen.

Favourite Writing of the week: Stephen King

I’m ashamed to have admitted that I thought Stephen King wrote exclusively in the horror genre, so was delighted to encounter this piece of writing from his novella ‘The Body’.

@chrisnaturallyrp

‘The Most Important Things..’ from THE BODY by Stephen King #stephenking #stephenkingbooks #stephenkingnovel #stephenkingthebody #stephenk... See more

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

A workshop exploring social media for voice actors

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

The evolving landscape of actor training

Actor training in the UK suffered a profound loss this month when it was revealed that Patsy Rodenburg, one of the finest voice teachers in the world, decided to leave the drama school she’d been teaching at for 42 years due to a disagreement in methodology.

To recap, Rodenburg’s work in The Right to Speak and The Actor Speaks is taught in some variation across most UK drama schools. She’s worked with theatrical alumni such as Judi Dench and Ian McKellan and trained Daniel Craig and Paapa Essieudu amongst others.

In my own training at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, voice was taught by one of her previous pupils Claudette Williams, who now heads the BA Acting course there. Along with Cicelly Berry, her work has been fundamental in understanding the relationship between breath, body and word.

So why did she leave?

Because she feels the craft of acting is being sacrificed as actor training shifts from theatre to film, where (it’s often perceived) you have to do less - certainly in terms of technique. There also seems to be a suggestion that students weren’t being ‘pushed to excel’ in the way she would have liked, instead permitted to operate within themselves.

To me, part of this does sound like necessary growing pains when it comes to actor training. For years, the amount of time spent preparing actors for film work seemed to be grossly insufficient - I think I spent a total of a week working on camera across my three years! So this challenge to the centrality of theatre in training will necessarily result in push back.

There have also been numerous cases of abusive behaviour in drama schools over the last few decades, so the rise of a more inclusive and less hierarchical approach should be very welcome.

But there is a tension there. Training should be about pushing boundaries and comfort zones as well as practical skill building. Even though I myself haven’t been on stage for four years, I still employ the craft steeped in my theatre training as much if not more than anything I’ve learnt from a VO coach.

Voice Acting tip of the week:

Are you first, second or third circle?

One of Rodenburg’s greatest definitions is the three circles of energy.

Whether you’re an actor, a director or someone who ever has to do any public speaking, keeping in mind these three circle and the different things they can offer are a brilliant shorthand for making character choices.

Behind The Scenes project of the week:

This week, I’ve been working on putting together a new gaming demo with the help of the wonderful Adele Cutting from SoundCuts.

Though the vast majority of work is cast through custom auditions, demos are still vital for introducing yourself and your offer to agents and casting directors as quickly as possible.

While I have a video showreel of all my video game work to date, my demo has to be a short and punchy introduction to my range as an actor in 90-100 second max. I’ve already had to kill a few darlings to get the runtime down and am still in the process of tweaking it. But I would thoroughly recommend the whole production process with Adele and look forward to sharing the final results next week!

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Have I got games for you?

   Game devs Alyx Jones and Oscar Clark discuss the various factors behind the current wave of redundancies in the games industry. A really insightful and compassionate conversation worth checking out.

2. The State of VoiceOver in 2024

   The National Association of Voice Actors sponsored this survey to shed light on the realities of life as a voice actor in 2024. Some interesting insights to check out, including (inevitably) AI but also where most VA’s get their work!

3. Speak the Speech

   Mark Duplass shares a great writing tip for first drafts by encouraging people to verbalise and record them rather than do battle with the empty page. As a voice actor constantly pleading with copywriters to say their scripts aloud, this hit a nerve!

Favourite Writing of the week: DragonBall Z

Anime lost a hugely influential figure in Akria Toriyama this month. Best known for the creation of Dragon Ball Z, he had a huge impact on audiences across the globe as well as his fellow artists. So it felt only right to share a collection of speeches from his most memorable antagonist, Vegeta.

@chrisnaturallyrp

Replying to @Keiji Patton RIP Akria Toriyama. #akiratoriyama #akiratoriyamarip #vegeta #dragonball #princevegeta #dragonballz #animespeech... See more

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

A workshop exploring social media for voice actors

After running the occasional workshop on how I have used social media to build a following of 450,000 followers across platforms, I have been invited to hold a 3 hour workshop going through my approach by Wonderland Voiceover. You can check out the details on the workshop, being held online on 19th March 6pm-9pm GMT, here.

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!

Working out your USP

When I started my voice over business, this was the question posed to me relentlessly…

What’s your unique selling point???!!!

And it drove me mad.

On the one hand, you could answer this with the obvious stuff that spoke to client needs. I pointed to my acting credentials to show I was the real deal, pointed to my home studio to demonstrate recordings are made fast and without audio issues, pointed to my rates page to show I was being transparent.

But all THAT seemed essential to calling yourself a professional… not exceptional.

On the other hand, I could refer to my own ‘uniqueness’. We’re all our own special combinations of nature and nurture after all…

But this felt a bit of a vague cop out, tbh.

In the last 18 months, a third way has started to present itself however.

As my social following has grown, I’ve started to really appreciate how different types of content work on different platforms. Being a content creator, as well as a service provider, means I have a sense of the entire pipeline, not just the voice part. This has led to some fantastic dialogues and collaborations which have ended up operating on a much deeper level.

So while I’m wary of the assumptions being called a ‘content creator’ might trigger, I feel like I’m slowly moving towards a really tangible USP which genuinely benefits both my clients and myself.

I think it’s a great question to keep revisiting thoughout your career.

Do YOU have a clear USP?

Voice Acting tip of the week:

Give the actor space

In both film acting and voice acting, performances have to take place in a constricted amount of time. But while some directors might assume that actors want as many takes as possible, often it’s more to do with creating a conducive atmosphere.

Greta Gerwig, explains this subtle difference brilliantly while talking about the set of her film, Barbie.

Instagram post

Two of the biggest keys to a great performance are relaxation and the permission to fail. Offering that, even when chasing a hard deadline, is what elevates the truly great directors.

Behind The Scenes project of the week:

The biggest thing I love about inbound opportunities?

You could never imagine what they’re going to be.

While all my outbound marketing efforts are limited by my own knowledge of ‘who I should be contacting’, the value in creating content is that it could be seen by cool people doing cool stuff that you never even knew existed.

A great example of this?

FlashGitz.

These guys make amazingly dark, twisted and satirical animation on Youtube and have built an audience of almost 4 million on the platform. Yet I wasn’t even aware of their work until they reached out to me on Instagram. Less than a month later, I’m honoured to have voiced the etheral ‘Space King’ in the pilot episode of their new series of the same name.

It’s exactly the type of project I’d never imagine myself being involved in. It was a riot to do. And it’s not for the faint hearted. Consider yourself warned if you click below!

Media Recommendations:

Every week, I share three podcasts, articles or interviews that I’d strongly recommend. This week…

1. Using commercial breaks to tell a story

   Emmy and Bafta winning director James Strong spoke on The Campaign Podcast about ITV’s hit drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Particularly noteworthy was his insistence that a writer should utilise the commercial breaks to help set an episode’s rhythm rather than ignore them, as well as an insight into why the dramatisation resonated almost stronger than the real story.

2. The Storytelling for Business podcast

   I’ve known and greatly admired voice actor Katie Flamman right from the beginning of my own voice acting journey. She’s just released season 2 of her wonderful podcast about how storytelling is an integral part of every business, interviewing a wide range of guests.

3. The Human cost

   The layoffs continue apace in the game industry, with the closing of Sony PlayStation’s London office announced last week. IGN’s Rebekah Valentine wrote this insightful article on the human cost to those having to pick up from square one.

Favourite Writing of the week: Helldivers 2

If you’re a gamer, you’re likely aware of Helldivers 2, which has been the surprise hit of the year so far. It’s a futuristic mash-up of Starship Troopers and Warhammer 40k, offering its own brand of tongue in cheek heroism as you defend…. ahem… ‘Super Earth’.

As the most successful PlayStation game to also be available on Windows, there has been a huge outcry from XBox players to make the title cross-platform, with many players and content creators doing this in inventive ways.

This weeks video is my own twist on a rousing speech originally performed by creator Chris Valenti, which passed half a million views last week…

@chrisnaturallyrp

‘GIVE ME HELLDIVERS’ by Chris Valenti #helldivers #helldivers2 #helldivers2game #gamingontiktok #britishvoiceover #britishvoiceactor

I hope you found something of interest in this newsletter and thank you again for subscribing.

If you have any suggestions on future content or voice related questions, don’t hesitate to reply to this email or message me at chris@naturallyrp.co.uk.

Know someone who might enjoy the newsletter? Feel free to point them here: https://www.naturallyrp.co.uk/newsletter

A workshop exploring social media for voice actors

After running the occasional workshop on how I have used social media to build a following of 450,000 followers across platforms, I have been invited to hold a 3 hour workshop going through my approach by Wonderland Voiceover. You can check out the details on the workshop, being held online on 19th March 6pm-9pm GMT, here.

Thanks again for reading, and until next week Honey and I wish you a wonderful week!