Voice Over Experts

Excellent podcast Pat.

Being able to do believable accents is like being able to sound like the opposite gender - it will increase your opportunities greatly. But the emphasis is on believable. I hear so many mediocre cockney accents. All it takes is one small error and an actor betrays himself. Many actors can read a few sentences or paragraphs without one error - then all of a sudden - one word mis-pronounced and it's clear that it's an American trying to be a cockney.

It's not just knowing the accent - it's knowing the correct pronunciation. Many words in British English have the emphasis on a different syllable. Even if you nail the accent perfectly, placing the stress on the first syllable instead of the second will give you away every time. Words like 'Plateau' have the stress on the first vowel in the UK, whereas in the US, the emphasis is on the 'eau'. Another is 'Frustrate' - in the UK, the emphasis is on 'ate' whereas in the US, the first syllable is stressed. The only way to know this is to watch a lot of British television or befriend Brits!

There are numerous reference sites for accents on the web. The one I use mostly are:

http://accent.gmu.edu/
http://web.ku.edu/idea/

And watch out for Doug Honorof's site - I've studied with Doug and he is an actor as well as a dialect coach. http://www.verberations.com

Pat

Tremendous information. I have pointed several of our students in your direction. Everything was very well explained and tangible.

Have to get you to do a workshop with us one of these days!

Best Regards

David at Voice Coaches

Pat,

Thanks for the really good, really useful material.

Be well,
Bob

Dear Pat,

Your teaching is always rich in experience and authentic. Thank you for another fun and insightful lesson.

As you may remember from the NY book narration sessions, I am a singer and I speak 5 languages myself, and I specialize multilingual projects, so I am particularly appreciative of the "lilts" -- the tones and rhythms of languages -- that so often elude many voice actors. Also, just because a character has a foreign accent, that should only be one of the many aspects of characterization. They are still individual personalities with personal histories and unique backgrounds, as you so wisely pointed out. Otherwise, we fall into dumb stereotypes ---ughh! Sadly, there is still much stereotyping in all media.

I'm glad teachers with your reach and influence are working to fight that and create worlds full of rich and nuanced characters.

With gratitude,

Adela M. Bolet
The voice heard around the world
Bolet Language Services

Pat's teaching titles are all top-notch, and this podcast is no different. Come rain or shine, sleet or snow, Pat always manages to bring us the essentials we need to stay at the top of our game.

Always a pleasure listening to his work! Bring him on again soon, Voices.com!

Bret