Post a JobBettye Zoller : Getting Started in Audiobook Narration
Links from today's show:
VoicesVoices.com
Bettye Zoller Voices.com Website
Your Instructor this week:
Voice Over Expert Bettye Zoller
34 years as a respected university and private educator in voice, speech, theatre, radio-TV, and voiceover techniques along with her award-winning career in voiceovers and jingles has won Bettye Zoller an international reputation that brings clients and students to her workshops and to work in her Dallas recording studio (she's an accomplished audio engineer/producer) from all over the globe! She is educated through the doctorate (from Missouri University, University of Texas at Dallas, University of North Texas) with faculty positions in the past at Southern Methodist University, University of Texas at Arlington, Dallas County Colleges. She has also studied with famed NYC acting coach Uta Hagen, in Chicago at the "Second City School" and her career began long ago at Metro Goldwyn Mayer's Hollywood studio school (as a child performer signed to MGM).
Her voiceover credits number in the many hundreds (she's never counted!) and range from voiceovers and jingles for national TV commercials to audio books to cartoons, from toys to podcasts to anime. You've heard her for decades worldwide! Clients have included American Airlines,Pepsi, Visa, Lifetime TV Channel, The Weather Channel, Pace Picante Sauce, Lionel Trains, Texas Instruments Talking Toys, Seven Seas Dressings, Pedialyte Vitamins, promos for ABC, NBC, and BBC America. She is a Simon and Schuster audio book author, narrator, and producer. She has won ADDYS, CLIOS, GOLDEN RADIOS, and AUDIE awards over the years. She is the author of eleven audio titles sold worldwide and continues to produce new titles annually. She is known for teaching voiceover techniques including audio book narration and production, and her BUSINESS OF VOICEOVERS workshops are legendary with students who credit her with starting them in their lucrative voiceover careers!
Bettye, with four top male announcers, has written and produced a wonderful CD program entitled "COMMERCIAL$PEAK" featuring interviews and sections announced by guests and male announcers of reputation. The foreword is by Dick Orkin of Hollywood Radio Ranch, a man who is well known in the U.S. as a commercial creator producer as well as Voice Over performer and teacher.
Did you enjoy Bettye's episode? Leave a comment with your thoughts!
Comments
Ms. Bettye Zoller's text was quite informative, however much of the editing was distracting. In the mid-70s, Tony Schwartz proved the value of his "Audio Design" techniques, including that of the omission of inhalations, to snag listeners via "borderline sublimation." However, taking all the breath out of a 3:06 piece, as was done here, especially an instructive or a narrative one, disrupts rhythm. Conscious use of breath and pauses are vitally important communication tools. Additionally, such substration leaves the listener gasping for air.
Moreover, the music chosen for any recorded piece should bolster the text rather than distract from it, as does the selection made for the first 25 seconds of her recording.
Equal attention needs to be made to the editing of any piece, especially narratives of extended works. I doubt it is the objective of an audio book to leave its listener in a state of agitated asphyxia.
Posted by: Grady Clarkson | May 13, 2008 6:10 PM