Vox Talk

VOX Talk PODCAST: EPISODE 4

Podcast Description:

VOX Talk is your connection to the voice industry covering news about voice-overs and voice actors, hot tips on how to grow your voice-over business, technology, and Q&A with the experts at Voices.com.

Salutation:

Welcome to VOX Talk, brought to you by Voices.com. My name is Stephanie Ciccarelli, co-founder of Voices.com and your host for today’s show. VOX Talk is about you! It’s a new podcast that helps you grow in your voiceover career. Each episode will begin with news and current voice-over events in a segment called “The Loop”. Then, we’ll explore business development and hot trends that will set you apart as a professional voice actor. Next on the list is Tech Talk, a segment where our team will review products and guide you through the technological landscape. Lastly, we’ll answer your questions and play audio feedback in a segment called “VoxBox”.

Now that we’re ready to go, let’s move on to our first segment!

The Loop:

News #1

Larry King: 50 Years in the Biz

Legendary broadcast icon Larry King, host of the television program “Larry King Live” on CNN, is celebrating 50 years of broadcasting in April of this year with a weeklong series of shows. The lineup for King's April celebration has not yet been finalized. Oprah Winfrey is one of the scheduled guests, and former US President Bill Clinton and actress Angelina Jolie are being pursued for two of the other nights. Katie Couric will interview King on the last celebration show. King has also agreed to a 50th-anniversary roast, with Bill Maher emceeing.
Larry King, age 77, has been with CNN for 24 of those 50 Golden years.
To learn more, visit the links on the VOX Talk blog http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/entertainment/4458210.html

News #2

In other news, Screaming Bee LLC has created an online support area for Sony Sound Forge users. Sound Forge is a professional-grade audio editor that can import, record and manipulate sound and then save content to various file formats. The educational page provides tips for multimedia enthusiasts and professionals on how to integrate MorphVOX Pro Voice Changer with this audio editor.

MorphVOX Pro provides high-quality voice morphing for online games, instant messaging, and the professional studio. It can also be used for creating voice-overs for audio and video projects.

For more information, go to Screamingbee.com

News #3

Our last story is about a German company, Fraunhofer IIS, that has been converting analog audio recordings into digital audio recordings for twenty years.

The German research institute is commemorating this milestone with a range of events including the release of several videocasts which promise to deliver insights into the development of mp3 and the early days of audio coding. Additionally, the mp3 history is offered as an mp3 podcast.

The highlight of these celebrations will be the Day of Audio Coding on May 25, 2007.

To learn more and to watch the videocasts, visit the VOX Talk links for episode 4.

http://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/fhg/iis/EN/bf/amm/mp3history/index.jsp (English translation of website and History of MP3 videocasts)

If you have any news or a voice-over related item that you would like to send in, send it to media@voices.com.

The Biz:

This week in The Biz, we’ll be discussing the new Charlotte’s Web movie, currently in theatres everywhere.

If you've read the classic children's novel “Charlotte's Web” by E.B. White, you've likely heard about the new Charlotte's Web movie (2006), complete with computer generated characters alongside a human cast, starring the voice talents of Julia Roberts as the beloved spider and heroine, Charlotte A. Cavatica.

Charlotte's Web teaches us about life and death, trust, friendship and also proves that we can all make a difference in the lives of others if we try.

While today's generation of children will remember the film starring Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, and John Cleese those of us born in the eighties and beforehand know a different, gentler Charlotte's Web, released in 1973, starring the voice talents of Debbie Reynolds as Charlotte the Spider, Paul Lynde as Templeton the Rat, and Henry Gibson as Wilbur.
You may also appreciate that Don Messick played the role of Jeffrey and that Rex Allen was the Narrator.
Now, to the heart of the matter: which voice cast did you like best?

Send in your comments and feedback by leaving a comment on the VOX Talk blog or by sending in your audio feedback to media@voices.com.

Tech Talk:

This week in Tech Talk, we’ll talk about the new iPhone from Apple Inc.

If you think you heard me incorrectly, I did indeed say “Apple Inc.”. As of this month, Apple shortened their name from Apple Computer Inc. to Apple Inc.

For those of you up on the technological beat, Mac World, the annual Mac conference is taking place all this week in Cupertino California, celebrating 30 years of new products and innovation. The most recent products announced were the Apple TV and the iPhone. The iPhone, which aims to reinvent the mobile phone, has a microphone built in allowing anyone with the device to record conversations or telephone calls. Bearing that in mind, it’s reasonable to imagine that the iPhone will contribute significantly to the growth of interview-style podcasts.

What does this mean for you? More voice talent will be in demand to produce imaging and promos for new podcast productions.

The iPhone will be available in the US in June of 2007.

VoxBox:

Welcome to VoxBox! This has been a crazy week, with ACTRA striking and all! Earlier this afternoon, I asked five questions of ACTRA talent registered at Voices.com affected by the strike. I was able to get a hold of Bob Brewster in the province of Quebec, a province that joined the ACTRA strike today:

1) Hi Bob, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. First off, how is the ACTRA strike affecting you personally as a union member based in Quebec?

2) I see. So, as a member of ACTRA, are you being compensated for your inability to accept various projects during the strike?

3) How significant do you think this strike is? I've heard it is the first time since the inception of ACTRA over 60 years ago that the union has gone on strike.

4) Do you have picket duty?

5) And the question of the hour: Is there an end in sight? Do you have any projections to share?

Play Bob Brewster’s feedback

I’d like to thank Bob Brewster for sharing his thoughts with us today. To hear more from other affected ACTRA members, visit the VOX Daily Blog at blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/

If you have something you would like to share, perhaps a tip, a comment or suggestion, send in your MP3 file to be included in the VOX Box by emailing media@voices.com.

Farewell:

Thank you for joining us today. If you just can’t get enough, log on to Voices.com for more information about how our service works and how we can serve you. Bye for now!