Voiceovers

When I was in high school, actually, I really liked sound. I was more curious about how sound got into movies and TV shows and how to make them. I even had to chance to come up with different sounds for a theater production – with the sound guy, I helped create the sound of bells and rain with neither things on hand.

Not actually recording

I liked theater and I really thought people who did voiceover stuff were cool. I could fall in love with someone’s voice. I can remember a voice. I can feel them and see them. Not just professionals, people in my life. I can't remember names or faces, I can remember voices.

It seems like it’s a simple thing, to talk, but a lot goes into it. Accents (removing, that is) and pronunciation, tone, pitch and emotion. Voice acting can be harder than in-your-face acting.

I thought it would be cool to have a voiceover role somewhere. Be really rich off voicing some cartoon and living in virtual unknown-ish-ness.

First Time
I did some voice work when I worked at a radio station. The station fired me. Not for the voice stuff, mostly because I didn't know how to do my job. I didn't do a good job. It was my first job out of college. I sucked at it. I sucked at learning. It was some of my own fault and some of the fact that I was getting sicker without knowing it – my brain couldn't remember things and my depression was creeping in. I actually had no human contact unless I was at work – and it was with no one my own age. Everyone was in their 50s. Rough.

However, I got to do a couple commercials and I loved it. Man, I wish I could have been in the production department. Copy writing and voicing was right up my alley. I guess those people are also a dime a dozen. Rather, there were 50-year-olds who had been there for 40 years who were not leaving.

Other Stuff
I actually use to record my voice and listen – because it sounds different in my head and that’s weird – in order to help me memorize lines for theater or even when I was in college doing bits for the media part of my degree.

In my third job after college, we hired voiceover people for our training programs. Man, that sounds like the sort-of life. It’s like freelance, which is a world I am use to, plus doing stuff that is really cool that people pay you for.

Current
Oddly enough, I actually am becoming (and fighting to) be the voice of my company. Not in a PR way, in a training way. I have voiced two elearning programs and I hope to do more. Since I worked with sound stuff, I know how to do basic editing and computers today make everything easier.

I never got good at accents or anything that would make this marketable, I don't think. I don't have a way to do a setup where I live to even bring in some money freelancing. I would love to voice a book or maybe take a lesson or two. All of these things will never be in the cards for me, I am sure. But, it's nice to dream.

Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.

Act in a Movie

Mission Level: Success

That's right, I was totally an extra in a movie. This is my big break.

 Kidding.

This was actually a very last minute deal that involved my amazingly talented boyfriend's brother and this car. And the '80s.

Background 
Both my hot boyfriend and I have been having a tough week. Frustrations are running high. Things are going wrong. Yeah, we were beaten and run down. After some chatting, he told me his brother is shooting a movie with his friends if I wanted to be an extra with him since he said he would. It might be called the Southern Heritage Cup.

Hey, why not?

It was actually fun hanging out with members of the North American General Lee Fan Club - and I only know this because one of the guys is Bill Lambing from the 2005 Beauty and the Geek show stated this in some interview once and I wanted to see if there was a formal name for the group. I never watched it, but, I knew about it. And by show, I mean Beauty and the Geek and Dukes of Hazard. I knew some of the General Lee, the car featured in the show, and. . .whatever.

My best conversation:

Al: Tomorrow we will be shooting the corn-holing.
Manda: Wait, what? Corn-holing?
Al: Yeah. What do you think corn-holing is?
Manda: No, what do YOU think corn holding is.
Al: You know, bean bag toss.

Just so we are all clear, there are two very different definitions of "cornhole" in both the noun and verb form. If you didn't know, here are the two. Now, in the south, this is the way the definitions would probably be listed. In the north, I think it would be backwards.

1. Cornholing: also known as bean bag toss, corn toss, baggo or bags, is a lawn game in which players take turns throwing corn hole bags at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. A bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. Play continues until a team or player reaches the score of 21.
2. Cornhole is a sexual slang vulgarism for anus. The term came into use in the 1910s in the United States. Its verb form to cornhole, which came into usage in the 1930s, means to have anal sex.

So, what is this project they are working on?

The Trailer 
I know it says coming in 2011 and it's 2013, but, this is a small group.

 

My Role
I was an extra.

The scene that they were recreating was this one where the Oak Ridge Brothers played "Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight" in a bar.

I don't have the footage to show you. It's really a bunch of us trying to keep beat to the music for a couple minutes. I didn't try, I succeeded. I was formally trained. I did get into character by yelling at my dashingly handsome and southernized boyfriend that, "Baby, you never take me no where nice! Why don't you take me to the bar to see them Oak Ridge Brothers!"

My accent is a little lost on this blog. I assure you, it was awesome.

Future Plans
Well, once everything is completed and produced, I'm sure I will be getting calls about my mad acting skills and everything.

I was also told there could totally be a speaking role for me.

I'm just saying. . .I mean, sayin', sugar!

Be Part of the Adventure
Do you have a suggestion or want to see me attempt something? Drop me an email at AdventuringAmanda@gmail.com with your suggestion.