How To Start Your Career In Voice Acting: Mastering Your Voice Technique, Reading, & Recording
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Getting Started In Voice Acting: Mastering Your Voice Technique, Reading & Recording
Limited spots available - only 10 students accepted - 5 spots remain Payment plans available - contact edu@stage32.com for details You’ve been using your voice your whole life, but do you really know how to use your voice? There are so many factors that go into having a successful voice acting career, but building a strong foundation and learning the basics is a must if you want to get anywhere. There are a few things every voice actor must learn before getting started, and we’ve got a veteran voice actor to teach you step by step through the entire process all you need to know! Van Gunter has been a Cannes Gold Lion award-winning voice actor for over 20 years and co-owns Boutwell Studios, a Post Production Audio Facility. Boutwell produces commercials for television, does custom sound design for video or motion pictures, original music scoring for jingles or soundtracks, and works on specialized projects, such as ADR, podcasts or radio dramas. He’s voiced for NASA, Valvoline, BBVA Bank and Pandora, among many others. Van is a true voice over professional and is excited to share his years of experience with the Stage 32 community. He will be taking a small group of 10 creatives through an 8 session interactive and intensive lab to get you set up from start to finish working on a professional voice session. This is an exclusive opportunity to work one-on-one with a professional like Van that you will not find anywhere else. This lab will fill up, so make sure to grab your spot today before it's gone! "Van was engaging, humorous, and very knowledgeable at his craft, with plenty of helpful notes to help me understand the career very well." - John M.
Voice Acting 101: What You Need to Know to Get Started
Voiceover work is a hot and highly in-demand job for creatives, and one that keeps growing. From audiobooks to animated features and series, to advertisements, voiceover for the visually impaired, and so much more, there are endless possibilities and ways to make income! If you’re an creative looking to stretch your horizons and talents, it’s definitely an area you’ll want to learn and get into. Plus, you can often work from anywhere in the world! One of the challenges facing voice actors starting out though, is not knowing where to start. There are so many factors that go into having a successful voice acting career, but building a strong foundation and learning the basics is a must if you want to get anywhere. You’ve been using your voice your whole life, but do you really know how to use your voice? What happens during a recording session? There are a few things every voice actor must learn before getting started, and we’ve got a veteran voice actor to teach you all you need to know! Van Gunter has been a Cannes Gold Lion award-winning voice actor for over 20 years and co-owns Boutwell Studios, a Post Production Audio Facility. Boutwell produces commercials for television, does custom sound design for video or motion pictures, original music scoring for jingles or soundtracks, and works on specialized projects, such as ADR, podcasts or radio dramas. He’s voiced for NASA, Valvoline, BBVA Bank and Pandora, among many others. Van is a true voice over professional and is excited to share his years of experience with the Stage 32 community. You will leave this webinar with an overview of how to prepare your voice, how to work with a voice script and know how to explore your career options.
The Tools You Need to Transition to a Creative Career at Any Age
Hollywood is overwhelming for anyone trying to break in. The politics are difficult to track, the gatekeepers are challenging to get past, and there’s no clear blueprint for how to “make it.” It’s hard to know where to start, how to make inroads, and how to build a career. And these challenges can feel even steeper for those trying to transition to a creative career from a different industry or later in life. This doesn’t need to be the case. With a strong understanding of the industry and the right tools, this transition is absolutely achievable. Because, no matter what anyone tells you, this industry doesn't have an expiration age for people trying to break in. In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you’ll see how your unique life experiences can inform your creative work so that your age actually works in your favor and makes you an asset in this industry. Frank Stiefel began making films at age 63 and then won an Academy Award at age 70. Formerly a TV commercial executive in New York, Frank decided later in life to pursue filmmaking. His directorial debut, the documentary short INGELORE, played in national festivals and was later broadcast on HBO. His film HEAVEN IS A TRAFFIC JAM ON THE 405 went on to win the Jury and Audience prizes at the Austin Film Festival and earned Frank the Oscar at the 90th Academy Awards. Frank has found incredible success transitioning to a creative career later in life and is excited to reveal what he’s learned on his journey exclusively with the Stage 32 community. Using his own story and path to success, Frank will discuss how he made the jump to filmmaking later in life, what he learned along the journey, and what lessons you can take along with you as you make your own transition. Frank will use his first short film INGELORE as a case study to explain how to do research and take notes in the trenches. He’ll give you ideas of how to make something of your own on the cheap and what resources are available to you. Frank also helps you prepare to transition to a new creative career. He’ll go over questions you should ask yourself before making the switch and how to form your plan. He will talk about how to better afford the transition and other advice you should consider before making the leap. He’ll also explain the most important thing he learned while making the transition. Frank will then use HEAVEN as an example to demonstrate how you can use your unique personal background to inform your project and take criticism along the way. Frank will also discuss what he’s learned from his multiple festival runs and how he’s used it to win an Oscar, and what comes next after winning. Finally, Frank will break down how to make your own age and experience work in your favor while breaking in. Finding success in Hollywood is difficult, but Frank has done so by carving his own path. He will give you perspective, inspiration, and strategies so that you can do the same. Praise for Frank's Stage 32 Webinar "Extremely inspirational. Great words of wisdom for mature people who want to break into the business." - Karen B. "It was awesome and encouraging to have Frank Stiefel talk to people in their 50s, 60s and 70s that its never too late. Thank you Stage 32 for bringing this programming." - Ann K. "I thought the candor with which Frank spoke was amazing." -Kerry B. "Perfect seminar. I shy away from signing up for these when it's someone who is just 'in the biz.' Frank had a very real take on how to be successful in the industry and I appreciated that. Dedicated filmmaker with years of experience in other aspects of art and storytelling. It made for a very engaging and emotional webinar." - Anthony N.
How You Can Become A Development Executive In Entertainment
A New Exclusive Webinar How you can land the coveted role of Development Executive at a streamer, studio or network from an executive who's worked with HBO, Paramount, Hallmark, and more. Plus, receive exclusive handouts to help you get ahead in your job search. Who picks what scripts get produced and become your favorite films and television shows? This role belongs to the Development Executive. The best development executives know how to spot a great script or book that can become a successful film or TV show. They nurture relationships with top talent. They shepherd projects from inception through development and into production managing the creative process while keeping the business side on track. It's all about finding and connecting the right people and helping mold a great script and package that companies want to make and audiences want to see. In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you’ll see exactly what being a development executive is all about and how you can land this creative and often lucrative position through both traditional and non-traditional routes. This webinar will flatten your learning curve and get you closer to stepping onto the development executive ladder. You’ll cover everything from how to find scripts to giving notes to landing the development jobs themselves. Your host, Kelly Edwards, is a former HBO executive who teaches a top-tier leadership program for creative executives, and now she’s sharing her fantastic insight on how to be a development executive with you. Kelly has worked with every major studio and her new book, THE EXECUTIVE CHAIR: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO TV SERIES DEVELOPMENT is a bestseller available in stores and online. She’s also responsible for the success of LIVING SINGLE, GIRLFRIENDS, CLUELESS, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, and a host of other television series. In addition to Kelly’s incredible knowledge, she’s providing you with sample coverage, a list of ways to get your foot in the door, a sample resume, and more. When you’ve finished your webinar with Kelly, you’ll know what it takes to be a successful development executive and how people in the industry land these coveted positions. Put yourself ahead of the competition in your job hunt by snagging a spot with Kelly today. PRAISE FOR KELLY'S WORK AND EDUCATION: "Candid, witty, and extremely knowledgeable, she gets straight to the point which is so helpful for everyone - it’s a masters class on the business and TV in particular." -- Rona Edwards, writer/producer and author of l Liked It, Didn’t Love It (Screenplay Development from the Inside Out) "One word -- AMAZING! Kelly left our entire group feeling newly inspired not only about their writing but also about living their best selves. We will definitely be having her back!" -- Lynelle W. (TV writer, BLACK LIGHTNING, Z NATION, ARMY WIVES) "Kelly delivers an essential guide to necessary skills that every writer needs to successfully navigate the entertainment industry. She is a fantastic, knowledgeable presenter who will help you step up your career game." -- Katherine Craft, writer
Introduction to Assistant Directing & Production Management
Can you imagine finally getting your project up on it's feet to shoot and not having a plan or a schedule for the whole process? What if you showed up each morning and there was no organization around how you were going to make your wildly important production day? That's why you need to know the fundamentals of assistant directing and production management. Assistant directing and production management are the heartbeat of every physical production. These are the skills you need to properly plan, budget and execute a shoot. Whether you want to be a professional production manager or assistant director (which can get you into the DGA), or you're a producer, director, filmmaker, executive or any part of the content creation process, having a working knowledge of these tools and how to communicate properly with these departments is essential. In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you’ll learn an overview of the critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills needed to be a great assistant director and how to best manage a production, from an expert who has worked on countless films and television shows. Korey Pollard is a DGA first assistant director. He’s worked on films including STAND BY ME, THAT THING YOU DO, WATERWORLD, and SPY KIDS 2, among others, and hit TV shows like DEADWOOD, MONK, GREY’S ANATOMY, Stephen Bochco’s MURDER IN THE FIRST, HOUSE, CSI, BOOMTOWN, SALEM, KEVIN FROM WORK, and many more. Korie also holds a position on The First Assistant Director/Unit Production Manager Committee of The Directors Guild of America. In this webinar, you’ll cover: What your responsibilities as an assistant director are What questions to ask the director and producer How to read a script with other departments and their needs in mind The different department meetings What crew you need How to create a pre-production calendar How to create a production schedule And so much more. Miscommunication, misunderstanding, and reaching for too much work are all missteps that you’ll inevitably face during production. But by learning these skills and tools from Korey, you’ll have the keys to creating an achievable plan, working with your team to problem solve, and know how to plan and execute a shoot at the highest levels.
Finding and Hiring Your Casting Director - A Step by Step Process for Filmmakers and Producers
It's not an understatement to say that the decisions made during the casting of your film, short film, TV pilot, or short form digital content can make or break or break your project. Being able to cast a wide enough net to assure that you see enough actors so you can choose those who fit the vision and tone of the material is paramount. But not all filmmakers and producers have that kind of reach. Further, they don't have the connections and experience to not only cast that wide net, but also bring in familiar and experienced talent that can accelerate this aspect of the pre-production process while saving valuable time, resources, and, most importantly, money. But for many, identifying and engaging casting directors of value is a challenging process. And for that reason alone, many filmmakers and producers handle the casting calls, the auditions and the decisions to hire their actors on their own. Often, that's a fatal mistake. Finding the right actors for your film does not have to be difficult. Neither does interviewing and, eventually hiring a casting director. The fact is, casting directors are plugged in to the most experienced and the best up and coming talent. Further, they know what to look for in the room during the audition process. What questions to ask. What signs to look for. And what red flags may be readily visible to them that you might overlook. While many filmmakers and producers believe they can't afford a casting director, they don't have the information and knowledge to truly know. Experienced filmmakers and producers know they have to include a casting director in their budget. And they also know that they can secure one without breaking the bank while bringing enormous value to their project. Over the course of her stellar and prestigious career, Casting Director Erica S. Bream (CSA) has had the opportunity to work on a myriad of projects across all platforms. A few of these titles include TV series such as ALTERED CARBON, COLONY, WORKAHOLICS, HOUSE OF LIES, CRIMINAL MINDS, and the upcoming TELL ME YOUR SECRETS, PANDORA as well as numerous TV pilots and miniseries, including Hulu’s 11.22.63, and FULL CIRCLE from DirecTV. She has worked on several feature films including STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS and many indie films, such as the John Legend-produced BREAKING THROUGH. Erica has also worked extensively in the internet and short film worlds, most recently casting award-winning AFI short, RITA MAHTOUBIAN IS NOT A TERRORIST as well as PINKY for Refinery29. She has also ventured back to her first love, theatre, working closely with THE BLANK THEATRE COMPANY and IAMA THEATRE COMPANY in Los Angeles on many main-stage plays, as well as numerous years casting The Blank's prestigious YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL. Finally, Erica is an Artios Award winner (Casting Society of America) and seven-time nominee for her work in theatre, television and short films. Erica will teach you exactly what a casting director does and lay out in specific detail why you need to hire one and where to find one that can make a difference for your project. She will cover all your questions on budgeting for a casting director and what the expectations should be. She will discuss how to approach casting directors for features, short films, web series, digital shorts and more. She will show you how to secure name talent that can lead to a greenlight. Erica will also take you through the audition process, including live and taped auditions, and call back sessions. She will take you through common mistakes filmmakers and producers make when communicating with casting directors and how to not only avoid them, but what to do instead. This is a full, immersive deep dive into demystifying all the untruths and misinformation regarding hiring casting directors and how, instead, you can have a CD on your team that can help elevate your material and allow for you to see your vision on screen with actors who can carry that vision forward. Praise for Erica "I've been listening to the wrong voices. For the longest time I thought it would be impossible to get a casting director to cast my film and also thought it would be ridiculously expensive. My world has completely opened up." - Christina T. "Now I know exactly why my casting director was the wrong casting director. I won't make the same mistake twice." - Aimee C. "Drop the mic advice." - Slater M. "This felt like I was accepted into a secret club. So much information that I have never heard before. Insider kind of information. Thank you, Erica!" - Dina R.
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