Re: Voice Acting

Title: Voice Acting
From: zeldawalkthrough1
Message:
I've been considering doing some myself in the future and I'd appreciate it greatly if ya could give me a bit of advice
To: jonfawkes

Title: Re: Voice Acting
From: jonfawkes
Message:
Sure. I don't know how helpful I can be but I can tell you a few things from experience. Take this with a grain of salt.

1. Voice acting is not just the voice. It is also the acting, as the term implies. Take some basic acting lessons. I recommend a Stanislavski book, those are a staple to an acting curriculum. You could have the cutest, sexiest, most beautiful voice in the world but if you don't have any skill to back it up, you won't get far.

2. Voice acting is also the voice. It is a different skill from just acting on stage or in film. Take some classes on voice control. A singing class is great for this. You might not want to be a singer, but the skills you learn from it will really help boost your voice acting ability.

3. Prepare for disappointment. As all actors face, and the same goes for voice actors, you're going to be rejected a lot more than casted. Even myself, my rejection to cast ratio is probably 100:1, no matter how hard that is to believe. Don't let one rejection discourage you, don't let 1000 rejections discourage you. As an actor understand that you aren't being rejected because you're bad, you're being rejected because you don't fit the part.

4. Learn to work with people. Voice acting may be just a hobby, but it is an industry you're entering. You will not only be working with other actors, you will be working with producers, directors, musicians, artists, and many other people. Understand that you are not the center of anything, and that, especially as an actor, you are replaceable. Be friendly and learn to work with people, don't make people work with you. From my experience, even if you aren't any good, if you're someone who is nice to work with, you will be picked even over someone "more skilled".

5. Do not expect to become famous overnight. Do not expect to become famous at all. You are not the first to do this, and you will most definitely not be the last. There are hundreds of thousands of people in the amateur community alone, so you have a lot of competition. If you're doing this only to become famous, stop now, you won't get any further than this.

That should be a good starting point. From there, watch a lot of videos as a student, looking for what works and what doesn't, and learning from that. Ask other people too, I certainly am not the foremost expert on this.

I wish you the best of luck with voice acting, and hope to work with you in the near future.

To: zeldawalkthrough1

New Apartment in Riverside

Just moved in and got the net working! Check out these crappy pictures of my apartment





In all seriousness it's been pretty emotional moving in. As I was unpacking I felt the onset of a slight depression (probably homesickness). But my roomies are pretty cool, I think it's going to be a good year.

Anime Expo 2010

This was my first year at Anime Expo, and it was amazing! I mostly attended voice acting panels as well as AX Idol. I didn't win, but it was super fun, and I learned a lot of stuff.

Day 1

Anime Expo 2010 Day 1

This was Anime Expo Idol 2010. I got there in the morning, picked up my badge, and then rushed all around to find where the AXIdol sign-in was. Turns out it was in the JW Marriot hotel outside of the convention center. Luckily I made it in time, but I was quite tired, which is probably why my throat dried up partway through my audition. The competition was intense, but really fun.

Day 2

Anime Expo 2010 Day 2

The only significant thing I did this was was the Danny Choo panel, but it was very inspiring. Choo basically explained his story about how he made it to Japan. It was quite a touching story I thought. I didn't win the game of jan-ken-pon for the Black Rock Shooter figure though. I found it in the deal hall for almost $100 O.O

Day 3

Anime Expo 2010 Day 3

This was the Crispin Freeman panel and AX Idol finals. I thought it would be a good idea to attend the finals anyway, just to see what I would be up for next year. It was quite a rush, there were so many people, and the excitement was only boosted by Johnny Yong Bosch and Cristina Vee. All of the finalists were amazing, they definitely deserved to win. Freeman's panel was also very educational.

Day 4

Anime Expo 2010 Day 4

The final day of the con, and the Cristina Vee panel and the big Voice Acting panel. Those were also really fun and educational. Not much else to say about that. Had to leave early to get to the bus in time to head back to San Diego, otherwise I would have stayed to watch the AnimeTV panel.

Overall, the experience was great, and I hope to be able to go again next year.

It's finally over, year 1

Phew, I can't believe I made it through the first year of college alive! Actually, I must say, it wasn't that hard.

Being in a dorm by myself, I felt a lot more independent, which meant I got to stay up as late as I wanted, no curfew or bedtime, it was completely my own responsibility. This meant I had to learn to be more responsible, but I also had a lot more freedom, which helped a lot to take off the stress of school-work and responsibility for myself.

I never did get a job, but I did make some money on my own, a little by my Voice Acting work and a little by my website. I really should get a job though.

Finals have been the worst every quarter, but once they were over, it felt great. It was bad, but never so bad that it put me into a state of panic. Maybe this is a side effect of being more responsible for myself.

This has certainly been an experience. I am far from being able to support myself completely on my own, but you know, college is a time for learning, not only academically but about the real world too. I'll be getting an apartment for next year, that'll be even more exciting.

I'm just glad it's finally all over. It's time for summer! Up next, Anime Expo and Comic-Con!

Avatar (and not the air bender)

I went with my roommates to see Avatar, that new movie that's out in theaters. Thought it'd be a great way to kick off the quarter, since I imagine this is going to be one long winter.

I must say it is an absolutely amazing movie. The CG is wonderful, very detailed, at times, it was hard to tell the reality from the animation.

The plot was great. Simple enough to follow and sophisticated enough to get you thinking. Some elements were hard to remember, but the ideas were always present so this wasn't a problem.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who hasn't seen at (at this point, I doubt there isn't anyone who hasn't seen it).

So that's my short review of Avatar, and my first day of the quarter. It's gonna be a long one, but I'll see it through to the end.

Xmas! Present Galore!

I say present 'cause I only got one :> but it's all good.

For Xmas, I got the MXL 990 USB Condenser Microphone with a standard pop screen. I'd been looking at it for a while, and I read some good reviews, so I asked for it.

It really is good, but it gave me a bit of trouble starting up. Once I downloaded the right drivers though, it was pretty much the quality I expected it to be. I imagine I'd have truly professional quality when I go to record in the music room at college.

So here's some pics. Hopefully I can get some awesome stuff out with that mic soon too.

First day of finals week, I'm already dead [tired]

I think my story actually stats last night. I stayed up until almost 4:00 AM trying to finish my final English paper, as that was part of the requirement for the in-class final.

So eventually, I finished and went to sleep, being sure I set my alarm early enough. Unfortunately, I was so tired that I slept through the alarm. I woke up at 7:57 AM. A mere 4 hours of sleep. Oh, and my final was at 8:00 AM in a building I didn't have time to find beforehand.

It's a beautiful December, the sky is full of gray melancholic clouds. It's pouring freezing rain outside, and I was in such a rush that I had nothing put a pair of pants and a t-shirt on. I picked up the papers I had prepared for the final and ran like I was in the Olympics.

No breakfast, minimal clothes that were accepted by society, barely any sleep, and the pressure of an English final.

I arrived barely in time, so I didn't disrupt too much. I got in there and tried to write my paper. Being dead tired, I strung together only whatever thoughts came to mind and got out of there as fast as I could. I took maybe an hour and a half out of the three hours we were allotted and just booked it.

At least I know I won't have to deal with that again for a little while.

I came back to the entrance of my building to realize that earlier, I was in such a rush that I had forgotten my cell phone and my room key. I couldn't call my roommate and ask him to open the door for me, nor could I open the door myself.

I sat there in a beautiful rain for a good amount of time, just looking up at the sky and watching the water fall.

Eventually, I was let in by a fellow building resident. Now I'm here posting this entry.

This was only the first day of finals week, but I'm hoping I can prepare myself better after this. I'm so crashing. I acknowledge that most of this is probably my own fault, but that doesn't stop me from complaining :>

You know, ironically, my final paper and exam were on the topic of suicide. Just thought I'd point that out.

Huaaaa! Kaz SSAF Get!

So, the new Pangya update came out, and with it, the release of the Kaz SSAF set. I decided to try luck. I hate gambling with premium points, but I thought it might be worth it.

I was right.

I was scratching a buncha tickets, it looked pretty hopeless, but I wasn't expecting much, so I wasn't bothered.

And then...

What's this!?!?! I've only got 30-something tickets left, and this...The box says Kaz on it!

Booyah! I did it! I waited all this time, and I finally won the Kaz SSAF!

Check me out! Holy crap! Now, I can't wait for Kaz's dragon to come out.

I haven't played Pangya is so long, and I probably will keep the slow pace. I haven't played any of the event, I'm not going to bother anymore, but Pangya will be great every once in a while.

Free Red Bull?!?!

So, we were walking back from dinner when we were stopped. It was two girls, pretty young looking, probably our age, driving around in a buggie with a huge red bull can on top. They asked if we wanted red bull. I was a little skeptical, wondering what the catch was, but there was none, they just handed us the cans and went off to the next group. Maybe they were advertising or something. Nonetheless, it was pretty cool.

Right as we were leaving, the car that was waiting to pass started to follow the red bull car. The driver was shouting "Hey! Red Bull! Wait! Stop!" chasing the car down. It was pretty funny, I guess you had to be there. Too bad I didn't have my camera.

I wonder why we were stopped. Maybe it was because I was wearing my cloak. The groups behind and ahead of us didn't seem to have any red bull. Interesting thing to speculate about. My cloak has gained me a bit of attention around campus, I'm surprised my teachers haven't commented yet. Whatever.

So, that was my 'interesting story of the night'. Now I have to think of an interesting story for English class tomorrow.

Blue Angels and Golden Knights

So, I went to see the MCAS Miramar air show last night. I missed most of the day show, so it was the twilight showing that we attended. It was pretty awesome. We arrived just in time to see the golden knights parachute troop. Fun stuff.

The fireworks show was pretty spectacular, probably more so than the 4th of July.

Seeing the hornet fly around was really cool too. You could feel it's speed.

And then there was the wall of fire. Quite literally a wall made of fire. That was intense, we could feel the heat from where we were standing.

So, maybe I'll have a video and photos up soon.



So here's the video, in all of it's low quality glory :D

Pangya: Arin's Wings :D

The Ventus Mission event ended, and I didn't get to finish. I probably would have won a feather anyway .-.

With the update comes Arin's Wings! Hooray! Screenshot below.

That's what's happening in the world of Pangya. Okay, back to school time

End of Welcome Week: Block Party!

So, after all of the classes today, my roommates and I went out to the block party. It was pretty chill, there wasn't too much dancing or anything going on, though there was a lot of smoking.

So, here are a few pictures from said party.

A few of the booths offering food.

My roommates and I, picture taken by me.

Dancing banana, selling bananas.

Some random Korean BBQ pitchman. He was actually pretty good.

Our mascot, Scotty the Bear, walking around. (This is a nice shot)

It's nighttime. My roommate decided to take a picture of me. The picture sucks

A picture of the HUB, Highlander Union Building I think. Not really relevant.

So that was the first week of my college life. One down, a lot more to go.

Welcome Week Day 1: Maz Jobrani

Gosh, my camera sucks, or maybe it's just my hand. All of the pictures came out blurry as all hell, so I don't have much to show off.

So we had a Freshman Convocation, where we met our Dean and stuff. He's actually a really chill guy. Once the meeting was over, he stripped off his chancellor outfit and we danced and did the wave. I think we've got an awesome school.

Then, we went to see Maz Jobrani, a comedian. He was pretty good, his stuff was relevant and interesting, he certainly engaged the audience.

I really feel welcome, I think it's going to be a good year. Classes start on Thursday I think, I'll be ready for that. I hope the dean was right when he said that the years will just wiz by, 'cause I already can't wait to be done (not in the bad way, I'm excited about school, but I'm excited about what's beyond that too).

Blurry as all hell picture!!!

A new life begins

I have moved into my college dorm room, and am blogging from here. It's not too bad, it's pretty cozy. Here are more pictures.

Here is my one of my roommates, John. He's playing around with his gundam models

My closet. Not much to say about that.
One corner of the room, Nick's computer and TV.
Another view of the room.
My bed. It's not really made.
My 'mates' beds.

So that's it. Hopefully this'll be a good year. Can't wait to see what the year has in store for me.

Got my license + Pangya!

I passed my driving test :D I can now drive myself around. The test wasn't too hard, though now I'm exhausted. Maybe it's 'cause I woke up too early. Not much to say about that.

In other news, NtreevUS has started a new Pangya event, the Ventus missions. This will be a nice chance to win some awesome super rare clubsets. I wish they were giving away the wings instead of feathers, but I won't complain too much.

Unfortunately, I've got to get moving, so I won't be able to play Pangya. I'll just take this time to enjoy home while I can, then it's off into the real world!

Finally reached Amateur E!

For those who play Pangya, you'd know, Amateur E isn't exactly the easiest level to get to. I've been anticipating this, since now I can wear practically every available equipment :D I immediately blew 250K on Arin equips once I got there. Totally worth it.

Of course, it doesn't stop here :> Gotta keep it up if I really wanna go pro

Last days of Summer at La Jolla Beach

So, the end of summer approaches, but it's fun. Spent the day at La Jolla beach. The water is so clear and pretty, and strong. I got tossed around so much I actually hurt my ankle. Sucks, I became physically inable to go snorkeling later that day, but it was still fun. The view was nice, the air was fresh, and the water was fun. I spent a lot of my time in a little cove, that was nice.

Here's a picture of me, enjoy :D

Shopping in LA

So, went up to LA yesterday to do some shopping. Got some comforters in preparation for college.

Alright, so on the way up, we stopped by a rest stop. You could have lived here if you had enough money. Vending machines sold food, snacks, sewing kits, toothbrushes, toothpaste, pain killers, bandages, and condoms. Yep. Condoms. That doesn't really sound like a good idea, buying condoms at a rest stop, but who knows...

So then we passed through Little Tokyo on our way up. It was neat. didn't really see too much though.

We went through a lot of shops while up in LA. Get some ice cream. Didn't buy anything though. We stopped by a pet shop, just because there were a lot of cute animals. The lovebirds were so adorable. There was a nice, really big parrot too.

Then we crashed a little at our cousin's new house. An awesome two story house with a balcony. We socialized, played with cousins, the likes. I've got a place to stay while I'm up in Riverside too :D

Then we went home. Arrived home at 1. Slept. Woke up. Blogged.

Picnic at Poway

081509Poway

So, we were invited to a picnic at Poway Lake. It was nice. I met some nice people, saw some nice sights, and overall had a lot of fun.

Lunch consisted of burritos. The meal was accompanied with lots of soda, watermelon, strawberries, grapes, and sesame seed balls (they're really good).

We rented boats and went out on the lake. It was pretty great. First time rowing a boat, so it took a little while to get used to, but I did it.

The rest of the day was spent socializing and playing card games.

That was my day. Pictures and video are available.

Pangya Update 8/13/09

GB.R4.503.01 Patch Notes - Welcome To PANGYA!

They've added the card system. Joy. Unfortunately, you need premium points to buy all of the cards. In the other servers, it's possible to win the cards as treasure. Hopefully they'll implement that here later.

Feathers have been re-released. My feather items just became a little less rare. At least Lucia has a feather now. Once I get that, she'll be complete *.*

A little more server stability has been added too. Hopefully I won't d/c as much now.

That's that. Overall, not a very exciting update.