A wannabe voice artist speaks…

I’ve been looking out for something to write and continue the writing practice. And now when I have something to write about, I write more from the need to structure the din in my head.

Ever since I finished standard twelve, I’ve been harbouring a wish to become a VO artist, aided by the ability to imitate voices, which I realised along the way, was not something everybody can do. I took pride in imitating voices in small groups- mostly my comfort zones. Even one step out of the comfort zones would land my foot in my mouth. Not literally, but it was enough to stunt my progress beyond level one in multiple RJ auditions, voice tests for production houses and auditions for stand-up comedy shows. Each time, the auditioners would be nastily patient (just doing their job!) and give me feedback- “You need energy, dude. What you are saying is all cool, but you lack energy.”

I did not hear that for sometime. I think it is because I went on to do other things and did average but satisfactory work in them. Months later, it has come back. Now, the word has changed. It is ‘punch’ now. Well-meaningly and encouragingly put in- “Hari, punch nahi aa raha hai.”

Another thing that despairs me no end is the inadvertent pronounciation of syllables which let out the cat and announce that I come from the south of India. It is not that I am ashamed of being a south-indian. In fact, I am quite proud of it. It is just that it sounds disgusting to my own ears, to hear a character suddenly turning into the caricature of a south-Indian in a Bollywood film. Wonder how much it would poke others. For eq. Imagine Sherlock Holmes saying, “Elementary, my dear Watson. Now, let’s dring up the tea and do some investigation.”

Ears that would gleefully point out phonetic errors, have now, stopped reacting to mistakes adding to this irritation. It scares me that I’ll carry this on and ruin chances of aa shining career as a voice artist.

There is another thing that pleases me and pulls me down equally. I can do a clear male voice that could go well with footage of a Nat Geo documentary show. What is wrong is that it has now become a favourite and every other voice I do is adulterated with this voice. The result is that how many ever voices I do, they sound sinisterly similar to each other- the same rate, the same pitch and the same ‘fade out’ in the end.

I feel a strange desperation. Helplessness. How do I do this? What do I need to do? Talk more? Hit the gym for the energy? Get drunk to let go of my inhibitions, whatever they are? Have more fun? Read the newspaper aloud? What new style do I try? How? What about the accent? How do I work on it? Will I ever be cured of it? Can I be conscious of what I’m saying and how I’m saying it? Will this ever end? Will I do better as a voice artist? Will I be a voice artist at all, or is this energy level be best for a newspaper sub editor?

I need a game plan. Badly. Suggestions welcome.