Welcome to the Voice Over Insider Interview Series.
In these interviews we’ll attempt to go beyond the typical questions and get to the real performer behind the microphone, and bring you their insights from an educational point of view.
This week:
Don LaFontaine Interview
Media – Web/Internet
Interviewer: Michael Smith
First off let me start by saying thank you for being gracious enough to pull away from your schedule and take the time to do this interview. I think it is safe to say that for every person who says “they admire your work”, there are probably just as many if not more, that quietly mutter about how much they envy your success. Particularly those of us in the voice over world.
So let me get it out of the way now and say “I admire your work.” and admit that yes, I am guilty of the second one every now and then. In many cases I think envy is a bad emotion to carry around, but I think a little of it can be understood and maybe even kind of acceptable from us “little people” in the world of VO.
I’ve been teaching the technical side of voice over for a little over 10 years and have been studying the craft for closer to 14. One thing I’ve realized in that period of time, which only amounts to one quarter of your tenure in the audio and commercial production business, is that many of the roads that lead us toward success in this business were paved one pebble at a time by the decisions we made along the way. None of us were born with anything but the ability. We had to learn all of the other necessary skills pretty much as we went. Sort of “on the job training” in such areas as production, how to voice copy correctly, listen to and take direction, understand the demands of production and all of the other “accouterments” we had to carry into battle daily.
For some of us, it was and still is a constant fight and struggle to get that type of training – whether it be through the school of hard knocks, or through the tenured guidance of a mentor. I would suspect that you sir, faced many of the same struggles along the way but I don’t want to assume – which leads me to my first question:
1) If we could go back in time, back a decade or so before Friday the 13th, to a 26 year old Don LaFontaine in a studio preparing conceptual work for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly- How did you end up in that studio? What was the course you took that initially got you into the field of sound recording and audio engineering?
When we produced the materials for The Good, The Bad 7 The Ugly, we were operating out of our own self-contained production facility – perhaps, in retrospect, one of the first in New York City. Up until that time, the vast majority of voice recording was done at regular studios, such as National Recording, where I had worked from ‘61 to late ’62. I had taken a course at the US Army Signal School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey called the “Audio Specialist Course” – We later discovered that the special class that I attended was called to find replacements for the White House Signal Agency. I was one of four graduates who were selected. Three of us received Top Secret Cryptographic Clearances from the FBI and Secret Service – required for anybody who was going to work at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. One of us made it – Harold Haley. The rest of us were assigned elsewhere, because the personnel we were to replace decided to re-enlist. I wound up at the US Army Band, across the river from DC at Fort Meyer, VA.
The training I received in the Army has been directly responsible for a great deal of the success I have achieved since that time.
2) One of the reasons I ask is that I am a bit of a “studio head” myself and I have held a fondness for quality studios since I was a kid. Can you maybe share some of your feelings or any anecdotal stories you may have about how things were done in an all-analog world and how the transition to digital technology has effected the way you do things – pro or con?
I learned recording on reel-to-reel professional Ampex machines – and edited using the grooved block editing bar and a razor blade. I was, to be a bit immodest, a hell of a tape cutter. We would first build a music track on one mono machine, then an effects and dialogue track on another. We would sync them up in a number of ways that are very difficult to explain to anyone who has never seen or worked with a reel to reel machine, but suffice it to say, we created some real magic in those days. I remember mixing a special radio show, in one continuous 30 minute pass, using three mono machines, running in sync and recording to a fourth. One mistake and we would have to go all the way back to the beginning.
Analog was very demanding. With digital, you have limitless choices and chances. It’s very forgiving – and much easier – to say the least.
3) It would appear that for several years you made your rounds to other studios to work, rather than produce the work on your own. Did you always have some sort of home studio setup and just not use it for pro applications, or is the idea of recording voice over at home only a possibility because of the high-speed data transfer ability the Internet gives us?
I never had a home studio until the advent of ISDN phone lines made it not only possible, but also practical to work from home. Until that time, I spent most of my work day traveling from studio to studio. Now everything is done from home. It’s far more convenient and economical.
3a) A second part to that question would be – If there is a reluctance from producers to allow the talent to record on their own – is that reluctance something that is slowly dying off – or is it more the idea that the better students of the craft get to work with less supervision because they consistently deliver quality results?
ISDN still allows for producer input. The only thing missing is face to face contact. In most cases, I am hired to bring whatever it is I bring to a reading, so I don’t receive that much direction – mostly fine-tuning. I believe an Actor has the opportunity to get better each time they work in front of a microphone – either for a client – or simply practicing. So much of this business is instinct. Either and Actor has it, or they don’t. If one doesn’t have an instinctual “feel” for the music of the language, the best they will ever be is a good “mechanic”, reading with all the right pauses, inflections and emphasis – but without any real passion or veracity.
4) Ok. One more about studios and then we’ll move on… In an April 2006 article in MIX Magazine, you are quoted as saying “I like to have the best toys, and since I can afford it, most of the time I’m very happy to get them.” In looking at your “Voice of God” studio, it’s easy to see that the quote is true – but none of it seems to be overkill. At least on the surface it doesn’t appear that you have every piece of rack-mount equipment known to man buried in there, however, I see a lot of people who are just getting into VO running out and getting various processors, compressors and EQ’s to add to the microphone chain.
Would you agree that most of it is relatively unnecessary (particularly in the wrong hands) when compared to having a good mic, a good pre-amp, great cabling and sound isolation? Do you think it is easier to get along in voice over recording and ultimately pleases the client more, with fewer things in the signal path?
I only have the equipment I need to record my voice accurately – and to edit video (my hobby) with professional-looking results. I certainly have the software to process and compress my voice, but I never use it for my sessions. I always send my clients a clean “flat” recording with no compression, equalization or any other form of processing. They can do that on their end.
5) In a January 2007 Creating Success Podcast interview hosted at www.creatingsuccesspodcast.com , you used the term “romancing the words” in reference to the freedom of trailer copy versus the confines of network or other time intensive copy. To paraphrase – and please correct me if I’m wrong, you seemed to saying that there was more of an opportunity for you to be “you” when you were allowed to bring your creative side to the copy and add that little twinkle to it that you are so well known for… a little twinkle that can only be part of the read if you are provided the appropriate time to add it.
I’ve had situations in the past where I felt the copy was so overwritten that there wasn’t really enough time for me to be “me” in the read. When it has happened, it was always accompanied by a producer that said “Well. I read the script and it timed out just right.” My sentiment has always been that the producer never really “read it” but merely passed over it under his breath much like we might do a newspaper article. Has the situation ever arisen where you were hired to be “The Trailer Guy”, and when it came to the copy and the time constraints, the pace was so fast that it was impossible for you to get into that slow, melodramatic tone which is so powerful?
By “Romancing” the copy in a trailer as opposed to working on a network television commercial, I simply meant that a trailer usually doesn’t have the time restrictions that a network spot has. Also, there is far less input from the Lawyers, who tend to muddy up a script with cover-your-ass-and-avoid-the-possibility-of-litigation additions. Trailers are, generally, more leisurely paced, and therefore, I have more time to give the words their proper weight.
The problem with a good deal of copy that does have a time restraint is, it was generally “Scratched” by the editor or writer, who are not bound by any need to “Sell” the words, and therefore have a tendency to rush through the script. This presents a real difficulty for the actor – especially the novice. It takes time to build that interior clock that allows you to say things fast, and sound normal.
That’s where experience comes in. However – there are limits to this ability, and many a production has been deeply flawed, simply because a non-actor’s read has placed impossible restraints on the final performer.
6) In the same interview you made reference to some occasions where a producer may have gone way beyond the pale as far as direction and essentially directed the “you” right out of the script. Any suggestions on how someone could best perform when confronted with this situation other than to “suck it up and do what your told”?
When you run into the over-director – the person who works a piece of copy to death, you have two choices – get up on your high horse and tell him/her that you are a professional, damn it! – Or just get through the session, secure in the knowledge that, if you’ve done your job right, that same person will go back to their editing room and wade through all those takes – and finally come back to your first two or three attempts. This always happens. The more you are forced to read the same copy, the less believable and spontaneous it becomes. Just get through it.
7) When it comes to ISDN – I know there are times when I cant live without it – such as being locked to another studio and voicing segments that are being dropped into a video time-line as we go. Sometimes they need you to tighten it up by a couple of frames and it doesn’t seem like that type of precise work would be possible without the digital connection to the other studio’s console. How big of a role does ISDN play in your day to day schedule and has it begun to play less of a role since the Internet started becoming such a valuable tool?
ISDN continues to play a huge role in my day to day business. It still is the most reliable and consistent technology out there, as far as I’m concerned. Having said that, there are new systems being developed and used that in many ways, surpass the ISDN technology, in that they don’t rely on the need for specially installed lines from the phone company. These computer-based systems are growing in popularity, and I will have to bite the bullet and get on the bandwagon – especially when it comes to traveling. It’s only a matter of time before ISDN becomes “so five minutes ago.”
8) On the topic of agents… Your agent seems to play a pretty pivotal role in your productivity and work-flow. At this stage of the game one would assume that most of the roads which lead to you – go through your agent first. Two of the questions I find difficult to field from new voice over talent are “Should I get an agent?” and “How can I get an Agent?”
My contention has always been, when it comes to people very new to the industry, that agents have very little time to deal with people who don’t have a resume and some solid working credentials to bring to the table.
If you’ll indulge me a bit – as if you haven’t been already, please shed some light on the illusion and explain if you will – In the voice over version of the chicken and the egg – which comes first? The jobs then the agent – or the agent then the jobs? At what stage of the game did representation become a fundamental necessity for you?
Agents. To begin – yes, you really should have an agent – especially as your career grows. You need somebody to speak for you – to negotiate for you – to be the bad guy, sometimes. They are necessary. On occasion, they are a necessary Evil. Some Agents will take on a client, just to keep them out of the picture. For instance, if my agents were this type, they would sign any talent that would be in competition with me, and then never submit them for auditions. This is known as being “Buried in the files.” It is a common practice. How do you avoid this? I would suggest that you look at you prospective agents list of talent, and then contact some of them for their opinion. You can also query AFTRA and SAG about any agent’s reputation. You should be able to get a pretty good reading from those two sources.
Actually getting an agent is the truly hard part. It’s the old catch twenty-two – you can’t get work without an agent, and you can’t get an agent without working. There are a few ways to get around this conundrum. To begin, many agents will sign unproven talent, based upon a killer demo, even if that demo is totally made up. Other agencies won’t even listen to you if you haven’t actually toiled in the fields. The trick is finding, not only one who will sign you – but who will also work for you. As far as I’m concerned, a kick-ass demo is absolutely essential to getting your foot in the door.
One other thing; Agents are not infallible. Thirty years ago, after I had worked on about 1250 films, I decided to try and broaden my horizons by approaching a commercial agent. I submitted my (at that time, reel-to-reel tape) demo to one of the most respected agents in New York City. A few weeks later, I received a letter which said, to paraphrase: “Forget it, Kid. You’ll never make it in this industry.”
I’m glad I didn’t listen to him.
9) Alright – I Know it’s been a while and we’ve gotta wrap – so I’ll try to tighten this thing up. I must admit I was pretty tickled when I found out you were a AVID video guy. Video is also one of my loves and happens to be one of my future ambitions – even if its merely a hobby venture, but I just cant get over the joy of matching sound to motion picture. There seems to be a poetry between the two – where words and music; timed with fades, dissolves, pans and skillful cuts can bring a little peace to the soul when done properly – and can leave one looking quizzically at the screen when it hasn’t been.
I constantly, almost exclusively speak to my students from a visual perspective when it comes to voicing copy. No matter the intended media – if the copy is intended to move people emotionally – it seems important to be able to see the faces, feel the warmth, envision the furniture or the mountains, the fire or the pain, the happiness or the sorrow surrounding the people or the dramatic elements in the script.
I have always felt that it is an absolute necessity to be able to see not only your audience, but the person standing around the corner from them as well – to be able to envision yourself as right there in the seat next to them if need be.
Do you feel that your film and video editing pursuits and involvement with your personal video projects has helped you with your ability to visualize your intended audience, or the product you are voicing without ever seeing it – as you have done with some of your trailer work in the past?
Being a film and video editor has helped me tremendously over the years. It was from cutting together film spots for movies that helped me fine-tune my internal “Clock” that allows me to “feel” in specific blocks of time; 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, etc. And being responsible for the assembly of the actual picture has heightened my sense of the dramatic, and the structure of storytelling – and all of this has impacted positively on my reading skills. In brief – any area of actual production that a person can get involved in will increase his or her ability to interpret copy – sometimes in tiny ways – but it does have a positive impact.
I’d like to thank you once again for the time you’ve taken to do this and as much as I’d like to keep picking your brain – I know you’ve got to go. I think the insights that you’ve shared will help answer a lot of questions that VO people like myself, and students of the craft of voice over have really wondered for a long time.
I cant express to you how great it is to see the man behind the curtain and be welcomed to come sit with him for a while. You’re a legendary guy that I know a lot of people admire and are really curious about. I’d personally like to say thank you for being the guy who has parked my tail in more movie theater seats than I can remember and on more than one occasion, reminded me why I have continued to chase this business all these years…
I’d also like to thank you for all of the people who are members of my site, for participating in this Q&A. I’m sure I speak for all of the when I say that you’re a great guy for being part of this..
One parting note that hopefully will appeal to your sense of humor… I had pointed you out to my mother on TV a while ago and explained to her who you were. A few days later she called me and said “I just saw that guy that sounds like you on TV again…” I’m sure it was a Freudian slip – but what do you say to that?
No comment…
Thanks Don,
Take care…
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