Those of you who know me probably aren’t used to hearing anything positive about Trump.
However, there is something that he seems to do better than anyone else. His “Genius” trait.
Trump never explains anything he says or does. He lets others do it for him.
Can it be that simple? Is this the key to his success?
Republicans in government and his supporters constantly “explain” what he means when he does or says something stupid, ignorant, racist, weak, etc.
His detractors “explain” what is wrong with him. Mentally. Strategically. They even try to figure out if he’s “playing 3-dimensional chess”… and in doing so, freely give him his next move to make.
His lawyers “explain” away his legal problems.
His accountants “explain” away his money problem.
And behind it all, Trump explains nothing. Ever. No apologies. No explanations. No reason for his insane, bizarre, mental meltdowns and verbal diatribes. Nada.
And why should he explain anything he does or says? He’s got all of us doing it for him.
He is, in essence, the Schrödinger’s cat of politicians: simultaneously a “Stable Genius” and a “Babbling Imbecile”.
And so he shall remain until the box is flung open…
All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com
I’ve decided this will be my new greeting to fellow Americans. I really hope I don’t need to use it for very long…
But to be honest, both sides of this horror story are losing so much. But the difference is that one side knows what it’s losing. And the other remains terribly clueless.
It would be easy to call names. Stupid. Conned. Racist. But many are just ignorant. And the cure for that is education. Another thing sadly lacking in our country.
And those who refuse to listen? Who don’t want to know?
“Willful Ignorance” is far worse than any amount of stupidity.
Time to get out of our bubbles. See ourselves and “the other”. Mend the wounds. Heal the divide.
But I’m not holding my breath.
Stay sane out there.
Joe
All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com
There’s been a lot of talk in the voice over community about where the industry is headed. Unions, Pay-to-Play sites, Casting.
To be fair, the industry is changing. But that’s to be expected. There are many questions this raises…
How will the change affect us? What can we do about it? Should I even be concerned?
In this post, I will give my thoughts on three different perspectives on the changing voice over landscape. Read on below:
Perspective 1: Voice Talent
The voice talent’s perspective may be the most complicated. There are a wide range of genres, markets, and opportunities for work. Opinions vary on benefits of union membership, the role of pay-to-play sites, how to market (or not), etc. Each person’s situation is different, and because of that, it’s hard to present a unified perspective.
This also gets to the heart of a related issue: As a group, we can’t get what we want unless we can agree on what exactly that is. Some would appear to be easy. Fair pay. Safe work environment. Professionalism on all sides.
But even on the agreed items, there is no clear consensus. What does “fair pay” mean to each person? In each market? Are some willing to do work others would consider unsafe or unprofessional?
Because of all of these factors, it may be more beneficial to look at perspectives outside our own.
After all, we are selling something. It may be better to focus on what the market wants, and how we can best deliver it to them.
Perspective 2: The Union
For The Union (Sag/Aftra in the USA), the view is much broader than for any individual.
I am grateful for the benefits and standards that the union offers. And I’m grateful that we have some union folks as advocates for us all, but it seems like they are fighting an uphill battle on many issues.
Voice Acting is only a small part of what the union’s business is about. And even then, the lion’s share of their focus will understandably be on the largest prizes. These are often big budget features and high power talent. For the average working Joe, this often means not being heard at all.
Think about it: if given the choice to focus on one $10,000,000 project or ten-thousand $1,000 projects, which would you choose?
This isn’t an excuse, but it is a reason. There’s only so much time in a day. In order to keep up, the union has to stay relevant in the bigger game.
We do benefit indirectly from this. There are always roles in the big projects for the average working Joe. But we’ve got to be honest with ourselves: If you’re not famous, the union is less focused on your concerns.
It is about business, after all. As is voice acting.
Perspective 3: The Client
Although individual clients may vary, there are many common things they all want.
A voice that matches their ideas for the product or service. Professional behavior. A good price.
In some cases, they may know exactly what they want and how much they’re willing to pay. Others may require a bit more work on our part. Customer service has to include discovering the customer’s needs and fulfilling them to the best of our ability.
All customer’s time is valuable. They don’t want it wasted with idle chatter or by having to track you down for the job.
Hiring union talent may be important to some. To others, it may represent a hassle. Knowing the difference is crucial to landing the job, and getting continuing work.
Overall, customers want the whole process to be as easy as possible. It’s up to us to find out what that means for each one.
So… What Can I Do?
Be professional.
Deliver a solid product.
Quote fair rates for the work, and stick to them.
Focus on the client’s needs.
Take direction well.
Be friendly and easy to work with.
Work with other voice actors on the larger issues. Together, we are stronger.
Other Perspectives
Below is a recent town hall event sponsored by the VO Agent Alliance, Global Voice Acting Academy, and WOVO.
Lots of great stuff discussed, and great groups to follow if you’d like to work together to make a difference. #VoiceStrong
Enjoy:
All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com
Spain Before and After Before and After pictures of our remodeled apartment in Spain 😉 (click for larger images) All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com
Cover Versions of Popular Songs in the Key of Bass
As a Bass/Baritone singer, there’s a lot of songs I’d like to sing that are just too high in their original key. So… Welcome to Joe’s Bassment! Where I sing a popular song in a lower key.
This week’s song is “Stayin’ Alive” originally by The Bee Gees.
But instead of singing, I’ve used software (Sony Music Studio) to pitch shift the voices and the music.
Here’s a quick one-minute sample:
And here are the individual pitch-shifted tracks:
Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (normal)
Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (all-4)
Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (all-8)
Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (all-12)
All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com
Cover Versions of Popular Songs in the Key of Bass
As a Bass/Baritone singer, there’s a lot of songs I’d like to sing that are just too high in their original key. So… Welcome to Joe’s Bassment! Where I sing a popular song in a lower key.
This week’s song is “I Can’t Tell You Why” originally by The Eagles.
Enjoy!
I Can't Tell You Why (Joe's Bassment: Joe J Thomas)
All content written and voiced by Joe J Thomas online at: JoeActor.com
