Talent, skill and the relevance of voice
Talent agents typically assess voice artists on their acting ability, their familiarity with the subtext of ad copy, a talent’s unique style and sometimes even their voice profile.
However, there is a long standing conundrum that plagues the definitive aspect of talent. The degree of ability to act from an intuitive base is sometimes challenged by the assertion that intuitive performance can be readily replicated by employing a skill set that can be acquired by the mere application of discipline.
Talent and skill should not be thought of as being one and the same thing. Natural talent is a numinous substance that enables an individual to surpass others in skill acquisition. The greater the ability that an artist has to master a particular aspect of the art, the more it is generally conceded that the individual is endowed with a gift.
There are coaches operating in the industry that promote mechanical pathways to acquiring skill as a viable alternative to possessing inherent talent. They allege that the skills necessary to act in a professional role can be readily acquired by anyone who is willing to apply themselves to their systematic methods.
In the arts, it is commonly held that there are four levels of natural talent.
The first and primary of these levels is said to be the unconsciously unskilled state, where an individual is ignorant of their inability due to not having explored their hand at performing.
The secondary level of talent is held to be where an individual reaches a stage of awareness regarding their state of ignorance in a particular art. This comes about when someone challenges their ability by attempting to perform. At this point the individual is said to be consciously unskilled. This consciousness forms a platform for further development.
The third tier of talent is where an artist has developed the range of skills necessary to execute performance to an admirable standard. This standard of performance may climb to the point where it is technically correct and accurate in every regard. Accordingly, the individual becomes aware of the advancements they have made and of the significance of their contribution to the art. At this point the artist is said to have become consciously skilled. Further advancement is limited to the range of technical skills that are apparent for the execution of that particular art. For most artists, it stops right there.
The fourth and ultimate level of talent is where an artist’s performance becomes so elevated that it transcends technical perfection. The artist’s performance moves the very soul. It is arguably an inherent trait, one that defines mastery at a whole new level. This is where the artist is said to be unconsciously skilled, so gifted that they are totally present within their performance and ignorant of their extraordinary ability.
To place this into a voice artist’s context, talent is best realized when the voice artist is moved by the spirit that actuated the script author whilst they were composing the script.
A particular voice profile can be just as much a talent. There’s a maxim that often gets voiced around industry circles that states, “Voice has nothing to do ith it – It’s not the voice but what you can do with it.” To a large extent, that’s true. There’s no particular voice profile that is necessary or advantageous to gaining employment in most voiceover work.
And having a mellifluous voice won’t get you anywhere if you don’t have the necessary skill set to accompany it. Having a great sounding voice but being devoid of the essential vocal skills could be likened to a novice being in possession of a bag of tradesman’s tools without having the knowledge or skill to know how to work them.
But contrary to the notion that voice doesn’t matter, animation and promos are both genres of voiceover that provide exceptions to the rule.
Animation is often structured around particular imagery that requires a very specific sound to convey it in the way that a producer has envisaged it to be. For an artist to procure an appropriate voice for an animation role, they often need to be innovative in order to extend their voice outside of its normal range. However, the sounds they can create will be reliant on and somewhat limited by their underlying voice profile.
Promos fall into an area of voiceover that bears the principal purpose of being attention grabbing, so it’s a corner of the industry where the profile of the voice can literally make or break the deal. Promo departments of Television Networks typically employ artists with prominent voices that can captivate audiences through a sense of command and authority; however, a promo specialist also needs to have an understating of the extensive styles that are called for in order to secure regular bookings for a variety of promo gigs.
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