Recording A Voice Over Demo Reel with Steve Blum - TV Promos - Recording Advice

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] right outside those fences and we're gonna go get them and I thought you guys were having a domestic or something it was happening Brandon I have to wave to that before I wave to you today we are doing a brand-new pro promo demo with the legend the man he's real Steve I throw it something's not this thing because obviously everyone knows you animation games anime you have such a huge body of work there but maybe people don't know you as a primal voice yeah they don't and that I'm trying to change that by working with you guys and you are the best in the whole business well you're an amazing hands with Chuck and what was it that kind of made you say I mean obviously you're an incredible storyteller promo is just a different flavor of storytelling mm-hmm so what is it that's made you say I got to do some promos well I think what it was is that I started teaching recently and I'm teaching online webinars and I've been telling my students that they have to continually challenge themselves and I needed a new challenge I'm I I don't ever want to get so comfortable that I feel like and I can ride the wave and because the wave is always changing so I wanted to do something that scares me a little bit and I did a promo demo years ago it wasn't very good so I decided if I'm gonna do it I'm gonna do it right and it's really fun because this is the first time I think I've been nervous going into a studio in years that's good and I like that I like the butterflies I like I like the idea of not really knowing if I've got this yet or not I'm trusting Chuck and his wisdom to guide me through the process well you're open you're highly directive all that's the word on the street yeah we hope your your website for teaching oh it's bloom fox studios.com BL um vox vo x studios calm okay so well with you this is it yes well putting you in the awesome studio bricks on our fabulous sennheiser 416 woo and get ready fasten your seat belts because uh here we go it's gonna be fine the reason why we're doing this voice over spotlight session is to show you guys that in the process of recording a professional demo that even the pros are allowed to make mistakes and we fix some and we do it till it's right and at the end of today's session you're gonna be able to hear steve's complete full promo demo completely produced for your listing pleasures so steve is there a process that you do normally to warm up before you start voicing usually I make really awful sounds or baby noises bad or I have some things that help with the alliteration let's can we try one of those people gonna see you like you did a funny thing not so long ago that I thought was fantastic little Mic Check Mic Check here's a mic Stieb lose my check bill Rambo 650 Dorothy yes man the XY and pepper dreams company of Nashville Johnny C home the grand old conglomeration Federal University in the bathtub of the South it's 7:30 that's from Hudson and Landry it's way before your time no it's not before my talk but it's hysterical I love it I love it and by the way we are using a 416 microphone today on Steve because we're doing promos and not only is it my go to my for almost anything that I do but it is the best mic that you could probably use for promo and trailer because you could work it really really close and it just slices through any production that you throw at it which is why everybody uses it was by the way so are you ready to get started I'm ready to get started what do you feel is a good warm-up for you I think maybe the glow spot just because I'll catch this to my natural speaking voice okay great so I have glow in front of me here this is gonna be for streaming on Netflix and for a real sarcastic dry not hard sell kind of just you know your own voice so let's see where you go with it Steve and then I'll kind of redirect from there cool okay awesome excellent so whenever you're ready we are rolling okay these women know what they want and do what they want it's not who you are it's who you can become glow streaming on Netflix cool I like that man I really like that a lot do you think that we can even just throw it away a little bit more sure you know cuz this the show is so like freaking crazy yeah I was enjoying the sound of me a little too much well and I have to say you do sound pretty great out here normally use this gonna microphone so it's kind of fun I want to do one little thing so over here we have an SOT and for those people to know what Smt is it stands for sound on tape and I know that we don't use tape anymore but they're still keeping the SOT they're still calling it that so sound on tape that's a little part of the show in this instant right here Steve you're actually almost introducing that little piece okay rather than just you know you're on your own then an SOT comes then you're on your own you're introducing it and so so when you're reading at this time do a little bit more of an introduction like check this out okay okay out of the action yeah you're part of the act a little bit okay alright and we are these women know what they want and do what they want it's not who you are it's who you can become glow streaming on Netflix I love that cool that was really really really cool in fact I felt that one you know it was just it just felt like a promo even without anything on it it felt like a promo and again the whole idea of a promo whether you're throwing it away or not is to entice somebody don't want to watch either that episode or the show great job on that excel when I felt good beautiful yeah we are moving on ladies and gentlemen yes what would you like to do that uh I have gold brush white butter and I just rode for this one oh I don't know all the ladies just went crazy right now ah a few men - I had a few men - and some undecided you want to flex a little bit yeah there you go excellent excellent okay so this is Gold Rush white water for on discovery and let's see where you go there's direction here you know adventure death-defying a little danger let's see when you go with it and then we'll redirect in there okay okay a father and son risk it all in the deadly Alaskan wilderness in the hunt for millions in gold fortune comes at a price Gold Rush white water next on discovery okay cool so I still want to get more Steve in there okay that sounded like Steve doing a guy that would do this okay see that's a great thing about people that have this amazing great tone god-given which you can't you can't learn that you don't have to do that much in today's promo world okay because if it's too much it's almost like an over salted dish you see what I'm saying yeah that's sadly and I know you and if I can hear that that was like you know God he just like over seasoned it then everybody else is gonna hear the same thing especially after they hear something like glow which is more your own voice yeah thank me a lot but that's who he is why is he doing that okay you seen I'm saying okay because the natural stuff is much bigger today okay so let's go for keep the danger keep thinking on the adventure but I want to hear Steve okay present that okay and we are rolling a father and son risk it all in the deadly Alaskan wilderness in the hunt for millions in gold fortune comes in a price Gold Rush whitewater next on discovery beautiful much better and by the way if you look at the waveform it's all like this same amount of intensity and all in fact I'm gonna just say you guys at home can see this real quick I'm gonna show you guys right there so see how he started here and he was nice and big and then all sudden we started dying out in in energy there and then on this over here check this out energy there energy there so the whole thing is pretty much balanced with good energy throughout this is science people well you know but listen it's only because I can hear it but I can also see it yeah you never mean and sometimes when we're in the booth we're not paying attention to these little things that in the final outcome make a huge difference yeah right yeah um this is why you go to a professional this is why you need a director right this is why Brad Pitt or and their favorite actor doesn't make a movie without having a director because you can sit there and do your thing but you need somebody to be watching and hearing and saying hey try it more like this or do it that or you didn't you know wasn't enough of this it's necessary so let's try it again I love that and I just wanted a little faster okay check this out don't take too much time with you know in the hunt for millions and gold okay just spew it out okay we are a father and son risk it all in the deadly a father and son risk it all in the deadly Alaskan wilderness in the hunt for millions in gold fortune comes at a price gold rush whitewater next on discovery beautiful that was better and what happens is if you start milking lines too much it becomes too much about you yeah and less about the show yeah and we have to remember that in promos and listen in the Don LaFontaine days that was what people wanted you know they wanted to be about the poison milk milk it more you know world you know I mean that was even built right yeah nowadays it's like no it's about the show yeah the visuals are gonna guide the viewer you just need to get it out right okay and I want to just say something that you know when you're when for the people out there just in general when you're recording a promo demo a commercial demo a narration demo whatever kind of a demo that it is you're recording it is so important that you don't look at it as you trying to sound like the guy that does it you know I mean because obviously we are doing real spots for real shows and the purpose of this demo is not to say hey look I can sound like the guy that does this because they already have that guy the purpose of this is that you can show what Steve sounds like on this type of a show so that if ABC is looking for a new voice for a new late night show or a new show of some kind and they're looking for this type of a read and they can say oh wow otherwise they already have the guy that does that other thing that they do so you want to duplicate what somebody else does that's done you don't want to copy them you want to add your own flavor okay and that's what's gonna make this demo great it's gonna be all it's played it's so funny because I know that for animation and video games I know that the whole idea is to bring the unique the most authentic form of you to the party it didn't even occur to me that that would apply to this that's so that was a big lesson yeah we are done with that we are moving on what were you like to go to next thing I'm thinking jimmy kimmel oh I love me some Jimmy Kimmel changing things up a little bit here we're moving on Jimmy Kimmel ABC we have here a dude kind of laid-back quick pace big smile let's see where you going okay okay we are rolling Jimmy is all new with Grayson Frankie stars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda Jimmy Kimmel Live later tonight on ABC there you go and I always make a comment that anytime I see a late night show promo it always sounds like he's talking to people that are like stoned because they probably are drunk people at a bar there you go talk to drunk people out of our great directions dancing okay so love that and again that had a little bit more the fun and it really got me into like that kind of vibe yeah so let's grab one more in fact you know what give me two in a row okay because I love what you just did all right the important thing here man is to keep that big smile okay okay and we are rolling two in a row yo Jimmy is all new with Grace and Frankie stars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda Jimmy Kimmel Live later tonight on ABC yo Jimmy is all new with Grace and Frankie stars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda Jimmy Kimmel Live later tonight on ABC now that was completely different yeah see I'm saying yeah and those are those are some of the cool things that that we sometimes we try something for fun and it we go like wait a minute that was different I mean cuz he didn't sound like you were stoned but you sounded like you could relate with people that are up that way you know me that don't have to wake up at six o'clock in the morning you go to work maybe you know right but and we still got the laid-back y-you kind of slowed it down a little bit you know but it still had that super fun kind of I don't know so good Steve your direction taking buddy is just like out of this world gross Samantha yeah do you want to try one with just Jimmy's all new instead of Jimmy is yeah Stacy has a great idea let's let's let's do or you heard that right yeah let's do that let's try one would Jimmy's Jimmy's all new and here we go we far rollin yo Jimmy's all new with Grace and Frankie stars Lily Tomlin of Jane Fonda Jimmy Kimmel Live later tonight on ABC love-love-love great direction Lacey that was really really cool love it okay we're done with yeah yeah let's move on by the way big shout out to Stacy J on the camera right there for producing and writing some incredible scripts yes for your demo um you know the cool thing about you know creating scripts for for a demo is to have scripts that are true to the show and bran product or service so you don't want to do something that they wouldn't do but you also don't want to steal exactly what they're doing so this is a great example of that great job Stace so let's go for this man and this is for manifest this is a cool drama on NBC let's see what Steve does no okay okay and we're rolling for the lost to be found time is running out manifest Monday at 10:00 on NBC okay cool I like that but because this show has drama and suspense it's too loud okay great so I can really you can totally sorry another mine right and and and and don't again you already have this big thing so if you put too much of that you're over seasoning the reed okay okay all right and we are rolling for the lust to be found time is running out manifest Monday at 10:00 on NBC beautiful that's the voice right there by the wolf I love that cool again I want to do one more just like that but for the loss to be found let's just tie those two ties together okay okay and then you can milk it a little bit on time it's running out great okay and we are off for the lust to be found time is running out one more for the lust to be found is it or do you like the double T's there because um I don't know what sounds better out there do you uh for lost to to be found soften it up a little great okay and we are off for the lust to be found time is running out manifest Monday at 10:00 on NBC beautiful I love that and I don't know if you were aware of what you just did but you took the first two lines are the first three lines and you gave me story that was a story of the promo and then you went met fest Monday at 10:00 IBC which is information and a story and you changed it around and that's what makes a great promo great is when the talent just knows how to do that were you doing that good fantastic beautiful awesome so good we are moving on go Steve what do you want to go to next the resident the resident on Fox okay so the resident on Fox this is a little bit more but in your face drum a quick pace read and let's see where you go with it and we will redirect from there ready yep what you see is not always real the resident next Monday 8:00 7:00 central on Fox I want do a little bit more with see I said of what you see is I want to do like you know what you see okay alright okay because we want us to have some visuals there remember there's an SOT and in the SOT we're going to see what you're talking of thing yeah okay so introduce it okay and we are rolling what you see is not always real what you see is not always real the resident next Monday 8:00 7:00 central on Fox beautiful I love that that was so great man let's grab two in a row because you totally nailed it okay now do you have your ear your hands cross ferrari's I did for that particular okay very very good as long as you're doing it for Ariana yeah it's not a nervous twitch okay that's one two in a row in fact three in a row okay make each one a little bit different okay and we are what you see is not always real the resident next Monday 8:00 7:00 central on Fox what you see is not always real the resident next Monday 8:00 7:00 central on Fox what you see is not always real the resident next Monday 8:00 7:00 central on Fox beautiful sweet we move on okay oh you're making this look way too easy some of these don't feel that way for me how is anybody supposed to learn and when you're being that good dude it's it's a process I'm learning as I'm doing this it's amazing I'm learning so much just by doing this with you I want to do this with you every week so we're moving on to what Sheldon Sheldon yes okay gum Sheldon yeah so and and this is cool to see man cuz we just did something that was more you know that was like this drama you know what you see right and now we have the flip to that yeah which is a an upbeat funny friendly conversational CBS comedy and I can't wait to hear what you go where you go with this okay so let's see okay all right we are rolling CBS Thursday with the school bully on his side is there anything our kid genius can't do new young Sheldon followed by a new mom CBS Thursday cool I love that it just sounded a little bit reading okay ready all right so is there anything a kid genius can do just more thrown away like they're just saying it and not reading it okay and we remember maybe your Sheldon's buddy okay all right you really like this little kid I'm ready are rolling CBS Thursday with the school bully on his side is there anything our kid genius can't do the new CBS Thursday with a noose sorry oh it was great I'll get it CBS Thursday with the school bully on his side is there anything our kid genius can't do new young Sheldon followed by a new mom CBS Thursday one more inch it's followed by a new mom okay CBS Thursday with a school bully on his side is there anything our kid genius can't do new young Sheldon followed by a new mom CBS Thursday followed by new moms right do that last line new young Sheldon followed by a new mom CBS Thursday completely I love that man and just because you did so good who does last one for the heck of it for our finale the grand finale because yes ladies and gentlemen this is our last spot I want to do one more and I just don't want you to think about it and if you flub just pick it up and fix it and keep going okay but I want a grand finale okay we are rolling CBS Thursday with the school bully on his CBS Thursday with a school bully on his side is there anything our kid genius can't do new young Sheldon followed by a new mom CBS Thursday beautiful that was great man we are done Lee get blue Wow and I didn't even believe well we don't you might be bleeding internally but we can't see the blood I feel good I feel good that we I feel good that Steve feels good I feel good that was so much better than I thought it would honestly I was nervous about this it was it was a great learning experience in you're a great teacher okay so we just finished recording a brand new promo demo with Steve Blum so Steve I want to ask you first of all how do you feel after coming out of the booth and because you were in there for you know a good hour yeah so how do you feel a little cooler and relieved the nerves were going through there it was it was great it was a great learning experience it's a humbling thing to have been doing voiceover for 30 years and to feel like there's still so much new stuff to learn yeah and it was great and and some of the stuff once you gave me the direction I needed I went oh okay I know how to get there as long as I know what to do exactly so so what do you think it was a difference between promo wise where you thought you needed to go and where you actually feel what now let okay I didn't kind of know that like what did you learn in regards to your deliveries I think the biggest lesson was that I can inject a lot of me into it I didn't have to be something else and and I should know that intuitively and and because I've been doing it for so long but I it didn't occur to me that I could just seek out the most authentic version of myself within the boundaries of what I need to do for each yeah that was like it was cool it was really yeah that is really cool man and so for the people out there that you mean the people that know you cuz everybody knows Steve bloom and if you don't where the hell have you been I know so for the people out there that might you know know you you know from video games in the animation world this is this is a new genre that you're planning on going out to seek out is there a reason yeah just because I wanted to challenge myself I I'm pretty comfortable in animation video games and even commercials to to some degree but promos has always been this elusive alien area of the business that I haven't put a lot of attention to and it it caused me to study because I'm teaching now I want to be a student now too I think that's again to do that so that I can be authentic with my stance yeah and by the way you do have a website where you do some teaching one more time yeah bloom box studios calm please join live webinar um and I always I always have to I was like to say this because this is so true if you want to be successful in any genre okay no matter what it is that you're doing doesn't even have to be voiceover the fastest way to accomplish success in any field is to follow somebody's advice who's already been there and already done it and that's what you're doing with your students and actively doing it cuz Steve is not the guy that you used to do something and now he doesn't do it anymore teaching to make extra money because you can't that's not the deal I always tell people don't learn from people that used to do it and now can't do it learn from people that are still what I'm teaching the class is half the time I'm screaming in at the last couple seconds from a session somewhere and I'm sweaty and gross and feeling stuff off as I'm running to the mic and yeah and I think that's the best way to do it cuz it's all fresh there's new challenges that you can grab along the way that you can pass on happens what made you want to teach I didn't I want to teach actually I've been I was I sort of have been doing it trying to know I've been doing sort of accidentally at conventions for years every time I've done a Q&A session it turns into a teaching moment and my business partner Trina has been bugging me for years and years and years to teach and she said that I'm a natural teacher I didn't believe her and I was super resistant to it plus I didn't have classical training so I had to deconstruct everything I've been doing the last 30 years and figure out how to share that and it took I took it on as another challenge I like you know I'm in my 50s now but I still want to continue challenging myself every day but if these are the new fabulous right absolutely I might begin so you felt the way you felt when you came in yeah now you're done with the promo demo how do you feel now I feel really good did you learn anything about yourself or or your process as an actor through yeah I mean it's it's really interesting because I studied a lot before I came into the booth today and I had a lot of preconceived ideas of how to pronounce things and when you let me just change it up and play it was it was freeing and it felt really good and I felt like I didn't have to be or do anything except what was right for the spot in natural in that moment and listen to my director beautiful yeah and and as long as you're directing that goes a long way well I think that right now we're gonna let you guys take a listen to Steve Bloom's brand new promo demo mm-hmm and here it is I'm so excited what do you see the potential of this devices unlimited is not always real that it's not having seizures there's no medical reason to keep mahashiv the resident next Monday 8:00 7:00 central on Fox CBS Thursday with the school bully on his side unless you wanna shake hands and laugh about this over a glass of milk is there anything our kid genius can't do new young Sheldon followed by a new mom CBS Thursday a father and son risk it all in the deadly Alaskan wilderness soyah 250 foot straight down fall in the hunt for millions in gold fortune comes at a price gold rush whitewater next on discovery Jimmy is all new with Grace and Frankie stars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda Jimmy Kimmel Live later tonight on ABC for the lust to be found time is running out last night you said it's coming are we in danger manifest Monday at 10:00 on NBC these women know what they want and do what they want every woman has a wrestling character sleeping inside of it's not who you are it's who you can become hello dreaming on Netflix you

Channel: VO Buzz Weekly

Views: 155,308

Keywords: vo buzz, steve blum, vo buzz weekly, voiceover recording, voiceover demo, How To Do Voice Over, tv promos, Voiceover, Voice Over, voice over demo tips, recording voice over, Voice Over Technique, demos that rock, Voice Over Lessons, Voice Over Classes, Voice Acting, Voice Over Training, Voice Over Coach, Learn Voice Over, Promo, Stacey Aswad, Voice Actors, Actor, Voice Casting, Acting, Voice Actor, Voice Artist, Chuck Duran, recording studio, vo

Id: 2raab9czhIg

Length: 28min 34sec (1714 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 31 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/groovynightmare]

Steve Blum is so much cooler than he needs to be lmao. The way he takes direction and how interested he is shows how humble he is.

[u/Faerie_Cat]

That was really insightful and never thought promos could actually be so fun. I actually took down some notes in case I ever get into it.

[u/Keithcrash]

I need more YouTubes like this!

[u/MotherRaven]

Dotachin!!!!!!(Sorry that's just the first thing that popped in my head. :) )

Wonderful! edit to say this is soo helpful!! Thank you!

[u/bebop_anonymous]

This was great! Thanks for posting!