- There are challenges to recording yourself
and getting the best readings possible.
The biggest issue I usually hear with people
directing themselves is that their readings
have little passion or energy.
You need to really push yourself
to do as great of a job as you can.
Start by reading through a script aloud
a number of times before a session.
Be so familiar with the words
that it comes out easily,
just like you're talking to a friend.
Now using a teleprompter helps a lot
and you find free prompter apps for your tablet
or your phone anywhere online.
In fact, let's take a quick little look here
at using a teleprompter.
I'm using one for this course.
I'm reading from a teleprompter right now.
I read through this script a number of times
before I started recording,
so I know what I need to say
but this keeps me on track.
And here's a teleprompter that I use here in the studio.
It's just text being projected onto angled glass
and the camera is behind it and it can see through
that glass to you.
And I'm just using my tablet with an app on it
to run the text.
And I control the timing of the text with my arrow keys
right here as I talk.
Now, you might want to have someone else direct you.
If not, listen back to your own takes
and you'll probably find that what sounds like
a really big reaction in your head
doesn't sound so big on playback.
The bigger the change you try,
the more likely it's going to sound different.
So, feel free to experiment with how you're recording a line
and always be willing to rerecord.
Push yourself, be bigger with every take.
You can also try smiling during your reading.
Smiling add joys and it tends to soften your voice.
Just like frowning or grimacing does the same thing,
making you sound more angry.
Now physical acting also affects your voice, so,
maybe you'll want to try jumping around
or acting it out completely
or emoting physically.
You can also try either standing or sitting.
Sitting tends to bring down your energy,
standing up gives you more energy.
Try to emphasize maybe different words.
Try to emphasize different words.
See, that just gives you quickly different kind of readings.
Think about a famous character or someone you know
and maybe emulate them and don't be afraid to speak loudly.
Now this often happens when you're in an area
with a lot of other people around,
people tend to try to talk quietly when you're recording,
at least that happens to me quite a number of times
when I'm out on location and I'm trying to record
for Anamatics.
The problem is then the acting sucks, so,
I generally try to go into an office
and be able to close the door, walk away from everyone,
or just let everyone know, hey,
I'm going to be loud here for a minute
because if you're not afraid to be loud,
you're going to be better.
Recording alone is definitely not a time to be shy,
so don't hold yourself back.
You might be surprised at what you can come up with.
When you record yourself and then create your own
soundtracks and your own scratch tracks,
be just as tough and demanding on your own voice
as you are with others.