Opinion: Has Voice Acting become Ageist?
“I’m an actor! Why do I suddenly have to also be an engineer?” This is a common complaint from most working pros, particularly those in major markets that had traditionally done voice-over auditions in person. But here we are on the other side of Covid, and this issue persists. There’s a ton wrong with it, and I’m going to break it down here (and expand on it via my website).
There are many accomplished actors who are of an age that simply didn’t grow up with tech. For them, getting a script at 6 PM and being told it’s due at 9 AM the next day is a real challenge.
The first thing I want to talk about is ageism in voice acting. It may be an unintentional consequence of the Covid holdover spec “must have a home studio with Source Connect,”which I have personally removed from my casting. That’s part of a larger conversation that I will also introduce.
There are many accomplished actors who are of an age that simply didn’t grow up with tech. For them, getting a script at 6 PM and being told it’s due at 9 AM the next day is a real challenge. While I’ve helped thousands of actors get used to recording from home, not all of them take to it equally. I’ve encountered many older but talented actors who simply can’t grasp the tech. So I ask the question: has voice casting and voice acting become (inadvertently) ageist?
I personally know great actors who are giving up trying to do VO because the demands and technical asks from casting directors are simply too challenging for them, which is a shame. These include lifelong SAG-AFTRA members who feel abandoned by their union, which hasn’t addressed this issue as far as I can tell. Kudos to the casting directors and ad agencies that recognize this concern and work around it. If there is an actor I want to hear from but they’re struggling, I’ll often have them record in any way they can and make sure my clients are aware to only pay attention to the performance, as they will come to the studio for the booking. Voice acting shouldn’t introduce the level of stress and panic it does.
I think agents and managers also need to get on board with this as well, since I’ve personally encountered some that are a part of the problem and not the solution. More soon!
First of all, thanks Frank for championing performers, and guiding clients to consider performance overall. I think longtime performers are giving up VO for more than just the technical reasons. Those challenges include loss of community and the erosion of the ability to make a living in the business. For many longtime performers, the community of actors, casting directors, agents, engineers, agency people, etc that we "grew up" with brought the business (and us) alive. Seeing friends at auditions and bookings or even at the deli somewhere in Midtown or Flatiron could make you feel connected in a business that is unpredictable and often impersonal. Sadly those days are gone. And many older performers are not connecting to the V…
Ageism? Well I'm in the demographic where it might be likely that technology passed me by. But that doesn't describe my gripe of the state of affairs in VO. I actually enjoy a little audio engineering in my coffee.
What IS is the 24/7 clock. Time after time an audition rolls in as I am sipping my turmeric/magnesium tea & sliding into bed or I wake to find a perfectly aligned audition that was posted long before the sun rose & when I go to record the job has already closed & on to booking.
The chinese-water-drop-torture of anxiety whenever I decide to live my life outside my awesome space pod sound booth is not healthy.
Time zones & flat…