Something New

I have a new motto... its never too late to teach an old dog new tricks... so long as you stick the right-sized carrot. :)
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My dad's company organized this street festival in Makati and they needed a cheap-o talent to do the event's voice over. It was held last Saturday, and I volunteered for the job only a few days beforehand.

I thought, heck why not. I was stuck in the city due to budgetary constraints anyway, so I might as well make a few extra bucks hanging around Makati and talking obnoxiously loud over a microphone. I mean, how hard can that be?

Hardy-har-har. Fat joke on me. "Voice overing" is H-A-R-D! Apparently, like any other talent supposedly in-born or developed over time, it takes skill! And a few days prior does not a voice-overer make. Plus, mad-ass patience is a prerequisite. My "calltime" (talent na talent lang, teh!) was 9:00 in the morning, but the organizers only gave me my script and actually talked to me to set expectations straight at half past 12. More than three hours of possible preptime down the drain!

Of course the unbearable wait only made me even more anxious to get the whole thing over and done with. Pressure was on for nervous li'l me, to be as un-tongue-tied as possible because sponsor names had to be spewed out right, lest they choose not to support the event next year due to mispronunciation.

Despite this extraordinarily outgoing persona I exude, in reality I'm extremely shy. No, not shy in the sweet, pa-cute way. I'm shy in the stage-fright-with-tummy-issues-when-under-the-spotlight way. Imagine my surprise when Organizer said "It's your responsibility to invite people to sit down in front of the stage and watch the show." Impakta me wanted to rebuttal with "Weren't the pre-event promos supposed to do that?" but I held my tongue. Being a brat wasn't going to help make the situation any better, and I volunteered for the job so I best suck it up.

So there I was, mic on hand, script read and re-read a thousand times over. And I start, "Welcome to the 7th Annual Tuklas Sining sa Reposo..."

Turns out, I'm not so bad! Things I learned in doing my something new are:

1. I suck at Tagalog read out loud. Let the gal read in straight English and she's fine. But throw in a "Sentro ng serbisyo, sentro ng asenso" tagline and she goes a trippin' all the way.
2. My spontaneous speech needs improvement, 'cause if it ain't written down, I can't blurt it out. For those impromptu read-outs, I had to write my own script in order to announce them right. A pro would've just made up something witty on the spot.
3. My tone isn't as modulated as most pros, but its got a youthful sound to it. You wouldn't think it was coming from someone pushing thirty.

All in all, the first ever voice-over experience was fun. Its a skill I think I can hone a bit more and probably do as a sideline. Plus, I'm loving the sense of accomplishment when the challenge of something new is hurdled.

If y'all are in search of a voice talent, look no further folks. Rates are negotiable. ;)