How to Audition for the Muppets

[erniebert1234ss]

Buck, I have a couple BJ Originals going, one will be a orange monster with that special happy tinge in the voice, kinda like Grover, and one is a puppetized version of myself when I was a little kid, about 5 years old or so. Does that sound good? I could make it fuzzy and blue, like Grover. I do need more voices! Any suggestions?

BJ

 

[Iokitek]

Voices are not easy actually. Not if you want them to be original. I usually don't copy voices either. I make up my own. My heroes in this department are actually cartoon voice actors. Such as the Simpsons cast. But my favorite voice actor is the guy who does Salem in Sabrina TTW. And he also does Norbert in Angry Beavers.

Right now I'm practicing voices because I can't practice puppeteering yet. I just talk to myself in weird voices when I'm alone. hehe The trick is to think of a fictional situation and then imagine two characters for instance who would obviously get into arguments with each other over that situation. Then you can just improv. I've watched so much TV in my life that it's not that hard to come up with anymore.

What is really fun is trying foreign accents like Russian. Or a brooklyn accent for instance. Mah favoreet, I say, mah favoreet is still the hillbilly, I tells ya what. Yeehaw!

 

[Whatever]

. I just talk to myself in weird voices when I'm alone. hehe

So do I, in German, but I don't have an excuse!

 

[erniebert1234ss]

not much help, guys. Anywhere I can get a voice is fine, whether cartoon (Donald i've been looking for for a while, Droopy is also my goal) or Muppet (Grover, Ernie, Piggy, Crazy Harry, Scooter (my fave by far), Big Bird, etc.)!

BJ

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Buck, I have a couple BJ Originals going, one will be a orange monster with that special happy tinge in the voice, kinda like Grover, and one is a puppetized version of myself when I was a little kid, about 5 years old or so. Does that sound good? I could make it fuzzy and blue, like Grover. I do need more voices! Any suggestions?

I don't know what the voices sound like so it's hard to say. I really have limited training in that area anyway...I don't really think it matters what I think - the best thing is to find out what an audience thinks. Generally, I wouldn't attempt to mimick Muppet voices or famous cartoon characters. Try to do your own thing.

Oh and my last comment that "voices are easy" is actually a little misleading. I've had the chance to sit on recording secessions with very, very talented voice artists and it is highly a specialized art form - it's mind boggling what some professional voice artists can do.

I guess what I was getting at was that imho the puppetry is more important than the voice. I've seen a lot of great voice work in puppet shows that were awful. Voices can be developed over time; I think it's important to practice and have a decent range of voices but even more important is your writing, characterization and puppetry skills. A great voice can't make up for a lack of those things.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

What is really fun is trying foreign accents like Russian. Or a brooklyn accent for instance. Mah favoreet, I say, mah favoreet is still the hillbilly, I tells ya what. Yeehaw!

I can't do accents well, everything ends up sounding either Scottish or a Vampire. It's sad.

 

[Iokitek]

hehe, blah I get that too sometimes, blah