JayBeacham.com-A Voice as an Instrument

“We want a college age voice.”

What?

“We need a 20 to 40 year old voice.” 

Searching for voice over, voice talent jobs these and other like statements were in the demo-requirements I found.

Who are they kidding?

There is no particular voice sound that depicts a college age student. And Now every one from all age groups are in college.

And 20 to 40? So you can tell?

I was a radio announcer at age 16  and sounded very much not like a child. And I am not an ‘exception’.

I understand that some casting directors didn’t cast Deanna Durbin when she was a teenager because she sounded to old.

I think these folks who are asking for the ‘age related voice’ are insane.

I sold a bare root apricot tree to a woman once.  From her voice she could have been in her twenties.  She was 11.

I have a friend who is 55 now and she sounds like a young girl where as her two daughters sounded very mature as teens.

So what’s in your mind about an age related voice sound?

You tell me what does a college age voice sound like?

I suppose if you were a “toother” and had no teeth you might sound old. I know folks who started wearing ‘dentures’ while still in their twenties. Without their chompers, they sound old.

Take Walter Brennan for instance.  He never played the part of a young man from the 1930s until he died in 1974 at age 80.

Here is an excerpt from a Wikipedia post about him:  ” Throughout his career, Brennan was frequently called upon to play characters considerably older than he was in real life. The loss of many teeth in a 1932 accident, rapidly thinning hair, thin build, and unusual vocal intonations all made him seem older than he really was. He used these features to great effect. In many of his film roles, Brennan wore ‘dentures‘; in Northwest Passage — a film set in the late 18th century—he wore a special dental prosthesis which made him appear to have rotting and broken teeth.”

These age requirements for a voice are so dumb.

Its all in people’s minds as to what makes someone sound young or old or in between or even look a certain age for that matter.

Now what do you think?

 Another matter before I’m out of here.

To those dorks who are putting links to keywords on my sites and posts, I hope you never sell a cent’s worth of product. If you had any integrity you’d pay for the advertising I and others are forced to give you.

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