Kenneth Bryant credits having performed on stage for teaching him to search his own life experience very quickly to find the character and voice for a specific role, and he has Lived. He’s skydived, been on wilderness expeditions, rock climbed and rappelled and zip lined across canyons, taught children and adults sports and professional trades, written short stories, taught himself to play guitar, traveled all over the world and seen numerous sights and cultures, investigated the paranormal, been on archaeological digs, done parkour, done martial arts, done jazz dance… And so on, and so on… Kenneth has always pushed his limits in finding new adventures to undertake and experience.
Kenneth lives in Round Rock, TX. He’s a UTSA graduate with a BA in English and support work in Anthropology. He has produced/narrated several audiobooks. Most recently, the first three of author Steven Moore’s The Hiram Kane adventure series and is currently narrating G.M. Sherwin’s The Lazarus Gene and Immortalis – both works in the Science Fiction/Horror genre.
He’s voiced in-store spot promos for retail department stores along with web explainer/DVD presentations, voiced characters in serialized fiction podcasts, and performed in dozens of live productions – West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Actor’s Nightmare, Miss Julie, You Can’t Take It With You, etc., along with murder mystery theater, MC for beauty pageants, DJ for nightclubs…
A recent review in Black Books Blog stated that “Kenneth Bryant narrates his books superbly, making it very obvious that there are different people talking by doing the different accents and male/female voices very well.”
Simply put, Kenneth has a Passion for challenging himself to produce the best performance and is always ready to bring his studio, skills, and service to bear and Give Your Project a Voice!
What first sparked your interest in narrating audiobooks?
Once I decided to get back into the voice over field, I felt at that time that narrating audiobooks would be the quickest and most inexpensive way to get my name and voice out to the listening public. My plan was fulfilled when, very shortly after I had set up my studio and began submitting auditions, I was hired to produce Mick Kremling’s The Spartans: 300 Quotes, Facts, and Sayings of History’s Greatest Warriors. In the beginning, it was more a decision of business expedience really. How do I jump start my VO business?
But as time has passed and I’ve produced many more audiobooks I now enjoy narrating them because I enjoy telling a great story. What’s really great is that story-telling has its roots in oral recitation, so I feel like I’m part of continuing a uniquely human and ancient tradition. Ancient cultures around the world have many stories of myths, legends, and tales of great warriors and battles that were passed down through the generations in poetic and/or minstrel form. These stories often served as a basis for their cultures and traditions. It speaks to a very primal part of our collective consciousness, and so it is now very gratifying for me to narrate and breathe life into a wonderfully written story.
How did you get into the field as narrator, and what were your first days like?
Actually, it was quite by chance really! It was back in the Eighties when I was working for AAFES (Army/Air Force Exchange Service) while I was attending college. I was working in Central Checkout at the Fort Sam Houston Post Exchange and it was when scanners were first introduced. As you might expect, they were problematic at best. I was constantly getting on the intercom and calling for price checks on all manner of items. It was frustrating because the Exchange was always busy. But, as it turned out, the manager of the entire Exchange complex, Mr. Hodge, liked how my voice sounded and one day pulled me off the register. He took me to a small room in the back with a very old recording device and microphone, handed me the weekly and daily sales flyers and said, “Mr. Bryant, I want you to do the Exchange’s spot promos from now on. I’ve already told them up front that you work for me now.”
That was all it took for me to jump right into it, and it was a wonderful time for me. It was such a departure from the other work I had been doing then. At first, I felt the pressure to learn the mechanics of the recording equipment, but it didn’t take long at all. I enjoyed hours of writing and recording spot promos for all of the Exchange’s departments and the adjoining businesses in the strip mall complex. I was free to be as creative as I wanted to be with the wording, and it was great fun to challenge myself to come up with fresh and authentic ways to tell the customers and service personal about various specials or local activities/events. Fortunately for me, my renditions were well-received, and I worked as the Fort Sam Houston PX’s spot promo voice for a very long time.”
You have performed several adventure books. How crucial is timing in adventures, and how do you make sure you’re going the right speed?
This is a great question, because timing and pacing of your vocal presentation for adventure stories is critical in establishing a sense of drama and urgency that counterbalance with the quieter scenes in the plot. I find that I need to read and rehearse those scenes several times in order to find the right rhythm. I pay close attention to the syntax and punctuation the author uses also. He wrote it that way for a reason and there are certain literary uses of punctuation – like the caesura (a strategic silence between words) – that can add nuanced meaning to the prose.
As far as making sure of the right speed of delivery, I liken the pace I use sometimes to that of delivering a report or instructions during an emergency situation. Time is of the essence but so is clarity of communication. . .
It isn’t easy either. There are many times a scene requires a faster, more urgent tone, but I can’t sacrifice articulation of the words in my narration or the various character’s voices/accents either. A great technique for preventing my words from stringing together and becoming muffled is to recite the passages with a pencil or pen clenched between my teeth. I remember this from my stage work. I’ve also heard a cork is good for this too. By working to enunciate my words at speed with the pen I find that when I perform the passage in the recording session, I can more easily deliver clearly defined yet urgent words, sentences, and ideas. I’ll often use the pen during my recording session as a prep technique before the dramatically charged scene and then narrate it afterword. Afterward, I delete the “pen recitation” during editing.
Can you slow down or speed up your words digitally, or do you have to re- record them?
I generally don’t use those kinds of effects that come with the audio software. I can easily slow down or speed up my vocal pace without those apps. All I use is Compression and Equalization, and some clients simply want raw audio so there are times I don’t use those either.
I have used the Reverb effect for a few “god voice” type demos, but otherwise the rest comes from me. I can contract or expand my soft palette to affect accents and vocal styles quite easily.
I advise against using effects in voice over work, especially in auditioning because clients and casting agents can see right through this tactic. Unless the client says otherwise, generally they want to hear my voice only, and it’s on me to make it authentic and believable, not the software.
Besides books, you narrate documentaries. What is that like? Do you watch the video as you talk?
Web explainers, DVD presentations, documentaries, etc. are a lot of fun for me. I remember enjoying documentary shows as a kid and I still enjoy them today. They’re entertaining and informative and if done correctly can have a dramatic impact like the documentaries on wars, disasters, or criminal activity.
The narration for a documentary is an important element in the presentation, so I take the script and my performance very seriously. That said, it is great fun also. It’s great to be the expert voice for the show.
Yes, there have been times I’ve recorded my narration as I watch the video. Generally, I watch the video beforehand several times anyway to get a sense of the pacing and memorize the scene changes as the report or message unfolds. This is something I drew from my stage work where I would memorize the entire play. By knowing the entire presentation, I can more easily find the right voice for each scene and the whole show. Quite often, the actual spoken lines of narration may only amount to a small percentage of the whole project so it’s important my tone and vocal style are on point. Directed sessions are sometimes utilized by clients as well to ensure that my voice over reflects what they’re wanting.
Back to your question though, usually the client’s videographer or sound engineer comes in afterward to sync my voice over with the video, so I don’t always watch while recording. They simply use their software to place my narration where it needs to be on the video.
It is important to note here, however, that there are times when I don’t get to see the video at all. Instead, I receive a script which may have a description of each scene in parentheses above my lines or a storyboard in the margin. Or, it’s just a different video for reference. Or just a few still shots from the video. Or it’s just the script and a few directions from the client. As with producing audiobooks where the author may take a very active role in the creative process or simply leave it all up to me and say, “Thanks!”, when it’s published the VO business runs the gamut of work requirements, and it’s up to me to adapt to each project.
You performed the iconic H.G. Wells’s War of the Worlds. How daunting was it to take such a famous and popular book that I’m sure has been recorded before and make your own version?
There’s always pressure to measure up to previous incarnations of a famous work. I recognize that and accept it. However, I don’t let it affect how I interpret the material. When I was younger, I remember appreciating Sir Richard Burton’s performance of the Narrator from Jeff Wayne’s musical two disc album version of the War of the Worlds produced in the late 70’s. I’ve always liked his measured, deep, rich voice with a pragmatic yet “emotions on his sleeve” delivery. Ultimately, though, as an artist I know that I have to find my own meaning in the written word because I know that is what will resonate with my audience. Therefore, I need to deliver MY best performance of the script, not my best IMITATION of someone else’s performance.
You state on your blog, “The human voice is the quickest and most efficient way to establish a rapport with your listener.” Would you care to explain that statement to us?
Certainly. I made that statement in a blog entry about the importance of voice over narration in advertising, but it applies to every aspect of our lives really. As infants and young children we learned our native languages from our parents speaking it to us. We’ve lived our entire lives listening to family’s, friend’s, and loved ones’ voices. Our voices allow us to express complex ideas, humorous stories, or intimate, nuanced emotions to each other everyday. Our voices are a critical aspect of effective and healthy communication. A robotic voice can transmit a message about a charity event in a public service announcement, yes, but is a robot able to affect the listener as deeply as another human being feeling the emotional content behind the message? Can a robotic voice convey those feelings with subtlety and sensitivity, thereby creating an intimate connection with the audience motivating them to action? Probably not…
This brings us back to my point from earlier about the ancient oral tradition of passing stories from generation to generation. It continued even after writing came into play. It continues today in innumerable forms of multi-media presentation. It has even led us to this point right here where I’m discussing it with you because of the audiobooks I’ve narrated. That I’ve told through the medium of my voice.
Our voices resonate emotionally with us all, and so it makes sense to have a voice accompanying a visual presentation. Indeed, some media like radio and podcasting depend on voice work exclusively.
Consider this, it’s been demonstrated that people will tolerate a badly produced video to the end, but will tune out within seconds if the audio is bad. I think that speaks volumes about the importance of voice over work in all its manifestations.
You perform voice overs for many types of media. What are your favorite ones to do and why?
This is actually a tough question because I enjoy them all, but narrating audiobooks are the most fun for me. Acting out all the various characters reminds me of my time working on stage. I would still be doing stage work if the rehearsal schedules weren’t so demanding. Producing audiobooks, narrating new stories, acting out the voices and emotions of all the characters is the next best thing to being on stage again, you know? Like stage work, it is a labor of love but I have great fun doing it.
What advice were you given when you started out that you found most useful and now like to share with new voice over performers/ narrators now?
From the technical side, make absolutely certain that you have a QUIET space to set up your recording area. That is job One. Then take the time to buy good equipment and to set it up in a way that you’ll be comfortable. There are many ways to do it. But, if you want to pursue voice over work, understand that you’ll be spending a LOT of time in your recording studio, so you’ll need to be comfortable working in it.
On the performing side, it is critical to understand that you have to use your VOICE to convey emotions. Period. Rehearse the script and find the emotional content within it. In commercial work, scripts can be quite short. So, you have to make your performance stand out by making the text ring true with your own emotional experience behind it. In longer work, like audiobooks, this is even more important. You are not just reading the story, you are the Narrator and ALL the characters. You have to read the book first, find all of their voices and then tell the Story.
An additional point to remember is that you will be running a Business. Learn how to keep the books, bid competitively on projects, network with prospective clients, market yourself and establish your brand of work, advertise your services, etc…
Most importantly, if you want to work in Voice Over, understand that it is fiercely competitive. Be prepared to pay the money for equipment and the media through which you’ll audition for work. Be prepared to work hard in putting in the Hours in your booth and recording the additional takes. Your competitors will.
Understand and expect that it will not happen overnight either. Realize that you’ll have to work over time, sometimes years, to build a client base. Accept that you may never be famous either. Famous Voice Actors are the exception, not the rule, and truthfully that’s the wrong reason to pursue VO work really.
The best advice? If you really want to become a Voice Over Actor, then don’t give up. Stay with it. Run it down and make it happen, because it can if you work hard.
What is your favorite part of audiobook narration?
Acting out the characters. Creating miniature back stories for each of them and developing their individual vocal ages, styles, and accents. I especially enjoy portraying the villains. A good villain drives the story and the plot. What would Star Wars be without Darth Vader?
Like I mentioned earlier, it’s the closest I can get to getting on stage but with the added bonus of being able to act out ALL the characters. It’s great fun.
To learn more about Kenneth, visit the following sites:
https://kennethbryantvoicetalent.com
Voice123.com profile
Voices.com profile
ACX narrator profile
Casting Call Club profile
