From the mysterious to the masters of their craft, “This Job Rocks” is where I walk in someone else’s work shoes. On Twitter and Instagram #ThisJobRocksYVR.
When I visited the home studio of Christine Cullingworth, I didn't know what to expect. Christine greeted me with a big smile, fresh made coffee, cookies and a quick play date with her new kittens, 9 week old brothers adopted from VOKRA.
Overlooking Burrard Inlet, Christine introduces me to the life she’s built for herself: a previous HR Advisor, her world is now filled with boating adventures, a neighbourhood of dear friends, and a supportive voiceover community. As I sip my coffee (Christine doesn’t drink coffee before working because the acidity alters her voice), we glide through subject after subject: emotional intelligence in the workplace, dinner party entertaining, and of course, what has led me here in the first place, Christine’s full time role as a voiceover talent.
Why did you pursue VO as a career?
Many years ago, I took a voiceover animation / improv class. Having to get up in front of people and voice a character from a page completely took me out of my comfort zone and into a different world. My life moved on and that experience stayed with me as a “fun thing I did at the time”. Until I listened to an audiobook while on a vacation. That seed planted years before gave me the desire to make this my career.
What do you love most about being a voiceover actor?
The freedom to be creative and challenged, to be accountable for what I produce, to build relationships with colleagues and clients and to work from home, where I can be available for my family. Best career decision I have ever made!
We descend downstairs and tuck into a small bedroom, which Christine has converted into her studio. A small window welcomes in diffused northern light. A dresser has been transformed into a standing desk and a super sized touchscreen monitor perches atop, the studio’s mixing and editing board. The closet serves as the brain of the computer operating system, its hum strategically placed as far away from the sound booth as possible. Buttercream eggshell padding forms a dome over the constructed booth, insulated with blankets to create the exterior. Inside, an overhead light, microphone, script stand. The whole room is remarkably quiet.
Audition in hand, she chews a piece of gum quickly to remove "mouth noises", then with headphones positioned, steps into the booth. "Hell-o. He-llo... Hello,” Christine tests different versions of such a simple word for an audition. Conveying the right emotion takes skill.
It’s about believability. I have to put myself into that scene — what am I saying and to whom and why? I am drawn to calm, empathetic scripts that complement my natural style preference, such as PSAs or healthcare ads. Other scripts may require a hard sell or a wry/sarcastic style, which would be my opposite preference. I have developed characters with different personality preferences to relate to every script.
Barely a minute or two later, Christine emerges and works quickly to prepare her audition for submission. Her precision, evidence of a quiet mastery. Intuitively, she slices out additional beats, isolates the small nodes that represent ‘mouth sounds’ and breaths, all while chatting with me.
Is voiceover acting a skill? Or are you born with it.
It is a skill to be learned and honed — how to interpret a script, how to tap into the emotion. It’s great to have a pleasing voice, however, it’s how you use your voice to convey the message that counts. It’s definitely not just speaking into a mic, that’s for sure.
What would you tell someone new starting in this career?
Learn all you can from the pros and be resourceful. In addition to continual training (in voiceover, acting, improv) you need to have a professional-quality space to record, ability to edit effectively, market yourself and have a decent business sense. The reality of a career in voiceover is that you will be competing with many people who are hustling to make it as well. You must find out where you fit best and what makes you stand out – then work at it consistently to become better.
Christine’s smooth, and dare I say, buttery voice makes her the right match for a range of gigs: the caring career woman narrating countless e-learning courses, the cheerful greeter who answers a company’s main phone line, the mom-knows-best voice on a commercial, not to mention some unexpected roles, like this one as a backpack.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_khLVP2ZZdo]
After listening to her edited audition, I try reading for a mock audition. What seems like a simple sentence turns out to be much harder to say and convey the right sentiment. That’s the difference between an amateur and a professional. And Christine is 100% pro!
You can get in touch with Christine (and listen to her demo reel) here, or talk to her Vancouver agent, Kirk Talent.
