Accents & Dialects for Voice Over: All Levels

Taught by VO Talent Tom Antonellis with his Tour of Dialects™ and Dialect Deep Dives

For the actor/voice-over actor who is looking to compete at the highest level in voice-over for accents and dialects. Get ready to work!

Click the ‘add to cart’ button to your left and complete your payment and reserve your spot.

4 Weeks: April 20, 27, May 11, May 25
Saturdays 10am - 1pm PST

Cost: $485 - Payment Plans Available
*No Pre-Req required but knowledge of Voice Over would be ideal

VIRTUAL CLASS VIA ZOOM

With the proper techniques, taught methodically, learning dialects and accents can finally be demystified. Actors often struggle to recreate the sounds of a certain dialect or accent – this familiar refrain is common: “I can kind of imitate the sound but I don’t know if I’m doing it right.”  Then there are the questions that swirl around notions of authenticity, accuracy and appropriateness of adopting dialects and accents that aren’t our own.  That’s all before we even deal with having enough control of a dialect or accent to then have the freedom and confidence for auditioning or performing in it. 

This workshop aims to demystify the process of acquiring dialects and accents and to make them accessible. Whether a beginner or a seasoned pro, attendees will get a thorough and incredibly useful foundation of knowledge, tools, and techniques to learn to access many dialects and accents with accuracy and precision, portraying them respectfully to reflect the cultures they represent, and to do so across many genres of voiceover.

The accents/dialects we would be focusing on are British (RP), American Southern, Boston vs. New York and then one of the accents/dialects of the class's choosing from the list below***

What We Will Cover:

• Global awareness of how dialects function (and even evolve as well as migrate) and a clear understanding of a system for approaching them.
• Awareness of the different “seats” for dialects and accents in the anatomy of voice and in the resonance chambers of the vocal instrument.
• Tools and techniques to find your “Comfort Zone Voice" in a dialect and then to adjust the dialect or accent (once under control) for variety of characters.
• The skills to hear dialects and accents in a new way and learn to physiologically reproduce them.
• Making sure you can retain the authentic you while performing in dialect/accent – can you keep your “cake” even if your “frosting” keeps changing?
• You will leave these classes with a whole new level of ease and a sense of delight around performing accents and dialects!
• An overview of many dialects and accents with focused time spent on dialects of the class’s choosing from the following TOM'S (ever-expanding) DIALECT COACHING LIST***:

• Bostonian (also referred to as Southie)
• New England (general - as heard in e.g. broader Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island)
• New York (general)
• American Southern (as heard in e.g. Kentucky, Tennessee)
• Deep South (as heard in e.g. Alabama, Mississippi)
• US Farm & Ranch Belt (as heard in e.g. Indiana, rural Illinois, Missouri, Kansas)
• Texan
• Mid-Western (as heard in e.g. North Dakota, Minnesota; also referred to as Minnesotan or Fargo-an)
• Chicagoan
• RP (Received Pronunciation, this is a British sound)
• Cockney
• Scottish (general)
• Irish
• French accent
• Italian accent
• TransAtlantic / MidAtlantic (both terms are used)
• In addition, Tom has booked for or performed (despite not being listed above) the following dialects. For these, Tom can and has served clients as a general advisor: 
  • Australian
  • Hampshire (UK)
  • Liverpool (also referred to as Liverpudlian or Scouse – UK)
  • German accent
  • Russian accent. 

Work with the masters and become your own voice master!​

Tom Antonellis is a Voice Arts Awards nominated voiceover artist, and the inaugural recipient of the “Be Brad” Voiceover Community Award (named in memory of Brad Venable) from the National Association of Voice Actors, Tom Antonellis runs a very full gamut: commercials (BOSTON CELTICS), animation (CHIP N DALE RESCUE RANGERS), video games (CRIME BOSS: ROCKAY CITY, THE WALKING DEAD: MATCH 3 TALES), TV (WINNING TIME, MURF THE SURF), film (DOG HOUSECALLS), audiobooks ('STINGRAY' SERIES), voicematching (AVENGERS ENDGAME), dubbing (NETFLIX), ADR (JOE VS CAROLE - Tom was also US Dialect Coach on this show), narrative podcasts, anime, looping, apps, narration, comedy, improv, legalese, trailers, live event announcing and yes -- even singing.  As a sought-after dialect coach, he brings decades of teaching in the arts to his clients.  With his sister Julee Antonellis, Tom is co-host of the hilarious and heartfelt Voice Arts Awards nominated "Back Through The Basement" podcast.