…if you can just survive long enough to use it!

Happy New Year, by the way.  And it appears as though that may be more than just a generic greeting, the way work is shaping up for 2009.  But more on that in another post.

Some of us believe “everything happens for a reason”.  Some of us believe that reason is because the Universe hates us.  But even cynical ol’ me had to admit today that a number of downright annoying experiences actually have a silver lining (and a paycheck), if only because…I’m a Voice Actor.

Case in point:  a job doing some audio character work for a multi-media presentation produced for Days Inn on customer satisfaction.  And dis-satisfaction.  They gave me a range of scenarios where I was the same guy with a problem which needed resolving.  The directors guided me through positive moods like “above and beyond”, to “neutral reaction”, to “slightly aggravated”, to “highly aggravated”.

The scenes involved a tired traveler with a fouled-up hotel stay made worse by a broken air conditioner.

Those who know me have already guessed that I nailed the “highly aggravated” scene in one take.  It was the upbeat and appreciative guy I had to work on (but it still only took about three takes for him).

Honestly, I do try to hold my temper with individuals who are trying to help solve a problem they themselves had no fault in creating.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t have that invective-laden tirade formulating in the back of my frazzled mind all the while.

Mere mortals must either give vent to their frustrations in the moment, or stifle the urge and compound their frustration by supressing it.

But we…!  We fortunate actors (including voice actors) can at least take some small comfort in knowing that if we can file the experience away for future use, those feelings can be channeled back into a script at some future time, adding a welcome element of truth to a performance.

And it can literally provide a “payoff” to life’s rich pageant of frustrations, which most people are never able to enjoy.

…the trick is not to burst a blood vessel or die of a monster ulcer before that payday arrives!

Now you’ll have to excuse me while I phone tech support to find out why those #*@%!! morons haven’t fixed the problem with my *$!@%** DVR yet!

— over and out —