Michael Bell. Courtesy of Michael Bell.

"You have to find a teacher who will dig deep and get into the acting analysis of it," agrees The Rugrats’ Michael Bell. "You’ve got to have that motivation and you have to know exactly why it’s there. ‘Who is the character talking to? What is the distance to the other character that you’re talking to? Is the character talking to a crowd? Why is the character angry? What is it the character just said? Why did the character say that? Why didn’t he say something else?’ You have to get to the source first, and then we work on a voice. Most teachers aren’t interested. It’s just a factory -- get ‘em in, get ‘em out -- and I find it very sad."

Also, ask the instructor how many students will be attending the class and how much experience they have. "I try to limit it to between ten and twelve students per class," says Andrea Romano. "More than that, they don’t get enough mike time, they don’t get enough time to ask questions, they don’t get enough individual attention. People should also ask an instructor, ‘What kinds of students do you have in your class? What are your requirements for other students? Am I going to be among peers? Am I going to be among people who are far superior to my work? Am I going to be among people who are much more inferior to my work?’ Also, you want to make sure you’re not working in a class of all women or all men. You want a nice mix, because there’s a lot that women can learn from men’s voice-over and there’s a lot that men can learn from women’s voice-over."

"I like to give male copy to my female students and vice-versa," says Michael Bell. "It makes them stretch and reach. It makes them work for something. Most of my peers are able to do [female voices]. Many times, I’ve done female characters in animation, and I’ve worked with women who have done guys. It opens you up."

Michael Bell brings to life many of The Rugrats characters. Courtesy of & © 1998 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Practice, Practice, Practice…
How much microphone time you will be allotted is also very important. Avoid classes that do not give you the opportunity to perform on-mike at least twice per class. Says Susan Blu, "You only learn by getting up and doing. You absolutely do not want a teacher who just lectures."

"Lecturing is of no value," agrees Michael Bell, "and I don’t believe in bringing in guests to chat and give people cute war stories about what happened to them in animation -- ‘Tonight’s special guest is...’ -- because the teacher doesn’t want to be there! Because the teacher’s raking in the big bucks getting what I call a $500 lunch! The majority of teachers out there are just an enormous waste of time."

"And another thing to look out for," continues Bell, "is if the teacher says, ‘I will put together a demo tape for you at the end of six weeks.’ Back up and go in the other direction real quick. If you’re going to present yourself to an agent or to a casting director, I think it’s endemic that you be the best you can possibly be, with at least five or six really solid characters under your belt. Most people don’t have that yet, and six weeks is not going to get it for you -- in any class."

Consider the environment in which you’ll be learning, as well. Says Andrea Romano, "When looking for a class, people should look at what kind of facility they are going to be working in. Is it somebody’s basement? Are they going to get into an actual recording facility, a real, genuine atmosphere that tells them what their work atmosphere is going to be like? It’s already scary enough when you get the job, because you’re intimidated, you’re nervous, other people have been doing this for years and maybe you’ve only done it once or twice. You want as few variables as possible."

Susan Blu has voice directed on Godzilla: The Series. TM & © 2000 Fox Kids.

Last, though perhaps not least, you should factor in the cost of the class. "I think the going range is probably anywhere from $300-$600 for a 6-week class," says Susan Blu. "Find out how much the class costs. Is it too expensive? Is it not expensive enough? You really have to look at the value of the instructor. I think you get what you pay for, that old cliché." But the most important thing that makes up a good teacher? "You can’t do it because you’re trying to make a living at it. You gotta do it because you love it!"

Prior to becoming a freelance journalist and screenwriter, Laura Schiff sold animation art for Hanna-Barbera Cartoons. Her work has been published in Animefantastique, Creative Screenwriting, People, Mademoiselle and Seventeen.