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Voice actor seamlessly demonstrates 10 different voices we all recognize and holy moly

This is genuinely impressive…and a little spooky.

Tawny Platis/TikTok

Tawny Platis's voice acting demonstration is blowing people's minds.

In the age of television, radio, and the internet, we hear voices all the time, pretty much everywhere we go. From advertisements to customer service prompts to video narrations, voiceovers have become so commonplace that we don't give them much thought.

That is, until we see someone actually doing those voices we're so accustomed to hearing. Professional voice actor Tawny Platis shared a video to her Tiktok demonstrating 10 voices most of us will instantly recognize, and it's as uncanny as it is impressive. She seamlessly transitions from a text-to-speech voice to a "detached casual conversation" voice to a bright "We've got denim for the whole family!" department store voice and more.

As she shares these voices, you'll swear you've heard her doing them before, either on a call with your bank, in your workplace's onboard training, or while reaching for a tissue during a holiday commercial. It's downright freaky. Watch:

@tawnyplatis

10 common reads you’ll hear in voiceover! #voiceactor #funny

People in the comments had the most relatable responses to Platis' voiceover demonstration.

"This is incredible. I’m ready to buy something. I’m not sure what."

"I feel like you’ve been there for all the important moments of my life. Thank you."

"Bright was so triggering as a retail worker."

"Can’t tell if i’ve heard your voice before or if you’re just that good."

Being in the virtual presence of such greatness made some folks rethink their own voice acting ambitions.

"Me at the beginning of the video: I could be a professional voice actor!…… me at the end of the video:… there’s a reason SHE is a professional voice actor. Well done. 👏"

"Me sometimes 'I bet I could voice act' me after this video 'nope. I can't do that.'"

"Welp I can cross this off my list of potential professions. That was amazing."

Mostly, people were rightfully impressed with her range and talent. To have that much control over how your voice sounds with such consistency is remarkable.

But this video also offers interesting insights into the psychology of how this kind of acting impacts modern-day life. Each of these voices evokes a specific response in us, from comfort to excitement to trust to awe. It's a bit unsettling to clearly see how easily we can be influenced by someone's voice and how well-honed those cues and responses have become.

Voiceover professional Simon Lewington explained this phenomenon in an article on LinkedIn: "Just as colors evoke emotions in visual art, the tone of voice creates an emotional palette in auditory storytelling. The psychological impact of tone is profound. A warm and inviting tone can make viewers feel welcome, while a serious tone lends an air of authority. Choosing the right tone consciously allows voice-over artists to evoke intended emotions in the audience."

Lewington writes that voiceover artists are "emotional architects" who "use the psychology of voice to subtly shape how viewers perceive and engage with content." It's an art that can be used to enhance our enjoyment of an experience, but also one that can be used to convince us to buy or believe something. Voiceover work is powerful, and when it's done well, it's almost spooky how much it can affect us.

If you want to see more from Tawny Platis, you can follow her on TikTok or find her courses and tutorials for voice acting here.


This article originally appeared in February.

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Impressionist transforms into 20 celebrities with deep fake technology and it's wild

Watch Jim Meskimen transform both his voice and his face as he recites a poem about impressionists.

Jim Meskimen/YouTube

Deep fake VFX make Jim Meskimen's impressions all the more believable.

Actor and comedian Jim Meskimen is one of those actors who may look familiar to many but could probably only be named by a few. He has acted in movies such as "Apollo 13" and "There Will Be Blood" and TV shows such as "Friends" and "Castle," and has also done a wide range of voiceover work.

Meskimen's voice is one of his most honed tools. A master impressionist, he can imitate dozens of famous actors, from George Clooney to Jack Nicholson to Morgan Freeman. In fact, he's created a series of impressionist tutorials on YouTube to help others figure out how to do their own impressions of famous people.

But one video of Meskimen's that has gotten viral attention goes beyond just voice impressions. Using deep fake video technology (courtesy of video effects editor Shamook), Meskimen transforms not just his voice and mannerisms, but his actual face, to impersonate celebrities.

As he recites a poem he wrote about doing impressions, Meskimen slips seamlessly from one famous voice to another—and as he does so, his face also morphs into whichever celebrity he's doing, almost like magic.

It's super trippy, really cool and slightly terrifying to watch. Check out Meskimen's "A Deeper Look Into the Life of an Impressionist":

Impressive, no?

Aside from showcasing Meskimen's enviable abilities, the video highlights how easy it can be to dupe people with modern technology. Confusion over what's real and true is a pervasive problem as it is, but the ability to create video that makes it look like a real person is really saying something they never said adds a whole new layer to people's levels of distrust of all media.

In fact, MIT reported in 2019 that the problem with deep fake videos isn't merely the impact that the creation of convincing video dupes might have. Just the mere possibility that a video could be faked causes people to question whether any video they see is real, and that kind of generalized confusion is exactly what disinformation pushers want.

Meskimen's video, of course, isn't meant to be a statement or warning on deep fake tech, but rather a showcase of what can be done with it. VFX creator Shamook shared a split-screen video showing how he used the celebrities' faces to transform Meskimen's face, and it's pretty cool to see.

(By the way, if you're struggling to figure out who any of the famous people are, here's the list in order: John Malkovich, Colin Firth, Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Nick Offerman, George Clooney, Christopher Walken, Anthony Hopkins, Dr. Phil, Nicholas Cage, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Morgan Freeman, Bryan Cranston, Christoph Waltz, Joe Pesci, Jack Nicholson, George W. Bush, Ian McKellen, Ron Howard, Robin Williams.)

Absolutely amazing what humans have figured out how to do, isn't it? Here's hoping that this kind of deep fake technology stays in the realm of entertainment where it belongs.

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Kristen Stewart says it's a 'slippery slope' to insist only gay actors play gay characters

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File:TIFF 2019 kristen stewart (48701274962).jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Of the 25 actors that have been nominated for an Oscar for playing an LGBTQ character, a grand total of zero of them have been openly queer. The debate on whether or not only gay actors can play gay roles has many sides and nuances. After Darren Criss, who is straight, won an Emmy for playing Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Criss vowed he would never play another gay man because he didn't want to be "another straight boy taking a gay man's role." Actor Ben Whishaw, who is gay, feels otherwise. "I really believe that actors can embody and portray anything, and we shouldn't be defined only by what we are," Whishaw said. Recently, Kristen Stewart also weighed in on some of the complexities around the issue.

Variety recently asked Stewart about the importance of gay actors playing gay characters. Stewart acknowledged the complexity of the issue. "I would never want to tell a story that really should be told by somebody who's lived that experience. Having said that, it's a slippery slope conversation because that means I could never play another straight character if I'm going to hold everyone to the letter of this particular law. I think it's such a gray area," Stewart told Variety.

Authenticity in storytelling is important, and there's normally a feeling of artificiality when someone tries to tell the story of a group in which they don't belong. However, it's not always the case. "There are ways for men to tell women's stories, or ways for women to tell men's stories. But we need to have our finger on the pulse and actually have to care," Stewart told Variety.

Stewart also pointed out that telling the story of a group you're not part of has to be done with love. "You kind of know where you're allowed. I mean, if you're telling a story about a community and they're not welcoming to you, then fuck off. But if they are, and you're becoming an ally and a part of it and there's something that drove you there in the first place that makes you uniquely endowed with a perspective that might be worthwhile, there's nothing wrong with learning about each other. And therefore helping each other tell stories," Stewart pointed out.

Stewart is currently starring in Happiest Season, an LGBTQ Christmas film directed by Clea DuVall. "Happiest Season" tells the story of Abby and Harper, a lesbian couple who spends the holidays at Harper's parents' house, despite Harper's family not knowing she's a lesbian. Mackenzie Davis, the actress who plays Harper, is straight, and Stewart doesn't see a problem with Davis taking the role. "She was the only person in my mind that could have played this with me. Sometimes, artfully speaking, you're just drawn to a certain group of people," Stewart explained to Variety.

But for all of the complexities around the issue, Stewart boiled it down to one simple, common sense solution. "So my answer is fucking think about what you're doing! And don't be an asshole," Stewart said.

She's got a point. Sometimes all it takes to figure out if you're "doing it right" or not is asking yourself if you're being an asshole.

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'Kid, you got the job': Henry Thomas' 'E.T' screen test is still awesome for an actor of any age

via UniversalPicsSweden

Steven Spielberg's "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" is one of the greatest films ever made but it could have easily been a disaster.

Director Steven Spielberg took huge risks with the film betting the house on the relationship between a young boy named Elliott and an oddly-shaped alien.

If the boy in the lead role of Elliott or the animatronic alien weren't convincing, the movie would have been nothing more than a bad children's fare.

Spielberg emphasized the children so much in the film that it was shot from a child's perspective and most of the adult faces are obscured.

Although Spielberg was taking a risk he must have been pretty confident walking onto the set on the first day because he chose an amazing young actor to be his Elliott, Henry Thomas.

In 1981, the nine-year-old actor flew to Los Angeles from Texas for a screen test with Spielberg. During his first reading he was so nervous that his performance fell flat. But on his send attempt, Thomas was so amazing that he got the role right there on the spot.

In the end, Spielberg simply says, "Okay kid, you got the job."

Henry Thomas audition för E.T. "Ok kid, you got the job".www.youtube.com

"The improvisation was so heartfelt and honest that I gave him the part right there," Spielberg told Premiere magazine in 1982. "I was blown away by this nine-year-old. Then I came to realize he's an adult actor, not a nine-year-old."

"He's a very controlled, methodical performer who measures what he does and feels what he does and yet broadcasts it in a totally subtle way. His performance is so controlled, unlike most kid performers, who seem to be giving you 150 percent on every shot," Spielberg continued.

After "E.T.," Thomas was so recognizable as Elliott that he had a hard time landing more work. However, unlike a lot of child stars, his career flourished as an adult, landing him roles in "Gangs of New York," Netflix's "The Haunting of Hill House," "Legends of the Fall," and as a young Norman Bates in "Psycho IV: The Beginning."

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