Meet Natasha Powell, voice artist and actress with over 24 years working in the industry since 1995, and at that time, she has seen a lot of change. From the representation of women in the industry to the way in which it works. Over the years in the profession, Natasha has done a wide variety of voice over work including as a continuity announcer, televised adverts, and even theatre.
She has also had acting roles in TV shows such as The Bill, Emmerdale, and EastEnders as well as short films, but she wouldn’t object to branching out into radio plays. During her time in the creative industry, she has seen many things such as the representation of women along with the 50/50 Movement.
For viewers of FOX TV, you be able to hear her as a voice announcer this year and you’ll also be able to see her in the upcoming movies 83, How To Kill Your Husband, and Time to Dance in the coming months.
“It’s a creative art in its own right but it is very much part of the entertainment industry”
You also work as an actress appearing in TV programmes such as The Bill and EastEnders as well as short films, what was it about acting that first interested you?
I think it was my parents who really sparked my interest in acting. They both loved going to the theatre and I remember being taken to a lot of productions, I was so young they used to have to leave the seat flipped up and I would sit on the top so I could see the stage. I loved it when the lights dimmed and the show would start….it was just the most exciting thing, I loved the magic of theatreland. I wanted to be an actor from about the age of 9 and took GCSE drama at school and then went on to study Theatre, Film, and English at A level…when I was 17 I was involved with youth theatre at the Theatre Royal Stratford East & The Royal Shakespeare Co which then led on to meeting a bunch of actors, who are now some of my oldest friends, at the then Riverside Studios in London and we would improvise new plays and perform existing plays there and at the Lyric in Hammersmith. The Bill was my first TV when I was 21…it was so exciting to be doing what I loved at that age.
Would you say there’s a difference between the two as one involved being in front of a camera/audience, whereas the other involved being in a recording studio. Basically, both involve being vocal?
Technically there is a huge difference between the two. Being in front of the camera or an audience you are totally in view and exposed while being in a voice booth or studio means that it doesn’t matter if you having a bad hair day. The type of job also plays a big part too. A large part of my voice over work has always been Continuity, live for Channel five when I first started, then commercial and corporate-driven, which can require a smile in the voice, energy, and tone, whereas being in front of the camera or audience, of course, needs a more physical presence, however saying that I remember recording some animation characters which needed all sorts of accents and ranges of emotions which I found as physically demanding as acting in front of the camera even though I was in a recording studio. I research and write the majority of the scripts I record for the continuity work I do, so it’s my thoughts and feelings towards the programming going to air, within reason, and as an actor, you don’t usually get carte blanche as the script is normally already written.
For anyone wanting to get into a career as a voice-over artist what advice would you give?
The best advice is to listen to voice over artists who are working…try to get an idea of how you sound in comparison and where your voice might sit in the industry….do you sound young or old…husky or clear….RP or regional…you can find voice-over artists reels through their agent’s websites. Invest in a good reel with Commercial…Corporate…Narration and drama demos…..some would say you need to separate those genres out but when you starting out you just don’t have that body of work so one really well put together reel showing all your different sounds and strengths should be enough. And then really just send it to everyone who might be able to help. Yes, a good voice over agent is always a huge plus but I started out doing voice work I put myself up for through casting websites, and in time I then got an agent. I remember my very first voice over gig vividly……It was in a studio at the producer’s house….he was a really nice guy and he had this little kitten playing about very sweet little thing….we recorded the work and I left….only to find as I was walking back to get the tube that the Kitten had left a little surprise poo in my handbag….I guess I could have seen it as a bad omen but I haven’t stopped working since.
Have you ever considered doing radio plays?
I love radio dramas and have been asked to work on animated drama but never plays…. but if the opportunity ever comes along I definitely wouldn’t say no!
In some way they can fulfil both roles as it requires the use of acting and it’s mainly vocal work.
Yes I think radio drama fulfils both perfectly, your employing all the technique of being a voice over artist but acting in a studio…I guess it’s a bit like doing a rehearsed reading of a play…you’re probably either partially or fully off book and in a room with the other actors doing what you love…what fun!
Is there any difference in requirements when it comes to doing voice-work in both TV/Film/Theatre and advertisement?
Yeah in TV and Film the voice is used in a much more natural way….really just speaking on your own voice….the microphones pick up every tiny little sound…but in the theatre, depending on the size of the space you definitely need to have more projection and to support your voice otherwise you can end up hurting your voice. At Mountview I studied the Alexander Technique. It’s known more commonly as a posture technique but it’s really a way of using your body in a more efficient way so that the channel from your diagram to your voice is as open and supported as possible so you can project to the back of a large auditorium because unless your mic’d up the people in the Gods or seats at the back aren’t going to hear you without some projection. I continued to study the Alexandre Technique when I left drama school for a few years…. I found it vocally and physically empowering but it’s a subtle technique and it can take a long time to feel it working.
When it comes to Advertising its back to a more natural volume but there is a certain kind of tone and intonation needed….I’m not really sure how to explain it but I still support my voice with my diaphragm…it’s a less chatty form of voice work like continuity so it needs a bit more support…for example I have voiced a lot of tv commercials for musicians and their album releases….from Imelda May to the relaunch of The Back Street Boys to Rolando Villazon and Etta James….even though each advert has a different pace and feel basically it’s out on Monday and its driven to deliver that message.
You’ve done jobs for both UK-based and US-based clients, is there any type of difference between both of them in regards to needs when it comes to voice-over work?
Not so much really….I worked with an American production company on a Christmas commercial I worked on for Duracell, it wasn’t shown in the UK cos apparently we only have Duracell adverts with the Duracell bunny in them here….but this was for the American and Canadian market so I played Mrs Claus and kind of just fell over in to a Christmas tree a lot…it was a fun shoot…but the only difference was that the client had come over from the states to oversee the production…when I’m working with voice over clients from abroad then they generally dial in to the session…I’ve worked with BBC worldwide and voiced their promos and menu’s for Singapore and other parts of Asia so the recording session has to fit in with the time difference between the two countries. It doesn’t really matter who the client is you simply want to give your best acting or read so they are happy with the final product.
Now, you’ve been in the business since 1995 making it 25 years. In terms of progression how would you say things have been going?
The industry has changed so much. When I started out in the 90’s there was only four or five mainstream television channels and the style of acting I grew up watching ranged from Dallas to Derek Jacoby’s I Claudius….both of which I love by the way…but they style of acting is now a lot more natural. I was doing theatre back in the late 90’s and did get the chance to have a guest roll in The Bill but it was difficult to try to get in to doing TV if you had a mainly been doing theatre. I was in my late 20’s when the business really seemed to change for me and that was probably down to the explosion of digital tv channels and the internet. Reality tv was in full swing and that changed the style of programmes being made. I got opportunities to do some presenting, my acting agent at the time was so against me even taking this kind of work…there was sort of a similar feeling about the voice over opportunities that I shouldn’t be working across the different mediums and that it might muddy the waters. But you know I took the jobs because they were fun and paid well. Now I don’t seem to hear that kind of thing as much and I know lots of performers who have many strings to their bow. I actually got a part in Berlin Station playing a journalist because the casting department wanted to see actors who had presenting credits. The whole way we consume content is so different now. Anyone under 30 probably only watches TV if its on demand and consumes most of their content either through a computer, tablet or iPad and the type of content online is so different now…my daughter is 6 and my son is 3 and they watch the internet sensations or influencers…. so anything goes these days when it comes to entertainment.
In regards to female representation in your line of work how would say, if any, things have changed. Do you think more could be done?
There are more films, TV shows and theatre projects with female leads, directors and writers but women are still underrepresented especially when it comes to pay. The 50/50 movement is raising awareness…they want to see women represented on screen, in television and theatre in equal numbers to men…because women being unrepresented in the profession does not accurately represent society…..I also read that Benedick Cumberbatch will not accept a film role if his female counterpart isn’t paid equally…and is urging other actors to follow suit…..its great news that big stars male or female are raising the issues surrounding equality for women in the industry but in reality there’s a lot more to be done.
Since March we’ve been in lockdown due to our current situation, how much has this affected the way you work. Have you been able to do things remotely?
The pandemic has been such a difficult time for everyone in so many ways. Me and my family are safe and healthy and that’s what really matters but of course the entertainment industry, like so many other industries, have been badly affected. I have a home studio set up so I feel very lucky to have been able to keep working…however it does continue to be a quieter time for new opportunities. Hopefully as restrictions lift work will return soon.
And finally, what we expect from you later this year going into 2021?
You can hear me as the continuity voice for FOX TV….I did have three movies out for release in 2020 but due to the situation, they are obviously on hold but hopefully as cinemas reopen then the movie 83, which is a sports drama, Time to Dance, a love story, and How to Kill Your Husband which is a comedy will all premiere in 2021….so all very exciting.
