Can some British/English person please help?

H

Hinton

New member
I was asked today if I was going to try out for the next play and decided that I would give it a shot. While talking to another actor about whether they were going to audition or not, they said that they probably wouldn't. When I asked them why, they said "Because I can't speak with an English or British accent."

Wait; what?

Yeah, the play - called "A Bull in a China Shop" - is supposed to take place in London. A bunch of American people from Nebraska are supposed to spend 2 - 3 hours speaking as though we're from England.

Riiiiight.

We messed around with accents a bit, and apparently I can do a passable Irish accent and she does a pretty good Scottish one, but neither of us sounded even remotely English.

So, auditions are tomorrow and I need to learn how to speak with an English accent in less than 24 hours. Does anyone know of anything online that I can access, like a dialect coaching thing, to help me. I've been searching for hours and have found a few things, but I need something to really give me a solid idea on how to sound.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I am planning on watching a lot of Red Dwarf and Monty Python, just to try and get my head around it.
 
O

Ocelot

New member
I have seen a couple of tutorials on youtube, however they are not very good. The biggest mistake I have seen made are mispronounciation of the 'a' in words.

For example, to say fast, a southern English person would as 'farst'. However in the tutorials the person teaching pronounces it as 'forst'. The latter is what people percieve the Queen's English to be, which is kinda right (she does sound a bit like that) but it is not convincing to anyone who has spoken to an Englishman.

It depends on what English accent you want to do. To generalise massively, southerners say 'farst' and northerners say 'fast' with 'a' quick a sound. Kinda like the a sound in the word latch...but different. Well, if you are gonna watch Red Dwarf then the main character is a northerner so you can understand what I'm trying to say (it's late!).

Right I have just realised I don't know where I'm going with this, so I have found a youtube link to a BT advert. It should give you an idea of how words are pronounced differently in southern England: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ7I8cYXV7U and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NHMFki1l-k&feature=related
I would go for this accent if you want a generic English accent that doesn't sound like you are trying to sound like the Duke of Edinburgh, which is always a risk if you base the accent of Monty Python (specifically the tall fella)

Hope that helps, its 1:50am and I'm not thinking straight!
Also, if the play wants different English dialects, such as Yorkshire, Geordie etc then post it here as it will help a lot!
 
H

Hinton

New member
Cool; thanks for the replies!

I would like it to be a kind "generic" English accent since it will probably be easier to learn and maintain; although if I could perfect a particular accent, then that would be cool.

Currently working my way through Red Dwarf at the moment. Would if I should try for a Lister or a Rimmer accent?
 
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matty1001

New member
Well Lister is from Liverpool so he speaks with a strong 'Scouse' accent. Rimmer has more of a typical southern English accent, but even that is overplayed at times for comic effect.
You should watch Billy Elliot and pick up the language from that :D
Geordie...Gods greatest gift!

Peace and love...
 
R

Roger Bunting

New member
Are the people supposed to be from London or just visiting? Whilst London has a very cosmopolitan population the generic accents (and in London even they vary a bit) I'd go for Rimmer's accent as it's southern one.
 
cassar

cassar

BALLSCRATCHER
try this this

1.what do you breath ? AIR
2.what do you find on top of your head ? HAIR
3.what does a fox live in ? LAIR
4.what is the opposite of here ? THERE

repeat the answers in quick succession

try the "carry on" movies there's as wide a spread of accents as you would need north and south i would go with a southern accent its easier than say a yorkshire accent which can be a lot of thee's tha's and thous's and heyup's (sean beans proof you should always stick with your own accent he's shocking when he does anything other than a yorks accent) scous accents you should always sound like you are clearing your throat at the end of every sentence/word welsh accents words that should be pronounced quickly are short and sharpe and vice versa . cockney should be the easiest, good luck.
 
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B

Beelzebrush

Active member
matty1001 said:
Well Lister is from Liverpool so he speaks with a strong 'Scouse' accent. Rimmer has more of a typical southern English accent, but even that is overplayed at times for comic effect.
You should watch Billy Elliot and pick up the language from that :D
Geordie...Gods greatest gift!

Peace and love...
Click to expand...



Yeah, but that makes things twice as difficult as he's going to need a translator too.... hell, even I need a translator when it comes to Geordies :D

(You should check out Auf Wiedersehen Pet.... Geordie, Cockney, Brummie, Scouse and West Country all in a neat little package :D)
 
H

Hinton

New member
@Roger: They're supposed to be from London, I think. Of course, could always have it be people that moved there.

Thanks for the help all. Hopefully I'll be able to at least come up with something passable by tonight for the audition and then work on it during rehearsals.
 
Wyrmypops

Wyrmypops

New member
Fingers crossed you avoid doing a Dick Van Dyke, else on any trip to Blighty you'll could be met at customs by the type of vicious lads more at home in a Guy Ritchie film. :terror: "Ewo Marewee Pawpins" :beat-up:

Hopefully it'll be more James Marsters Spike from Buffy. His accent was so good we didn't twig to him being a foreigner for ages. Until he said "poof" with accent on the "oo" rather than sounding it out as "puhf". :doh!:

Could do worse than check out the Richard Curtis films generously described as comedies. The accents in those are an upper middle/lower upper class accent.
Or if you're going cockney then Ritchie's films could be fun reference. Though I hear cockney has on occasion been subtitled in the States so perhaps that choice could be troublesome.

G'luck. :beerwave:
 
Niall

Niall

New member
Good luck on the audition. Oh video yourself with your accent and we can give you tips and congratulations on getting it right!
 
EArkham

EArkham

Necromancer
This goes for accents of almost any sort: don't over do it.

Most people over do it. Wherever you think it should be, dial it back a notch or two. This will help disguise when you miss a vowel sound, or when you mix a southern sound with a northern (or vice versa), yet the accent itself will still come across. It'll also help it sound more natural, since it won't sound as forced.

G'luck.

Kep
 
Dragonsreach

Dragonsreach

Super Moderator
Staff member
freakinacage said:
watch as much eastenders as you can (youtube should help). good luck
Click to expand...
For the love of Mary and all the Saints; DON'T unless you want a quick trip into Depression.

Trying to do an English accent without coaching in a few days is very difficult. I'd suggest trying to listen to BBC World News to get a handle on clear English as opposed to going for a regional accent.

I have a regional accent (I'm a Geordie ie from Newcastle upon Tyne) which I've had to modify as I'm living in a different area than where I was born, so aiming at a "middle range" speech pattern will be easier on the audience that trying to get an accent right. Nothing is worse than the pastiche of Dick Van Dyke as a cockney and you want the audience to be listening to the words, not going "What did he just say Ethel?"

Try slowing your speech down slightly to get closer to the accent you want.
 
Einion

Einion

New member
Master Of Asgard said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJyTA4VlZus

This woman is AMAZING at accents. She's from USA but her accents are flawless. In this video she speaks with a very neutral English accent. Definitely worth checking out.
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Thanks, well worth a look!

Her English accent is really superb but she slips in and out of it, I'd love to hear how consistent she can be if she puts her mind for it. And *sigh* like in so many cases her weakest is the Irish one; I can't figure out why an Irish accent is so difficult to mimic without it sounding like parody... but it's virtually universal.

Einion
 
Twosoc

Twosoc

New member
I have a regional accent (I'm a Geordie ie from Newcastle upon Tyne) which I've had to modify as I'm living in a different area than where I was born, so aiming at a "middle range" speech pattern will be easier on the audience that trying to get an accent right. Nothing is worse than the pastiche of Dick Van Dyke as a cockney and you want the audience to be listening to the words, not going "What did he just say Ethel?"
Click to expand...

You're also crap at accents aren't you Mike? As saturday proved. :)
 
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