How to do impressions - tutorial

[paulgad]

I am exactly the same , sometimes, i get it immediately, and sometimes I have to work at it. I do all the same things you do. people like to hear them too. i never did it for money, just for fun. My father told me his mother could do it like me.

[oxoniamhoxo94]

i'm crying with laughter :L

[blahwoozle]

i tried posting a video response but i guess it didn't work, so here's my response video.

/watch?v=rq0TtSRuCUI&feature=p­lcp&context=C3760054UDOEgsToPD­skKgkwrZ1KwZ_ZT1upLWCw6H

[Metal6Is6Art6]

I was going to try impersonating Al Pacino and Jason Statham.

anyways cheers for the video

[TheAsine]

/watch?v=2oNZxZkh3RI&feature=r­elated

is this you?

[MrMarksmanJack]

I'm trying to do Gordon Freeman's voice...

[blahwoozle]

hey dude, love your videos by the way, i'm a bit of an impressionist myself. i was wondering, do you recon you would call yourself a comical impressionist? (overworking people's key vocal features, whilst saying and doing stereotypical things), or a realistic impressionist? (not really intending to be funny, just copying peoples voices as best you can). also i might upload a response video about what i call "ex-nasal voices" for you to try out, but in the mean time, keep it up dude :D

[TheSpaceBar90]

Lost a little respect after seeing those slippers, man.

[LOL1625]

that was mysister

[LOL1625]

ur sexi

[PitaAlba]

Thank you man I really appreciate this. I will definitely be using this for Jack Sparrow... and you do have the greatest Jack Sparrow impression!

[TheXpozaaaH]

Great video, helped a lot.

I really need help on something though, I can do the impression in my head but when I say it out loud it doesn't sound right :/

[Theprofessorbee2]

Alan :D brilliant. Do you have twitter?

[ArtistNoelle]

I think Im good at Johnny Depp, Mickey Mouse, and Orlando Bloom, and im a girl :P, but I have kind of a dark voice :) . You really make me feel more confident in my talent when it comes to voice impressions, and I think you are a fantastic "man of many voices" =) . My favourite is Johnny Depp and Cleveland Brown :) . So happy for you and your succes!

From ArtistNoelle.

[yondaime4000]

this is really useful man, thanks

[browncoatsoldiergirl]

Thank you so much! this help me improve my harlequin impression :) Thank you

[Akira2665]

Nice slippers.

[RandomTom92]

you sound like tony blair when u accent the consonants

[JackDeanRichardson]

I haven't seen a better impressionist/ voice actor in my life. I've watched you're impression videos for a long time and they always make me want to do them myself. I think you should do another accent reel just to show how far you have come since your first uploads.

[chadkey17]

@urbanartuk The weirdest thing about your Orlando Bloom impression, besides it being perfect, is that I think you look like him so it becomes other-worldly. Can you link us to any of the voice-over work you've done? I'd love to hear it. =)

[drawds]

I think there are a few more things worth mentioning:

1- Musicality - how does the person or accent sound without words.

2- Tone - whether it's a high voice or low voice

3- Speed - how fast do they talk

4- Pauses - how often do they pause between words or sentences

5- Tongue placement - is the tongue completely free or is it more stuck, is it in front or more at the back

[drawds]

Are you auditioning or studying at any drama schools? You've got the looks, the talent and the personality. Good luck!

[natboyslim]

A great video Alex, as ever :) I've always loved doing voices also and I have put some impressions videos up already, mainly doing the playing around bit, so they're a little crazy...but if you check them out and let me know what you think I'd really appreciate it, hopefully you'll see a little progression within them but hopefully you'll see a bigger improvement in the future if I can fully utilise your tips! Thank you!

[nEOnsplendor]

You are amazingly talented! Love this vid.

Your Alan Rickman & Johnny Depp impressions are my favs. :D

[XxLostSoulsInHellxX]

this helpped me alot i use to know how to velma's voice from scooby doo but i kinda stopped and lost faith that i could do it.now i feel inspired and want to do them more thank you

[UltraVids1]

This is so cool! I can do some accents quite well but no impressions of particular people really, I was never sure how to go about getting good at that. Now I know. As if you weren't awesome enough already for your excellent impressions, now you're doubly so for being so informative and helpful to your fans :)

[mniyad]

Did you ever prank call someone?

[mniyad]

Im bloody jealous that you can do the Jack sparrow voice SPOT ON - 5:28

[mniyad]

You are so cool!

[lottetje88]

The volume wasn't so bad, a bit on the soft side maybe. But loyal listener as I am turned up the volume to hear you even better! :P Scared to hell out of me when I clicked on a link here though... damn that was loud! I'm really bad at impressions, but I found it very interesting to see and hear all the little quirks that go into it! :)

And of course, one has to appreciate the slippers.

[LordElderan]

How come there's never any girls on your videos? It seems like all your fans are male. You are the ultimate loser on youtube and I thank the heavens that i'm not you. Loser.

[RedPandaBambooGeek]

@LordElderan I'm a girl and I'm a really big fan of his - he's inspired me to want to try and become a voice actor.

I'd never really known what I wanted to be till I saw his voice acting - It's amazing and he's talented for having the ability to do these things with his voice!

[urbanartuk]

@RedPandaBambooGeek wow, that means a lot for me to hear. Thank you, that's somewhat amazing to read. I hope you succeed!

[heather23renae]

I know you get lots of requests but if you did Matt Smith, as the eleventh Doctor, I would be thrilled!

[MsMarsiPan]

Bloody brilliant! :) Never really considered doing impressions... now I kind of do :) Thank you! ^^

[SquizzleGwen]

really helped with my musical theatre topic, thanks

[supermanofsteelsv]

by speaking normally you've managed a simon pegg accent

[helloobabyn]

marry me? :3

haha

[omgitsbenandaaron]

excellent video, very useful, one thing though, reckon you could do something on accent? and do you have a job doing impressions, you said you used to introduce family guy on bbc 3 :)

[urbanartuk]

@omgitsbenandaaron I've been very lucky in that my youtube has gotten me a voice agent and so far I've done voice work with MTV, Coca Cola, Channel 4, Endemol, Cineworld, Baby Cow and Disney. As for the accents one, do you mean one video for lots of accents? or tutorial videos for different accents?

[MrDeverill]

@urbanartuk what did you do for Cineworld???

[Andyguy69]

@urbanartuk I think a tutorial video for different accents, mostly the basics behind each one. Would be a rather interesting watch.

[omgitsbenandaaron]

@urbanartuk either whatevers easier to make, individual is probably easier, but any tips that are useful as a whole are helpful, keep the excellent videos coming :)

[No1JJNo1]

@urbanartuk I'd love to see/ listen to all the different adverts and jobs you have done such as coca-cola and MTV because its kinda hard to tell what you've done cause... well your so good you can't tell if its you or someone else lol. So i dunno if its possible for you to post them on youtube but that'd be awesome :)

[HemaFTW]

You should do a Schwarzenegger impression. Not the new one but the Get to tha choppaa one

[alish2alish]

Very useful. "The Basics" of doing impressions.

Btw, in this video you look kinda like Edward Norton :)

[chocolatelover17]

I would love it if you did a David Tennant impression!

[Greendaydx]

the one where you were exagerating consonants.... kinda sounded lilke daniel redcliffe .....lmao

[MrMonkeyJackson]

I mean a Sheldon Cooper or a Raj Koothrapalli impression ^_^

[MrMonkeyJackson]

Can you try a Sheldon Cooper of Raj Koothrapalli impression? (:

[ZACAR00NEY]

Your Breathy voice sounded like Bear Grills

[USAShooting27]

I really didn't know what to expect watching this because, like you said, there really is no specific formula for impressions, but you really did an excellent job on it. The technicallity of voice fluctuations can be very dynamic if you work hard at it. Very nice work urbanartuk, as always!

[MegaOrangePenguin]

If you can manage to do a Sheldon COoper impersonation, I will... just be very pleased haha

[TheThunderDragoon]

Thanks for the tips. I might have to start doing impressions now. :)

[esfandior]

i'd like to see the Mighty Boosh impression...is it a Noel Fielding character?

[thenannyfan1436]

what are those posters in the background??? my bedroom wall is covered in posters :)

[cinemaker006]

The other thing you should mention is, it helps to have a deep voice. It's MUCH easier to put on a high voice when you have a deep one, than it is to try to give yourself a lower register when you don't have a very deep voice. This has been my biggest problem when trying to do impressions, most namely with trying to do Heath Ledger's Joker or Jack Sparrow.. I find a way to get around it with others, such as Ian McKellan, Peter Griffin, or Jim Carrey's Grinch, but others, it's VERY difficult.

[thorpt211]

Excellent job! thanks for taking time to put this video together. I am going to try some voices and keep you posted. People keep telling me that I sound a bit like Sean Connery. I will work on it. :)

[JimiGoode]

This is fantastic. I do competitions where I play a bunch of characters and always have to have distinct, unique (and often humorous) voices for all of them, and i've always envied your ability to manipulate your voice and this is really so very helpful.

[pinkyap]

You are amazing!

[randomer1432]

well now i must re-watch this video, take notes, impersonate my mate and make some prank calls there's just no other way lol.

thank you, it was more helpful than you think. i think... lol

anyway thank you :)

[10111991]

<3 you're awesome. just sayin'

[pandaloranne]

Ok, even though it might sound a bit lame, I'm trying to sound like the Joker from the Dark Knight.....and I'm a girl. My voice kinda sounds like the bit when he says: "Why so serious? Let's put a smile on that face". :)

[Phatrix1337]

really nice of you to take the time and do this for your fans! thanks!

[urbanartuk]

@Phatrix1337 a pleasure. It's the least I could do considering the great journey you guys have let me go on.

[selfless123]

Even though you're primarily known for your impressions, I just wanted to say that it's awfully nice to just hear your voice for once. x

[urbanartuk]

@selfless123 thank you, I really appreciate that!

[doobidoo123]

nice slippers ^^

[RevolutionarySamurai]

Expect one in the future pal =D

[BibXcite]

Have you done Robert Downey jr. yet? If not, could you perhaps try? Please, thank you.

[Nugatti]

you have a beard now... i found you when you were a kid.. This is weird..

[urbanartuk]

@Nugatti Thank you for following me all the way. Thanks to everyone who has. I really appreciate it!

[funkyxfish]

Your normal voice is so lovely! Its a shame we don't get to hear it more. Keep up the good work :)

[bubblyobo]

hey, i have a request. could you pleeeeeeeeeeeeaseee do Michael Buble? xD

[dicko2704]

I've noticed that most impressionists (including yourself) have a naturally deep voice. Is there a way to get round the disadvantage I have of having a slightly higher pitched voice?

[urbanartuk]

@dicko2704 hmmm, well it all depends on how low you can make your voice. Having a high voice that won't go any lower won't restrict your ability to do impressions, it will just restrict your range of impressions. However there's plenty of voices to be done in a high pitch. Maybe each day practise doing scales that go lower and lower. Each day try and go lower, find what works for your voice when decreasing in pitch. Your voice is key.

[Shilag]

The volume is a little bit low. I'm on a laptop, so I can't raise it beyond a certain level.

[henkekk]

This is really cool!! Amazing to get a little knowledge on how you do the stuff you so great =D

[EllyMcCormack]

Those slippers...... those slippers......... it's just.. those slippers....slippers...

[urbanartuk]

@EllyMcCormack is this an appreciation for the slippers?

[EllyMcCormack]

@urbanartuk Oh a deep appreciation :P don't mind me, I'm just another lowly fan who finds you unacceptably adorable and very handsome x)

[urbanartuk]

@EllyMcCormack haha, that made me smile. Thank you. I'm wearing the slippers right now, they're unfathomably comfy. They're called Homeys, if there's one thing I recommend today, it's Homeys. The comfiest footwear on earth, and snazzy too.

[ryanstewart86]

So does Morgan Freeman use nasal or croak? lol

[urbanartuk]

@ryanstewart86 he uses both at the same time

[ViVaLaPRINCE]

i thought your 'Mitchel' impression sounded more like the guy off IT crowd

[ChristyABell]

Thanks for posting. I wish I was good at impressions but I'm really terrible at it. I think I'm good til I actually hear it back ahah But thanks for posting this. It was still fun to watch! Also, ever tried singing? Do you sing? I know some impressionists will do singing impressions. Are you going to start into that? :D

[ChristyABell]

Ugh my heart breaks everytime I see you. You're so cute :D

[bubblyobo]

dude, nice slippers ;P haha :)

[InMyBackPocket28]

Are you doing MOVEMBER? :p

[HannahIsUnoriginal]

Lol when you first went nasal I immediately thought of David Mitchell :P

[jesuslovesyou223]

you. are. so. hot.

[svenlivingston777]

best british impression EVER! :P

[MasterHilton1]

i dunno what you guys are on about, i can hear perfectly, and cheers for the upload @urbanartuk im working on the stewie griffin impression!! love it!!

[Cookie93LaVio]

Thank you! This video is interesting and well done :) thank you very much :D

[djgcmusic]

For an impossible topic to teach, you actually did a great job! Congrats!

[annves]

I love the Captain Jack Sparrow and Severus Snape impression!

[PanCakez001]

Nice vid. I do impressions as well

The only one I struggle the most with has to be stewie

[ATildeProduction]

æ :D norwegian letter, I like! You gave some great tips here, really well done!

[mimjack]

lol. you don't bother at all to edit your videos and they are still amazing!

could you please try to do a conversation? say Stewie and Jack Sparrow? just a silly 2 min conversation it would be really awesome to see/hear.

[Kitlun79]

I agree that there isn't really a formula for learning impressions, and I believe that some people find it easier than others. That being said, the pointers you gave were really good, all round tips for any impersonation and I think were very helpful in pointing people in the right direction of what they need to listen/look for.

[antony492]

Please do impressions of some of, or all of The Doctors

[RabidPresto]

When you articulated the sounds it sounded a lot (to me) like Daniel Radcliffe...

[PajoZely]

he has train tickets on the wall like charlieissocoollike :P

[ChloeAnnamarie]

There is something very awesome about you

[JamieCFurbo]

Im on my phone and the volume is usually fine but in this vid its pretty low...good tips though (what I heard haha)

[bosshog36]

like the slippers

[SammieDog267]

PLLEEEAASSSEEE do the mighty boosh impression

[Ljcrazynfree19]

charlieisocoollike used to have train tickets on the wall like that!

[Zooetii]

I like turtles as well.

[Liiinnaaa]

are we meant to hear what he is saying?

[ilovethesimpsons8]

@Liiinnaaa i think thats the idea

[welkmanshrimp]

@Liiinnaaa No, that would be silly

[urbanartuk]

@Liiinnaaa ...turn your speakers up. The volume is fine when I listen back. Sorry if you can't hear it

[Liiinnaaa]

@urbanartuk yeah the volume is at max.. guess its something wrong with my shit then :(

[HardyzSwanton]

@urbanartuk It is very quiet

[IICJZII]

@urbanartuk Liinnaaa is kinda right dude, even on full blast I have to listen carefully...

[RyB213]

@Liiinnaaa Its fine if u turn up the volume quit complaining.

[jagjaghuh]

Hello I'm a turtle