Published January 2012
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All newsletters up to Ferreira Fest 44 (including this one) used an off-site image storage system that is now unfortunately defunct.
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Happy New Year, and welcome to Ferreira Fest 25, the monthly newsletter of the Official Louis Ferreira Fanclub! Join us for all the latest news, your questions answered, a personal message and an exclusive interview with the man himself as we celebrate the acting career of Louis Ferreira (Justin Louis)! Grab a pineapple drink at the free bar and join us!
NCIS
Hopefully everyone got a chance to see Louis guest star on NCIS last week. For those of you who missed it, here is a link where you can watch the episode online. Thanks for digging that one up, sacredclay! If anyone out there has a link where you can watch the show in other countries, please leave a comment or email so it can be posted here. We have many fans all over the world, so please share what you find. Also, feel free to discuss the episode on the NCIS post on this blog.
Agi found some links to reviews of the NCIS episode: Review of guest stars on NCIS.
There is a short but very flattering mention of Louis here.
And a little snippet that David Blue (Eli Wallace on SGU) posted on Twitter:
DavidBlue David Blue It’s ridiculous to me that I’ve worked with Louis so much, I can recognize him by his heavy breathing alone! #SGU#NCIS10 Jan
Kimmy reports that Louis’ rating on IMDb went up a whopping 7,032 points following the epiode’s airing, which actually put him into the Top 5,000 ranking there. Considering that there’s 4.2 million people listed on IMDb, that’s plain awesome! Louis said he should get himself a t-shirt made that says “I’m in the Top 5,000 on IMDb!”
Agi found an article about what the SGU folks have been up to since the end of the show, and Louis makes the list.
WEBSITE NEWS
We’re
happy to report that Ferreira Fest has gone truly international. We now have a French sister site, run by our very own Anne! She has written a blog since last year and you will find tons of interesting material, screencaps and some artwork there. Even if you don’t speak French, it’s worth a visit, for the eye candy alone… And our French friends will now have a chance to read the blog in French as Anne has kindly agreed to be our “French Connection”!
Louis is currently reviewing charities and looking at website options for our own domain louisferreira.org. Stay tuned for upcoming news!
We’re also delighted to mention that this blog has been tested for accessibility for people who are color vision deficient, and it checked out perfectly for all types of color blindness.
VOICE WORK
Our big topic this month is Louis’ voiceover and voice acting work, and to that end we talked specifically about the Mazda commercials he has recorded.
You can listen to the interview here. Below is also a transcript of our conversation, for those who have trouble hearing.
FF: Hi Louis, this is Ferreira Fest and we’re going to make a recording about your voiceover production work. Just to reiterate I am recording this, and legally I have to ask for your consent.
LF: Yes.
FF: All right. Can you describe for us the process of auditioning for a voiceover or a commercial, such as the Mazda Commercials?
LF: Sure! Mazda is really the first sort of campaign thing I got. What happened was that I came down after a 7 year break from LA, having been in Canada raising the kids, I realized that a bit of “Out of sight out of mind” existed, and so I remembered that along the way in Canada I’d supplemented sometimes with voiceover work, something that a. I enjoy doing and b. I have friends who are just literally voiceover actors, they make their living completely from it… I’ve always used it, because when I act, a lot of times – the idea of (and that’s why Meryl Streep is my favorite actor, ever – the power and the ability and the versatility in her voice and her sounds and the ability to capture nuances) – so I enjoyed that and I’ve always enjoyed acting with my voice as far as finding tones and finding sounds for a character, so it was something that I was very interested in doing. I got a lucky break and through my Vancouver agent I got the LA agent here, which is one of the bigger ones, and signed with them, and, you go in, basically to audition, and you go into a room, you go into the office and they’re like “Come in at 10 o’clock and read a couple of things,” and you literally go into a room at your agency, where there’s 50 people, and everybody’s going into rooms and doing their voiceover auditions, for 3 to 5 minutes, and then that’s pretty much it. But what I did find out was you’re really… (laughs) If acting is competitive, in voice work you’re one of 500, between 500 and 1000, you gotta imagine it’s not just your agency, it’s every agency in America. You got all the radio guys who got all great voices, and they can sort of hit a button now, you can throw in an audition, so it’s really like winning a lottery.
FF: Right.
LF: And so the Mazda thing for me was just that, I mean I went into a room, somewhere in Burbank, and it was just another audition. And they say if you get one out of 40, you’re doing well.
FF: Yeah.
LF: Which is crazy to me, because not knowing really the voice world, I was just like, “Wow!”. And I have, I have auditioned for tons, and there’s times when I go like, “God, I gotta land it” and I end up not getting it. But it’s a very competitive, competitive field and it’s really just about getting out there and doing it as much as you can, just doing good reads and hoping something hits. So it’s a very very very competitive tough thing, but I will say this: I’m so grateful for Mazda, for my last year, and I’ve enjoyed doing them! You have this campaign and you feel proud of the product you’re doing, it’s kind of been a cool journey for me, and having it last year actually was a lifesaver a far as me personally, so I was very grateful to the Mazda campaign, but it literally was – I was one of 500 and I got chosen, and I was like “Yahoooo!”
FF: Pretty exciting there! How long does it take, when you do one of those takes? You said you did 12 or so different ones. When you go in the studio, how much time do they plan for you, once you get the part?
LF: Oh, it depends, because you’re doing different things at different times, sometimes you’re doing a whole commercial, other times you’re doing things called “tags” where – like, today I did two tags where I literally have to say (Mazda voice) “Now get the Mazda 3 for 189 a month.” You know? (Mazda voice) “Get the Mazda 3 for 159 a month.” And that’s all. That was my job today, I said those two tags, and those – it took me literally 20 minutes today. But I’ve been in there as much as 2, 3, 4 hours, depending on the work and the bulk of the work and what the material is. And initially I was in there longer cause we were trying to get a feel… and it is like acting, you’re trying to find a spokesperson-character almost for it, right?
FF: Right.
LF: So you’re trying, and the process is actually quite enjoyable cause you’re really… there is a creative part to it.
FF: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. Now that already tags onto one of my other questions, actually. When you created the voice – it’ a very distinctive voice, I can hear a character when I listen to the Mazda commercials, and it’s very unlike other stuff that you’ve done and other roles that you’ve played. Do you imagine being a character, or how do you create the voice when you do a commercial like that?
LF: Well, you know, a couple of different ways. It’s kind of like when I did Stargate, Bobby Carlyle and I, we were like, we don’t wanna do “Atlantis” – it’s been done, we don’t want to do SG-1, and so our whole thing was that we were really adamant about the fact that the show was so different from the other two. It made us as actors feel we were not repeating but rather being creative, cause let’s face it, a lot of times we’ll just repeat the same formula and just put a different face on there. We were looking forward to doing a different version of a show, and even though it didn’t last as long as the other two we came out of it feeling very very proud, you know, that’s one of the elements that I’m very proud of. But so with the Mazda thing I had heard the voice before me, you kind of factor things. There was sort of a shyer, meeker voice that was straighter and very underneath, so I definitely thought we came together with a strong, a little bit in-your-face, not super in-your-face voice, not quite a Denis Leary but something in between where you’re just the “What do you drive?” was the big tag, not being afraid of having a little edge to it and having a little rough, so I think we eventually found it– and I did start all over the place, I remember when I started I had a real high (goofy voice) “Mazda. What do YOU drive?” and it went all the way to (low grumbling voice) “Mazda. What do you drive?” We played with (laughs) a huge range of octaves and tried to find the right sort of tone. And I enjoyed it! And I think we found something kind of in the middle that works for that type of vehicle. That’s sort of how it came to be. There are days when you go, “Oh, I wish they would have done the take where I was this”, but it’s all part of the process.
FF: Do you work with a voice director, like people do with cartoons when you do voiceovers?
LF: Yeah, there’s a crew of three or four people that I’m always there with depending on what it is, and some are more opinionated than others, and that’s par for the course as well, but they’re all great people that I enjoy working with and they’re all very creative and they get it and it’s really been… you know, for me any work at this point in my life is accepted with gratitude and humbleness and when those two factors come into it nothing is ever a bad thing. It’s kind of a neat way to approach it.
FF: You can’t take it for granted.
LF: Yeah.
FF: Now this is kind of an off-question but one of our members had actually expressed an interest in that. Usually when an actor does a series or a movie and it airs again they get residuals. Does that work that way for voiceovers as well? With commercials?
LF: Yes, with voiceovers, voice work is very much based on residuals. You don’t get paid nearly as much – although a lot of the car people, they’re big people, it’s Jeff Bridges, it’s Kiefer Sutherland, it’s Matt Damon, it’s Morgan Freeman – those guys get paid a lot of money. Most actors like myself, I’m working for scale and residuals come based on airplay, and that’s how you get your money. Your initial for going into the studio is 450 bucks or something for the session and so it’s the residuals that make it become more lucrative.
FF: They do add up over time.
LF: It’s not like you’re doing a guest spot and making 30-40,000 an episode or something, which is very common to start with – which is crazy money, right, when you think about it.
FF: Yes, it’s the residuals in voiceovers. I’ve heard that from friends of mine. There’s a lot of voiceover work in Atlanta, it’s a pretty big industry, so a lot of former students or what not are going into voiceover work and they just love it cause they can show up in their pajamas…
LF: Well, that’s the other thing, too, you don’t have to worry about memorizing lines or looking any certain way… I’m a shlub to begin with. It’s kind of a neat way to get paid for a living, that’s for sure (laughs).
FF: Right, right. But as long as you’re having fun with it and you’re getting a good product out of it that’s appreciated.
LF: Yeah, you enjoy it and you do the best that you can, I’m big on the Four Agreements: “Do your best” (laughs).
FF: Absolutely. Another voiceover that you’ve done that I just came across earlier this week actually is “The Dating Guy”. Remember that one?
LF: That’s another animated show! That’s where I kinda do the Pacino-esque thing.
FF: Yeah, with the coffee spilling and all that – the mean cop that gives out tickets all the time.
LF: Yeah, I’ve never seen that, they were laughing – was it funny?
FF: Oh, it was hysterical! Oh my god!
LF: (laughs) I would love to see that! I remember I found a Pacino-esque kind of vibe. We did (Pacino voice) “This sound… with the guy… hello.” Is that right?
FF: It’s terribly funny.
LF: We should send that to my son.
FF: Oh, he would love that.
LF: Maybe I can do that. And then we can say, hey, check out your dad doing that.
FF: Sure! It’s so politically incorrect and I love that about it.
LF: (laughs) Yeah, I remember it being something like that. I remember I had fun with that because I got to do something like that, I love playing with the voice, I love the idea, and it’s fun!
(cut: brief personal conversation about my pet rat Franklin who died just before Christmas)
LF: My favorite rat is Templeton.
FF: There you go. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
LF: Oh no. Ratatouille, that was fantastic. Was he a mouse or a rat? He was a rat!
FF: I think he was a rat, yeah, Ratatouille was a rat.
LF: He was adorable.
FF: That’s pretty much all…
LF: If I could get the voice of a rat!
FF: Now that would be fun!
LF: That would be great.
FF: I think you would make a great rat.
LF: Me too! I wanna do him like (Templeton voice) “Templeton!” Remember how good he was?
FF: That would be hysterical.
LF: That was the best.
After that the conversation veered off onto other topics which will be covered below. Thanks to Agi’s mad research skills, here are links to YouTube where you can listen to all the Mazda commercials.
And here they are individually:
“What do you drive?” Mazda Manifesto
2012 Mazda 3 Prison Break
2012 Mazda 3 Skyactiv Gift of Driving (includes a short dealership header)
2012 Mazda 6 (the header says 2011, but the description says 2012)
2012 Mazda CX9
Mazda CX7
Mazda 5
THE DATING GUY
You can watch Louis’ 6 episodes of “The Dating Guy” on IMDb. All episodes link out to Hulu, so you can also watch them there. Or you can find them at Movieweb. The episodes are “Yummy Dummy“, “Really Bad Lieutenant“, “24-ish“, “Perfect 10 Killer“, “Brother From Another Tanning Booth” and “Leprechaun Interrupted“. Also, check out the official Dating Guy web page for a character description of Police Officer Vince.
ASK LOUIS
DRAGON*CON
Yes, we are working on it! I have put Louis’ agent in touch with the Dragon*Con people and they are working out the details for bringing Louis back to the convention in September. As soon as I get confirmation from him I will let you all know, and then it will be time to book tickets and rooms and get your membership cards. Louis had a fantastic time last year and would very much like to come back and dress up, too, this time! If it works out we’ll have a Fanclub-Only party there, and you’ll be able to hang out with him to your heart’s content. Keep your fingers crossed!
THE PINKIE
He broke his right pinkie many times as a kid, mostly playing sports (basketball especially), and never got it fixed properly, it was double-jointed. It was pretty bad in SGU and the producers wanted to hide it but he made it a character choice and came up with the idea of the injury during the evac from Icarus. That’s why TJ tapes it up in Air 2. It started getting really bad during SGU and started sticking out to the side and finally he saw a doctor last year who said it was going to get arthritic if he didn’t get it fixed. It was a very complicated surgery where they had to cut away some of the bone and cut out a joint and siliconed the remainder together. He will never have full mobility again but it’s MUCH better than before. He admitted to not taking care of himself too well – there are always others that need it more, but this time he just had to finally do something about it.
NEW WORK
It’s pilot season so he’s auditioning a lot right now. He will shoot another short film this weekend called “For Now”, made by Robert Munic, one of the show runners of “The Cleaner” and his wife. He’s considering making Toronto his home base and flying into LA as work comes in. There is a possibility he might do a movie in Luxemburg this summer; the project is still in negotiations – he will find out in 6-8 weeks. It would be shooting in May.
TWITTER
It’s highly unlikely he’ll ever be a Tweeter. He only got a cell phone pretty recently because the SGU producers made him get one.
IS HE A TIGGER FAN?
For his answer, listen to the sound clip here.
LF: Ooooh… I love the Tigger! (Tigger Voice) “Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooo!” That’s pretty good, huh?
FF: Yeah!! That was pretty good!
LF: That was my Tigger impression. I love Tigger! Yeah, my gosh, who doesn’t love Tigger? I love the (Tigger Voice) “Te-boom-te-boom-te-boomt! Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooo!” He would always do that. Oh, I love Tigger. I love the Winnie the Pooh, I love all the Winnie the Pooh characters.
PORTUGAL He left when he was 6, returned to visit at age 25. He might go there again this summer, if the project that will be filmed in Luxemburg pans out. His sister Lucy still lives there.
HIGHLANDER
He remembers being scared to death of the dogs. They were all these big angry Rottweilers, and they were tied down under the tombstones, and the dogs pulled so hard the tombstones kept moving!
FINLAND
He has never been there but would love to visit and meet his Finnish friends!
SCREEN CAPS
As always, Kimmy has been hard at it, capping Louis’s work. This month she did NCIS for you! Thanks so much, Kimmy, they are absolutely gorgeous, and I know our members who won’t have a chance to watch it any time soon will appreciate it!
BIRTHDAY
As you all know, it’s Louis’ birthday next month. We have a birthday post where you may leave your birthday messages for him at any time. Be sure you get them in by February 20th! Subscribed members of Ferreira Fest should also check their “Members Only” posts for a special treat!
MEMBER ARTWORK
Our very own alea_senpai has sent in links to two of her drawings she made of Louis’ characters, Art Blank from Saw IV and Ray Prager from Durham County. We will have a fanworks page on our new website, so if you have any original artwork you would like to share please let us know!
A MESSAGE FROM LOUIS
And last but not least Louis recorded a little impromptu greeting for all Ferreira Fest visitors. You can listen to the message here.
“Hey Ferreira Festers, I can’t thank you enough for supporting… and even being allowed to participate in this thing, I thank Bea for the opportunity. It’s kinda been – it’s sort of a new page and I feel like in participating I’m being awakened even somehow to my artistry, if that makes any sense, so I just wanted from the bottom of my heart to say thanks, and much love, and every happiness to all, and here’s to a great 2012 for all of us.”
And that, dear Friends, is about it for this month! Thanks for visiting often! Be sure to follow us on “X” / Twitter for all the Louis news you can handle and TV reminders!
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We hope to see you all next month!
