http://blog.luckydogaudio.com/articles/2008/09/02/don-lafontaine-r-i-p en-us 40 <p>The stories and tributes are piling up around the web today about the passing of a true voice-over legend, <a href="http://www.donlafontaine.com/DLF2007/index.html">Don LaFontaine</a>. Undoubtedly LaFontaine is best know for his movie trailer work, especially for his deep and dramatic delivery of that oh-so-ubiquitous blockbuster phrase: "IN A WORLD. . ." That being the case, most of the obituaries I've read today play off the idea that though LaFontaine possessed one of the most recognizable voices in the industry, few in the public knew him by name. Such is the plight of the voice over artist. That said, Don could be <i>seen</i> (as well as heard) on national TV in a popular <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJMGS7l0wT8">GEICO</a> ad. Plus, if you haven't seen it, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQRtuxdfQHw">5 Guys In A Limo</a> is a fun, Hollywood romp that features a well-coiffed LaFontaine goofing off red-carpet style with four other masters of the craft. </p> <p>But, of what I've seen today, I think <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QPMvj_xejg">Don LaFontaine: The Voice</a> offers the best tribute to the man. Especially interesting are his thoughts (around the 4:50 mark) on how each voice artist makes the best use of his or her talent when they bring their own experience to a project. Well said, Don. It is most definitely the human touch that brings any script to life. So, it was with a touch of horror that I also noticed that his <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/09/01/voiceover-master-don-lafontaine-has-died-at-68/">/Film obituary</a> can be heard online spoken by a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_synthesis">TTS</a> (text-to-speech) program. The aforementioned irony-of-ironies can be heard <a href="http://www.talkr.com/audio/f/i/l/m/368908.mp3">here</a>.</p> <p>Rest in peace Don. You will be missed.</p> Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:12:00 -0500 urn:uuid:a2142143-0d21-4355-bebd-8ac8740772c5 charles http://blog.luckydogaudio.com/articles/2008/09/02/don-lafontaine-r-i-p Audio Goodness don lafontaine voice artist <p>Wheres the tts?</p> Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:34:19 -0500 urn:uuid:651a74d0-cea1-4ac0-8936-22596c4ed29a http://blog.luckydogaudio.com/articles/2008/09/02/don-lafontaine-r-i-p#comment-1414 <p>Wheres the tts?</p> Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:34:15 -0500 urn:uuid:a1541f09-c842-4e8f-b476-64fded04d14b http://blog.luckydogaudio.com/articles/2008/09/02/don-lafontaine-r-i-p#comment-1413