Make the Accent Part of the Character
ACCENT COACHING in Los Angeles
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An accent shouldn't sound put on.
It should sound like the way a character speaks.
Whether you're preparing for an audition, working on a booked role, expanding your range, or developing a specific character, accent coaching gives you the tools to make the voice believable, consistent, and playable.
Braden Lynch has worked professionally with accents throughout his acting career, being hired for his range of accents many times for film, television, video games, and dubbing work.
The goal isn't simply to imitate a sound. It's to understand how the accent works so you can actually perform in it.
Accent work can be highly specific to the character, production, and material you're working on.
Depending on what you need, coaching may include:
• Vowel and consonant changes
• Rhythm, stress, and intonation
• Vocal placement
• Speech patterns and pronunciation
• The shape and quality of individual sounds
• Consistency and muscle memory
• Maintaining the accent while acting
The point is not to give you a collection of sounds to memorize.
It's to give you a system you can use.
Accent Coaching for Auditions
A character's accent is part of their history.
Where they grew up, who they grew up around, their education, their social environment, and the people they spend time with can all affect how they speak.
That means an effective character accent isn't necessarily about reproducing the broadest or most recognizable version of a dialect.
It needs to make sense for this character.
We can work from your script, audition sides, character description, reference recordings, or other material to develop an accent that fits the role and gives you something you can actually play.
Character Accents and Dialects
If an audition requires an accent, you don't just need to know what the accent sounds like.
You need to be able to act in it.
That means the accent has to hold up while you're listening, making choices, reacting, pursuing what you want, handling emotional material, and responding to direction.
Accent coaching can be built directly around your audition sides so you're not practicing the accent separately from the performance.
The goal is to make the accent another part of your acting, rather than something you have to think about every second you're on camera.
Audition Coaching for Actors
Getting the job changes the requirements.
You may need to maintain an accent through multiple scenes, emotional shifts, shooting days, pickups, or changes in direction.
We can work directly from the script and character to develop a repeatable version of the accent that you can rely on throughout production.
If you're already booked, accent coaching can also be combined with character work, scene analysis, and other preparation for the role.
Accent Coaching for Booked Roles
You don't have to wait until you're cast in a role to work on accents.
Developing several reliable accents can expand the kinds of characters you can credibly play and give you another tool when you're auditioning.
You can also use coaching to become more comfortable hearing and reproducing unfamiliar speech patterns, rather than trying to memorize each new accent from scratch.
The more you understand what creates an accent, the easier it becomes to approach something unfamiliar.
Building Your Accent and Dialect Range
I don't teach accents by asking you to blindly imitate me.
We'll break the accent down into the elements that actually create it.
That may include vowel shifts, consonants, placement, rhythm, melody, stress, and the physical shape of the sounds.
Then we'll put those elements back together in words, sentences, and eventually your actual material.
You don't need to know the International Phonetic Alphabet.
I can explain the mechanics of an accent without turning the session into a phonetics class.
The goal is practical: you should leave knowing what you're doing, why you're doing it, and what to practice.
How Accent Coaching Works
The accent is not the performance.
If you're concentrating so hard on pronunciation that you're no longer listening to your scene partner, pursuing what you want, or responding to what is happening, the accent isn't helping you.
Good accent work should eventually become part of your behavior.
You should be able to forget about the mechanics and focus on the character.
As a professional acting studio, BLS will help to ensure that you integrate your accent with the rest of your work, rather than treating it as an entirely separate skill.
Accent Work Should Support the Acting
Braden has coached actors on accents for major film and television roles, including Hailee Steinfeld for her accent in Romeo & Juliet and Cailee Spaeny for her accent in Priscilla.
Braden's professional acting work has required him to use a variety of accents and dialects.
His credits include playing Westley in The Princess Bride video game, dubbing Russell Brand in Get Him to the Greek, and performing Scottish, Texan, and Irish dialects for Netflix's Love, Death & Robots.
That experience informs the way accent work is taught: practically, specifically, and with the demands of actual performance in mind.
Accent Work for Film & Television
Accent coaching is available in person in Reseda, Los Angeles, or online worldwide.
Online coaching works particularly well for accent work because the core of the process is listening, speaking, observation, correction, and repetition.
You can work with Braden from anywhere in the world without changing the approach.
Accent Coaching in Los Angeles and Online
*During the regular hours of M-F 10a-5p Pacific Time. Coachings outside of these hours are subject to a 1.5x overtime rate.
Pricing
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$150 / hour*
($75 / half hour)
Who is accent coaching for?
Anyone who needs to perform an accent convincingly. That includes actors preparing for auditions or booked roles, performers working on stage or screen, and anyone else who needs to develop a believable accent.
Can you teach any accent?
Yes. If there is an accent I don't already know, I can learn it well enough to teach it within 24 hours.
How do you teach accents? Do you use IPA?
I don't use IPA as the primary way of teaching accents because most people don't know it and don't need to. Instead, I teach the rules behind the accent, including vowel and consonant sounds, placement, tone, shape, brightness and darkness, wideness and tallness, and other elements that affect how an accent sounds. The approach is practical and accessible without making the work unnecessarily academic.
Is accent coaching about eliminating my natural accent?
No. There is no such thing as permanently eliminating an accent. What people generally mean by "accent elimination" is learning to perform a different accent. Your natural accent can still come through when you're tired, angry, drunk, or simply lose concentration. The goal is to make the accent you're performing believable and controllable.
Can we work on a specific character accent?
Yes. We can work directly from the character, script, audition sides, or other material you're preparing. The goal is to create an accent that fits the character and remains consistent throughout the performance.
What else can we work on besides the accent itself?
Accent work can include pronunciation, speech patterns, vocal choices, rhythm, intonation, and the physical and behavioral elements that help make the accent believable.
Can I bring an audition or booked-role material?
Absolutely. Working directly from your sides, script, or character can be one of the most useful ways to develop an accent you can actually perform under the pressure of a real audition or production.
How many accent coaching sessions will I need?
It depends on the accent, your experience, and how quickly you pick it up. Some people can make substantial progress in one session. More difficult accents or performances may require multiple sessions.
Can accent coaching be done online?
Yes. Accent coaching is available in person and online worldwide.
Can't I just learn an accent from an accent tape?
You can, but it's not particularly reliable. Most people aren't very good at hearing their own pronunciation accurately while they're speaking. Having someone listen to you and give you specific notes lets you know exactly what you're doing and what needs to change.
Do I need to already know how to do accents?
No. Accent coaching can start wherever you are. The goal is to give you the tools and feedback you need to perform the accent convincingly.
What's the difference between an accent and a dialect?
"Accent" refers to the way words are pronounced, which is one part of "dialect," which includes things like the specific words people use in different regions (like calling soft drinks "soda" vs "cola" vs "pop"). With the exception of those who want to be able to improvise or ad lib in a dialect, most actors will never need to become proficient in an entire "dialect" as their lines are written for them. Becoming proficient in an "accent" is all that's needed.
