about me
I'm Scott Alan Moffitt, an actor and dialect coach, originally from Texas. After earning a BFA in Acting, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor and voice artist. All the while, I've been educating fellow actors and non-actors alike on how to acquire new dialects, or modify their everyday speech.
my philosophy
I know firsthand how stressful the entertainment industry can be. I've met so many actors who tell me about the anxiety they get when they have an audition requiring a dialect, or even in the decision to add a dialect to their resume.
My goal is to give actors the tools to analyze, criticize, and most importantly self-learn dialects and accents. Ultimately, I want to help people view their voice as a unique asset, and not a liability.
my approach
I love to teach actors the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and how to use it to teach themselves any dialect or accent they wish. It removes the guess work, marrying the science of linguistics to the art of performance.
For some, the IPA may be too intimidating -- and that's OK. I can help you master your targeted dialects or accents in a manner that's comfortable to you.
For non-actors seeking accent modification, my experience as a dialect coach has given me the skills necessary to tackle your specific problems. There is no one-sized-fits-all solution when it comes to this type of work, and my training as an actor gives me the empathy and flexibility necessary to give you individualized coaching.
WHAT IS THE IPA?
Are you an actor interested in learning dialects? Have you been unable to learn through typical “mimicry” techniques? Perhaps you have a pretty good ear for picking up a dialect, but lack the ability to put what you're hearing into words?
I can help with that.
My approach to dialect coaching utilizes the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which is a series of symbols that represents all the sounds used in language that the vocal apparatus can make. For instance, in General American IPA the phrase “To be, or not to be, that is the question” would look like this:
/tu bi | ɔɚ̆ nɑt tu bi || ðæt ɪz ðə kwɛst͡ʃn̩/
This method helps actors to identify changes that are made when we switch from one dialect (our own) into another (our character’s). Eventually you will be able to pick any dialect you’d like to learn, apply the steps I will teach you towards that dialect, and be able to teach it to yourself.
Hear more about my approach to teaching dialects by listening to my interview with Bonnie Wallace on the Hometown to Hollywood Podcast!
