General Hospital News: Parry Shen Gives You A Studio Tour

Brad Cooper is in a jail cell on General Hospital these days, and his portrayer, Parry Shen, can relate to being in a confined space. Fortunately, the actor’s real-life “cell” is more comfortable and far more productive!

Parry Shen: Voiceover Artist

Shen recently shared a video of his home studio on social media. “I need absolute silence when recording #voiceovers at home,” he wrote in a caption next to the video. “Hopefully, this will do the trick🚨🎙#homerecordingstudio.”

Shen notes that the voiceover segment of show-business hasn’t slowed down at all due to the coronavirus, given its ability to be done remotely. No longer do actors have to go to another locale to audition. (Actually, many haven’t had to do that for a while, thanks to home studios.)

Now, Shen says that he not only can audition from home but that he can also do the booked jobs themselves from his residence. He has had to both upgrade his service and come up with a way to make sure his household – filled with the sounds of joy and laughter and inquiries about meals – gets dead quiet when he does his recording.

“All of a sudden, I’ll hear ‘Hey, what are we having for dinner?’ muffled through the walls, and the microphone picks up everything,” Shen shares. “Usually, I will remember to yell throughout the house, ‘Hey, everyone, I’m recording a voice-over and then, (later), ‘Hey, everybody, I’m done!'”

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At actual production studios, red lights hang over doorways, letting personnel know that recording is going on and thus keeping folks from opening doors too early. Shen came up with the idea of setting up similar lights throughout his home, letting his family know when he’s working if he neglects to make an announcement. When his work is done, he turns the red lights off.

Co-star Marc Anthony Samuel (Felix) thinks his pal’s idea is a great one but is wondering if it would work for him, given his particular dynamics. “Genius idea! Nice work buddy!” Samuel wrote. “Quick question: what if your ‘kids’ are super territorial dogs?”

Shen replied: “I would either: 1) Tweak Pavlov’s Theory and turn the lights on and feed them a treat every time to train them that a treat’s coming when it’s lit or 2) hook up an Alexa smart plug to an automatic food dispenser and when you record announce, ‘Alexa, turn on VO [voice over] treats!'”

Sounds like a plan! When will Brad get sprung from his cell? Stay tuned to GH to find out! General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. Check local listings for air times.