Tips For Nailing Your Voiceover Casting Audition
Tips For Nailing Your Voiceover Casting Audition
There’s nothing better than the feeling of nailing a voiceover casting audition and getting the job. You feel on top of the world! But of course, for every successful audition successful audition, there are usually ten more that are not so successful, to put it mildly.
So, what makes the difference between a killer audition and one that doesn’t go according to plan? The answer is preparation. Simply put, preparing for your voiceover casting audition will ensure that you are ready for the process, and far more likely to get the job.
Everyone has their preferred way to prepare for a voiceover casting. Here are our top tips that have helped artists land some amazing jobs – they can help you, too.
- Be relevant - Only audition for the jobs that suit you and that you’d feel comfortable recording. There’s no point sending a test demo to a client who’s looking for a British English female voice in her 40s when your natural voice range is teenage – 20s. The client will hear the mismatch straight away and think you’re wasting their precious time. It’s not a good look.
- Be fast – Send your voice demo as soon as you see the casting call. It’s a smart idea to use a system like OutSpoken Voices, which doesn’t charge any gold, platinum, or silver membership fee levels. Our system sends auditions on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Therefore, if you’re quick and get that voice demo out as soon as possible, your audition clip will be at the top of the client’s list.
- Be professional – Only send test demos recorded on your pro equipment. You should never send phone test recordings if you can avoid it. Remember - there are two main reasons why clients post a casting: a) they want to find the voice that best works with their script, and b) they want to make sure that you use top-notch equipment.
- Be dynamic – Make sure that you breathe some life and energy into the script, and cut out any silence from the beginning of your demo. You should be speaking no later than from the 2nd second of your recording and avoid any long pauses (unless stated otherwise by the client).
- Be brief and to the point – Be as straightforward as possible, and get to the point! You don’t have to state who you are and name the project you’re auditioning for, as the client will have that information. They will receive your demo along with a link to your profile, as shown on the pic below. From there, they can add you to shortlist and share it with their clients and colleagues, hire you for the job, or visit your profile to learn more about you. No need to include this information in your demo. We also strongly advise against adding music to your test demos. The clients often download your voice audition reels and put them on the video they are producing, for example. This helps them decide whether your voice works well with their product.
- Be efficient – If you are auditioning for multiple projects in one day, it’s a good idea to record all of the tests in one go, as one file. You’ll save time and effort if you chop one file into smaller ones rather than recording multiple individual files.
- Be heard – Last, but certainly not least, make sure that your casting demo is loud enough! Some voice artists send in their reads without checking the final specs, and the volume is far too low or inconsistent. If the client has trouble hearing your read, they will move on a listen to the next one, and you’ll lose your chance at the job.
With these seven tips, you can maximise your time and increase your chances of success. By preparing in advance, staying relevant, and speaking loudly with no unnecessary pauses, you can send out more demos, get in front of more casting agents, and boost your odds of landing the gig.
Do you have any tips that you think belong on this list? Have any specific strategies or methods that helped you land more voiceover jobs? Share them in the comment section below and let’s continue the conversation.
February 16th at 12:00am
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