Voice Over at work

Preparing for a casting – useful tips (original in RO)

Hello, my name is Andreea. Me and my colleagues at the Taine-Multimedia Studio, thought we would give a little helping hand to those who are about to enter a studio for the first time to take part in a voice over casting and also to motivate the ones who aren’t convinced that they want to try it out.

That’s why we put together a few useful tips for delivering a good voice over performance in a casting situation.

We have organized these tips in a standard FAQ format, though the answers sometimes are a lot more complex, we decided to keep it as simple as possible for the moment. Let’s get started!

1. Why do I need to record a voice sample at the studio?

The purpose of the initial casting is to capture your voice in digital format so that the studio and the clients can easily have access to it, thus increasing your chances of being selected for the projects suited for your voice, without you having to come down to the studio each time there is a new project in need of a voice over talent. In other words, you cannot be taken into consideration as a possible voice over on any project if nobody knows what your voice sounds like in the studio. Do not bring a CV or photos. They are not relevant to this type of casting.

The initial casting is important because it also captures your dynamics and your style of working.

Contrary to popular belief, being a voice over doesn’t mean working only on TV and radio promo spots. There is a wide variety of projects that require voice over work and the way you adapt to different styles of interpretation is essential. These castings are free on both ends- neither you nor the studio will be making any money off of these initial recordings. Also, you will not be able to use your voice samples in other contexts without the studio’s permission and the studio won’t be able to sell your demo without yours and without paying you for it.

2. How long does a casting tale?

Our castings last up to one hour. We will go through different styles and at the end we also encourage our talents to do a voice-acting part which is entirely optional. It is very important for us to understand what styles of interpretation come natural to you and which ones are more difficult for you to do, what style suits you, what your type of voice is and if you can take directions during the recording process. An hour is not a lot. Most of you show up there nervous and an hour is plenty of time for you to relax and then focus on the recording.

3. What styles will we be taking on?

We are working on an entire article explaining each of the main styles of interpretation. But mainly it’s important for you to know and understand the nuances and the rules for: short and long form texts.

Short form could mean: TV and radio promos, trailers, IVR, branding and radio jingles.

Long form or “narrations” could mean: audio books, educational texts for e-learning, corporate presentations, documentaries and many more.

4. Must I go through every style?

That depends on your professional goals as a voice-over actor. You don’t have to do everything but it wouldn’t be good for you to end up in a situation where you don’t know what to do with a certain type of text. We recommend you try out most of them.

5. I have a voice reel. Will you upload it on your website?

Yes, if you have permission from all parts involved and if there is no third party copyright infringement.  It is possible though, that due to length and relevance issues, that we might not upload it.

6. How do you prepare for a casting?

Good diction, good breathing technique and being able to understand the objective behind a text written by somebody else, are important abilities. All these take time to prepare. Make sure that you get plenty of rest before the casting and postpone it if you are not physically well. It might be an only chance and you don’t want to miss out in it. Try to be open and relaxed. Any type of distress will be audible in your interpretation. Don’t forget to stay hydrated. The people in the studio want you to succeed so listen to their advice and indications. And last but not least, do not neglect your vocal warm-up.

7. Can I redo my casting?

Sure. If your diction and your voice have undergone changes or if you simply improved significantly as a voice-over, we actually encourage you to do so.

That’s about it for now. I hope I have managed to shed some more light on what a voice-over casting is. Keep an eye out for new posts. Good luck! See you soon!

DISCLAIMER:

Reproduction of the text in its entirety without the author’s consent is strictly forbidden. Reproduction of up to 300 characters of the original text is allowed without special permission by the author only if the original source is mentioned.