Three Things You Need to Know

Don’t Try To Be Too Ambitious

I’ve listened to some demos where the voice artist thinks that the way to get work is to cover off every possible script style. Big mistake!  There are some voice artists who are incredibly versatile but that’s rare.  And you know what?  To get a job as a voiceover artist, you don’t need to be able to do everything.  If you have one good voiceover style, then that’s enough.  If you have more than one, even better, but you don’t have to be great at everything.  There are techniques, which I cover in the program called ‘Perfecting the Naturalistic Read’ which will give you all the tricks and tips to create great reads with just one voice style.  And here’s my tip for a smooth entry to voice over.  Establish yourself first.  Become really comfortable with the work and then increase your repertoire of voices and styles over time.

Use Interesting, Well Written Scripts

It’s true that there’s a lot of advertising out there that is fairly boring.  A lot of it is pure information, product, promise, offer and how to get it.  Pretty bland!  The scripts that you need to find or create for your demo need to have heaps of character, and as you probably already know, by character, I don’t mean a funny voice.  The listener wants to hear the charm of your character, no matter who it is.  They don’t all have to be funny or cute, just really listenable.

Choose Scripts That You Would Be Cast For

Understanding what kind of script a voice such as yours is usually offered is essential.  Casting people are often looking for an example of a read on a demo that is a current trend.  So if you happen to have one of these on your demo, then the job may be yours.  Sometimes it’s much easier for a casting decision to be made based on ‘yes that’s the voice and the read we’re looking for’ rather than, ‘I think that person might be able to do it, but I’m unsure’, so that’s why it’s so crucial that your choice of scripts reflects your best performance of a style that you would be cast for and is often used.  Advertising is always directed at a particular market or demographic, so the ad is always written to be delivered to that market by a voice who reflects it.  Listen to ads for the latest Mercedes Benz.  Are they being read by a 25 year old female.  No, probably not, because that’s not who’s buying Mercedes.  What about ads for University courses.  Do you hear a 60+ male telling you why you need to sign up?  No.

On your demo, what the listener wants to hear is a sample of what they’d possibly cast you for.  You need to give them all the help you can.  Happy voiceovering!!!