Not too long ago, the typical voice talent got only a few auditions every month. You’d have to get in the car, schlep (that’s a NY word that means “drag your butt “…) to the casting director or talent agent’s office and sit nervously in the waiting area until it was your turn to read. The whole thing could take hours.
Not any more.
Today’s digital-age auditions come fast and furious by email. It’s not uncommon to get several auditions every day, even on weekends.
The good news is you get more turns at bat. The bad news is you’ve got to stop what you’re doing to swing.
Recently, I had several corporate training proposals I was working on, marketing copy to write, preparation for our upcoming Voice Over Bootcamp Recording Studio Immersion Experience, recording sessions for Great Voice Company clients, Lifeline calls with 3 private clients in my Mentor Program, a staff meeting and an appointment with my trainer at the gym. And in the middle of it all, a juicy audition for a Wal-Mart spot.
In the old days I would have skipped my gym appointment, taken an hour to record and rerecord that audition over and over while agonizing mightily over every little detail before clicking SEND.
Sound familiar?
These days I do one take, maybe two, quickly edit any glaring mistakes, and then hit ‘send.’ Then I forget about the audition and go about my business.
Most people over-think their auditions and that’s a shame. Few voice buyers wait until all the auditions are in before they make their selection. If they get the right “feeling” from your voice after hearing your audition, that’s usually good enough. They’ll shape your read later in the recording session if you book the gig.
Today, voice over is a numbers game where speed rules To make it easy and fast to get those auditions out the door, I keep a microphone on my desk at home and another on my desk in the office, plugged in and ready to go. I also have an Apogee Microphone and iPad handy for auditions on the go.
When it comes to auditions, good enough is good enough and perfect is the enemy of good.
Copyright 2012, The Great Voice Company. All Rights Reserved.
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Susan Berkley is a top voice over artist and founder of The Great Voice Company, a company devoted to teaching great voices around the world how to become successful voice over actors. The Great Voice Company is an international leader in voice over training and in providing top quality voice over recordings in all languages to discerning businesses and marketers. For additional information visit www.greatvoice.com.
Copyright 2012, The Great Voice Company. All Rights Reserved. How To Do Voice Over When You Have A Day Job.
