Ask The Voice Cat

Ella,

There are many things to consider and remember before plunging into the project that will be your 3-D calling card, help you find an agent, introduce you to casting directors and producers, and help get you work— providing you have achieved proficiency in voice acting.

Here are a few tips to insure a successful outcome for your V-O demo:

DO:

- Find an affordable digital studio (with a good SFX and music library) with an engineer and/or director/producer who has a good reputation for creating and directing voice-over talent and demos.

- Make sure to record enough material to cover between one and a half and two minutes in length. Pick material that shows your range, is nationally-branded, and is current and commercial, i.e., categories that are on the air all the time, like department stores, automotive, banking, etc. Make sure you have commercial elements on your commercial demo —not promos, trailers, narrations or anything else that could be construed as anything other than a commercial. Use :15 to :20 segments, no longer —with a few :05s and :10s thrown in to break it up.

- Try to schedule at least two different sessions for recording, if you can afford it, and consider doing them at different studios. The theory behind this is that your performances will vary, giving you a slightly different sound. If that’s not possible budget-wise, have the engineer put varied amounts of equalization (EQ) on your segments. This will make it sound like you’'ve recorded different spots at different studios.

- Make sure that your demo shows off your signature voice or your money voice, so listeners can get a reference as to what you really sound like. Your demo should showcase various shades of you, not different character voices. Save those for your animation demo.

- Select Radio or TV copy that shows some range, and pick copy for products and services that match your age, i.e., young people shouldn't be doing products and services for much older people and vice versa. Don’'t string together a bunch of tag lines—it doesn't showcase your acting abilities. It'’s much easier to sell something you believe in than something you don’'t. And don'’t use copy from magazines— that copy was written for print, not broadcast.

- Make sure you have duplicate scripts for the engineer and producer/director.

- Prepare. Pre-production is key. Have your spot excerpts/scripts rehearsed and timed out. Have an idea of what music you'’d like behind specific pieces, and have a list of SFX (sound effect) you’'d like to try. Make sure you get a good night’s rest, have something to eat (avoid dairy, carbonated drinks, spicy, greasy or salty foods, liquor and cigarettes) about two hours before the session, and bring plenty of water. It'’ll be one of the most exhausting sessions you’ll ever experience!

- If you can afford it, get an experienced V-O demo director/producer to help you. It’s very difficult to be objective about something as subjective as the sound of your own voice, or the believability of your own
performance.

- Sequence. Sequencing is crucial. If segments are similar, break them up with ones that are different (e.g., voice alone, voice with music, voice with SFX, dialogue, etc.). They should include reads that are
up-tempo/retail, sexy/romantic, serious, straight, character, anything humorous, etc.

- Allow sound effects and music to add variety.

- Start and end with your strongest material.

- Keep your edits crisp and hard, your fades short. Try splicing non-sequiturs together— as they add levity and interest. For example, one audio snippet might say, “I love my mom.” Another might say, “That’s why I fill her up with the best quality gasoline.” Put together, they sound funny.

- Limit your demo to 1:30-1:45. Agents don’'t like them any longer.

- Print your cell phone or home number somewhere on your demo so producers and casting directors can get in touch with you immediately. If you have an agent, make sure you print their name and number as well.

- If you’'re in L.A. or New York City, get the Voice-Over Resource Guide to find a list of demo producers to help you with your new demo, CD duplication companies for when your demo master CD is complete, and
graphics companies to help you design and package your demo. Ask your teachers and other people in the business for their recommendations, and then shop around if you wish. Don'’t go crazy, —50 CDs to start with is fine. Burn any new ones after that, especially if you add more categories and/or update the one(s) you have.

DON’'T:

- Make a demo until you'’ve developed all the necessary skills to enter and successfully complete a voice-over session. Your demo shouldn’'t exceed your abilities. Whatever types of reads you put on your demo you should be able to perform flawlessly at a session. Unless you'’re emotionally prepared to walk into a studio with the confidence to read and deliver a piece of copy to five people in the control room and another five people phone-patched in from another city and not be really nervous, you're not
ready. I know of too many instances where actors were booked off their demo, but couldn’'t perform anywhere near that quality in the actual session.

To reiterate: don'’t do a demo until you'’re really ready.

- Do impressions on your commercial demo. Most advertisers that want a celebrity voice book the celebrity. But if you'’re really good at impressions, put them in a separate category on your demo.

- Make a homemade demo. — It sounds cheap and amateurish, and no one will hire you based on that sound. If you want to make a rough demo for your ears only, in order to hear the flow of the segments, fine.

- Record a dialogue with a person who’s the same sex, e.g., if you’'re a woman, perform your dialogue segment with a man, and vice versa, and make sure you have the lion’s share of dialogue. The only exception to this rule is if you perform the segment with a young child or an exceptionally older-sounding person.

- Write your own copy— unless you can write better than professional copywriters. A good demo producer will have many samples of some of the latest copy for you to pick from and work with. Ad agencies will sometimes give you older scripts from their files, as well as Radio and TV stations, and if you have any friend who’s signed with a V-O talent agency, ask them to grab a stack of old scripts from the office for you.

- Try to perform copy that’s way outside your range. For instance, don'’t try to mimic a deep, intoning announcer if you don'’t have the pipes or resonance—. You just won’'t sound convincing —or be competitive.

- Try to fake older if you have a young sound. Conversely, if you have a mature sound, don't try to sound like a kid—. You just won’t sound believable —unless you'’re going for an animated character.

- Spend your life savings on your demo. If you can’'t afford to do it right, wait until you’'ve saved up enough money. Also, it’'s not always necessary to print your CD in four-color. As long as it’s neat and
professional, black and white is fine until you can spring for something more exotic.

- Send out your CD in an ultra-thin case or envelope. They have no spines! Your CD is invisible to anyone who'’s storing them. Make sure your name is as big as it can be, and stands out against the background.

Some last words. There’'s an old expression I’'m sure you’'ve heard before:

Do it right, or don’'t do it at all.” Remember, you usually only get one chance to make an impression in this business, so make sure your demo is the best it can be!

Sincerely,

Marc

MARC CASHMAN creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television. Winner of over 150 advertising awards, he also instructs voice acting of all levels through his classes, The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, CA.

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