So as to get any voice over work you, it is essential that make a demo or showreel. Voice over agents will judge you on what you sound like and appraise whether they can take you on or not. It is in a number of ways your audio resume, or C.V.
But what are the voiceover agencies looking ( or listening ) for? In essence, they need to hear what you sound like so they can categorise your voice and see if you've got the potential to make them, and you, money. The technical quality must be good. It should be brief and not go on for hours at a time. A good length for a voice reel would be around 3 or 4 minutes, but maybe even shorter. Let's take a look at the sort of material you need to record.
For voice-overs you have to ask yourself where voiceover artists are getting the work. Radio and TV commercials spring to mind, as do trailers, but you must also think about narration and the industrial or corporate sector. Then there's IVR, or interactive voice recording, which is a second name for on-hold phone messages. All of these supply a rich seam of jobs for the voice actor. But where do you find the scripts in the 1st place?
One cost effective way is to scribble them yourself. Sit yourself down in front of the television or radio and hear the huge range of tones and styles on offer : hard, medium and soft sell adverts and trails promoting programmes and, in the United Kingdom and Europe, the ever present continuity announcements. Map out several alternative styles and products. Then try writing your own. Keep it simplistic and avoid using real company names as these can date very fast. The agent listening may also think you have really recorded a commercial for that company, so it's best to make up your own names. Consider writing a thirty second story excerpt and some words that would promote an enterprise or organisation.
remember to keep the scripts short ; 30 to 50 seconds each is excellent
Now it is time to record. You will need your PC, some software and a mike. USB mics can be exceedingly good, but always try and buy the very best you can afford, regardless of if that means 2nd hand. There is plenty of free software around, so hunt round the net for something that looks easy to download and use.
Place duvets or pillows around the mike and this will deaden the background room noise, providing a far more professional recording environment.
When you record your words, always play the piece back. Listen for technical quality and your performance ; are you too fast, too slow, lacking energy or over dramatising the read? Learn how to trust your own ears. Do not forget to include some variety ; an agent does not want to hear you doing the same style over again.
Check that you've got a good range : commercials, narration and company material and once you are happy with each of your tracks, burn them to a CD. Make a simple covering letter and headline with your voice outline, such as'young, fresh sounding female voice ; real British accent'.
Now you are ready to send the material out to voice over agencies. Do not be stunned if you get rejections as this goes with the territory, but perhaps if your demo is of an ok quality and they like your voice you might be considered.
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