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VOICE OVER AUDITIONS
I’m back! After my original “A Peek Inside the Casting Mind” article, I heard from several of you that it helped shed some light on things you had wondered about. But it also raised other questions. “Now that I know more about the casting process, what can I do with that information?” First, the key is not to overthink. You don’t need to try to stand out or strive to be what you THINK we want. Instead, you only need to be you. My biggest advice is to only worry about things that are actually in your control, which is your performance. Nothing else should matter as the process and final casting decisions are not in your control. So, let’s focus on what you CAN control. Ultimately, it comes down to one thing: YOU. How much “YOU” you bring to every audition:
WHAT CATCHES CASTING EAR? “What is it then, that will catch your ear and make you listen beyond the average 3-5 seconds?” At some point, everyone has probably heard, “talk to one person.” And yes, that is what we want to hear, but there is so much more to it. It comes down to acting! Authentic connection is key. Defining your audience, choosing a clear intention, and having an opinion on the product are all important. Being truly connected in every take whether you like the product or not. But even the best actors can fall into traps. THE BIGGEST MISTAKE ... “What is the biggest mistake you hear in auditions even when the acting choices are spot on?” The main issue is when the audition sounds too “commercial.” Even the best acting gets lost when the take is too put together or polished. We cannot deny that commercials have a distinct sound. In fact, new voice actors are often taught to listen to commercials and mimic them to get a sense of the cadence of commercial copy. While that is an excellent way to learn and get familiar with how to deliver commercial copy, it’s not how the audition should be approached. If it is, then even with the best actors making strong choices, we’ll still hear the script as someone reading written words and not speaking to us in their own words. The auditions that truly perk our ears are those that don’t sound like a stereotypical commercial; but rather a person truly connected to the product, who is having a conversation, sharing their own opinions, and speaks naturally and off-the-cuff. AVOIDING THE TRAP ... “How can I avoid this trap and keep my auditions natural?” One of the best exercises to discover what sounds truly natural is to listen to conversations around you. Sit in silence and observe. Pay close attention to what I refer to as The Four P’s:
REMEMBER: YOU ARE HUMAN By adjusting The Four P’s, you can utilize a more technical way to naturalize. As you do this, please remember: You do not need to learn how to be human... You ARE human. You are simply exploring what it is to be unapologetically human. And the imperfections we hear are exactly what make you interesting and engaging. Take this as your permission to finally allow yourself to shine through – flaws and all. Email: casting@voicecaster.com |
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By Kelly Moscinski
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