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Looking for voice over work?
The steps outlined below will help you get voice over auditions.
First, you’ll find out how to create a voice over demo and how to get it in the hands of voice over agents, then you’ll read about marketing yourself on the internet and using a voice over service to get voice over auditions.
1) How to Get a Voice Over Demo
Your voice-over demo is your single most important marketing tool as a voice artist, so take your time when creating it. Here’s a step by step on how to get started:
- Decide What Kind of Demo you Want and NeedAsk yourself two questions:
- “What kind of voice overs do I want to do?”
Review this list of voice over jobs and pick the type of voice over work you’re most interested in. - “What’s the quality of my voice?”
You may want to do animation, but if you have a great narration voice or “selling voice” for commercials, you’ll want to showcase these qualities in your demo.
The answer to these questions will help you decide if you should start with a commercial voice over demo or an animation voice-over demo that you will use for voice over work in cartoons and video games. You may also want to do a special voiceover demo for narrations.
- “What kind of voice overs do I want to do?”
- Pick your Voice Over CopyA good voice-over class will help you pick material for your demo. The recording studio you work with may also have a selection of scripts you can choose from.Don’t feel like you have to reinvent the wheel. Actually, pick the type of voiceovers you hear everyday, so casting directors know you can do the voiceover jobs that are in high demand.Keep in mind that a voice-over demo should be short (1-2 minutes long), so pick a variety of 5-20 second short excerpts (they don’t have to be whole commercials) that really showcase your voice. Every second counts, so pick different clips that show your range and make sure you wrap up your demo on a strong note.
- Find a Good Studio and EngineerIf you’re serious about doing voice overs, investing in a professional voiceover demo is worth it. If you’re wondering why you just can’t pick up a mic and record your demo at home, listen to this short video where the authors of Voice Over Voice Actor talk about what voice over agents and casting directors want.
- Record your Voice Over DemoYou’ll save time and money and have a better demo if you take the time to prepare for your recording session. Before the big day, time and rehearse each voice over. Also make sure you come into the session well rested and hydrated.
Don’t try to impress casting directors and agents by recording voice-overs outside of your vocal range. Your demo should give a sample of voice-over jobs you could book, not cool voices you can only sustain for a few minutes.Once your voice over demo is fully mixed and ready to go, get a bunch of copies directly from the studio or from a duplication place. You’ll also need a professional-looking label on each CD that clearly states your name, union affiliation and contact information.
Once you have a voice over demo you’re really happy with, it’s time to find a voice over agent.
2) How to Find a Voice Over Agent
A good agent can do a lot to jumpstart your voice over career, so mail a copy of your new voice-over demo along with your resume to voice-over agents in town. You can get a list of acting agents in publications like the Ross Report. Look for the agent in charge of the voice-over department and mail to that specific agent. If a voice-over department isn’t listed, mail to the agent in charge of commercials.
Follow-up your initial mailing with actor postcards that list recent voice over work you’ve done. Include a link to a website where they can hear an MP3 of your voice-over demo.
An agent may call you for an interview or they may send you on a few voice-over auditions on a freelance basis. If you do well, they may offer you to sign with the agency as a result.
3) How to Get Voice Over Auditions
Although a good agent has access to a lot of voice over casting calls, there’s other ways to find voice over jobs, so don’t wait to get an agent to have a voiceover career.
The best way to get started is to sign up for an online voice over service � a website where you can browse through voice over jobs and apply to postings directly. More and more companies hire voice-over talent this way nowadays because they are not limited by space and time, so promoting yourself on the internet is very important.
The voice over service I recommend is Voices.com
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Voices also lets you create your own website where you can upload your voice over demos. This way, you can be considered for voice over work instantly when you submit to job postings on the site. Actually, you can get hired directly by clients and even accept credit card payments for your voice over work.
If you need to jumpstart your voice over career, Voices.com also offers special premium memberships that help voice over artist get major exposure. As a bonus feature, you also get a selection of royalty-free scripts to practice with or use for your voiceover demo.
How Much Does Voice Over Work Pay?
Voice over rates vary widely depending on the type of voice overs you do and the union status of the job. Usually, union voice-over jobs pay more because actors get residuals, but some non-union buyouts can pay very well, especially if you consider that many voice-over jobs take less then an hour to record. If you’re wondering whether you should join the union or not, read this information.
Once you start getting voice over work, marketing yourself will become easier if you network. Get to know the people you work with during recording sessions