How to Ace a Voice‐Over Audition
Get to know your voice., Play your recordings for friends and family., Choose an appropriate voice-over field., Practice reading out loud., Study the script.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get to know your voice.
Get a set of different scripts and record yourself reading each one.
Then, play back what you've recorded and do a self-evaluation.
Identify which type of script makes you feel most natural while recording in addition to which ones sound the best when played back. -
Step 2: Play your recordings for friends and family.
Ask them to identify the most and least effective recordings.
Use their feedback to help determine where you really excelled. , There is demand for even the most unique voices, so don't lose hope if you can't match the clear, deep voice on your voicemail machine.
Use your unique qualities to your advantage! Voice-overs can be broken into the following three types:
Straight Narration
- Requires a very clear voice.
Some scripts call for emotionally neutral narrators while others call for narrators that are emotionally involved.
If you have an authoritative and clear voice, this is a good field for you.
Voice Acting
- This field assigns your voice to a character.
As a result, it requires unique voices with personality, accents, and attitude.
As a voice actor, you may be asked to do the voice for a video game character or for an audio book.
Commercials
- Calls for a narrator who can deliver the script in a very strict time limit.
While it's important that the message be clear, the type of voice is less important than speed here. , Overall the most important factor in being a great voice-over artist is being able to read aloud clearly, deliver the lines effectively, identify the main message of the script, and communicate that message naturally.
Practice reading ahead while talking so that you do not stumble over your words come the big day. , If you're lucky enough to receive the script beforehand, make sure you are extremely familiar with both the words and the message that the script is trying to convey.
Find out which words work best with emphasis, and practice reading with different tones, speeds, and emotion.
Once you find something that works best, practice it as much as you can in the days (or even weeks!) leading up to the audition. -
Step 3: Choose an appropriate voice-over field.
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Step 4: Practice reading out loud.
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Step 5: Study the script.
Detailed Guide
Get a set of different scripts and record yourself reading each one.
Then, play back what you've recorded and do a self-evaluation.
Identify which type of script makes you feel most natural while recording in addition to which ones sound the best when played back.
Ask them to identify the most and least effective recordings.
Use their feedback to help determine where you really excelled. , There is demand for even the most unique voices, so don't lose hope if you can't match the clear, deep voice on your voicemail machine.
Use your unique qualities to your advantage! Voice-overs can be broken into the following three types:
Straight Narration
- Requires a very clear voice.
Some scripts call for emotionally neutral narrators while others call for narrators that are emotionally involved.
If you have an authoritative and clear voice, this is a good field for you.
Voice Acting
- This field assigns your voice to a character.
As a result, it requires unique voices with personality, accents, and attitude.
As a voice actor, you may be asked to do the voice for a video game character or for an audio book.
Commercials
- Calls for a narrator who can deliver the script in a very strict time limit.
While it's important that the message be clear, the type of voice is less important than speed here. , Overall the most important factor in being a great voice-over artist is being able to read aloud clearly, deliver the lines effectively, identify the main message of the script, and communicate that message naturally.
Practice reading ahead while talking so that you do not stumble over your words come the big day. , If you're lucky enough to receive the script beforehand, make sure you are extremely familiar with both the words and the message that the script is trying to convey.
Find out which words work best with emphasis, and practice reading with different tones, speeds, and emotion.
Once you find something that works best, practice it as much as you can in the days (or even weeks!) leading up to the audition.
About the Author
Nicole Castillo
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow crafts tutorials.
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