Improve your auditions
Auditioning, simply put, is a daily occurrence for us voice actors. Whether you have an agent, belong to a casting site, or you’re auditioning for your own leads you’ve developed through direct marketing (need more of those?), you probably have to submit samples quite a bit. It’s the nature of the beast.
If you’re new to the process, you might find that auditioning doesn’t net you a ton of work at first. Instead, you might be faced with rejection after rejection, slowly draining your confidence as a voice actor. However, it’s important to keep in mind that you’re not going to win every job. In fact, you will NOT win most of them, simply by virtue of the fact that your voice won’t suit every single project that’s out there. Just remember: it’s OK. In the end, its a numbers game. You might submit 100 auditions and book one job. That’s OK.
That being said, there are ways to increase the likelihood that you will get that next job after auditioning. Here are some tips I have for nailing your auditions.
Timing is everything
Try to submit your audition within 5 minutes of the job posting reaching you. The more time you waste, the less likely you are to book the job.
A 30 second sample is more than sufficient for most things. You don’t have to do the entire script. Most customers have extremely short attention spans and aren’t going to listen to a ten-minute sample.
If you’re scheduling time to audition live with a client, or speak with them about a project for which you’re in consideration, be on time for the appointment. If it’s a virtual meeting, show up five minutes early in the meeting to double check your audio/video settings. It helps you appear more professional.
Professional audio quality is a must
Make sure your sound is top notch. If you’re auditioning on a site like Voices.com, you’re up against some talent with top-end gear and presets that are dialed-in.
This also applies to your recording space. Treat it properly.
Don’t slate. Brevity is your friend
Don’t slate on audition sites, get right into the audition. Your name and details are already visible to clients on sites like Voices.com. No need to repeat yourself.
Provide multiple takes that show range
If you do this, you can slate, but keep it brief. Just say “Two takes,” and then get right into it. You can also say “thanks for listening” at the end.
I would do two takes at most. Three is overkill unless its absolutely necessary for the project.
It’s a numbers game
Try to submit 10-15 auditions a day if you’re on a casting site. Aim for a booking ratio of at least 100:1. So, for every 100 auditions, you book a job. You can do better (mine is about 42:1 currently), but that’s a baseline.
Once you submit the audition, forget about it and move on. Spend that valuable time working on another audition, improving your demo, developing your business, etc.
Study the script before you record
For a short sample, go ahead and read through the sample script to get an idea of the tone and pacing that you should be using.
Stay hydrated, and warm up your voice
Lip trills, tongue twisters, and other exercises can help you improve your performance.
Hydrate an hour beforehand, and stay hydrated. This will help reduce mouth clicks.
Be efficient with your time and effort
Get comfortable with your DAW. Have a preset ready to go so you can click a button and record. Fire off those auditions as fast as you can, while maintaining quality and consistency.
If you’d like more tips, consider joining the free Facebook group to chat with other voice actors, or booking some coaching for one-on-one assistance with your auditioning.
Good luck out there!
- Trevor
