If you are hoping to break into the voiceover industry, or,
as I have been discussing in recent blog posts, you want to get your child into
the business, you will need to create an audio demo.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE VOICEOVER DEMO The demo tape is truly the
most important part of any application process you will go through from this
point forward. Think of the demo as a resume of sorts. Just as you want to ensure that your resume
lists every possible highlight of your career -- including education,
experience, awards, and certifications -- you want your demo to showcase every
nuance of your voice talents. Be sure
that this recording showcases everything that makes you a great, unique,
talented voiceover artist who is undeniably perfect for whatever job you may
apply for.
THE TIMING OF THE DEMO As a general rule, you don’t have a lot
of time to showcase your talents. In
this day and age, especially, people don’t have long attention spans. If you can’t capture their attention within
the first few seconds, then you have likely lost them. Assuming you do pull the listener in, you
will still have a minute or two to get across everything you are capable
of. Even the longest demos (and length
is not necessarily a virtue, in this case) are just three minutes in length. Your best bet is to create something that is
approximately one minute long, but that delves into who you are as a voice
actor and a real person.
KNOW THE NICHE Although it can be tempting to try to create a
demo that appeals to every prospective client, it really is best to focus your
efforts on a particular niche within the market. So, your aim might be to do voiceover work
for advertising firms – commercials – or you might want to aim for longer gigs,
such as audiobook work. There are a
number of different directions you can go, but decide what you want before you
begin to record the demo, because you will want to showcase different talents
for different categories. Don't try to showcase all categories of voice over in one demo. It will takes several demos to establish that such as... Commercial Demo, Narration Demo, Character/Animation Demo, etc.
FORMATTING When the demo is complete and ready for release, be
sure that it is saved in the MP3 format. This is the most widely accepted format.
Once this process is complete, you will be ready to apply
and that is when things get really exciting!
Hello Lance,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the above written advice on demos. Where do you suggest to get "royalty free" or "copywriter free" scripts for voice demos... ?? should the voice demo be produced by a professional studio because and after some research I found them to be brutally expensive. Im Deeply grateful for your valued knowledge, I thank you very much for sharing!
Hello Unknown,
DeleteThanks for your questions and comments.
You can find usable scripts at The Edge Studio (edgestudio.com) Yes, demo production can be expensive. Price is often dictated by the area where you live. So shop around for the best prices but understand that you'll need a good professional demo. If you have never had any demos produced then you will need a professional to produce them. But the expense should pay off as long as you are ready and experienced enough to make your first demo. Your demo is one of your greatest investments!