Tips for Voice Over Talent Demo

Every voice over talent needs to have a demo.  Your demo reel needs to be your best work and best sample of what makes your voice unique. Your demo is your calling card. A well produced demo will showcase the styles of voice acting you can perform.  Whether you have one or you are looking to produce one, there are many considerations to make. 

When Is It Time for a New Demo Reel?

·        If your demo is more than three years old, it is time to think about an update.  Newer material is on-trend and prospects will be looking to see if you can do it.

·        Your agent or manager will want to make available to clients your latest demo.  They may just want you to add a new piece in with what they are currently promoting you with.  Keep in mind they use the demo to sell your talents.

·        When you feel like your demo is lacking something.  If you are not feeling as confident about your demo reel than it is time to produce a new one.

·        As you are evolving your craft as a voice over talent, your reel should reflect that change.  Maybe it is not the creation of a whole new reel. It could just be adding to your current reel.

·       Maybe Your brand is changing and you have started doing work in other areas and you want to add that to the reel and send it to people who have known you for years.  Or simply put it up on your website.
      Or your agent's website. It is a way to remind them you are out there and that they should consider you for other opportunities.

How Many Demos Do You Need?

A demo reflects your level of professionalism, your range, the value you offer to the client.  The uniqueness in you.

Your reel says who you are and what you are capable of doing.  You want to make sure that you are giving enough variety.  You want your range of abilities to be noted by a potential client, agency, or manager.

Online you can have samples so that all of your demos can be showcased, and the website will allow people to find exactly what they are looking for.  Create different demos for your different niches.

The basic three demos... Commercial, Narration and Character are still the best way to start.
These days I employ several demos on my website (www.ricklancestudio.com) that showcase my work in the various industries I work in. Such as Agriculture, Energy Production, Trucking, Health Care and Finance & Hometown Banking, etc. 

How Long Should the Voice Over Demo Be?

The length will depend on what type of work you are looking for.  The demo should have exceptional copy and production value. Commercial demos should be no longer than :90. Narration and Character or Animation demos can be a bit longer up to 2:00 or so.

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·        Audiobook and other long form narration should be about 5:00 minutes so that they can see your ability to stay in character for longer lengths of time.  Also, if there are multiple characters, they can hear the voice changes.  

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Calling Card

A demo is a voice over talent’s calling card. Kind of a business card and resume blended together.  It gives potential clients the opportunity to see if your work matches their brand and sound.  And make sure that however your demo is produced, that you are capable of reproducing the voice styles found on your demo for actual projects you are hired to work on. easing

Utilizing Your Uniqueness for Radio Voice Work

When listening to the radio you should immediately be drawn to the radio voice.  They bring the information to you with an engaging tone. While many may think that this is just a loud voice, in fact, it requires a skill set that is best done by trained radio announcers. However, sometimes these days you may hear a voice actor instead. For a more natural sound. 

Radio Ads

There are 3 main types of radio advertising, live reads, sponsorships, or produced spots.  Live reads are where they are read in real-time either by the show host or announcer.  In radio, many stations sell sponsorships for the different segments and will be narrated before the segment begins.  Produced spots are your traditional commercials. Radio ads are anywhere from 15 seconds to 60 seconds. The most common is 30 or 60 seconds.  Radio ads tend to be read faster than TV ads and they are solely reliant on the voice.

The Role of the Voice Over Actor

Radio narration and commercials need trained voice over talent.  The voice is critical as it is the most important aspect of the advertisement.  A professional understands the natural ability to communicate.  The voice creates a picture in the listener’s mind, and it must catch and hold the attention of the listener. A voice over actor may also give it a twist that the writer did not imagine and yet improves the message. Many of these radio ads are produced by the radio stations themselves and not received from an outside source. However, the BIG ads you hear like... Coca Cola, Chevrolet or Rooms-To-Go for example are always produced by an outside source and are supplied to the radio stations for airing.

The Basic How To’s

When getting started, you need to learn how to use your voice to align with the advertiser or the station’s ambiance. Connect with the script in a convincing way. Be aware that it is easy to sound flat when reading from a script.  However, the flip side is using too much inflection, and it sounds sing-songy. Read it in a relaxed manner.  Don’t trail off leaving an idea or sentence unfinished.  As well as avoid dropping off.  You want to be constant and maintain a strong voice throughout the entire sentence. The trick is to not sound like you are giving a speech to a crowd. (That is best left to the radio announcer.) But to in fact, be personal.  A conversation naturally has peaks and valleys in inflection, speed, and emphasis. When reading a script act like you are talking to a friend. 

Your Uniqueness Will Work in Your Favor

Sound like you. Your uniqueness may get you the job. If you have an accent that may be your draw. 

Your accent and your style can define what type of industries will work with your style the best.  Find a radio format that highlights your voice and speaks to your interests.  
When you find one, it's easier to interpret that script.

Tips for Getting Radio Commercial Work

Direct market yourself to radio stations who you know produce their own spots. They will often hire out for radio voice over work and keep a roster of talent that they like to rely on.

The quality of the recording will make an impact, of course. You'll need to have a high quality home recording studio to produce the RAW VO to supply them with. They will then add all the bells-and-whistles and broadcast standard audio optimization that they need. One word of caution: This article does NOT address "radio imaging". Which is a whole other category of voiceover that requires the ability to create those high powered station promos you hear. Many of those today are also produced outside the station by freelancers with the talent and understanding of that style.