Quoting less than what’s been budgeted for is not only silly but also may give the impression that you’re desperate to get the job and perhaps may not actually be as qualified to do the work. Many voice actors have a poor impression of what they should be able to command for their services.
These voice actors typically fall into three groups:
People who are new to the industry who decide to undercut industry standard rates due to lack of experience or belief that they’re undeserving
People who come from broadcast radio who work on volume, making their money by working numerous jobs for less
People supplementing their income with voice-over who are either moonlighting or retired
Because the money is over and above what they’re already bringing in, some feel charging less for something they consider to be a hobby is justified.
Above all, submitting a quote that you are comfortable with is paramount, particularly if you’re relying on the money you make from doing voice-overs to feed your family, keep a roof over your head, and send the kids to school.
Agreeing to work for less than you believe you should be paid will only make you resentful, leave you with not enough money, affect your working relationship, and may even come across in your read.
Submitting it and forgetting it
Do ghosts of auditions past linger in the back of your mind? Have precious time and emotions been wasted contemplating the outcome of a casting call? Although it’s human nature to wonder, fixating on things that are out of your control can be exhausting and make it harder for you to keep moving forward. How can you liberate yourself from questions such as “what if?”, “who got it?”, and “why not me?”
Even harder than letting go of a submitted audition can be getting an audition to the point that you’re comfortable submitting it period! When you’re in the director’s chair, the decision rests with you as to how many takes you produce or how you approach a read.
How many takes are enough? You ask yourself. Some voice actors beat themselves up to get what they perceive to be the “perfect” take. After they get that perfect take out, they need to release it through the auditioning process and let it go as a whole. We cover this topic extensively in Chapter 11.
Chapter 13
Auditioning in the Real World
In This Chapter
Creating a great first impression
Acting professional and following studio etiquette
Interacting with the casting director
Having fun while making connections
What’s it like to go into a real-world, bricks-and-mortar audition? Most of these kinds of auditions only happen in the major city hubs for voice acting, but you may find yourself in a situation where you’re called on to show up and give a few reads for a casting director to consider.
This may happen if you’re represented by an agent or the producer’s client wants to hold auditions at a studio. Being professional and looking the part, that is to say, not showing up in your pajamas, will provide all involved in the decision with a good first impression of who you are and how you work. That being said, if you’re working from home, pajamas or casual around-the-house clothing (even slippers) works just fine.
This chapter emphasizes the importance of making a great first impression, following studio etiquette, and correctly interacting with a casting director, studio engineer, and anyone else who may be present at an audition or recording session.
Don’t forget that while being professional is important, so is having fun! Building relationships and participating in the social world of in-person auditioning is an experience you want to be prepared for as well as enjoy many times over the course of your career.
Making a Great First Impression
In voice-overs, the first impression clients get of you is often determined by your résumé and the voice-over demos on your web page or voice demos submitted in an audition situation. When it comes to auditioning in the real world, there’s so much more that goes into putting your best foot and voice forward. In this section, we cover professionalism, touching on areas such as dress, punctuality, presentation, and relationships.
Dressing for success
A variety of things certainly exist that you should and should not wear when in a live audio recording session. In this section, we take a closer look at the kind of clothing real working voice actors wear when doing auditions in person.
Your clothing choices can impact your performance, both in terms of how you can use your instrument and parts of your ensemble the microphone picks up that you may not have considered. You must look the part and sound the part. So, what are winning combinations when stepping into the booth at a live audition?
Cottons and blends such as blouses, khakis, rugby shirts, and so on
Knits such as sweaters, cardigans, and shawls
Well-worn denim that fits well and isn’t tight
Soft sole shoes, sneakers, or slip-ons (anything that doesn’t make noises or squeaks)
Now that you have a good idea of what kind of clothing is acceptable, perhaps it’s time for some enterprising fashion designer to start her own line of fashionably quiet outfits and accessories for voice and on-camera actors.
The microphone hears all
You’d be surprised by just how much the microphone hears. When you’re auditioning and your necklaces are clanging together or your phone is beeping or vibrating, the microphone will pick up those noises and your audition may be affected. For your convenience, we include a list of distracting noises:
Audible body movements
Breathing
Clothing ruffling
Coins in your pocket
Coughing
Jangling jewelry
Mobile phones
Mouth noises
Pagers
Pages being turned
Rolling pencils
Room tone
Touching the music or mic stand
Vibrations of any kind
Wind-up watches (tick, tick, tick)
Something even as obscure as a coffee cup can change the quality of a recording. Be aware of every single thing that can cause noise and do whatever you can to eliminate it.
Choosing quiet clothing
Picking the right clothes to wear in a session or at an audition makes a difference in terms of what the microphone picks up and also your personal comfort level. You may want to have a few outfits set aside that are only used when recording or auditioning in person. They could be your recording clothes, maybe even your uniform so to speak. When you feel comfortable in your clothing, you can definitely give a better performance.
That being said, your choice of footwear is also going to either help or hinder your performance. Most people prefer to wear shoes that help them feel grounded in their stance. Good actors or public speakers know the importance of standing well and being able to access their air using good posture. A solid pair of well-worn shoes serves as the only boundary between your foot to floor connection. Be sure that the shoes you wear bring out the best in your posture and performance. Don’t wear anything that may obstruct your access to the microphone.
What not to wear
When you’re in the booth, you want to be both comfortable and only generate audible sound from your mouth. That means no jangly earrings, clothing that makes a ruffling noise such as polyester or nylon, anything with buttons that clank, zippers, or jewels. You may not want to wear a hat because the peak of the hat could interfere with the microphone itself or somehow get in the way of your voice making its way through the signal chain.
Don’t give anyone a reason to not pick you. Sometimes castings are very close, and you never know what their final decision may have been swaye
d by, be it what they ate for lunch, or their impression of how you chose to dress.
Perfume, cologne, or strong smelling moisturizing lotions are also on the list of items you should avoid when going to an audition. You may want to add hair spray, gel, or any other product you may use that carries a punch.
By no means are we telling you not to shower before going to an audition, but we are suggesting that being aware of and considerate of others where fragrances or scents are concerned is just as important when entering the studio environment as anything else. Those are tight quarters! When you leave an audition at a studio, it shouldn’t smell any different than when you entered the booth.
Although you would likely not wear a ball cap to a session, it has come to our attention through talking to voice actors that depending on the situation, it’s sometimes okay to sport a hat. This seems to be more prevalent in animation voice acting circles. In most situations, though, err on the safe side by removing your hat before arriving at the studio and stepping in the booth. Ultimately, the decision of whether you can or can’t wear a hat in the studio belongs to the recording engineer or the person running the session.
Heeding Some Tips for Professionalism
Always be professional. Remember that your brand is on the line. Being courteous and considerate as well as prompt and ready to work are fabulous ways to set the tone for your audition and create a lasting first impression that will be crystallized in the minds of those around you. This section gives you some extra pointers for auditioning in person and being professional.
Mute the mobile phone
Thanks to mobile devices and access to the Internet, games, and so on, people bring their cell phones everywhere and sometimes into places that they wouldn’t have normally done so in the past. Although you can ensure your phone doesn’t ring by changing the settings or muting the phone, that won’t necessarily stop it from becoming a distraction for you in terms of its use.
When people mute the volume on their phones, sometimes they forget that the vibrate option is still on. When a phone vibrates, it can sometimes be even louder given the surface it’s placed on than if the ringer is set on a lower volume. If you have a mobile device, be sure to turn it off at an audition so that it doesn’t become a point of contention between you, your peers, the casting team, or anyone else.
Showing up on time
When you have a job interview, you want to arrive with plenty of time to spare so you can allow for traffic, find parking, and arrive fifteen minutes early. In the world of in-person auditions, arriving to the venue early for your audition will make a good first impression.
If you’re going to be late, which we run into a lot here in Los Angeles, make sure you call the studio and let them know you’re going to be late. Studios are all based on an hourly rate. So if you’re late, it’s costing the client money and in turn, that could cost you money.
Following the list of don’ts
Whenever you walk into an in-person casting call, you need to remember to come prepared mentally, emotionally, and free of any ego (be sure to leave that one at the door). Being prepared means so much more than just showing up and giving a read for consideration.
Voice actor and voice-over coach Debbie Munro created the following tips for what not to do in an audition:
Don’t direct, rewrite the copy, or point out any mistakes unless you’ve worked with this client in the past and know it’s safe to do so.
Each of these traits are taking away someone else’s job and putting you in charge. You’re in charge of the choices you make, but ultimately it’s the clients/directors who are in charge, so know your place in the room.
Don’t come in with only one choice prepared; always have a backup plan.
Don’t ask to redo something if they are saying they are fine with what you did.
Don’t apologize.
This is a big pet peeve among directors — in fact they often bet on how many times an actor apologizes in an audition.
Don’t come into the audition with a closed mind and not willing to make different adjustments or choices.
Don’t ask what the client wants with this character.
This part is your job, and you’re supposed to know. After all, you’re the expert, right?
Don’t draw attention to or point out your mistakes.
Just make mistakes in character, have fun with them, laugh them off, and keep on going. If you need to pick it up again and redo it if it was a very obvious mistake, do so.
Don’t worry about all you have to do when the engineer is trying to adjust your microphone.
Don’t be too chatty or a distraction; make sure you are there and focused and paying close attention.
Abiding by studio etiquette
When it comes to studio sessions and voice actors, recording engineers and studio owners have seen it all. How should voice actors behave themselves in a studio session?
If you’ve ever wondered how to behave at a recording studio, especially if it’s your first studio session, follow these tips:
Before you book for your first session, be sure to rehearse your scripts in advance. Being prepared will save you time in the studio and money while affirming your professionalism.
When you arrive at the studio for the first time, be sure to properly introduce yourself. Building a good business relationship starts as soon as you make your first contact. Building a relationship with a local studio is a must if you don’t have your own home studio.
Don’t bring food into the studio. A water bottle is the exception and even then, it’s advisable to ask the recording engineer if he minds if you bring your water bottle into the recording booth.
Bring a pencil with you to the session for taking notes on the script.
Don’t touch the microphone; let the recording engineer adjust it for you.
Don’t tell the client what to do.
Remember that this isn’t the time to give a headshot or your demo. Something you can do though is write a quick thank you note after the session and include your demo CD with the receptionist after the session so the director can receive it afterward.
Interacting with the Recording Equipment
When you come to a professional audio recording studio, keep in mind that the equipment you’re using costs tens of thousands of dollars if not more. Not terribly long ago, it was the norm for a full out studio to have $1 million invested in equipment. Although recording equipment has come down in price, it’s still pricey and as such, engineers are extremely protective of their gear, which for most was a handsome investment.
Microphones
Not touching the microphone is an industry-wide standard that recording engineers expect you to understand. While it isn’t necessarily an unwritten code, voice actors who’ve had any degree of training or professional experience know that touching and/or adjusting the microphone isn’t their responsibility. You’ll find that because microphones in professional recording studios cost a pretty penny, the only person who should be touching them is the engineer or studio owner if skilled in this area.
When you step up to the microphone to speak, the audio engineer may ask you to give a level. This means that he wants to hear your voice projected into the microphone so that he can appreciate how he will need to work with your voice and how it is being picked up through the signal chain. The signal chain, covered in Chapter 18, is the route that your voice takes once it leaves your mouth, enters the microphone, goes through the microphone cable, and ultimately ends up in the recording software.
The engineer may ask you to stay where you are so that he can adjust the microphone for you. At any rate, when you are asked to give a level, just deliver a line from the script in the voice and volume level that you are going to use when you read. The engineer doesn’t want any su
rprises, which is why he or she will ask. Knowing how loudly or quietly you will voice gives the engineer the opportunity to set his controls accordingly. Whatever you do, don’t say “Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3.” Doing that will not only sound silly but let the engineer and the client know that you are an inexperienced voice actor and have much to learn about how the business works.
While it may seem to be common sense not to give a level saying “testing, testing . . . ”, most recording engineers can appreciate that a significant number of voice actors have not as of yet mastered microphone technique and have more patience for actors in this area. The engineer understands far more than any visiting voice actor would about his equipment, studio environment, and its characteristics, so it is better to trust his judgment when it comes to the equipment and how you’re using it.
Once you are properly positioned, your voice will be on-axis, meaning that you are in the best stance possible for your voice to be picked up cleanly and clearly by the microphone, highlighting the timber of your voice. When picked up this way, your voice should sound like it is at its absolute best. Some people call this finding the sweet spot on your microphone. You should know where you voice sounds best on a microphone at your own studio, but doing so on a microphone you’ve never used before can be tricky.
After you master it, this skill is particularly useful when you go into a studio and are unfamiliar with the studio microphone they have in the booth. Knowing your microphone technique is critical if you want to enjoy a long, wonderfully sonorous and happy career, especially when working with other professionals in the business. Over time, finding that sweet spot becomes rather instinctive. When you start to work with a variety of microphones and experiment with how your voice sounds behind the microphone, your sessions will progress more smoothly, your comfort level will increase, and the better your microphone technique will become.
The bottom line when figuring out how to use a microphone you’re unfamiliar with is to trust the engineer. He will walk you through where to stand, explain how to project, and how you things you can do to make your audition or studio session more successful.
Voice Acting For Dummies Page 25