How Important Is Your Audition?

Obviously your audition is important, but exactly how important is it? And why?

When you audition for a voiceover project, does your voice have to exactly match the voice in the voice seeker's head?

Do you have to make the exact inflections, pauses, etc. the voice seeker wants you to make?

On top of that how important is it to:

• Clean up, EQ, and compress your audition?

• Slate your audition?

• Watermark your audition?

TIP OF THE WEEK

Yes, your audition is important but there is no perfect audition.

Yes, auditioning is a numbers game but don't audition for everything under the sun, especially projects that don't match your race, gender, and sexual identity.

The best audition is not necessarily a clone of the desired finished product. Often the voice seekers have no idea what they want. That means all you can do is make strong, effective choices that demonstrate your acting ability and proficiency in the genre. Just do the best you can and follow the casting specs to the letter.

Also remember that it's not just you that's auditioning. Your recording space and the quality of your audio files are also being considered.

Often you're not just auditioning for the project in question. You're also auditioning for future consideration. Just because the end-client didn't select you for this particular project doesn't mean you didn't submit a great audition.

Oh, and as soon as you submit your audition, forget about it and move on to the next thing. DON'T follow up. They got your audition and it's in the system. Don't be a needy jerk.

RESOURCES & RECOMMENDATIONS

Here is where I occasionally suggest stuff that may help your voiceover business. Some of these suggestions may include an Amazon Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you click on the link and purchase the item in question, I get a few cents at no extra cost to you.

Today's recommendation: BOOKS! The book that started my journey to becoming an effective voiceover business is Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It taught me how to think outside the box and my comfort zone. It also taught me how to craft and execute effective goals. If you want to get out of your head in a good way, read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

NEWS AND NOTES

My latest podcast appearance is here! Watch me being interviewed by fellow voice actor Jim Cooper at The Hydrant! https://vimeo.com/587628981

Wednesday, August 18th @8PM ET: Tracking Your Stuff. In this 90-minute "VO How-To" webinar, we will discuss how to effectively and efficiently track your clients, your Cash Flow, and your invoices. This webinar will be recorded so if you can't attend you can still sign up and get a copy of the video.

Thursday, August 26th @8PM ET: Brand Yourself. In this one-hour Edge Studio webinar, students will be given insights on how to brand yourself as a voice over talent in order to get the right kind of attention and grow your business.

HAPPY HAPPYS

Happy Trail Mix Day and World Bratwurst Day!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Tom Dheere is the VO Strategist, a voice over business & marketing coach and demo producer since 2011. He is also a voice actor with over 20 years of experience who has narrated just about every type of voiceover you can think of. When not voicing or talking about voicing, he produces the sci-fi comic book Agent 1.22.