You’ve completed it! You’ve gotten a tremendous voiceover agent. The sound gear you’ve put collectively is completely suited on your voice and your private home studio is an oasis of creativity. After months of economic auditions, your inbox dings with the chance you’ve been ready for since beginning your voiceover journey: an animation audition!
Panic units in. It has been your dream to audition for animation because you had been sufficiently old to know what cartoons had been. You run via all of the foolish voices you’ll be able to presumably do in your head, however nothing is working. Maybe all of them really feel like they’re spinoff of your favourite voice actors’ performances. The audition is due within the morning…what do you do?!
Concern not. Take a deep breath. Listed here are some ideas that will help you self-direct that audition in order that while you hit the “ship” button on that e mail, you’ll be able to relaxation assured that you just gave your finest efficiency.
Cease Making an attempt to Come Up with a “Foolish Voice”
The development in animation recently is to lean into pure voices. Now, that doesn’t imply that you just gained’t be enjoying a personality. It will likely be your pure voice on the varied extremes – what do you sound like on the peak of pleasure or the doldrums of despair? Altering your power fairly than altering your voice will do wonders for character creation.
Granted, there are genres and exceptions to that rule- the place the characters are a bit zanier and broad- however being too targeted on what “voice” you’ll be performing will distract you from the appearing.
Everybody on the earth has a few loopy voices they will do. What makes you completely different is that you’re an actor, not only a voice machine. Deal with the script, the feelings, and the relationships of the script. After getting all of these, in case you nonetheless wish to layer on a “loopy voice”, go for it, however provided that you’ll be able to nonetheless maintain your emotional vary whereas altering your voice.
Observe and Analyze the Script BEFORE You Document
Take your time with the script. Discover out the place the jokes are. Learn the ENTIRE script in case you are supplied with the opposite characters’ dialogue and the motion traces. Know what you might be reacting to. Discover locations the place you’ll be able to add “motion” noises (Lifting grunts, working, preventing, whispering, and so forth). Make the most of your textual content evaluation expertise.
Spend time with the script forward of time and observe it OUT LOUD. You’ll find the place your obstacles are, and which moments are working in your efficiency and which moments must be adjusted. Do that earlier than you step into the sales space; do twenty takes, and get annoyed.
Voice Over Textual content Evaluation – Who, What, The place, When, Why, How?
- Who are you? What sort of particular person/ creature/ factor are you? What’s vital to you? Who’s the character you might be speaking to, what’s your relationship to him/her/it/them?
- What are you doing, what have you ever completed, what do you intend to do, and what’s occurring?
- The place are you bodily, the place are you normally, the place would you prefer to be, and the place are you within the telling of the story?
- When is that this scene/story/second going down and the way a lot time do you need to do no matter it’s you’re doing?
- Why are you doing/saying what you might be doing/saying anyway? Why aren’t you saying/doing one thing else?
- How does your character select to do what he/she/it’s doing, and the way is that completely different from the way you, your self, in actual life may do it?
- Interested by the variations between the way you may say one thing and the way the character says it would educate you one thing vital in regards to the character.
Put On Two Hats: Actor and Director
Once we get an vital audition, it’s straightforward to guage ourselves within the second and nitpick each selection. Should you do that, the recording will come off stilted and tentative. The mic will choose up in case you are holding again or in case you are having enjoyable. So, while you’re recording, banish your inside director and simply be an actor within the sales space. Deal with the efficiency with out judgement.
Then, upon getting completed a take or two, step out of your sales space and hear again.
Pay attention With a Director’s Ear
You’ve completed the laborious half. You’ve put out a stellar efficiency and since you labored on the script, you had been capable of have enjoyable doing it. Casting administrators can all the time hear when the actor is having enjoyable versus attempting to ship what they assume the shopper desires.
Listed here are a couple of goal inquiries to ask your self as you hearken to your takes:
- Connection – Did I take the character via a dynamic emotional journey? Did I discover all of the emotional and comedic turns each between and in-between the traces?
- Articulation – Can I perceive each phrase or are there mumbled bits?
- Tone – Was the learn and the “voice” constant all through?
- Tempo – How was my pace? Too quick? Too Sluggish? Excellent?
- Creativeness – Did I make daring, attention-grabbing selections?
- Sustainability – If I made a decision to placed on a voice, is that this one thing I may preserve for a four-hour session? Or will my voice be destroyed after 10 minutes?
- Type – Did it sound like I used to be having enjoyable or, if dramatic, did it sound “acted” or actual?
Should you had some moments that didn’t fairly match all the standards, document it once more. Or simply document these few traces that you just really feel you should choose up. Nonetheless, in case you do solely document pickups, ensure that you’re a savvy sufficient editor in order that all the things flows, and it doesn’t sound Frankenstein’d collectively.
Don’t do too many takes. You’ll get in your head and the flop-sweat will come via within the recording. Should you’ve completed 5 takes and nonetheless aren’t blissful – step away for fifteen minutes. Go for a stroll or do one thing else. Then come again to it recent.
Double Verify Submission Directions
As soon as you might be blissful together with your efficiency, make sure you test the submission directions earlier than you ship your audition. Is your audition labeled correctly? Is it in .mp3 format? Have you ever submitted earlier than the deadline? Is your audition hooked up to the e-mail?
Click on that “ship” button and transfer on together with your life. What occurs after that’s out of your arms. However in case you did all of the work forward of time, you will be assured that you just put your finest efficiency out into the world.
Glad Auditioning!
Brad Grusnick is a 20-year VO veteran. He will be heard within the video video games Diablo IV, Back4Blood, Elder Scrolls On-line, Metro: Exodus, Days Gone, Bioshock Infinite, God of Struggle Ascension, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Asura’s Wrath, and extra. Brad voices characters in a number of animated collection, together with Bear in Underwear and Bunnicula. He’s finest often called “Magnus Finke” in Dreamworks Dragons Rescue Riders.
