Actually, there are maybe 15-20 things you CAN do before you send each audition…but these 7 points cannot be overlooked…the Holy Grail of “must-do” actions on the pre-flight list.
This checklist is humbly submitted as my own intellectual content. I don’t count myself among the top earners in voiceover land, so maybe you should just ignore this blog…move on and consider taking a course by Marc Cashman or Bill DeWees.
What I’m saying is: this is offered with no guarantee of success…more of a “basic necessities” bullet list of pertinent reminders.
READ THE SPECS…OR DON’T. I’ve heard both schools of thought on this one, and there are good arguments on both sides. It just seems to me that if a client throws in a YouTube link for you to hear — and that’s truly what they want — it might not hurt to give it a listen. On the other hand, we all know a good many clients have no idea what they want, ’cause their directions make no sense, or are contradictory. Really good talent, though, have a 6th sense about what a copy demands in terms of a read, and that’s what they give. THAT read will certainly stand out from all the other reads that resemble the YouTube video. Or… follow the next suggestion:
GIVE ONLY ONE CUT…OR TWO…OR THREE. A good rule of thumb I keep hearing is to give the client what they want (The YouTube video read) on the first cut, and then do your OWN take on the copy with the second cut. Got even more creativity? Give a 3rd read in a character voice, or with a different pace. The worst that could happen is that they stop listening after the first cut… but if they keep listening, they may hear just what they want (but didn’t say in the specs) in your 2nd or 3rd read. Just be sure to say how many takes you’re offering in the slate. The only way this will get you in trouble is expressed in the next suggestion:
ALWAYS SLATE (OR NOT). Some clients/agents absolutely demand a slate, and others absolutely demand you DON’T slate. If you can or do slate, this would be the place to say how many cuts you’re offering, along with the other verbiage you like to throw in. Some job leads come with specific instructions for what you should say in the slate. Some give no direction. I DO believe slates should not be long. Slates can or should not be done in character. Slates can or cannot be done by someone else. IF done by someone else, it should or should not be done by a person of the opposite gender. See? This gets confusing…and you’ll see the entire spectrum of behaviors in job listings, which leads to the next suggestion:
READ EVERYTHING IN THE LISTING — TWICE, NO… THREE TIMES. The decision about how many cuts, whether to slate, and whether extra cuts will even be LISTENED-TO are often clearly spelled out in the listing (be it from a P2P, an agent, or a friend). Don’t be too eager to get on with the audition and miss something important like good tips about timing, pacing, and scene descriptions if it’s a TV ad. Every job has a different personality behind it, and you can often get a “feel” for the job through the reading material accompanying the copy… especially as it relates to the next point:
PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO FILE-NAMING CONVENTIONS. Some agents are so rabid about this, that the job lead comes with this clear admonition: “failure to adhere to the exact request for naming this file will result in the audition being tossed out before even being heard”. So just give ’em what they ask for! Were you one of those problem kids in Jr. High who couldn’t follow directions? Then there are the job leads that come with no file-naming directions whatsoever… which leads me to my next suggestion:
PUT YOUR PHONE NUMBER IN YOUR FILE NAME and for sure your name, but only if there are no other directions for file-naming. So, for instance, an audition for Parker University might be named: Parker_University_Courvoisier_702-610-6288.mp3. You never know, something that simple might just get you the call for the job right then and there. So that brings us to the final stop on our checklist:
DON’T FORGET TO ATTACH THE FILE! This is a universally-common mistake. The agent/booking agent/P2P, etc. is not responsible for, and will not necessarily remind you to do so (although most P2P’s will not let you finish the transaction without first uploading). Just train yourself to attach the file when you first open up a blank email to send…before you write anything, before you address anything, before you add a subject header…ATTACH THE FILE. I know you know this…which makes this particular point moot. So here’s a bonus suggestion:
YOUR REPLY SHOULD BE SHORT, PLEASANT, WITH THANKS. Whoever is receiving the 200 auditions for this job has no time to read lengthy messages. 2-3 short lines MAXIMUM. (1) Make sure you thank them. (2) Make sure you tell them what is attached. (3) Make sure they know who it’s from. (YOU!).
Honorable mention: Check for accuracy! Before clicking ‘Send’, always double-check your work. Listen to your take(s) while reading along with the script. Pay close attention to any omissions, mispronunciations or extra words. This drives some clients crazy! Also, you want to check that the file is not glitchy or corrupt. Be sure that playback is error free.
Honorable mention (2) Play back your audition on an least two different speaker systems. Use different monitors, headphones, or computer speakers. This is a trick I’ve heard from more than one audio engineer. When the prospective client hears your audition, you have no idea what sort of equipment he/she will use. I heard that more than one agent/producer listens to auditions on his car speakers on the way home.
OK, Sparky? If I offered something you haven’t heard before, I’m happy. If you knew all this stuff, I’m sorry you wasted your time. If you’re confused, join the crowd. Regardless of my admonitions above, sometimes you just have to figure out what’s appropriate on your own, and hope you hit the mark. There are no hard-n-fast rules…unless there are. 😉
CourVO
Haha 🙂 I love this list! And I definitely chuckled at a few of your, “definitely do this!…or don’t” suggestions. As much as we all hate to recognize it, there is a little luck that goes into bring cast a lot of the time. Maybe your second take was just wacky enough to make you stand out from all the other safer reads. Maybe your decision not to slate is what made the first big impression. Maybe your audition never got listened to because the person who slated it reminds the client of that teacher in high school she hated. But I do think at some point you just have to give it all you’ve got creatively, and leave the rest up to the voiceover gods (as long as you’ve followed file naming conventions down to the last underscore, of course). I did learn the trick of putting my phone number in the file name, which I’ve never done before. So thanks for that. I’ll be incorporating that into my non-specified-file-name auditions 🙂
Loved the article! You really hit the nail on the head about all the contradictory advice we are given regarding auditions and slating. One question, though….. if you listen to your audition on different sound systems and it sounds great on one and not so good on another… what do you do about that?
Even if you knew ahead of time (which you won’t) that you were going to be listened to on a casting agent’s car speakers, and you will sound “thin and reedy” what would you change about how you record or format your audition?
Great tips…. I would also add to do a physical warm up. stretch or swing your arms in circles.. run your knuckles over your checks… stretch your jaw wide… tongue twisters and drinking lots of water… All of these things seem simple but we forget them….
Last Homework….. go to youtube and see the tone of the Companies Commercials or educate yourself about what they do on their Website.
The Script is just the skeleton, we have to put the soul in it!