Voiceover Casting Tips
Nothing sharpens the mind or atunes you to the needs of a task more than doing it yourself.
As Voice Actors, we are often reminded that "auditioning is the job and being cast is the icing on the cake". We are also constantly reminded of "what makes your read stand out" . So it has been doubly enlightening to sit on the other side of the glass, wrangling talent and dealing with the challenges that other casters deal with every single day.
Remember, many voice casters come from a performance background. They have been there on the auditioning side and understand what it takes. A voiceover casting director or assistant may hear 80 auditions before lunch. They are listening for performances that solve their problem, that their end client will like, and that will ultimately book the job. In a commission-based environment, their key task is to have the client pick from their curated shortlist. It's hard to hear this but some casters may have their reliable favourites that they push forward more often than others. However, in the end it needs to align with the clients wishes since they will usually make the final choice.
Shortlisting is not magic. It is a fast judgement process built on taste, brief-reading, audio quality, range, trust and timing. How often do you hear "I know in the first few seconds"
If you understand what casters are really filtering for, your auditions get easier to shape.
Hidden in plain sight are the simple things we can do as actors to make it easier for casting to shortlist us, send our samples to the client, and ultimately increase our chances of booking the gig.
With that in mind, here are some some Voiceover Casting tips that you may find useful, drawn from my own experience from both sides of the glass:
Speed matters, but fit matters more
Fast submissions often get heard early. That can help, especially when jobs move quickly (ie. Promo, Political, Trailer). It seems to me that in these spaces, auditions are moving even quicker than ever. Yet a rushed audition that misses the brief rarely beats a later one that nails it. So yes, submit early, but as a rider to that, also submit accurately.
Name the file correctly and know whether they want a slate or not.
Take note if there is reference to a number of takes. 2 -3 different takes may get you noticed but if the caster says only submit one they could also get you binned.
Non-Verbal "life" really helps you stand out. One of the most memorable auditions for a recent casting I did, was one that nailed the accent required but also added a few euphanisms that added impact to the performance.
Communicate. If you are invited to a casting but you are unable to do it or can't meet the deadline, for whatever reason, communicate with the caster. Ask for an extension. You might not get it but there is nothing is worse than radio silence which the caster may take to mean disinterest and could lead to being dropped from a roster or being sent fewer auditions.
If a caster has a book out process, tell them if you are going to be unavailable or unresponsive to texts or calls.
Respond promptly when availability is checked (see above for potential consequences).
After the audition, do not bug the caster about whether you got the job. I promise if you book it, you will be told!
And when you do get cast, arrange the session or record the script in a timely manner. Fast turnaround really does get noticed and is appreciated
In similar vein, take the time to read the contract and/or the NDA carefully. Make sure you are inputting your name and other details in accurately and in all the places it is needed (eg on the latest version of the NAVA AI contract rider there is a place for you and the client to input your names at the top of page 2). Make sure you get those little details right. It's a waste of everyone's time to complete paperwork again because things have been overlooked.
The magic sweet spots Casters are looking for
Branding and unique voices and accents can truly make one stand out and be heard. Ultimately a caster is looking for a performance that fits the brief and a tonality that appeals to the branding. Perhaps you can bring an original voice or a unique interpretation but in the end there is a brief to to fill and a deadline to meet. There are probably hundreds of voice actors that could fit the casting but what is really getting voices cast?
First off make yourself incredibly easy to find. Have an online presence. A website or Facebook page with your contact details easily accessible. Have a free IMDb page. Put yourself on as many free Casting and Pay to play sites as possible. They have decent online visibility and you might just be found through them. Sometimes celebrities and influencers will have the edge no matter what but in this industry you have to be extremely visible and contactable. Also put your friends on your website and vice a versa. This online presence is a trust accelerator and might help you get cast.
Of course, being that little bit different helps. Maybe you know a hyper specific dialect that is hard to cast? Maybe you just have a unique touch tone to your voice? It's hard to fake these but might be worth learning some new regional dialects or even start learning a new language. You may not be fluent but you may have an edge when it comes to pronouncing names and words that don't change in English. My youngest daughter is at university reading East Asian Studies which has meant studying some Korean, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese. I am sure this familiarity helped her be cast in Nioh 3, where an ability to pronounce places and names in Japanese has been noted by the player community.
Heritage can be both a boon and a bain. I know actors who have vowed never to portray a role involving slavery. I also did a recent casting looking for Native American voices. Honestly it was like pulling teeth. A handful of voice actors acknowledged the fact that they were of Native American decent online but then didn't respond to the casting invitation. Perhaps they didn't want to perform a stereotypical or interpreted accent. We all have strong views in certain areas, and I'm not here to try and force the horse to drink, but at the end of the day, if your position is stalling your career and you are missing out on casting opportunities because of it, it might be worth finding a compromise or reevaluting your stance.
Be a great actor. As lovely as your voice may be, if you can't act, you will find it hard to be cast for most roles. If you have done everything and aren't being cast, ask around and don't be afraid of honest opinions. A few acting classes or a great many might make all the difference.
Casting mindset
Some jobs will not be yours no matter how well you read, because the client has a sound in mind that you do not match. Maybe they want a celebrity or a celebrity voice match or something they have never heard before .
The useful question is not “How do I win every audition?” No one does.
The better question is, “How do I make this audition easy to shortlist?”
Answer that often enough, and more of your reads will turn into castings.
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Ian Russell is a British Voiceover Artist specializing in commercial voice over, narration, video game, character voices, animation and more. He is a frequent guest speaker on conference panels and podcasts, sharing knowledge about voice over. Read More >>
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