Voice Over Blog

Hiring a voice over actor or actress means that you must go through a process that involves scheduling interviews, listening to demos of the various applicants, and having potential hires read from a sample script.  The right sample script will help you to get more out of your interviews than you would otherwise; your applicants’ readings will serve as helpful examples of the kind of work they will produce if you ultimately choose to hire him or her.

It’s up to you how much time you give them to rehearse each piece, but most experienced individuals can complete their testing within a few hours.  Since they’ll be reading directly from paper, they will just need time to practice their lines, learn about the background or nature of the script, and proceed accordingly.  There are very few cases where a voice over script will need to be memorized word for word; since the recording will take place in a studio, your talent will have the script right in front of them.

Many companies struggle with determining what type of tone and style they are looking for.  The best way to start is to narrow down who you are marketing to .  Learning the demographics of the target market will help you narrow down the different types of voices that would be most appropriate for your advertising or other promotions.  This approach can also help eliminate most of the voice over talent applicants during the initial stages, making your hiring process much easier.

Regardless of exactly what it is that you’re marketing, you’re going to need several different scripts in order to judge the nature of a particular actor or actress’s talents.  Think about what your company is trying to produce.  Are you looking to create an informal, humorous advertisement, and therefore seeking a voice that will make your audience laugh?  Are you trying to create an air of journalistic integrity, necessitating a more authoritative-sounding voice?  The tone that you ultimately want in your finished product will serve as the basis for your sample script.

To find a suitable script, all you really need to do is log on to the Internet.  The databases available (often for free) online invaluable resources, and you can perform searches based on subject, theme, or keyword, to find exactly the script you need. With these resources at your fingertips, you’ll be able to find  a sample script that matches the tone and style of your marketing, as well as selections that will challenge your potential hires. Don’t discount the helpfulness of online resources if you have elected to write your own, original script; you’ll still find plenty of useful scripts that you can reference as you write.

The final step involves completing a demo script.  Demo scripts need to be recorded so you can review them side by side with the entire applicant pool; it’s important to capture at least two to three different scripts per applicant that demonstrate the talent’s ability to be flexible, and gauge their comfort level with various styles.  Demos can be recorded in your own recording studio, or requested as part of the initial application.

About the Author: Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Provided the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Projects and Advertisements Since 1991.