How to Assess Voiceover Demos
Posted by Voice Over on Saturday, December 19, 2009
Under: Voice Over
Finding the best voiceover artist for your commercial or ad campaign can take time, and the interview process typically includes listening to each candidate's voiceover demo tapes. Demo tapes give you and the rest of the interviewing panel a chance to listen to the talent's overall style and tone and determine if they will be a good match for your specific project.
Voiceover demo tapes can be a better resource of determining the candidate's talent than an in-person test or voice over session at your office. Voiceover artists who are not under the pressure of the job interview may have the freedom to perform at their best, and their demo tapes will give them a chance to showcase their best work. Still, there are some critical elements to listen for when reviewing the voiceover demos. These include:
1. Pace. Pay attention to the speed of the actor's delivery. A good voiceover artist is someone who can adjust his pace easily to emphasize different ideas. Rodney Saulsberry, author of "You Can Bank On Your Voice", states that the speed of delivery has an important effect on any voice over piece. Good artists understand that a very slow delivery and an extremely fast delivery are a pain to listen to and they should know how to pace their voice throughout a piece.
2. Arouses interest. You want voiceover talents that can easily grab your attention right at the beginning of a set. Along with a talent's tone, good voiceover talents can stress specific words and emphasize important phrases to stir interest in a piece. Prioritize tapes that start out strong and are able to sustain that initial interest through the end.
3. Accents and Dialects. A good voiceover artist will have a certain style but a talented artist can easily adapt his or her style to imitate different accents and dialects. Artists who can speak in different accents and dialects are usually able to play different characters.
4. Rhythm. The rhythm of a monologue or conversation is a critical element of the professional and successful voiceover. If the candidate is able to capture the right rhythm, the audience will be able to remember the script more easily and even resonate with the brand or product you will be promoting. Listen for a steady 'beat' as the artist says each sentence to determine if they have the mastered the skill of rhythm.
5. Comic ability. Most conversational and commercial scripts nowadays use humor to effectively communicate their message. Listen if a talent's tone conveys a sense of humor or if he or she throws jokes in the demo tape performance. See if the joke was delivered right and made the panel smile. Or did the joke felt awkward?
Use voice over demo tapes to help you judge every candidate to pick out the best talent that would fit your voice over project. Listen to each demo tape with the above qualities in mind so that you will have an objective standard to base your decision on. Good voiceover artists possess these qualities and are able to easily exhibit them in a demo tape
Voiceover demo tapes can be a better resource of determining the candidate's talent than an in-person test or voice over session at your office. Voiceover artists who are not under the pressure of the job interview may have the freedom to perform at their best, and their demo tapes will give them a chance to showcase their best work. Still, there are some critical elements to listen for when reviewing the voiceover demos. These include:
1. Pace. Pay attention to the speed of the actor's delivery. A good voiceover artist is someone who can adjust his pace easily to emphasize different ideas. Rodney Saulsberry, author of "You Can Bank On Your Voice", states that the speed of delivery has an important effect on any voice over piece. Good artists understand that a very slow delivery and an extremely fast delivery are a pain to listen to and they should know how to pace their voice throughout a piece.
2. Arouses interest. You want voiceover talents that can easily grab your attention right at the beginning of a set. Along with a talent's tone, good voiceover talents can stress specific words and emphasize important phrases to stir interest in a piece. Prioritize tapes that start out strong and are able to sustain that initial interest through the end.
3. Accents and Dialects. A good voiceover artist will have a certain style but a talented artist can easily adapt his or her style to imitate different accents and dialects. Artists who can speak in different accents and dialects are usually able to play different characters.
4. Rhythm. The rhythm of a monologue or conversation is a critical element of the professional and successful voiceover. If the candidate is able to capture the right rhythm, the audience will be able to remember the script more easily and even resonate with the brand or product you will be promoting. Listen for a steady 'beat' as the artist says each sentence to determine if they have the mastered the skill of rhythm.
5. Comic ability. Most conversational and commercial scripts nowadays use humor to effectively communicate their message. Listen if a talent's tone conveys a sense of humor or if he or she throws jokes in the demo tape performance. See if the joke was delivered right and made the panel smile. Or did the joke felt awkward?
Use voice over demo tapes to help you judge every candidate to pick out the best talent that would fit your voice over project. Listen to each demo tape with the above qualities in mind so that you will have an objective standard to base your decision on. Good voiceover artists possess these qualities and are able to easily exhibit them in a demo tape
In : Voice Over