Voice-over demo scripts.

I’ve written on this subject before, and it’s a popular topic of discussion. My comments here deal primarily with commercial and narration demos.

Selecting the right pieces for your voice-over demos is of critical importance, because these are the words that will showcase your voice. Producers will use the demos to help them find the right voice for their project, and the more the words reflect you, the better you will be able to make them sound wonderful.

What does it mean to "reflect you"? What interests you? What are you particularly good at? What kind of voice-over work do you most enjoy, or would most like to be doing? What is your "money voice"? Like it or not, certain kinds of voices evoke imagery in the mind of the listener. This is cultural conditioning, of course, and maybe you don’t want to buy into it in every spot you record. For a first voice-over demo, however, I would advise the beginner to go with the flow unless he or she has a very good idea about how to swim upstream. If you’re a woman and your voice is low and smooth, with a cultured and classy sound, you might include a spot on diamond jewelry or a high end cruise line. That same voice might not be as convincing in a piece on fast food or baby products, but if you can pull it off, go for it! The more versatility you can show in your demos, the more work opportunities those demos can bring you. I hate rules, but I would offer two to keep in mind in creating your demos: don’t hold back vocally, and don’t offend anyone.

Things to think about:

• As well as showing vocal versatility, you should also try to display product versatility. Don’t put 3 car commercials in your demo. Some combination of cars, food, travel, the arts, electronics, family-oriented products, cosmetics, tools, or finance would be good. Only one of each. You don’t want to bore the listener, nor do you want to suggest that you would voice for competing products (it’s fine to do that, just not in the same market).

• The question of whether to include nationally known brands in your demos - brands you were not actually hired to represent - is controversial. My first demo was entirely national brands (what is sometimes ignominiously called “fakes”). One voice-over instructor in a Continuing Ed class I attended 2 years ago commented on it. I don’t see a problem with it, myself, provided you don’t simply use the same words that are airing or have aired in a broadcast ad (show some imagination!). I adapted magazine ads for use in my demo, re-writing to make them work for voice-over. A year later I made a new demo and used primarily work I had done, except in one case where a national product offered a better avenue for displaying a certain style of delivery than anything I had done up to that point.

• If you have specialties, make sure your demo(s) reflect them. If you do or want to do medical narration, use medical scripts. If you’ve never done a medical narration, you’ll have to find your own copy which you can easily do via the internet by looking up abstracts from medical journals or descriptions of medicines from pharmaceutical company websites, and adapting them to your use. If you want to narrate nature documentaries, adapt some copy about a unique animal or plant or natural phenomenon. If you don’t like to write, get help. Don’t let your words fall into the hands of amateurs!

Dos and Don’ts for voice-over demos:

Don’t use scripts from other voice-over demos (especially famous VO demos)
Do use “script vault” copy for practise, but don’t use it on your demo
Don’t copy a broadcast ad unless it's yours. Rewrite the copy!
Do get help with writing if it isn't your strong suit
Do choose interesting subjects and interesting copy (your listeners will thank you)
Do include a (short) dry and dull piece in your narration demo but make it fascinating!
Do represent a variety of vocal styles
Do represent a variety of consumer products on your commercial demo
Don’t use offensive language or ideas and if you’re in doubt, leave it out
Do enjoy yourself
Don’t stop having fun!!

Scripts for the Voice-over Demo

The Art of Voice Acting Newsletter notification arrived in my email box last night. I always enjoy reading it and hearing about what other voice actors have been up to in the last month, and I especially enjoy reading Penny Abshire’s advice column. Her suggestions are always wise and her perspective is always one of “you can do it”, which is what everyone needs to hear. I have no use for those who say deflating things to people with dreams (although if the dreamer does nothing but dream, a well-placed kick in the trousers may be salutary), and it’s refreshing to hear Penny’s old-fashioned and much-appreciated optimism. She’s absolutely right – you CAN do it if you put your mind to it.

This month’s column was about the assembly of the demo – all really important stuff and right on the mark – except I must disagree with one part of it – the advice about where to get scripts for the demo. Penny suggested the script vault at Edge Studio.

The Edge scripts are great for those starting out who don’t have material at hand or who aren’t sure what to do with the material they do have at hand. I don’t think the folk at Edge intend for these scripts to be used for demos. I feel VERY strongly that demo copy should be as unique as you can muster – it could be something from the media edited by you or someone else expressly for your demo, passages from books, magazines or newspapers, from placards at museums, anyplace you can find words, there you can find material for your demo. I have heard people say, “I can’t be bothered finding magazine ads and editing them; where can I get scripts?” You had jolly well better be bothered – this is your career we’re talking about. Nobody is asking you to write a dissertation, but you should care passionately about the words you choose to showcase your voice and talents. You’re competing against 40,000 other voice artists in the U.S. alone, and this is now a global marketplace. Your interpretation of copy and the way you use your voice need to stand out. Give yourself the advantage and give producers and casting directors a break – choose copy that is interesting to listen to! When I hear demos that have old worn-out copy I think, there is a VO with no imagination. I ask you, would you hire an actor with no imagination?

I rest my case.