Ace the Voice Over Audition Report #12 – Did You Look At The Storyboard? by Stephen DeAngelis
How To Ace the Audition # 12
Exclusive interviews with voice-over pros for VoiceOverXtra.com subscribers
‘Did You Look At
The Storyboard?’
Stephen DeAngelis
Casting Director
Grey Worldwide
By John Florian
“I’ll ask people, ‘Did you look at the storyboard? Do you have any questions (about the script)?’ ” says Stephen DeAngelis, a long-time veteran of casting for voice, on-camera and theater.
“And they’ll go, ‘Oh no, I didn’t look.’
Or, ‘No, I’m just going to do it'” – meaning, wing it from the script.
“OK, that’s fine. But I’ll have more opportunity to help when I know what you’re thinking,” says DeAngelis, who casts for Grey Worldwide, New York.
ACCEPT THE HELP!
DeAngelis wants to dig out the best in you.
“If I know where you’re coming from (in interpreting the copy), then I know the why of what you’re doing,” he explains.
“If we need to make an adjustment, I can give you direction relative to that – and not lose the elements I like of what you are doing.”
Therein lies the importance of knowing the storyboard, if available, and of mining the script for imagery.
“You have to be very specific about the function of the voice relative to the picture,” he says. “You need to show humanity, as a bridge to the audience watching the commercial.”
WATCH THE CLOCK
What will ace an audition?
“Oh God, it’s so subjective,” DeAngelis says. But a “distinct edge” goes to talent with an “internal clock” – to people “who know how to deliver the copy within the timeframe given.”
And what do people do wrong?
“They spend way too much time socializing in the waiting room, rather than seeing if a storyboard has been posted” or studying the script.
To contact Stephen DeAngelis:
Email: sdeangelis@grey.com
Your online resource for voice-over success
Email: info@VoiceOverXtra.com
I am with Voice 123…I have a BAD system…when I record it always has background hums Could you tell me exactly what to p urchase (not too expensive) so I can do fine auditions from home? I am not an ENGINEER and it has to be easy…or else I have to go to the studio..which I do , when the job pays over $500.00 thanks Phoebe
Phoebe,
This is a problem that many people have – typically caused by the hum of your computer’s fans. For some solutions, check out William Williams’ series on soundproofing. Here’s the link to Part 1:
http://bit.ly/PhantomNoise
Let us know how you make out with it!
The ‘internal clock’ thought in Stephen’s missive here is excellent; instinctively knowing how to ‘string those pearls’ (words) effectively within a given time frame and still convey the message.
very good
Excellent advice! And yes, actors do spend a lot of time socializing before auditions. Even in theater 🙂
Yes, Stephen is spot-on regarding the importance of a storyboard, studying the script and the importance of an “internal clock.”
Are there actually practicing voice artists who don’t know [or neglect] these necessities? If there are, they’re probably too lazy to be seeking advice!
excellent advice, mr. deangelis – thank you so much! i’ll look forward to checking out storyboards in the future. my guess is it also helps the people you are working with know that you take your job seriously and understand the ins and outs of what goes into doing a quality job.
thanks again,
jill goldman
http://www.goldivox.com“,”2010-09-21″,”08:17:00″,”1″,”2010-09-21 08:17:03″,”2010-09-21 08:21:35”
“V9NBL8UT”,”TX5GKMOH”,”steve hammill”,”steve.hammill@gmail.com”,”#1 & #2 are great suggestions, Joe, but over the years I’ve found that #3 & #4 are, more often than not, slippery slopes best avoided. …just my experience. YMMV.