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Welcome to the Affinity Artists Agency VOICE-OVER Division.
Naturally, we are selective as to the Voice Over talent that we choose to represent. We are a boutique agency so we only work with VOICE OVER talent who have their own recording studios, home recording studios or access to studios.
Feel free to let your Voice Over Teachers, Coaches and Acting Friends know about our division. We will be looking at newer as well as seasoned voice over talent. Please have them send messages (along with demos in .mp3 format only) to affinityvo@gmail.com
RECORDING AND EDITING Mp3 DEMOS:
If VO talent have different GENRES of demos combined into one mp3 file, they often need to edit them into their own unique mp3 files (One Genre per mp3 file) Talent can also use AUDACITY free software http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Once accepted for representation, talent may also use this software to create and edit their own Voice Over Auditions. Talent will need to create their own demos to specific
orders, as we receive Voice Over Audition scripts every day that talent must
record at their home studios. Talent will then email their auditions as an mp3 formatted recording.
If a VO talent has too many individual .mp3's all of the SAME GENRE (example 5 separate .mp3's that are all PROMOS) they will need to combine them into ONE .mp3 so that it is easy for clients to hear all of the talent's Promos at one time.
Remember that EACH distinct VOICE OVER genre must be sent to the agency as
SEPARATE mp3 files (you can send them in the same email of course) We cannot post your voice montage/mix with multiple genres of voice over in one audio file. (files sent with all
GENRES of voiceover contained in only one .mp3 will be discarded. We
cannot use them). Instead use the same FREE software that you would
use for recording your Voice-Over auditions.
NAMING YOUR Mp3 CLIPS:
Remember to NAME each mp3 with the following elements:
First Name, Last Name, Union Status and Adult or Child as well as
Gender, GENRE of Voice over.
Here are some Examples:
Example 1: MaryJones_Union_AdultFemale_Jingle.mp3
Example 2: BobJones_Union_AdultMale_Narrator.mp3
Example 3: SamJones_NonUnion_AdultMale_Commercial.mp3
Example 4: TerriJones_NonUnion_AdultMale_Character.mp3
Example 4: JerryJones_NonUnion_YouthFemale_Animation.mp3
Certainly you can put different voices for ONE GENRE in the same
individual .mp3 file.
For example, lets say you have 7 different Animation Voices--you can
put them all in a single .mp3. But you wouldnt combine a Commercial
Voice with a Narrator Voice with a Animation voice. That will make
it difficult for our clients to choose you. It means they have to
SLOG through all the types of voiceovers they DONT want to hear to
get to the ones they DO want to hear. Lets make it easy for clients
to choose you!!
When you send your mp3 you must identify in the text of the email,
the following:
Whether you are a UNION or NON UNION and WHICH UNIONS you are in.
Remember to NAME your email with the following elements:
First Name, Last Name, Union Status and Adult or Child as well as
Gender
Here are all of the VOICEOVER GENRES/CATEGORIES:
Accents/Dialects
Animation
AudioBooks
Automotive
Award Shows/Live Events
Celebrity
Character
Commercial
Documentary/Narration/Industrial
Foreign Language
IVR/Telephone Prompts
Jingles/Singing
Legal/Disclaimer
Political
Promo (e.g. coming up next on Disney Playhouse...)
Radio Imaging (e.g. KFOG 104.7, Get your daily fog...)
Spoken Word/Poetry
Standup/Sketch Comedy
Trailer (for movies)
Tv Affiliate (e.g. you are watching Channel 7 news)
Video Games
Voice Match/Impressions
Other
IF YOU ARE LIVING OUTSIDE THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA:
We are highly selective in general but even MORE selective when it comes to representing talent OUTSIDE of Southern California. The primary reason for this is that, while we have casting clients from all over the world, our primary group of casting directors is in Southern California.
Because there exists such a plethora of highly talented Voice Over Artists in Southern California, we are only interested in HIGHLY unique voices/textures/characters who reside outside of this area. If this describes you, please submit!
If however your sound is 'regular person' or typical classic 'narrator' it would probably be better to be represented by an agency in your local market. Casting Directors in Southern California will only be interested in voices/sounds that are difficult to reproduce locally here in Southern California. Sound-alikes/impressionists might have an even higher chance of getting work through us even though they live outside Southern California.
Finally, if you are outside Southern California, only send your most unique characters/ textured voices and send them all in ONE mp3, do NOT divide them as we advise local Southern California to do. Everything for out-of-town VO talent must be on one mp3.
DESCRIBING YOUR VOICE
FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TALENT ONLY--TO HELP MARKET YOU EFFECTIVELY TO CLIENTS WE NEED AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF YOUR VOICE FOR EACH mp3 you submit to the agency.
FOR EACH CLIP, also give an email text description of your clip in the text (here we are talking about actual email text and not the actual mp3 file name):
The email text description should use:
1. Very clear adjectives that give a reader a good 'sense' of the sound before they hear your clip. (remember to get consensus from others about your sound--humans are prone to errors in self-evaluation)
2. Age Range of the voice
3. Vocal Range from low to high, Baritone to Falsetto
4. Dialect or Accent
5. Region of the World the accent is from
6. Various roles in the clip (e.g. Young Mom, College Student, Boss, Hipster etc)
7. Similarity to a celebrity voice if any.
8. Include any ability or equipment to work from home: i.e. Source Connect, Phone Patch, ISDN, etc.
9. Turn-around time on scripts our clients send to you for audition (you'll need to create Script Audition mp3's and email back to agency quickly). Even though clients give several days to complete, the early bird catches the worm. Shoot for same day turnaround if possible.
10. Repeat your phone number(s) and email here.
EXAMPLES OF COMPLETE CLIP DESCRIPTIONS FOR EMAIL TEXT TO AGENCY:
EXAMPLE 1: COMMERCIAL: Mid to high vocal range--Late teens to late 20's. Georgia Southern--Upbeat, perky, friendly, hip and sassy. College Student, Young Worker--sound similar to Demi Lovato. Home Studio with Analog phone-patch and/or ISDN for sessions. Same Day Turnaround. PHONE: 555-555-5555, EMAIL: herismyemail@myemail.org
EXAMPLE 2: NARRATION: Low to mid vocal range-Strong clean baritone,Mid 40's to Fifty. New York and New Jersey and Canadian-- Next door neighbor to folksy spokesperson. Warm trustworthy sound. Bartender, Truck driver, best friend, sound similar to Tony Soprano. Access to Studio, Source-Connect, Gentner Phone Patch. 24 Hour Turnaround.
PHONE: 555-555-5555, EMAIL: thisismyemail@myemail.net
SOME ADJECTIVES
(feel free to mix and match...)
Here's a LONG list of adjectives that some VO Artists have used. Feel free to pull out the thesaurus and find adjectives of your own, OR use a description that is engaging..eg. the voice of god, the sound of a contented lover...etc...this will help us market you effectively to buyers of VO services.
Approachable
Attitude
Authoritative
Baritone
Believable
Best friend
Big voice
Big-Booming
Boisterous
Bright
Caregiver
Caring
Cartoony
Casual
Charismatic
Charming
Chatty
Clen
Clear
College student
Comedic
Comforting
Comical
Commercial
Concerned
Concise
Confident
Conversational
Conviction
Convincing
Cool
Credible
Crisp
Deadpan
Deep
Dependable
Distinctive
Diva
Dry
Dulcet
Elegant
Emotive
Endearing
Energetic
Flexible
Folksy
Fresh
Friendly
Full
Fun
Funky
Funny
Fuzzy
Geezer
Gravely
Gruff
Guy-next-door
Happy traveler
High energy
Hint of the Guy Next Door
Hip
Husky
Intelligent
Intimate
Intimate seduction
Introspective
Irresistible
Laid back
Light texture
Lively
London
Lovable grandma
Low
Lyrical
Matter-of �fact
Mature
Mom
Moody
Motherly
Musical
Musical Theatre background.
Mysterious
Natural
Natural storyteller
New York
Next door neighbor
No-Nonsense
Northern
Perky
Personable
Persuasive
Playfully
Pleasing
Pleasure
Polished
Powerful
Punchy
Quirky
Raw
Real person
Reassuring
Relaxed
Rich
Rough
Rounded
Rugged
Sarcastic
Sardonic
Seductive
Sensual
Sensuous
Serious
Sexy
Sexy rasp
Shy
Silky
Sincere
Slick
Slightly British
Smile voice
Smoky
Smooth
Solid
Soothing
Southern
Story teller
Street Attitude
Streetwise
Strong
Suave
Subtly persuasive
Subtly Sexy
Sultry
Tender
Textured
Trustworthy
Undertone Of Strength
Upbeat
Upscale sophisticate
Uptown girl
Versatile
Vitality
Wacky
Warm
Warm authority
Warm with attitude
Witty
Wry
Young
Young Hip
Young Mom
Zesty
WHERE TO EMAIL YOUR CLIPS:
We have a SPECIAL EMAIL ADDRESS which is affinityvo@gmail.com . Remember to title your email as VOICE OVER ARTIST (your name/your phones) Please send any edited voice-over demos to this address.
OK, AFFINITY HAS RECEIVED MY VOICE OVER MP3 DEMOS, NOW WHAT?
Now, Affinity stores them and sends them to clients who request your demos.
In addition, clients (advertising companies, marketing companies, networks, studios, casting directors are sending Affinity specific requests for VO talent. 90% of the time, they will request that the talent read from a script that the client has created. This means you will be recording in YOUR studio, with the scripts we will email you
SLATE AT THE BEGINNING
Remember to SLATE at the beginning of your Scripted Demo:
"Jon Doe, Affinity Artists...."
Or
"Jon Doe, Affinity Artists, 3 reads"
The second example refers to reading the copy/script in different inflections one right after the other.
Some talent like to show different reads of the material.
You will then email us the new recorded voice over in MP3 and you will name the mp3 file.
For Example:
"Jon Doe NonUnion AdultMale VISA Commercial"
INFORMATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEWER TO VOICE OVER WORK:
(For those of you 'in the know' there's no need to tell us that you're seasoned. Simply ignore this section.)
Several issues are important if you are not already well-versed in
Voice-Over...
1.vocal coaching and, perhaps, attending some vocal acting workshops.
2. Reliable equipment and recording space
3. Knowing your own strengths. The key is choosing the right specialization for your particular voice and acting talent Use a
training facility that can evaluate your voice talent.
They should help you understand in which genres your voice is most
marketable.
A good voice over class will allow you time to study your strongest
genres, train you on those genres and help you build a marketing
plan for those genres. (see end of this email for Voice-Over
Teachers.
AVOID:
A demo that is full of the commercial demo, with an announcer style
delivery.
BUSTING SOME VOICEOVER MYTHS:
Contrary to popular belief, commercial and narration scripts are
read the same way. The assumption that commercials are fast and
narrations are slow is incorrect.
Some commercials are fast (car dealerships) and some are slow (financial industries, jewelry ads).
Some narrations need acting and some don't. some commercials need acting and some don't.
Some narrations are fast (travelogues, children stories) and some are slow (training films, telephone automation systems).
Some commercials sell (retail sales) while others inform (public service announcements, etc).
Some narrations sell (infomercial, trade-show exhibits, etc)while others inform (how-to-videos, self-help, etc).
Outside of promos and local/broadcast style commercials, chances are
good that most producers prefer a natural style.
Most voice over delivery needs a natural style. Stage acting (where
you are told to project) could be detrimental.
Most voice overs, other than promos and hard-sell style commercials,
use a natural and conversational style voice over. The announcer
style voice is being used less and less.
Microphone and Recording Space Choice:
What kind of voice over do you record?
Some types, like telephony need mics that produce a clean, clear,
bright output.
Promos need a big, full, sometimes fat sound.
If you want to do it all, get a mic that works across the board.
How are the acoustics of your recording booth?
A reverberant room needs a directional mic.
A dry room may sound better with an "open" mic.
How sound-proofed is your recording booth?
It's not? Then consider a directional mic or even a super or hyper
cardiod.
It is? An "open" mic may sound best.
What about your voice?
Have a big, full voice? Get a mic that captures that low-end. Maybe
a tube.
Have a thin voice? Don't get a tube.
Lastly, How does the mic react to your voice?
Every mic reacts differently to different voices so try a few. And
listen carefully.
Not sure what to listen for?
Ask someone who engineers the kind of voice over that you narrate. Then get a mic that makes you sound the best! Remember, since we are not audio engineers, this is the extent of our knowledge of mics and home recording. For more advice see audio engineers or go to a store that sells musical equipment for guidance.
These musical equipment/audio stores will have good information on the type of microphone
and other items you will need to create an effective home studio space.
Closets make good sound absorbent Audio spaces!
LIST OF VOICE-OVER and ACTING TEACHERS.
To train for character or animation work, think about taking improv
and comedic classes.
About 1/5th of the way down on this Backstage West Readers Poll
you'll find a list of the Voice-Over Teachers voted best (after the
favorite Voiceover Workshop one thats listed first)
Feel free to email us at affinityvo@gmail.com if you have other
suggestions on best Voiceover teachers and what makes them the best!
http://www.backstage.com/bso/news-and-features-spotlights/readers-choice-los-angeles-1003973376.story
While we're at it, we thought we'd send our developmental talent a list of most acting teachers/coaches/schools in LA
Here's a list from Backstage West of all of the acting schools listed alphabetically
http://www.backstage.com/bso/news-and-features-features/los-angeles-acting-schools-and-coaches-1004015648.story
AND FOR FUN...
Heres a list of IMDB rated best Voiceovers in Movies:
1. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
2 American History X (1998)
3 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
4 L.A. Confidential (1997)
5 Blade Runner (1982)
6 Annie Hall (1977)
7 The Big Lebowski (1998)
8 Network (1976)
9 Casino (1995)
10 Magnolia (1999)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/company/co0085304/
IMDBPRO: http://pro.imdb.com/company/co0085304/
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