So you raise your voice over audition up properly, give it the finest preparation, a positive attitude and an engaging personality.
You sigh and you heart beats faster as you send your mature baby out into the world. You have such pride and great hopes for its success. And as you leave the casting studio or press the upload button…
You slam the door and think “get out of my life! I never want to listen to you again!” What’s up with this?
Voice Over Audition Separation Anxiety
It’s simple really. Any experienced voice over talent will tell you this simple rule: do your best audition possible, send it out in the voice over world… and then forget about it!
- Don’t go back and listen to it
- Don’t second guess your choices
- Don’t check to see if has “four stars” or a “thumbs up”
- And DON’T think “But this job is PERFECT for me!” *sigh*
In most casting situations you may do 20, 30 40 auditions or more before booking a job. So a remarkable 97 percent of your efforts will be swept into the dustbin of voicedom. 97 percent! If you invest your energies lamenting these lost chances you’re wasting valuable creative powers that you could be using on the next opportunity.
Ship it and move on!
But Don’t Quit Too Soon!
However, there is another danger lurking in this process. Honestly, we all fear audition separation anxiety. I’m nervous about every audition I send out. So to protect ourselves from that sad moment of departure, we stop caring way too soon. But, sorry, to be excellent at auditions you have to care to the last moment!
Any artistic performance requires your emotional commitment and risk! If art doesn’t elicit a response of “I love it” or “I hate it” then it is not artistic. It’s a lukewarm, half-hearted act of just “mailing it in”. Sometimes, to protect ourselves from the pain of rejection we hold back on putting our heart into the job. And find a nice, safe spot to shield our vulnerability.
But you can’t hide. You can’t dodge the responsibility. If you try to, you will fail every time. Clients–and the audience–can sense the insincerity and your words will fall on non-responsive ears. If you don’t care, why should they care?
So no pain, no gain. CARE deeply until the moment you leave the casting office or push that send button. And then wave a fond goodbye and turn your attention to the next opportunity.
What About Those “4 Stars” and “Thumbs Up”?
(or is it “thumb ups?)
Actually, it’s not as dismal as I’m describing. When you send an excellent voice over audition and hear *crickets*, there is actually activity cooking away in the background.
A voice seeker rarely selects one voice. They often select five or so to present to their client to make a final decision. Maybe you are not chosen for this job. But the voice seeker or casting director can “bookmark” you or remember you for further opportunities. You are not just auditioning to gain one job. You’re auditioning to build a reputation.
Also remember, 4 stars and thumbs up don’t mean “good” or “bad”. It isn’t a system that rates your performance. Rather, it indicates how well your voice–and more importantly– your interpretation and performance matches the desires and needs of the client.
Getting lots of 4 stars and thumbs up? It means you’re in the ballpark and good things will happen.
Getting few 4 stars and thumbs up? Pay more attention to matching the specification of what the client desires.
So Care Deeply and Then Let It Go
Put your heart and soul into each voice over audition that your perform. Care and do your best. That is the measure of your skill and professionalism. And then send that audition out into the world and let the universe do its job. Then the phone will ring or the email will arrive and you can say “Wow! This job IS perfect for me!
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