What you NEED to know about Booking VoiceOver Jobs

Thinking about getting into voiceover acting? In this episode of Take Fountain, talent agent Anthony Boyer and talent manager Jess Canty walk you through everything actors need to know about the voiceover audition process. From how to submit MP3 files instead of self-tapes, to why your closet might be the best place to record when you're just starting out, this episode is packed with practical tips for beginners.

You’ll learn what a VO slate sounds like, when to submit multiple takes, and what terms like "wild takes" and "button lines" actually mean in a commercial voiceover script. Whether you're auditioning for animated series, commercials, video games, or narration work, understanding the unique expectations of voiceover casting is essential.

Jess and Anthony cover why you don’t need a reader, why most auditions are audio-only, and how to sound polished even without a professional home studio. If you're an actor hoping to expand into voiceover work or just curious about what it takes to book a VO job, this is a must-watch episode that breaks down the voiceover audition basics in a simple, approachable way.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello from Hollywood.
My name is Anthony Boyer.
And I'm Jess Canty.
And today on Take Fountain,
we're gonna talk about audition terminology.
So Jess, we've talked about theater auditions,
we've talked about commercial auditions,
we've talked about television,
we've even talked about film auditions.

(00:21):
But one thing we haven't talked about
as a world I really know very little about.
I work in an agency where we have a great voiceover division
and I see them listening to a ton of auditions.
Can you talk a little bit about the
voiceover audition process? Sure.
So voiceover auditioning is, again, similar
to every everything else you're going

(00:42):
to be sent the audition, all the
information about the character.
But there are a couple key things that are very different.
First of all, 99% of the time,
they just want an audio file.
You do not need to put yourself on camera.
They do not wanna see you on camera.
They don't need it because this is a voiceover job.

(01:03):
So the file that you're going to be sending through
as the audition is gonna be an MP three file.
It's just audio much smaller file. Much easier to record.
Most smartphones these days have some kind
of voice memo app.
Again, if you're just starting out, recording on your phone,
interestingly, in your closet, yeah, is a great way to do

(01:25):
that because your clothes are gonna dampen everything.
Squeeze on in there, have a little, I've seen actors
with like tape up their sides for the vo audition,
have a little like, uh, LED light that shines on them
and they can shut the closet door and sneak in there and uh,
and record that audition in there on their phone.

(01:45):
So, and then obviously all the way up
to getting professional equipment and editing software
and all of that.
A lot of times voiceover auditions will ask you to
slate just like everything else in voiceover.
The slate usually is just your name.
So unless they ask you for something else, slate your name.

(02:07):
Uh, practice saying your name.
Just your name where it doesn't sound like a question.
It, it's so funny how hard that skill is.
But you know, you wanna make sure, if I were doing it,
I would say Jess Cany,
and then I would start my voiceover audition.
Obviously you're gonna wanna legal. If
It was me, I would say Anthony.

(02:29):
Yeah, exactly. But it's so funny how easy
that it can sound like a question. So, oh,
Did mine sound like a question? Yeah. Oh,
Thank you. Not at all. Oftentimes
they do not want a reader,
so they only want your side of the auditions,
your side of the sides.
Uh, and they will have instructions about if they
want multiple takes.

(02:50):
Quite often the default is if you're gonna send multiple
takes, that's gonna be a different file.
There's something called Wild Takes or Wild lines.
They may want you to do the button,
which is the very last tag.
These are in voiceover commercials,
but the last part of the scene is usually a button or a tag.
So they may say that they want the entire thing read all the

(03:11):
way through once and three options on the tag,
or three options on the button.
They just want different delivery,
different intonation on there.
Sometimes they'll ask you to improv,
so you'll do a regular take with what's written
and then an improv take.
So again, you just wanna follow all the instructions,
but all of this is gonna be audio only.
That is the biggest thing about these auditions

(03:33):
and the fact that you do not read need a reader.
Right, which is very different. Thanks so much
For watching.