Sounds like a way for SAG-AFTRA to dabble in audiobooks, which they have been fairly inconspicuous with in the past.

I too am looking to get into voice over work, and am especially interested in learning more about audio books. I am non-union.

I am looking into Kalmenson in Burbank, but would rather stay in OC if possible. I only see one school in O.C., Del Mar Media Arts, but not sure how current they are on the latest trends in VO.

With a sm baby at home I was hoping to stay in O.C. area to train. Yet, if I have to go to L.A. to train at a reputable school that will look good on a resume, I will do it.

If I can't stay in O.C., can you pls reccomend some reputable options in L.A./So L.A.? Thanks!

If you're in OC, Beverly Bremmers might be great

David Lawrence has Anne Ganguzza teaching his class in Irvine. Anne started the VO Peeps group in Orange County. Info about David's classes(taught by Anne) on his site: http://www.vo2gogo.com/

I just wanted to revisit this thread real quick. I've been using the iaudition app(at my agents suggestion) for the better part of a year now. No bookings, but, more to the point, no feedback/direction from my agency about the MP3's themselves. I've had hundreds of auditions,with no feedback except for one time where I forgot to slate. Other than that, nothing.

What I realized, belatedly, is that they weren't really listening to them. They would send them out as is, or, maybe, not send and just not say anything if it wasnt up to standard.This particular agency had a makeshift booth at the office with the agents doing the recording. When I wanted to come in to record, they almost always asked for the MP3 instead because it saved them time. Now, the app is solid, but it's it no way ideal. Nothing beats a good mic and proper editing software.

I asked them, again and again if my reads were good and they always assured me they were. I'm good at this; They were probably right, but, as someone who used to be at a much larger agency(where they have constant feedback to clients on MP3'd auditions and had proper booth directors) I now think these guys were just playing me off. My point is, what I wrote earlier in the thread was wrong. Only use apps like iaudition as a last resort. Some have booked with it, true; but you'll see much better results with a good setup.

I dropped that agent.

quote:

Originally posted by marbar:

quote:

Originally posted by JiveTurkey:

quote:

Originally posted by stevesteve:
Here's what you can buy:

AT2020 USB (not the xlr version) About $100 on Amazon

On Stage desk stand About $10 If you prefer to stand, there are cheap floor stands.

Get an ankle sock from Target. Cotton 100% single weave non-reinforced toe and heel. This is all you need for a pop filter. About $2 a pair.

Download Audacity for free

That is all you need equipment-wise to audition and record voiceover projects. This same setup is used by a large number of voiceover artists to produce high quality recordings. The AT2020 USB is an amazing little microphone. It comes with a crappy stand and no pop filter. That's why you buy the stand and the sock. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it also sounds really good!

Is this still a decent mic?

Yes, I use the AT2020 every day for self-taped auditions at home. It's plug and play and you get a nice crisp quality.

I also recommend buying a pop filter for it to reduce your plosives - it makes BIG difference.

Awesome. Thank you!

quote:

Originally posted by stevesteve:
Here's what you can buy:

AT2020 USB (not the xlr version) About $100 on Amazon

On Stage desk stand About $10 If you prefer to stand, there are cheap floor stands.

Get an ankle sock from Target. Cotton 100% single weave non-reinforced toe and heel. This is all you need for a pop filter. About $2 a pair.

Download Audacity for free

That is all you need equipment-wise to audition and record voiceover projects. This same setup is used by a large number of voiceover artists to produce high quality recordings. The AT2020 USB is an amazing little microphone. It comes with a crappy stand and no pop filter. That's why you buy the stand and the sock. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it also sounds really good!

Some people that live in a noisy space do their recordings in their closet. The clothes in the closet do a good job at controlling the sound.

If you're interested in some inexpensive demos and classes, take a look at vo2gogo. David H. Lawrence XVII is a quality teacher.

From what I understand, a demo should be about a minute long (but no longer). I've also heard recommendations to not read already produced commercials, but then what kind of copy can I use? I guess I'm just not entirely sure on the details of how to make up a demo for VO.

You can read already produced commercials - no one will know the difference. Besides, your production will have different music/effects than the actual commercial.

I transcribed some commercials I liked and tweaked the copy a little bit. I also took ads out of magazines and re-wrote the copy to be more VO focused.

Choose products, sites or services that are right for your type. ie. If you're a 20 year old female, a make-up spot would be more appropriate for your demo than a Viagara commercial. Choose copy for the jobs you could be booking.

You can go on Voicebank and listen to a ton of other people's demos. Before you book your time and pay your producer to make yours, listen to a lot of them to see what you like and what you don't like.

And yes, industry standard 1 minute - no longer.

Also, don't mix heavy character work (impersonations, character voices like for animation) with commercial demos. It's ok to show your range for commercial, but don't go too far.

The commercial demo should be YOU, nothing else.

Stevesteve's advice about recording is atrocious for actual projects. Casting people listen for a few things: Sound quality, read quality, processing, etc. The higher prestige of a project; the more prickly they'll be about details. Would you walk into an on-camera audition without looking your best? No make-up, ragged clothing, smelling like a dumpster; that kind of thing? The same principle applies to auditioning for proper VO-projects.

When it comes to the AT2020: I have yet to hear anything beside, "passing to bad," from actual working VOs.

I'm noticing these days, they want you to have your own equipment for a lot of projects.

And that equipment, along with your recording environment, should be able to muster broadcast-quality audio.