Honey the studio cat can be demanding when it comes to her 'attention quota'.
And the quickest way to jeopardise it?
Client's sending me a script without an effective brief, which leads to either:
1 - Lots of unnecessary back and forth
OR
2 - A sample that doesn't serve the client's purpose.
So for the sake of clarity AND my cat's time, here's a checklist of stuff to do when reaching out to a voice actor.
1️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁.
(And this goes DOUBLE if the script needs to be delivered within a specific timeframe).
Reading aloud is the quickest way of noticing whether the language flows, if there's unnecessary repetition, whether or not anything is missing etc.
2️⃣ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀.
Specificity is crucial in ALL communication.
Saying 'I'm speaking to the team' or 'I'm speaking to a pirate' isn't sufficient direction if I don't know what THE SPEAKER'S RELATIONSHIP to that team or pirate is.
Do I love pirates?
Do I hate pirates?
AM I a pirate (or a recovering one)?
All will profoundly change how I speak to other pirates.
3️⃣. 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗖𝗧𝗔) 𝗶𝘀.
Whether it's a character piece, an audiobook or a corporate explainer - we're communicating to provoke a response. What is it?
Avoid general phrases like 'to be inspired' or 'excited'.
What is the 𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 that you want the listener to undertake.
4️⃣. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀.
You have a rough cut of the video or character? Share it.
You know what genre music is being used? Share it.
You have a picture of the speaker? Share it.
All these things immediately help us to key in on what you're searching for. And if you don't know, then anything that helps evoke the MOOD is still great.
5️⃣. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀.
Do I need to know the company's decades-long history?
Do I need to know the original name of the wizard realm before it was destroyed by the forces of chaos 10,000 years prior to the events of the story?
If it doesn't impact the delivery of the text, then leave it out.
6️⃣. 𝗕𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲.
To avoid the dreaded 'what's your quote' VS 'what's your budget' standoff, be as clear as possible about where the voice recording is going to be used and for how long.
Any professional voice actor will be able to explain their subsequent rationally.
This may seem a lot to ask, but once you have this stuff down it doesn't have to be long, and will save you a TON of time in the long run.
And let me know if I've missed anything!
Feel free to contact me and and we can discuss your needs directly.
By Christopher Tester, British Male Voice Actor
