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Using Voiceover Demo Tapes to Assess Talent

You must spend some time to find the perfect voiceover artist for your commercial. The search for the best voiceover artist includes listening to voiceover demo tapes sent by each applicant. You can initially gauge the style and suitability of an applicant to your project by listening to demo tapes.

Judging candidates through voice over demo tapes is a more efficient method than asking each candidate to audition and perform a voice over test in your office. A talent will be able to give his or her best performance in a demo tape as a job interview can put undue pressure on anyone, even on seasoned professionals. You just need to set a standard consisting of essential voiceover qualities when judging demo tapes. Here are the qualities you should listen for:

1. Pace of delivery. Be aware of the talent's pace throughout the piece. You will surely need a voiceover artist who can shift from speaking slowly to rapidly comfortably. Pacing is crucial in any voiceover script as stated in the book "You Can Bank On Your Voice" written by Rodney Saulsberry. An improperly paced delivery is painful to the ears and confusing to the mind. Look for talents who demonstrate good pacing.

2. Attention Grabber. A good voiceover artist can easily arouse your interest at the start of a piece. Experienced artists will put the right stress on particular words and phrases to match their tone and personality. Look for tapes that grab your attention in the first few lines.

3. Flexible accent. Good voiceover talents can change their accent and imitate other dialects. Pay attention for examples of these when listening to a recording. An artist who has this quality will have no problem in portraying different characters.

4. Speaking Pattern. The delivery pattern of a voiceover piece is a significant element in any recording. The correct delivery pattern or rhythm can help listeners to remember the script and even identify the brand being promoted. It is important to take note of this when listening to every demo tape.

5. Comic ability. Most conversational and commercial scripts nowadays use humor to effectively communicate their message. Listen if a talent's tone conveys a sense of humor or if he or she throws jokes in the demo tape performance. See if the joke was delivered right and made the panel smile. Or did the joke felt awkward?

Use voice over demo tapes to help you judge every candidate to pick out the best talent that would fit your voice over project. Listen to each demo tape with the above qualities in mind so that you will have an objective standard to base your decision on. Good voiceover artists possess these qualities and are able to easily exhibit them in a demo tape.

Author Terry Daniel is a Professional Voice Over Actor from Minneapolis, Minnesota and Has Been Providing the Voice Talent for Hundreds of Companies and Agencies Since 1991.