About Voicereels
We have been producing voicereels since the mid 90s (as Crying Out Loud), and we continue to be in very high demand. We record on a limited number of days, around 2 or 3 per month. However we can convene a bespoke one-off session subject to the teams availability.
Each client receives a one-to-one consultation with Marina Caldarone or Debbie Seymour. During this session, they will suggest material for you to try. At the end of the session you will leave with a copy of the scripts and direction notes so you can familiarise yourself with them before the recording session. See the ‘Packages’ page for further details and a breakdown of each option.
NOTE: The packages are tailored to your requirements, and we can adjust things within the Mega Reel option in order cover of most bases.
All of our packages include a script consultation, recording session and edit session. We deliver the files digitally as MP3 and WAV files. The files included will be the fully produced voice files (with music, sound effects etc), edited voice only files (with no production elements) and a Megamix/compilation of the best bits!
Step 1: The consultation
Following a phone discussion, a wide range of scripts will be shared which might work well for your voice. You will have time to read these through before meeting online for the script consultation. During this consultation we will cdecide as to what the final mix of scripts will be, based on the initial selection, and a note will be made to remind you what you will be looking to achieve vocally with each track. This is to enable you to prep your material accurately and to ensure the fullest possible delivery within your natural range.
Step 2: The recording session
During the recording session you will be working with Marina Caldarone, who will direct all non-commercial content (drama, narrative & corporate) and Adam Farrell, who will direct commercials, animation & gaming. During the session they will actively support you with decisive and creative direction to ensure we have everything we need to create a strong reel.
It’s hard work, so come prepared and ready for action.
Get Some Training. Having a great voice is around 10% of what makes a great voiceover artist. If you’re not a trained actor then get some training before you record a demo or step into a studio.
Listen to Yourself. Use your smartphone and record yourself delivering some adverts you’ve heard on the radio where the original voice used is similar to yours – listen back to the performance and ask ‘If I heard this would I buy the product?’ If the answer is no, then record it again, and again, and again until listening back you would buy.
Punctuation. It's there for a reason, use it. If you ignnore it, you can change the sense of a line dramatically. It's there to aid your delivery, and to scaffold meaning, so make best use of it.
Remain 'Open'. In the studio you will may be redirected in order to try something new within a script. Make sure that you do not over-rehearse the script, if you do, you risk getting 'locked in'.
Drink Responsibly. Please don’t rock up to the studio with a large white milky coffee! Dairy is terrible for the voice, drink some pineapple juice instead – fresh of course, not from concentrate. Stay away from cold water – ask for room temperature instead.
Understanding the Language. You must have a good command of language that actors readily use on a daily basis. This is what helps them 'tap in' to relevant performance techniques in order to deliver the voiceover effortlessly.
Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen to what you’re saying. Hear what you have just said. Stay connected to the script. This solves mis inflection issues and maintains an even engaged and authentic delivery.
Step 3: Edit & mastering
This is where we create clean versions of the voice files, edit out the mistakes and make it sounds like you effortlessly did it in one take! We then add production elements which include a mixture of music and sound effects, but of course, ensuring the voice remains front and centre, as after all, that is what people should be listening to.
Guidance on Content
Other than Animation, Gaming and non-English content, we select all material for you. The selection is largely instinctive, but there is also some industry context which informs it.
Commercials
These come in all shapes and sizes – TV, Cinema, Online & Radio. Many require your natural speaking voice but with a shift in energy, placement, accent or weight to suit the brand or product. Some commercial scripts are entirely character driven. Ads that are character driven can really showcase your range as you can include 1 or 2 voices in a single piece as well as your natural voice performing the end line. These can really show off your personality. We ensure that you cover the styles that are relevant to the advertising marketplace right now - but this does change periodically.
Promo/Trailer/Sponsors
These are commercials – simple one-liners like ‘This programme is brought to you by Tony’s Chocolates ’, ‘X car brand’ sponsors drama on Four’, ‘Diavolo wine sponsors Walter Presents’. You can create a range of your own for pretty much any product or service be it radio, TV or cinema, and show us during the script consultation.
Corporate
This is mainly content that is B2B (business to business), or content on business websites to raise awareness of the company brand. . They can be information heavy, and are harder than they look on the page. Your objective is to be effortless, friendly with clear communication. Content could include corporate messages, training for suppliers, training or information for medical or healthcare professionals, or just online or telecommunications call holding – think of any situation where the script is not selling a product to a consumer, like an audio aid in a gallery.
Documentary
This word needs careful definition. More programmes feature documentary voiceover than you might realise. The rise of reality style voiceovers for example for ‘human interest’ programmes, which are in fact categorised as documentaries. The arena is no longer an employer of the middle-aged, middle-class impartial voice of middle England it perhaps once was. The spectrum of output is vast and defies definition: from the Mysteries of Ancient Egypt through children’s and educative output to Rockumentaries about a band or musician. The role of the voice here is to conjure the world of what we see, to offer the story behind the pictures (if TV) but to not be so distinctive vocally as to distract; the voice should so align with the content that it blends into a tonal underscore of the programme. So when selecting for you we are considering what your voice will suit in industry terms rather than what you enjoy. You’re often likely to be cast to record something that is relevant to your own age and demographic. Look at online services for examples. Watch a documentary, any documentary, and make a call on why that particular voice was employed to tell that particular story.
Narrative/Audiobook
90 seconds from a novel, ideally third person, ideally starting with some descriptive context, ideally including dialogue. That is at least three ‘voices’ – a narrator and one or two characters. An audio book sample has enormous value on your reel as an indication of your ‘natural voice’, though voice over agents won’t necessarily value it as a tool to actually find you audio book work, it has a value none the less as a reflection of your natural voice, and it can be an invaluable addition on the drama reel.
Narrative/Children’s
A short piece from a children's or young adult’s book. As with the category above, this should include the Narrator and one or two or more characters.
Top Tips For The Recording Day
Marina, Debbie and Adam will help and guide you to ensure that you have the best opportunity to create the best possible demo. One of the benefits of the consultation is that we will already have an idea of your skills, tone of voice, strengths, weaknesses etc and have worked on the scripts with you during the consultation. We believe that a gap of a few days/weeks between the consultation and recording gives you the time to become more familiar with the scripts so that you are as relaxed as you can be on the recording day itself. Do enough prep to make you feel confident, rather than so much prep that you are fixed in your delivery, which can take time to unpack in the recording.
We take care of all of the technical aspects on the day - you just concentrate on delivering your performance. We'll record several pieces each lasting between 20 seconds 30 seconds (for commercials) and anywhere up to 90 seconds (for drama, narrative and documentary). We will only record material that plays to your strengths as a performer, to ensure the content is focused but shows range. Remember, we may also change our minds on the day if a script is not working and give you something new - just go with it and rest assured that we are there to get the best from you.
The trick is to keep breathing. Breathe naturally, normally and freely. We can hear a held breath, the voice sounds tight, it can be higher than it might normally be and a held breath compromises range. You’ll be wearing headphones in the recording booth, so your breathing will sound very loud. That’s ok. Remember we can do a lot in the edit, but we can’t make you sound relaxed.
Ask Questions. If you know someone who does voiceovers on a regular basis then pick their brains - ask them about the processes, how to lift a script off the page and breathe life into it, or simply how to best prepare your voice and imagination. Ask about how to locate the ‘tune’ of a script, about intonation and musicality. Ask about finding the rhythm of the text, about where to find the key words, the differences between energy & volume, and about accessing fullest vocal range. All this will come with practice but in the meantime, ask.
Translate. Copywriters can be prescriptive; they will have strong ideas about the delivery they are after. It may be up to you to decipher what the script prompt means when it says ‘confident but relaxing’, or ‘slower but more energetic’. It can appear contradictory and baffling. It is! This simply requires a creative choice to be made. A strong choice is never ‘wrong’. No choice is always ‘wrong’.
Speak Up. For an industry that is about the voice, be sure to use yours. If something feels wrong with the script speak up, communicate your misgivings. If it sounds weird, say something. The text only fully comes to life when it is spoken, you’re doing the speaking.
Patience is a Virtue. The team directing you may ask you to do things over and over again, usually with constructive rationale, but not always. It doesn’t mean you’re not doing your job, it may be the team not knowing what they want until they hear it. Just go with it – enjoy the experimentation. Aim to remain playful.
Be Ready. Take with you what you need.
“I loved making my voicereel, and they made me feel like I was in safe hands throughout. Their extensive knowledge on current trends together with their diligence and love for what they do, provided me with a great demo reel. The reel has generated a sizeable income and I couldn’t recommend them enough.””
“Thank you for helping me produce my amazing new voicereel. Since completing it I have booked some really exciting jobs and that’s definitely thanks to you. I cannot thank you enough.”