Private: The Nature Conservancy
Voice Direction:
This simulated audition is to cast a voice actor for a series of 12 campaign fundraising TV spots, each :15. The voice should be welcoming, trusting, friendly, and inspiring.
Script:
When you make a tax-deductible gift to The Nature Conservancy, you're supporting conservation in 70 countries around the world. That's why your contribution is so much more than charity; it's an investment in the future of our planet. Donate Now to Make an Impact.
Watch David Goldberg review and explain why some entries wouldn’t make the cut, some get short-listed, and one gets cast.
The winners have been chosen! Congratulations to John McBride, Becky Kolemainen, and Sonia Kallen!
In this simulated voice acting audition for a conservation appeal, they adjusted their presentations to preserve the Voice Direction, while each contributing a unique quality that made their performances stand out – from the auditioning crowd, and in the crowded Charity environment. Use these tips to help yourself stand out in future audition efforts.
For further perspective: Above, review the recording of Chief Edge Officer David Goldberg’s October 1, 2024, live session, where he – and a wide range of voice actors – review a random selection of this contest’s entries. It gives insight into the casting review process – demonstrating how a casting person quickly moves through hundreds of submissions to create their shortlist. But – unlike real casting projects – David explains what casting teams listen for and how their decisions are made.
EDGE STUDIO TIP # 1 – Value the starting word(s). There are many ways that people fall short in this regard. Some read the first word or phrase too quickly. Some don’t enunciate. Some lack energy, taking a second or two to get up to speed. Some show no emotion, or the emotion is wrong. And some make a great start – and then pause unnecessarily. First impressions are even more important in a VO audition than in a personal introduction. In a live conversation, you can probably rescue a weak start. But if your audition opening is weak, the screener will usually move on before you get that chance. Here’s the TIP: Remember that the listener doesn’t have a script, and in many genres (as in Commercials) the listener might not be listening to you, or even want to. So it’s important to pronounce the first word clearly and deliberately (slowly, but naturally). To help you start with energy and the right emotion, you might want to pre-sentence your read, adding a few relevant words that you will then delete before submitting your recording. (For example, in this case: “Want to make a difference?” or “Are you concerned about the environment?” or even just “This is important.“ or “Did you know?”.)
EDGE STUDIO TIP # 2 – Always read and follow the Instructions (Voice Direction). Same as when using a power tool, failing to read, understand and adhere to the instructions can have disastrous results. Even if your delivery is totally professional and interestingly unique, if you can’t follow instructions, a casting professional is likely to reject your audition … and hire from the hundreds who can.
EDGE STUDIO TIP # 3 – When a time limit is stipulated, stay within it. Granted, at 15 seconds this is a tight fit. But it is doable. Two of our winners read it comfortably in about 14 seconds, and the other was just the tiniest bit long. To help yourself speed up without sounding artificial or losing quality, practice by seeing how quickly you can go – while still maintaining enunciation, emotion and sense. Then you should be able to speak a bit more slowly and retain those qualities, and energy, within the stated target.
1st place winner: John McBride
Judge's Comments
Great, he nailed it! Our only concerns are that he could have better pronounced the “T” at the end of “planet,” and it would have would have been nice to smile on the first word (“When”). See our Tip above, regarding first words. Audio quality is also great.
2nd place winner: Becky Kolemainen
Judge's Comments
She hits the requested tone, AND has an inspiring element in her manner. That’s an important factor in any fundraising pitch. (And it’s stated in the “follow this voice direction” section.) The word “gift” will be a tad difficult to hear over music and sound effects. As for the audio quality, she should have deleted the nearly three seconds of silence at the start. The delay makes her seem unprofessional, and we almost hit “stop” before realizing there was audio. A quarter-second is optimal. Also, if she compresses her audio a bit, she will sound much better.
3rd place winner: Sonia Kallen
Judge's Comments
A lovely, spirited smile! She smiles and is friendly throughout – that’s good. But the delivery needs more “drive.” Remember that this read is to sell the desire to donate. Contributing (no pun intended) to this weakness is the occasional lack of clarity. For example, the word “gift” will sound like “give” or “gif” once mixed with music and sound effects. Also, she came in at about 16 seconds (15.8, to be exact). A pro should be able to read this script easily in the allotted time. Even half a second over is a bit too much. In post production, there are ways to imperceptibly bring it down to 15-seconds flat, but she might do herself a favor by tweaking it herself. The audio quality is great.