Danny spoke with Voice One Founder Elaine Clark, who has over 30 years experience as a casting director in video games, anime, toys, corporate narration, documentaries, and commercials, about what it means to be a casting director.
DANNY: Let’s talk Casting Agents!
ELAINE: Let's talk Casting Directors, instead. It’s more accurate to say “casting directors” because they play the middle-person whodirects the flow of the casting. An “agent” represents talent and connects their actors with jobs and audition opportunities requested by casting directors, producers, and clients.
DANNY: Let’s start with the basics. What exactly does a casting director do?
ELAINE: A casting director meets with the client, advertising agency, or production company to find out what the specs are, i.e. who they’re looking for. This meeting can be in-person, over the phone, through email, Zoom, etc.
Then they come up with the casting parameters: cost, time, specs, vocal range, gender, comedic ability, improv skills, or acting depth. After all of this is discussed, they come up with the number of auditions they’d like to receive (the number of people they’d like to hear).
The casting director usually sends out more audition requests than needed. Say they want 6 people in each category. In order to get the 6, the casting direct might send audition notices to 15 people. When the mp3 files are received, the best auditions “get into the envelope” or the folder that is the best for that grouping. So even if you audition, your submission might not make it to the client. If there are 8 people who are incredible, and it’s hard to boil it down to 6, then 8 will probably be submitted. But among the 15, there’s usually someone who totally missed the boat, someone who’s really incredible, a bunch of auditions that are somewhere in-between, and a couple people who failed to follow through with their sample recordings.
DANNY: You’re saying that the casting director isn’t looking to find “that perfect person,” they’re looking to find a variety of options that the producers can really consider?
ELAINE: Yes, their job is to submit a range of people. For example, when I cast, I use the Voice One database, then I go to people who are taking classes at Voice One who haven’t gotten into the database yet but I’ve personally worked with feel they would be a good fit, and then I reach out to the talent agents. From there, I listen to all those auditions and then compile a group that I believe hit the mark based on the conversations I had with the client, and then I present whatever number has been determined, whether that’s three, six, or ten.
Sometimes I'll throw in a wildcard. Say they’ve asked for a “low gravelly voice,” but someone has a medium smooth voice and does an amazing read. Say they wanted a male, but I realized it didn’t need to be gender specific, I would then get a couple of low-voiced females and throw them into the mix. On numerous occasions, the wildcard got cast!
DANNY: So you can get kind of creative?
ELAINE: Yeah, but like I said, they’re the wild cards. And they can either look at you and go “oh, you didn’t understand the specs” or “well that’s a really creative, unique way of looking at it!” You have to open up their mind to different options and find out if it is very specific to one ethnicity, regionalism, accent, or dialect. Does it need to be from a general mid-America talent pool or could it be someone with a Boston accent? So, that way you could throw in someone who’s a good actor but they have a bit of a regionalism. These are things to look at and consider wisely.
DANNY: What should an actor do (or not do) to get in the envelope?
ELAINE: Well, if the read has no heart, those get thrown out. If it’s very wooden and just sounds like they’re reading the words, those get thrown out. You know, it’s all about the “who, what, when, where, why, how,” and using the M.I.N.E. method of Motivation, Intention, Needs, and Emotion. It’s about knowing the world that you live in and feeling like you’re really there, so it makes sense when we add the music, sound effects, and visuals. It’s about trusting choices and not pushing.
Then, when you put all the auditions side by side, it becomes really clear who’s got it and who doesn’t. And that’s why as the actor, when you’re just sending in your auditions in isolation, it’s really hard to figure out how you fit into the whole scheme of things.
What I do is I create three different folders: one “no”, one “maybe”, and one “definitely.” Then, let’s say I can only submit 6, and I have 10 in the “definitely” folder, I’ll listen to those 10 again, and move two over to the “maybes.” After listening to them all side by side, I also want to make sure they don’t all sound the same, that they’re not clones of one another.
We'll be sending a new-and-improved commercial watching guide for 2020 - check out last year's guide and repsonses, and stay tuned!
Danny spoke with Leapfrog senior producer and fellow voice actor Chuck Wedge to find out why his upcoming "Sense of Play" class has been on his mind for over 10 years.
Sally suggests letting these four words become your mantra for 2020.
Sally toasts to 2020 with a story of a time she felt like she could conquer the world...
Sally ponders what would happen if actors were to give an audition as a gift to their client.
Give the gift of learning this holiday season. Voice One holiday gift ideas for your list or theirs!
Due to popular demand, beginning in 2020, Voice One will now be offering online classes!
Happy Holidays! Our December 2019 newsletter has arrived, and is chock full of exciting announcements and offers!
We had such a great response to our Black Friday sale, we've extended it to Cyber Monday!
Here's a look at what's coming to Voice One between now and the end of the year. End the year with a strong finish as you continue to hone your craft!
An article from our upcoming Professional Invitational guest, John Kovacevich
We are excited to announce our special guest for the final Professional Invitational class of 2019!
Take a look at our ten brand new classes coming to Voice One in 2020!
Now through Monday 11/4 at 5pm, take advantage of our discounted pricing for these classes
See what Voice One has in store for 2020, including some exciting new classes!
Join us this Sunday to meet the "VO-mad" as he speaks about his career as a world traveler
From Robin Williams to Tina Fey, here are 25 reasons why improv not only make you a better actor, but change your life!
The Voice One Training Vocal Booth is available to rent in San Francisco! Here's how you can use it...
What is the meaning of this mantra? Take "Script Analysis" with Sally and find out!
Sally muses on a recent article from Second City's Kim Greene Hiller on how improv builds resiliency, listening, team-building, and creativity.
Another VO for Kids (ages 10-17) is just around the corner. Help spread the word to any youngsters you know who are itching to get behind the mic!
Find out why Copy Intensive is some students' favorite class at Voice One
Be understood no matter the circumstance using clear diction
The latest bookings, signings, and other news from your peers!
Sally reflects after her recent showing of Hamilton
We've got some great classes headed your way next week and there are a handful of spaces available in each of them! Take a look...
Guess who's back?! That's right! Lil' Dino has returned to usher in the fall with a Labor Day Weekend Flash Sale!
Inspired by the three-week intensive some of our students recently completed, Danny spoke with Voice One Vocal Health instructor Julia Norton who has over 25 years of experience teaching people how to have a free and healthy voice.
It started on July 20th. 23 days and 138 hours later, our Summer Fast Track is complete. I watched these students grow and flourish over these three weeks, and here’s what I came away with:
Wanna know a great way to end your kids' summer vacation? With Voice Over, of course!
Danny spoke with Voice One Founder Elaine Clark, who has over 30 years experience as a casting director in video games, anime, toys, corporate narration, documentaries, and commercials, about what it means to be a casting director.
Courage to what? Speak, fight back, be heard, perform voice over, recite poetry, sing, rap, record, and amplify your authority.
An Interview with Top Dialect Coach Doug Honorof
Sally shares a bit of wisdom she heard from a former coach that has helped boost her confidence during auditions.
An upcoming class to practice "inhabiting an audition"
Having the backing of talent agents can be critical to our success!
Sally reflects on her early resistance to the union in her prior work, and how important the actors' union is to her.
Please join us for an upcoming event featuring our local SAG-AFTRA union rep!
Sally takes us back to her early days of voice acting and the origins of her cleverly crafted persona, Actor Girl.
Why every voice actor needs personal branding and self-promotion.
The importance of those "additional skills" - A little more about our Business & Marketing, Advanced Marketing, and Home Recording classes
We are thrilled that the incredible Amanda Rose Smith will be here at Voice One for a three-hour audio editing workshop.
The Daytime Conservatory takes you and a small group of peers on a ten-week tour of the core, expanding your range by immersing you in scripts from across the VO-spectrum.
Sally recounts a pivotal moment in her voice over training
We sent out a Super Bowl scavenger hunt to aide you in watching the year's biggest commercials with a critical eye. Many of you sent us your answers, and we wanted to share some of our biggest take-aways.
Voice One offers a beginning improv class that takes you through the the basic rules of improv (believe it or not, there are rules!) through games and scenes. Laura Derry creates a fun and safe space for you to succeed and fail and you'll laugh and learn a lot!
A guide for watching the Super Bowl commercials with the critical eye of a professional voice over actor.
We are premiering a new class called Storytelling in VO. The class takes place over two Thursdays: January 31st and February 7th from 6:30pm-9:30pm taught by Sally. The class will cover the short story format, with scripts from commercials, corporate narration, literature, and children’s books.
Sally tells her own voice over story - how she went from dancer to voice actor.
