VOICEOVER CASTING CORNER — EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Topic: Green Flags — what stands out in a good way to casting
Hosts: Kelly Moscinski (Owner & Head of Casting) and Kathryn Horan (Senior Casting Director), The Voicecaster
Runtime: ~17:48
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[00:00] and it's that consistency, we notice when actors are consistent. We notice those are the auditions we want to listen to. The people who are inconsistent or kind of all over the place in their auditions, we never know what to expect when we hit play on that audition file. You know, so there is there is that consistency and we notice that we start to look for those auditions. We start to, you know, we get we get excited to hear those from those people. You're listening to the Voiceovercasting Corner podcast, VCC is brought to you by the VoiceCaster, the country's 1st and oldest voiceovercasting house established in 1975.
[00:35] The VoiceCaster cast 1000s of voices every year across all genres, and we're excited to give you an inside look at the casting process direct from our casting team. Hey everyone, and welcome to Voice Overcasting Corner. My name is Kelly Moscinski, and I am the owner and head of casting at the Voicecaster. And I'm Kathryn Horan. the senior casting director here at The Voicecaster
[00:56] So today we are going to talk about green flags. So so often, I think we've even done an episode on red flags. But, you know, it's one of those things where we don't talk enough about the green flags. What stands out in a good way, whether it is your auditions, whether it's social media, how you present yourself in an email, you know, things like that. Let's dive into some of the things that stand out. Um, so I know I know for me, one of the 1st things is professionalism. You know, it is one of those things where you are an individual, but your voice over, career is a business.
[01:42] So there is a certain level of professionalism. And professionalism across the board, every single email, every interaction, that's not to say that you can't be a person and have those, you know, human interactions, but there are certain things that stand out more positively than others. Exactly.
[02:05] Yeah, and sometimes it's just, you know, basic common sense, like, you know, making sure you're meeting deadlines, you know, you're not submitting your auditions late. Um, make sure you're on time when you've got a session, you know, don't show again, don't show up late. Um, little things like that that seem like common sense, but yet sometimes it gets, uh, people aren't aren't staying on top of it and that definitely can leave a bad impression. So if you're doing those things, if you're submitting on time, you're showing up on time for sessions, you are responsive when, you know, we're emailing you about bookings.
[02:37] You know, we don't have to like hunt you down to get an answer out of you when we're checking an avail. You know, that kind of stuff, being responsive, being available. You know, all of that is going to stand out to us. Mm-hmm. none of that goes unnoticed. You know, it's like, it's something that me and Catherine and Ben talk about all the time. It's like we notice the professionalism. We notice the green flags just as much as the red flags. You know, we notice the people who are showing up professionally and, you know, it's, it's, there's a lot of factors to that, but there's also, you know, the personal side.
[03:15] I feel like something that has come up more recently, has been, even, even just people wanting to have personality and people wanting to, you know, connect with people and it's like, that's fantastic, you know, connect with people, whether it's on, in a session or coaching or whatever. But there is such a thing as TMI. There is such a thing as, you know, turning us all into therapists and things Mm-hmm. like that that are, you know, on the red flag side. Um, so keeping keeping that certain level of professionalism and, you know, just knowing where that line is.
[03:58] Yeah, yeah, for sure. Like, I get sometimes it's stressful and you just want to unload and, you know, you, we're friendly and, you know, you like us. So, yeah, I get it, but yeah, sometimes it. And we understand, you know, it's
[04:15] like we understand, so of course, but yeah, it's. Right? I'm the kind of a place. Right? Exactly. Exactly. So yeah, the next one I would say is Mm-hmm. I mean, that that's probably the most obvious one. Um, but there's a lot, there's a lot of green flags in performance, you know, it's, I, I, I think one of the biggest things for me is consistency. I was just talking about this the other day with one of my classes. We were talking about that consistency and it's we notice when actors are consistent. We notice those are the auditions we want to listen to. The people who are inconsistent or kind of all over the place in their auditions.
[05:03] We never know what to expect when we hit play on that audition file. You know, so there is, there is that consistency. And we notice that we start to look for those auditions. We start to, you know, we get we get excited to hear those from those people.
[05:19] submitted on a project we get excited? Yep. I know they're going to have the read. Yep. And and that's consistency in terms
[05:33] Mm-hmm. You're not, Pushing or doing weird stuff. Um, you know, trying to be different just for the sake of being different. You know, you're you're reliable. We know that you're, you're going to understand the script and what they're
[05:49] Mm-hmm. Yep, exactly. And it's, you know, it's not trying to be what you think the client wants. It's looking at the specs and interpreting those how they are naturally to you, you know, and it's like, we, I, I mean, I'm sure you feel the same way, Catherine. But like, there are times when I go to click on an audition and I'm like, ooh, I wouldn't, wonder what's going to happen today.
[06:18] Because some people are so inconsistent, it's like they could have an amazing read on something or it could be a bit of a train wreck. So, yeah. Yeah. And and it goes for, you know, making the, there's a lot to be said for that consistency. I think it's, it's, They, they understand the script. They are interpreting the script. They are making it... their own. They are making choices. They are showing, you know, range and variations between the takes. And these are things that are all consistent across every single audition.
[07:00] You know, whether it's commercials or animation, video games. You understand what, you know, what people are looking for, and you know how to interpret that, and you know how to glean certain cues from the script. You know, so a lot of that comes with practice. Um, some innate talent, but just, you know, being aware of that kind of stuff. Don't just, like I said, don't try to be weird just to be weird or just stand out. Really internalize it and bring your authentic self to it. That's gonna help you. You know, book the job and be impressive. Yep, absolutely.
[07:32] And, you know, a 3rd green flag for me tends to be collaboration. I feel like this is something that we've talked about a 1000000 times, Catherine, where it's just we we are a piece of the puzzle. You know, casting directors, we can't do our job without actors. We want to work with you. We work with producers. We work, you know, we work with creative teams of all sorts and, you know, it's it's the collaborative process. Anytime there is somebody, you know, auditioning for us or working within a session. And we see that they want this to also be a collaboration.
[08:12] It's not just about them sounding perfect for the spot and, you know, all of that.
[08:20] Mm-hmm. Yeah, definitely. And talking about collaboration. We want people that are easy to work with. You know, you want people that, when they're in a session, are going to, Listen to what the client wants and give them that. If the client asks for suggestions, they've got things that they can bring up and try. You know, not ones that are, you know, making it all about them, or I feel like it should sound like this, you know, because the client has something in mind. It may not be what you, the actor think it should be, but you've got to honor what they're wanting.
[08:53] It's their project. Um, so being someone who can go with that flow and,
[08:59] I and take, you know, and be part of that process. Yep, yep, absolutely. And and honestly, The more you have a collaboration, the more fun it is. You know, I just, I just find it so much more fun to play, you know, as, as a director, like working with an actor, bouncing all of those ideas off of each other. It's like, I'll say one thing, the actor does something, that gives me another idea. That gives them an idea, you know, it's like, it's, it's way more enjoyable.
[09:31] how much fun that was, how much they got out of it, and they'll want to book you again. Yep.
[09:37] on it or, you know, maybe they'll automatically Yeah. We think they'd be great on this one as well. Let's book them. You want to make that impression. Yep, absolutely. That, I mean, that's how you get ongoing clients, you know, if you want the recurring work. That's where it comes from. That's exactly where it comes from. Uh. So I think another thing that I want to touch on, um, just in terms of green flags is mindset. And there's there's sort of 2 factors to this. So there's having the business mindset knowing that You as a voice actor are your own business, you know, so treating your career like a business.
[10:21] Um, having that professionalism, you know, understanding the ins and outs of the business, everything from rates to usage to industry standards, knowing the difference between union and non-union, you know, that kind of thing. Um, really makes a big difference. And again, it's like, yes, we are listening to your auditions. But we are also getting to know talent on other levels and we have to, you know, I mean, that's part of our job as casting directors, right? That's. Yeah.
[10:55] And then kind of along with that too, is technical readiness, you know, making sure that you are ready when that job comes that you're ready to take it. And maybe that is having some kind of home studio equipped with source connect or, you know, being able to do Zoom or just, you know, Having a basic setup that is going to be quality broad, you know, broadcast quality or quality that'll be what they need for whatever the project might be. Um, a lot of this stuff, they they do want you to have a home studio or have a studio that you can use. Um, so being able to accommodate that should the client want it.
[11:33] Um, you're not always going to be guaranteed a studio to be provided for you depending on what the project is.
[11:40] Yep. And reliability is a big thing. So whether that is your home studio or whether that is you book an outside studio, you know, that's that's a huge part of it. And then, you know, going along with what Catherine was saying too, is, you know, being able to be your own engineer. That is a big part of that technical readiness. Unfortunately, we are in a day and age where so many sessions are happening from home studios, you have to be your own engineer. You have to know. Your equipment and everything enough to adjust settings as they ask you to in the session to be able to troubleshoot any issues that your your setup is having.
[12:24] You know, I see this stuff happen in classes and workouts and things like that all the time. And. Seen a lot of people get really flustered and frustrated that something isn't working right or this was working earlier and now it's not, you know, it's like, Again, it goes back to that professionalism where it's like, okay, just give me 12nd. And things happen, like we have this happen, even with our studio and studios we connect with, you know, things happen. You know, the internet is unreliable or, you know, just equipment doesn't work and, you know, things happen and the client will, hopefully, they should understand that.
[13:02] Um, so just be honest. Um, and and like keep your calm, keep your cool, say, all right, I'm going to, you know, maybe try restarting the system. I'm going to do this or that the other thing. And if things don't work, you can usually find some kind of work around. So it's not usually the be all end all, but keeping that cool, keeping that professionalism throughout, keeping. The client or the connecting studio, in the loop of what's going on and what's happening, and then see if there's some other way you can make the session work. Um, because usually there are workarounds.
[13:34] If it's supposed to be a source connect session, it can transform into a Zoom kind of, you know, the client can still give direction, you're, you know, recording on your end now instead of the studio, but, you know, there's things you can do to make it work. But I think just, yeah, keeping that professionalism throughout, the client will appreciate that a lot more than if you're just frantic and you make it sound like you don't know what you're doing.
[13:58] Yeah, and being prepared for those different situations, you know, like Catherine said, switching over from source connect to Zoom, you know, it's like, okay, can you hop on a Zoom call and be ready to record on your end? Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. And you should, you know, always recording a backup because the internet is unreliable. And it is always when it's the perfect take
[14:21] That's what I'm talking about.
[14:26] And we're like, yeah, we got we got a backup, you know? And then and then you, I mean, that looks so good for you. And it's helping the client. I mean, again, it's, The professionalism is the consistency and it goes back to that collaboration and just making sure that that things are there. But making sure that you are ready for anything technically, you know, not necessarily, you don't have to be ready to read to picture. Um, not every studio is set up for that, but at least, you know, be ready to be recording a backup. Be ready to, you know, do it, phone patch style where you record as we're getting direction over the phone or Zoom.
[15:06] Um, Be ready to do some playback. If a client needs to hear something. Be ready to play a take back so that they can hear it. So. Yeah, being being ready and technically, you don't even have to be like tech savvy. It's really just knowing the very basics of your own system. And part of it is also just the confidence, staying confident that you can fix whatever happens because all kinds of stuff happen.
[15:38] Right? Exactly.
[15:44] studio has issues from time to time Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. So I think we will, we will leave you with what I would say is the biggest green flag of all. Um, and that is when producers or casting, you know, anybody who is on the hiring side, says that they want to work with you again. Whatever made that happen, whether it was your professionalism, your collaboration, your mindset, your technical side, you know, any of that, or a combination of all of the above. When they say that they want to work with you again and can't wait to work with you and even if this job wasn't quite right, we're going to book another one together, you know, things like that.
[16:33] That is, that is the sign that you are doing things right. And to keep going in that direction. So if there was anything that we mentioned today where you're like, oh, I don't know if I'm doing that, revisit it, you know, just look at it and make sure, you know, that you're, you're putting your best foot forward. So thinking about the green flags even more so than the red flags. Exactly. And I think as an actor too, making that maybe your goal, instead of delivering the perfect read or, you know, whatever it Mhm. might be to be, I want to be the one they want to work with again.
[17:08] Yes. And guess what? Mm-hmm. That is in your control. So booking the job is not in your control, but you can control how professional you are. You can control how ready you are technically. Mm-hmm. You can control your consistency. So control what you can control. All right, well, thank you for joining us for this episode of Voiceovercasting Corner. We will see you next time.
[17:37] Catch a new voiceover casting cornerepisode every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. Be sure to give a thumbs up. Subscribe, and follow us at the voice caster on social media.Thanks for listening!
