ASK THE CASTING DIRECTOR	CASTING CREDITS: INDUSTRIAL	MISSION STATEMENT
CASTING OVERVIEW	CATHY KALMENSON'S BIOGRAPHY	OUR BELIEVERS
CASTING KUDOS	DEMO TAPE KUDOS	STAFF OPPORTUNITIES
CASTING CREDITS: COMMERCIAL	DIRECTIONS TO STUDIO	VOICE CASTING
CASTING CREDITS: CELEBRITY	HARRY POTTER	VOICE OVER WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
CASTING CREDITS: THEATRICAL	HARVEY KALMENSON'S BIOGRAPHY	VOICE OVER WORKSHOP KUDOS
CASTING CREDITS: ANIMATION	HARVEY KALMENSON'S DIRECTING CREDITS	VOICE OVER WORKSHOP LEVELS

What is Voice Over?

Voice over is the spoken word in the audio portion of any of the following:

TV commercials / RADIO commercials

CD ROM / CD Interactive

Books on tape / Voices of toys

Point of purchase marketing / In-store audio

Museums / Amusement parks

Animated TV series / Animated feature films

Training videos / Manuals

Website voices

Movie ADR / Looping

Movie / TV walla

Telephone on-hold messages

Airport PSA / In-flight announcements

Transportation safety announcements

How does an actor secure voice over work?

Producers looking for talent will either:

1. Contact the agents directly, by faxing out a "breakdown" of the type of voice that they are looking for (agents record auditions or supply voice over reference tapes to sell the appropriate candidate),

2. Hire a casting company, such as Kalmenson & Kalmenson, to audition the best of the best from a variety of talent agencies,

3. Listen to the talent agent's "house" CD (a compilation of 1 minute audio references of each of the actors they represent),

4. Review the actor's voice over demo tape directly, and/or

5. Rehire reliable talent they have worked with in the past.

What is a voice over demo tape?

Your demo tape is your calling card as a voice over actor. It is the audio equivalent of an actor's head shot, and therefore it is critical that the tape represent the essence of who you are, so that a prospective buyer knows, just by listening, about your vocal quality, age, attitude, style and personality. Your voice over demo tape should run about 1-2 minutes and reflect your "signature" (your specialty) which is the most natural arena of performance for you, the actor, and the most effective category for a casting director's consideration.

How competitive is the voice over business?

Like any form of acting, voice over is extremely competitive, particularly in Los Angeles. Because it is such a major market, and because so much of the nation's voice over work is done from this city, there is more competition here than anywhere else in the world.

Even voice over actors who have worked regularly in smaller markets need to be in top form to be competitive in Los Angeles.

For that reason, it is critical to have training in the techniques and business practices in order to have a realistic chance of booking work.