VERSATILE VOICEOVERS
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DEMO
CREATION
As a working voiceover Paul knows the ins and outs of demos. How long they should be, what sort of variety and markets to hit in order to make voice buyers take notice. Below are some common questions and demos Paul has made previously.
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All sessions include an end to end service, starting with a market analysis of where you sit, what you want to achieve with your demos and specific scripts to highlight your strengths. There is also homework to do. If gaming and animation is where you want to be, what do you know about these areas? Do you know what the market trends are? Do you know what's required to book in these areas?
Long after the demos have been made, it is still down to you to the do the work to get it in front of voice buyers. This is where Paul's experience as a coach and working VO come in as well.
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COMMERCIAL DEMOS
"I tried a few times to make a new commercial demo, and it's not something I know much about. I needed a new demo for my new VO agent. Paul was amazing! We recorded in his studio with live feedback - his suggestions for each take were amazing, really brought out the best in the copy. Things I hadn't even thought of. His understanding of the business behind commercial voiceover is second to none - I learnt a lot more as a voiceover as well. I LOVED the demo. WOW! My agent loved it too, she especially loved the variety. Oh, and he turned it around in a week. Couldn't recommend him more, words don't do him justice!
Joanna Ignaczewska
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CORPORATE DEMOS
"I got a number of demos made with Paul and the process was so easy. He really knows his stuff. We talked about where my voice sits in the marketplace before we even started talking about scripts and demos, what my marketing and technical skills were like. It was refreshing to have someone who was looking at me holistically rather than pumping out some demos and that being it.
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We then got stuck into the corporate, audiobook and gaming demos. I love my gaming demo, such varied worlds and characters and he was able to incoroprate some ideas I had as well as working his magic. Highly recommended!
Federico Moro
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GAMING DEMOS
Federico Moro
I also created my own demos, which have landed me agents and work
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THE PROCESS BROKEN DOWN
The number one rule with demos, is that you must be able to do in person what is on you demos. That means you must be ready to record.
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With that in mind, here is a run down of the process:
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1. Pre-Appraisal Call
In order to arrive at the delivery of demos that you are proud of and want to share with agents and voice buyers, we have to map a path there. This includes an appraisal of where you are at in terms of your voiceover craft, your ability to read copy, whether that's for commercials, technical, audiobooks or characters for animation and gaming.
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We also think about where your voice sits in the genre you are wanting demos made in, and what are your strengths to work toward, along with areas to develop. For commercials we look for variation across the genres from automotive, to finance, to the "conversational and not announcer" tone that is on every copy around, and has been for awhile. How do we best maximise that, while still getting variety in. Listen to Joanna's above to see how we hit that conversational tone, but did it in a variety of different ways. If animation and gaming, what's currently in your arsenal? How do we expand that? And, what games and animation projects do you most want to work in, so we can work towards a demo that can come from that world.
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2. Demo Project Outline + Copy
Once we are both on the same track in terms of what we want to achieve with the demos we outline the project deliverables and timeline. How many demos, how many spots, when we will record and when will the final files be delivered.
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Once we have dates to work toward, we both start to think about the final copy to read. This means coming up with the 5-8 spots or characters that will form the final demo. I like to involve you in this process to get you thinking about what your voice suits, and to start thinking about the markets you will be marketing to in the future. All copy will be provided by me, with your help and input by an agreed upon date.
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3. Demo Recording
Time to record the scripts. I ask you to prepare them all, as if this were a live voiceover job, so we can use the session as a learning experience as well.
You will come to my voiceover booth in Central London (see it here) or I will dial in and you will record from your own booth (so long as the sound quality is up to standard). We will spend the time needed to get each spot ready for the mastering process. Expect a workout, lots of learning, and pristine files ready to start the mastering process.
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4. Demo Mastering
This is where the magic happens! I take the raw files, and remove breaths, top and tail and draw together a rough cut of the raw files. Just the final takes of each spot or character, before the process of adding music, SFX and mastering. This is an important stage, as ultimately we want your voice to stand out, rather than voice buyers focus on the background accoutrements. At this point your voice should be holding attention if we weren't to add anything else.
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From here SFX, music is added to highlight parts of your reads and pull out certain words and phrases. If animation or gaming, this goes into creating the world. If it's a robotic voice for gaming, that has to be created, for example. We are aiming for demos that maintain voice buyer interest for the minute and a half + of final run time.
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5. Demo Delivery + Marketing session
Once I'm happy with the demos, it's time to deliver them to you for your feedback. It's important to get your sign off on them, because you will be using them to market yourself.
At this point, most demo companies end their services. But what use are demos to you if you don't know what to do next?
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We talk on video call and chart a path forward. I utilise a lot of the principles that I use on my VO coaching calls, including creating marketing processes, developing your technical abilities and space, and where to market your demos and who to. Expect a thorough to do list so you can start marketing your demos with confidence.
​COMMERCIAL DEMO (up to 8 tracks) £600
​CORPORATE / NARRATION DEMO £450
​ANIMATION / GAMING DEMO £500
​AUDIOBOOK DEMO £350
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WHY SHOULD YOU LISTEN TO ME?
I'm a working Voiceover. I live off it. I'm regularly booking for commercials, corproate, gaming, audiobooks and more. I know how to create voiceover demos that meet the demands of today's market. I start with what works in order to arm yourself with the best tools on the road to your voiceover visions and dreams.
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Reach out to find out the next steps in creating your highly tailored voiceover demos here