Dan Foster's Do's & Do Not's of Voice Over

The following is an ever evolving list of voice acting, "do's and do not's" acquired over years of training and experience working in the voice over industry. Some are regarded as "business standards and practices," none of it is either right, or wrong. It is up to you to build a strong business strategy that works best for your individual voice over business.

DO: AUDITION SMART

Focus on what's in your wheelhouse. But never limit yourself.

DON'T: BE AFRAID

Take chances. How can you make your read distinctive, yet still you?

DO: SUBMIT ASAP

Even if the deadline is days away.

DON'T: TREAT EMAILS LIKE TEXTS

Professional work emails don't involve emojis. Keep it short. Time is money.

DO: RECORD SMART

Your home studio audio quality should be at professional recording studio level. Especially if you want to work remotely.

DO: STAY CONNECTED

Keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. It is constantly changing.

DON'T: GIVE UP

90% of auditions result in "FAILURE." The truth is, you didn't actually fail, lose it, blow it, F it up...it was never yours to begin with. But if you give in and give up - you will miss 100% of the auditions you don't take.

- Jack Angel

DO: BE ON TIME

When you're on time, you're late. When you're early, you're on time.10 minutes.

DON'T: SAY NO. ASK QUESTIONS

You are in the business of creating real, authentic characters and telling their stories with a team of creatives. If anyone at any time ever asks you, "Do you have any questions?" Say, YES! That's your chance. You alone are not creating this character. You should have questions from the minute you read the specs, the character brief/bio, the script, etc. up to the minute you're on set/in the booth. Who knows, maybe you even have questions after the project is released! Anything from artwork, to music, to the copy could change at any given moment up to the day of recording.

DO: FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

If the audition asks you to tail slate, and gives the file naming convention, "Character Name_ Actor Name.mp3," do not slate at the beginning of your audition and send your file as anything but what's asked.

DON'T: TOUCH THE MIC

When you're invited to record in-studio, unless specifically told by an engineer - do not adjust, move, or touch the microphone. Wait until the audio engineer is ready to adjust the mic to you. And then say, thank you!

DO: BRING WATER

Whether you're recording at home, or in-studio, always bring water. Room temp, or your favorite tea. Honey/lemon are an added bonus.

REMEMBER: There are no dumb questions - but there are lazy ones. I can't tell you how many times I'm asked, "How do I become a VA?" Do your homework! The world has never been more accessable to you.