Spotlight: Roxanne Wolff on Recording a VO Demo 9

Shining light on up-and-coming voice over talent and seasoned VO professionals

Today’s spotlight is on Roxanne Wolff who recently recorded her first commercial voice-over demo. Roxanne and I met through our VO training (we’re in the same peer workout group, too), and I had the unexpected pleasure of joining her for the very first listen of her finalized demo. In this post, Roxanne debuts that demo and explains how she knew she was ready to record it, selected the right copy, let go, and trusted her gut.

How did you discover voice over?
My heart has been in the performing arts—dancing singing, and theater—since I was a child. When I was really little, around four- or five-years-old, my dad would have me read books out loud–“with feeling,” he said. I remember that so distinctly and really believe it strongly influenced my voice-over acting…maybe even my love of acting in general.

An embarrassing bit of trivia that dates me: I used to play Osmonds records and, with my microphone, pretended I was Donny. I was so serious about it! I choreographed it all, directing my little friends and my sister along with me. (I was always front and center, of course!)

Anyway, back to the present… I started seriously thinking about voice over when I was in a bookstore and came across Elaine Clark’s book There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is. As I read it, I was able to envision myself doing voiceover, and a brand new world of possibilities opened up to me.

I didn’t actually set foot in Elaine’s school Voice One until a couple of years later. It’s been about a year-and-a-half since I started, and I’ve taken lots of classes for commercials, narration, and characters. Now I’m just taking a few specialized classes here and there, and I just recorded my first commercial demo a couple of weeks ago!

How would you characterize your voice?
Warm. Approachable. Authoritative. Compassionate.

How did you know you were ready to record a demo?
Okay, let me tell you: I’m one of those people who will NEVER think she’s actually ready. But for all intents and purposes, I’ll say that I knew it was time when I started to get impatient and frustrated with myself for putting it off. I ran out of excuses—excuses to myself, that is. At a certain point my excuses had more to do with a fear of the unknown than they did doubts about my abilities; so there was just no point in waiting any longer. I had to kick myself in the butt because I was so sick of waffling!

Where did you record your demo?
I recorded my demo with Elaine at Voice One studios in San Francisco. It seemed like the natural thing to do because I’ve taken all of my classes there. Plus, I trust Elaine; she is a genuine professional, so I knew I would be in good hands.

How did you prepare for it?
For weeks, I collected potential copy in the form of magazine ads, grabbing whatever I came across that looked and felt like it could be voice-over copy. I was drawn to copy that I thought complemented my voice, as well as my interests.  Elaine told me not to actually “practice” the copy, so I just tried to go into the demo process with an open mind.

In detail, tell us about the process, including day-of, pre- and post-.
The actual recording process took about seven hours and most of it was done in one day. The nerves were going full blast on that day, too! I just tried to remind myself to trust the process and have fun.

When I got to the studio with pages and pages of material, Elaine and I got busy. She had me read a couple of pieces at a time, and then she re-worked the copy into something more ideal for demo length and style. Then she sent me into the booth to start recording.

At times, it actually felt like a continuation of my classes. Elaine gave me direction to help bring out my best reads. And after each spot was recorded, she added music and sound effects—so cool!

Sometimes a spot took many, many, many takes, and I found myself wondering, “Am I really ready for getting paid jobs if I’m still fumbling on my demo recording?” But in my gut, I really feel that it was all just part of the process. And hey, I’m still a rookie and it’s my first demo—that alone is a milestone, for cryin’ out loud!

After we recorded the demo, I was mentally exhausted, for sure—but I had to yell, “I survived (the Big Bad Demo Session haha!)!” When I got home and listened to my demo over and over, it became obvious that my first spot didn’t feel right—it didn’t represent me at my best. I knew I couldn’t just let it go, so I consulted with Elaine and we set up another short session to replace the first spot. In the end, we both felt so much better about the replacement. I was really glad that I spoke up about my concerns and so was Elaine—she’s very committed to making the demo sound as good and as strong as possible.

Here’s some funny psychology for you: sometimes in the booth, I got really frustrated by my reads, and Elaine had me take off the headphones and just read without listening to myself. That really did the trick as far as getting me to sound more “real.” I guess hearing your own “gorgeous” voice can cause you to lean toward being a bit too theatrical…

What was the most challenging part of the process for you and is there anything you wish you had done differently?
I don’t think I would have done anything differently. I had to just let it unfold, and I think that trusting the process allowed us to create a unique product.

The most challenging part was probably the NOT preparing part because I can be kind of a control/planning freak. I had to just try to relax and let it be…so Zen!  In the studio, my biggest challenge was NOT acting, or rather just being real. When my nerves are going, I think I tend to go into theatrical mode by default.

What’s next?
Well, I’m still taking classes, and I think I want to record another demo—different style—before  I start my quest for an agent. One milestone at a time…

What’s one piece of advice you would offer others on route to the booth?
It’s okay to pursue perfection, but don’t judge yourself too quickly or too harshly. You’ve got to allow yourself the time and trials that it takes, however long, to build confidence. There’s no substitute for experience.

Click here to listen to Roxanne Wolff’s commercial voice over demo

Even though I only saw a tiny sliver of the complete effort, I’m so grateful that I was present for the first listen of Roxanne’s demo. It’s a pivotal moment and I’m incredibly proud of her. Thanks for sharing your story with On Route To The Booth, Roxanne, and best of luck out there!

Have you recorded your demo or are you preparing to? Tell us about your experience and preparation in the comments section below.

**Do you know someone who belongs in the spotlight? Send suggestions to OnRouteToTheBooth@gmail.com.