What do you wear to an Open Call

Here I am, trying to forge a new life as a voice actor/yoga instructor/volunteer.  So what do I wear now?  I knew that I would be put "on camera" at the talent agency "open call to obtain representation."  So I fretted over what to wear.  I didn't want to look either too casual or too businesslike.  But I also didn't want to buy anything new.  Although I almost succumbed on that one--I wanted to buy a new tote that would be suitable for a voice actor.  Not that I know what that is.  I first was going to take my University of Michigan tote bag (big block M), but thought that was too casual.  I certainly wasn't going to take one of the bags we use for the beach.  But my work bag seemed a little too conservative.  The more I thought about it, though, it seemed OK.  It's a Brahmin with pockets and zippers.  A little narrow and stiff, but I couldn't find anything that popped out to me that wasn't expensive.  If I felt like I had the money I probably would have bought a Coach tote.  But (for once) I didn't go to the mall, and stuck with my work Brahmin.  For now.  I told myself I'd look at what other women were using to carry around scripts/water/snacks/pencils--the stuff one needs for voice acting.  Then I'd buy one after I started getting voice acting jobs.

I first thought about wearing a flowy skirt with sweater, but since it was raining, I went with a Talbots mix and match--soft red sweater, white rib top, skinny soft navy pants.  I looked awfully business casual-y, so I threw on a scarf I really like but have never figured out how to wear.  In fact I picked out the colors of the outfit to go with the scarf, not the other way around.  I practiced different kinds of draping, which I don't know how to do.  How do those French women do it?  I put on a string of pearls, but that didn't seem to fit with a drapey scarf.  I ended up just wearing it hanging down--I couldn't figure out how to tie it loosely like I seen older French women do in photos.  I felt different, with the scarf--more artsy and flowy.  So I told myself I'd buy more once I started getting paid for voice acting.  (See a trend here?)

I figure I'll wear some drapey scarf to the (former workplace-sponsored) holiday parties--to show my different new life.  I never wore scarves at work, because I figured I'd get them dirty/spill coffee on them/get them caught in something.   I didn't feel I could pull it off.  I think I could, now.

The other woman who showed up for the "open call" around the time I did looked more businessline than I did--dark tailored clothes, business-type bag.  I tried not to stare at her, lest she think I was eyeing the competition.  Maybe she didn't know what she was doing, either, so I decided not to go by her example.  Maybe she was like me--looking for a new way.

Am I Represented?

I have no idea how my "open call for representation" went today.  I don't even know if I'm represented, but I think I am.  The guy who interviewed my said they would "push my voice out there"  whatever that means.  Took me an hour and a half to get there--during the tail end of rush hour in the DC area.  But then again going anywhere across town can take an hour and a half any time of day.  I got to the agency about a half hour before the beginning of the "open call" hours--about what I had planned.  Fortunately someone was there--it's in a small building with only a few employees.  I had to use the bathroom really badly and I didn't see anywhere nearby.  Some quaint little shops--seemed like a nice part of the Baltimore environs--but no Starbucks or other kind of cafe where I could have stopped.

So I waited about 1/2 hour.  Only one other person--another woman--was waiting.  So I felt better than if 50 people had been milling around--"open call" can mean anything, can't it?  I came prepared with reading material (yoga books), so I didn't get nervous waiting.  I'm fine with waiting as long as I have something to do.  When I was invited in (I arrived first, so was the first person to be interviewed, the interviewer said he'd put me on camera and I could start my monologue, if I had prepared one.  Well, I hadn't, since all the email said was:  "we'll put you before the camera, and answer any questions you may have".  And since they tell you not to contact them, I didn't know they expected a prepared monologue.  So I asked him how much time he wanted me to speak--he said a couple of minutes--so I said I would talk about why I wanted to do voice over work.  I don't really get unnerved by not knowing what to expect--I actually kind of like it.  I have no idea how I did.  I felt pretty natural (although I heard a few "ums" when he played back the first part) and a few times I had a little trouble coming up with new descriptive words.  But the 2 mins. went by quickly and I wasn't nervous.

Then he sat down with me to talk about how they operate--they get calls for work and match people--but he really didn't give any indication what was in store for me.  He said a lot would depend on the demo.  I had mailed in a demo, head shot and resume a few months ago, but he didn't have any of that.  Almost like different portions of the business (which seems to consist of maybe 5 people) don't communicate with one another.  So it's not clear how they even contacted me for the "open call".

He made it sound like there was a steady stream of work, but who knows?  My session lasted about 1/2 hour--seemed like that's about what was alloted, since he signaled we were finished.  But it seemed like a good amount of time.  I got the impression from something he said that he may have been taping me as we were speaking--which is fine with me.  And anyway, I have no way of knowing how long the other two women's sessions were, or what he said to them.  I'm often better off not knowing too much.

When I left only one other woman had arrived.   Maybe they recently got a request for a woman to act or do voiceovers, so called a few of us in.  Who knows?

When I spoke with him, I told him I was just getting started--not my nature to embellish.  He suggested I not do that when I got work; which I wouldn't.  But I figured an agent should know what they've got.  I did talk about what I thought my strengths were (from a voice acting standpoint).  I just wasn't the mood to "sell" myself in a way that would have felt artificial to me.

He asked me how I would describe my voice--I answered by talking about the types of readings I liked the best--PSAs and children's books.  He said he thought I had a "practical" voice--as in "if it works for her, it should work for me."  Hmmm...my immediate thought was that I sounded boring.  So I started speaking with a liltier voice and said I thought I'd be good at PSAs (which I referred to as PSRs at one point--oops).

Took me 1 1/2 hours to get home--this time because it started pouring rain when I was on the beltway--the kind of rain where you can barely see in front of you.  And it didn't let up once it hit.

This is where doing multiple things comes in handy--I won't be waiting around for them to call. Or email.  Or whatever it is they do.

An Agent?

A few months ago I sent my voice acting demo, along with head shots and a resume, to a local talent agency.  Trying to figure out how to look for voice acting jobs is overwhelming, and could be quite costly. I'm trying to avoid spending money-it seems like such a long shot.  Seems like having an agent is a way to potentially find jobs without wasting a lot of time. Well, I got an email from the agency asking me to come in for an open call.  Not sure how significant this is--do they email everyone who sends them a request?  But I'm excited--it's the first concrete step I've taken on this front in a while.  I'm hoping they'll represent me--we'll see.  Should be an interesting experience, anyway.  Now I'll have to review the materials and tips from my voice acting training.  The email doesn't really say what I'll be doing--it says "..we will collect your information, put you on camera, and answer any questions you may have..."

What does "put you on camera" mean?  Will they ask me to read?  Interview me on camera?  Maybe people who know what they're doing know what to expect.  And this agent always says "don't call us, we'll call you..."  So I can't ask them what it means.  They also represent actors and models, so having them on camera makes sense.  And I already sent in my demo disk and head shots, but they tell me to bring those.  So what did they do with the stuff I already sent in?  (Which they asked for.)

I'm excited and nervous--plus this place is in Baltimore, so I have to figure out how much time to allow to get there.  With DC traffic, who knows.  The open call is from 11am-2pm.  I figure I should be there before 11am, get on whatever list they have and wait my turn.  I'll bring a yog book or two so I can study while I'm waiting.  I guess I could blog about waiting, but that would probably make me more nervous.

Good think I'm not desperate for money...

My Voice

My "out there" idea for how I would try to make some money after I left my job was to do voice overs. Hence one of the reasons for my blog title. (That's the literal one; the more figurative relates to finding new bearings after leaving a job at the same organization for nearly 32 years.

I took an adult ed session on voice acting last year and enjoyed it--and thought I'd be good at it. I signed up for a training package that included lessons, on-line resources, recording studio time and ultimately a set of demo disks (based on the studio session). Now I have to figure out how to market myself--something I'm not used to doing, and which isn't easy for me.

But I'm also having difficulty with my voice--I'm getting hoarse really quickly when I talk, and my throat hurts after I sing for even an hour. So I'm reading a book I bought years ago about vocal technique, and am back to basics practicing breath support. I've always had difficulty with my singing voice, even though I have a modest amount of talent. I suspect that I've been singing incorrectly--somehow tightening muscles in my jaw or elsewhere near the vocal chords, and not supporting consistently enough with by diaphragm. So I'm hoping at a minimum that my voice won't wear out as quickly, and am always hopeful that my singing voice will be more consistent.

Anyway, having vocal problems isn't a good start for trying to do voiceover work. But my main concern is that I'll spend a lot of time (and some amount of money) trying to get work and have nothing to show for it. But that's the type of risk I wanted to take. I just need to figure out how to limit the amount of money I invest. The lesson package was not cheap, so I've already invested quite a bit.

So I will chronicle my steps and progress in trying to get voice acting work--starting with trying to get my voice into better shape.