The COVID 19 Pandemic has changed a lot in our lives. The Pandemic changed in-person voice over casting for sure. In-person Voice Over casting came to a stand still in mid-March. I live and work in New York City where casting directors still call Voice Actors in to read. I lost that human connection when everything closed, and I really miss it.
Our business has been moving away from human contact for years now, but casting was the one hold out. Client communication is still done via phone or email. Studio connectivity is handled remotely with technology like Source Connect from home. But for city slickers like me, in-person casting was still a thing pre-pandemic. A very valuable thing.
Pre-Pandemic VO Casting
Pre-Pandemic, I did a good percentage of VO casting in-person. The face-to face interaction was so valuable. Think of this: The casting director has first hand knowledge of what the buyer is searching for and can steer your read accordingly. I got some of my best gigs from those castings. That’s something you can never get from often vague and contradictory script direction. You must have encountered script direction like: “authoritative and inspiring, yet calm and soothing”. I have, and it’s not helpful.
Casting gets Zoomed
The Pandemic changed Voice Over casting by ending face-to-face auditions. Then technology came to the rescue. I did my first face-to-unmasked-face audition about a month ago via an app called Virtual Booth. Since then I’ve used BlueJeans and Eco-Cast. New ones are coming online seemly every day. While these video conference technologies allow casting directors and talent more interaction they are hardly a replacement for being there.
The future of Casting
The future of casting is pointing toward increased use of digital platforms even after we beat the COVID Virus, according to Backstage.com. And with a depressed economy unable to support advertising at pre-pandemic levels, I can see casting directors not wanting to front the cost of running an office. Virtual casting saves time and expense, but I miss being there.