New Artist?

The first thing to note is that we are a Cape Town Based Voice Agency and so unless you have a home studio, please apply to an Agency in your own city! Because more than 90% of our work is commercial work based in Cape Town you will be required to travel to recording studios here.

We do have some Johannesburg based voices, but most of them are Capetonians who migrated (and we miss them!)

Recording a demo

If you know that you have talent and you have done a few recordings and would like to update your reel then I would encourage you to record your demo in a professional studio. Contact any one of the numerous recording studios in Cape Town and book an hour to an hour and a half. You will expect to pay anything from R1500 – R3000 for your demo reel depending on which studio you use. Come prepared and bring your own scripts – usually you can record about 5 or 6 in a session. You will need to have practiced and know which type of sound you will use for each clip. If you have a soft sell clip, make sure that it sounds different to your hard sell etc.

Commercial Reels

Commercial reads come in a variety of intensities and here are some common ones:

Hard Sell: Hard sell is an intensely energetic read (not necessarily loud) that often repeats a product name, or concept in a way to reinforce that particular idea. Words that appear in the copy will be things like: “Buy Now!”, ”Last Chance!”, “Pay only R9.99!”.

Soft Sell: Soft sell is a less overtly energetic read that uses subtle persuasion to entice the listen. A softer, warmer tone is often used, but it must suit the text.

Conversational: This is a “natural” sounding voice, that sounds like a real human being having a naturally occurring thought at that moment – rather than sounding rehearsed or polished. Its harder than you think.

Narrative Reels (Documentary / Audiobooks / e-learning etc.)

For a long form narrative read you would need to have the following skills. A good documentary voiceover is cool under pressure, has ability to envision images in your head, understands timing and rhythm. You should also be able to shape text with pacing, and dimension, make the words come alive off the page. You would also need to be vocally fit and be able to spend hours in the booth without tiring your or losing your voice.

You need to play to your strengths! Record your own voice and try and listen critically to what you sound like. What can you do really well? What is your accent? What demographic do you fit into? Do you sound younger than you are? Older? Do people take you seriously or are you a natural comedian? Ask your friends and family and choose texts to suit your reading age and talent. Happy Recording!

We only accept applications from professional voice over artists, and will give priority to those based in Cape Town. Please email at least 2 different audio clips and a resume to sarah@tonguetwisters.co.za.

PLEASE NOTE: We are extremely full and have to be very discerning with our artists applications. I receive high volumes of applicants daily and can only respond to those that are successful. I am very sorry I cannot answer each email personally, if you have not heard from us within a month, please understand that your application was most likely unsuccessful.