What to Do: Your first time in studio!

So you've made it---whether for an audition, a callback, or a role (!!), you're going to a new studio for the first time. Yay for you! It can certainly be a nervewracking and intimidating experience, but going in prepared will help you feel more confident as a pro.

I'm pretty sure other guides will tell you similar information, and you've likely heard most of these if you've taken any voiceover classes, but here are a few tips to help you make the most of your big day.

**Double check the date and time of your booking. On more than a few occasions people, even seasoned pros, have shown up to a session a week early on accident ("oh you meant NEXT Friday, not THIS Friday!" Whoops.)

**The day before: Look up directions to the studio, as well as an estimate of how long it will take to get there (always allow more time than the GPS estimates, particularly in an area with heavy traffic.) If you take public transport, make sure you know which stops and routes you'll need to take. If you drive, know beforehand what the parking situation is so you can be prepared and spend minimal time looking for a spot. If you have an early session, set two alarms in case one fails.

**Make sure to wear comfortable shoes (those heels look great, but they'll feel quite painful 2 hours in) and avoid anything noisy such as bangle bracelets or swishy pants as this can all be heard on mic. If you're like me and occasionally forget you have clangy jewelry on because you like to wear it a lot, just take it off and put it in your bag before you start Some studios are too hot or too cold so it might be a good idea to bring layers such as a sweater or hoodie/jacket.

**When you get to the studio, sign in with the receptionist and let them know your name and what you're there for. They may give you paperwork such as a contract, NDA and tax forms to fill out (or some places have you do it after your session is over.) If you're there for an audition, this is probably the point where they hand you the sides---another good reason to arrive 10-15 minutes early. Take every moment you can during this time to look over the sides and prepare your reads.

**When they're ready for you, someone will come out to take you back to the booth. Greet the director, engineer, and client(s). They might give you an overview of the project or they might just have you go straight to the booth. The engineer will come in and adjust the height of the microphone and music stand/monitor (some studios still use paper scripts, while others use tablets or computer screens.) Make sure to stand still while they are positioning everything and don't stray too far from that spot as you record. There should be a pair of headphones nearby---go ahead and put those on. If you find they are too loud for comfort or too quiet to hear properly, it's okay to ask them to change the levels!

**Bring water and/or hot tea with you in the booth. Most studios provide this---sometimes directly in the booth, sometimes in their kitchen. It's better to have it at the beginning than to have to leave the booth later to get it.

**Turn off or completely silence your cell phone and any other device that makes noise (not vibrate---vibrations can easily be heard in the booth.) It's good to get in the habit of putting your phone on silent/airplane mode before any session.

**Be prepared to adapt! You might have looked at the audition sides or previewed footage and had a clear idea in your head where you wanted to take the character. That's great, just don't get married to it. They may ask you to take it in a totally different direction from what you originally expected.

**Redirects/multiple takes are normal, so don't stress. It may take some tries to get the read the director and/or client is looking for. Sometimes you have a great read but they need a retake because of a noise your mouth made or other technical issue (happens to everybody), in which case they'll ask for a "safety". Do your best to listen and adapt to what the director is asking, but if you're still not sure what they're getting at, it's okay to ask for clarification.

**If you mess up in the middle of a take or trip over your words---and you WILL; it happens a lot---pause briefly and then restart from the beginning of the sentence/paragraph/line (whatever is a natural place for the engineer to edit out your flubbed line). You don't need to freak out or spend a bunch of time apologizing; it happens to literally everyone, so just take a deep breath and start over.

**When you're done, thank everyone again and check in with the receptionist again on your way out in case they have further paperwork or scheduling. Don't overstay your welcome unless they invite you to stay around and chat for a bit...chances are they have many other people to get through.

Things to generally avoid asking/saying...
"So how did I do?" / "Do you think I have a good shot at getting the part?"
"Who else is in the cast?" (Unless you know the director really well and they don't mind talking to you about stuff like this)
"So what's the ACTUAL name of this project/character?" (If it's under a code name)
"Ohmygosh I am such a huge huge fan of yours!" (Everyone loves to be appreciated---so if the director happens to be someone you know of and whose work you really like, you can totally express that, but try not to come off as a huge fanboy/fangirl as that just makes things awkward)
"But that's not what this character said/did/was called in the Japanese version..."

Now what if the inevitable happens? Maybe you oversleep, maybe you accidentally double-book sessions or put down the wrong time in your calendar, maybe you encounter a big road closure and show up 15 minutes late. Maybe you're really sick and find your voice is completely gone the night before. What to do?!

First: Try not to panic too much. Sometimes, life happens. It's happened to me, it's even happened to voice acting veterans. You WILL get through this, for better or for worse, so try to calm down and think about how to proceed.
Second: Address the situation immediately. If you know you're going to be late, call the studio and give them your ETA. If you're sick, contact them -as soon as you know- you'll be too sick to record...the more notice you can give them, the easier time they'll have booking someone else for that time slot.
Third: Apologize for the incident. In person is best; if you're not going immediately to the studio, you can send an e-mail. They don't need a long life story, they just want it to not happen again.
Fourth: After the fact, think about what you can do to address the root of the issue and keep it from happening in the future. For instance, I had a couple of issues where I mixed up dates/times and missed a session. I realized I had a problem with trying to keep everything organized when I couldn't visually see what was going on for the whole week, so at a friend's suggestion I created a Google Calendar to keep track of sessions and appointments so I could easily see exactly where I had to be each day and know what times I was "booked out" if another studio asked for my availability. Not gonna lie, I did spend about a week beating myself up over that one...but in the end, finding a real solution is more constructive than thinking "I messed up and I'm trash."

"But what if I get recast?"
You PROBABLY won't, but be prepared for the possibility just in case. Sometimes you have a rough session, a difficult director, or you just end up not being suited for the part after all. Or maybe you're sick for a long time or going out of town to where they can't delay the sessions anymore to accommodate. Making a mistake or having a rough session doesn't necessarily mean you'll be recast; after all, they'd have to spend even more money to hire another actor at that point. Sometimes it does happen and it feels horrible, even when it's not your fault. But it's not the end of the world, and it's not the end of your career.

But that's enough of the negative for now. This basically boils down to an easy to remember slogan I read once:
"Be Prepared. Be Polite. Be Professional."
Do those three things and you will be covered for most of whatever comes your way.
Now go out there and kick some ass!