VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[brinkley]

Hi Everyone.

I have posted three demos on my website. At your leisure I would greatly appreciate any feedback.

Website:
http://mattbrinkley.com


I too have a question regarding 'rules' for a demo. The ads in my demo are 'fake' ads as I am new to the industry, so I don't have any 'real' samples to include. The copy comes from my own writing, magazine ads, and some actual 'real' clips that I have covered with my own voice.

Some covers will be obvious when you hear them, but my question is whether this is inappropriate to include such items in MY demo because I am not the original voiceover artist for them.

Thanks for your time.
-Brinkley

[Doc]

Matt,

No doubt, you have poised yourself to receive several critiques with these demos.

I like your natural delivery best.

I detect too much affectation with your trailer type reads. It seems as though you're attempting to emulate other voices that don't seem to match your style.

Overall - your reads are fair. But, I think you'd be better off putting a lot more of "YOU" into your demos. Your voice (natural) seems just fine to me.

I hope you find this helpful.

[audio'connell]

Brinkley:

The only demo I listened to was the commercial demo so my comments will be based on that.

I think you need to decide on what IS your money voice versus what voices you like to do best (that was my thought as I listened to the whole demo). IF you have ordered your commercial demo in such a way that the money voice was featured in the first 20 seconds, it went past me cause I heard three different voices.

Over all, the SFX seemed way too over powering in the spots. If you didn't produce them, then that's not your fault but even tho they are part of the theme of the spot, they took my attention away from your voice.

LIKED:
* "Got Kids" needs editing tho
* Eucerin
* Discover card
* AAA
--> These seemed like your money voice to me and I would re arrange the demo to highlight them early on

HATED:
* Ford spot
* Geico spot

Hope this helps
_________________
- Peter
audioconnell Voice Over Talent
Your friendly, neighborhood voice over talent

[JimRon]

brinkley,

regarding the use of "fake commercials"... everyone has done that at some point in their career; because when you're starting out you have no real work to put on your demo.

but once you do start getting work, and the final product really shows your ability, then you should swap out those "fake" reads for the real thing.

as far as revoicing actual commercials for your demo... that's a toss up there. on the one hand you need the commercial to show your ability, yet on the other hand you don't want to a prospective client or agent or producer to think "wow that's the guy who voiced the mcdonald's spots and he's gonna voice my spots." i'd say most of the big guys in the biz probably know you didn't really voice the spot in question, and some might overlook it because they're listening for your voice anyway. a smaller client might not know that, and you don't want to give out any false impressions. i'd say do it sparingly. and again, once you do get real reads, put them on your demo asap.

taking magazine ads and writing your own spot from that is probably the best way to go anyway. while you're only putting a quick clip on your demo (5-10 seconds at the most), you still need to make sure the copy good.
_________________
Jim Feldman
www.jimfeldman.us
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimfeldman
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JimFeldmanVoiceovers

[imaginator]

i'll go listen to the demos when i have time to give them a fair hearing.

but for now, and for what it's worth:

there's nothing wrong with using your own versions of current commercials in a demo. one thing you might want to consider, though, is taking the "setup" part of the spot and dump out before you actually get to the product or brand name. you can still show your acting ability.

it also might prevent you being dismissed from a competitor's product in a real job. i once lost a "cingular" job because of a regional verizon spot on my demo (and that was a real spot!!). the studio at least took the trouble to contact me and ask it my cut was genuine.

your mileage may vary.
_________________
rowell gormon
www.voices2go.com
"Mr. Warm & Friendly Voice...with Character!"
Rowell Gormon's Clogged Blog - http://voices2go.com/blog

[imaginator]

...promises to keep...

okay, i made time and listened to all three demos and i find myself in agreement with doc in that the clips i liked best were the ones that were more your natural voice. i also agree that the "ford truck" spot just doesn't work in its present form. you sound like you're trying to force your voice far lower than it'll actually go. and to lead with that clip doesn't do you any favors with producers who'll only give you four seconds.

i noticed in all three demos your on-mic sound is pretty much the same. you could benefit from trying some stuff up-close, and for some other bits step back and project. you can also vary the equalization and compression to make it sound as if these things came from different studios.

it may be that you're doing what i sometimes fall into...trying to imitate a sound i really admire, when what i should be doing is using the range i actually have (along with any technique and acting skills) to do MY version of that kind of spot. and i'll be the first to admit, i wouldn't come as close as you did to the tone of that ford truck spot. it's just not my style.

in playing your commercial demo several times, i keep being drawn back to the sound you have on the vacation spot, the lotion spot, and the AAA. this sounds like the makings of a friendly guy i'd want to listen to. for what it's worth, i'd recommend you explore this "guy" a little more. play with some more conversational reads, make sure your diction and the strength of your voice do not slip (as they did a little in the "dot-com" and the word "price"). then see what variations you can put on that signature voice of yours: excitement, intimacy, bemusement, seriousness, or something a little offbeat.

don't be afraid to experiment and find out how much life you can put into your reads. a lot of the cuts on all the demos, even the upbeat ones, sometimes came across like a guy who was afraid someone would overhear him playing in the mic booth.

you obviously have a good voice. i do think in order to get the kind of attention you are after, you may need to re-focus on what comes most naturally for you.

keep collecting reactions. lord knows, i'm not the final authority by any means and i'm still trying to figure out how to polish my own efforts.

so take my opinions with "a block of salt", sort out what seems useful and forge ahead. i hope there was something helpful here.
_________________
rowell gormon
www.voices2go.com
"Mr. Warm & Friendly Voice...with Character!"
Rowell Gormon's Clogged Blog - http://voices2go.com/blog

[brinkley]

Thanks so much to everyone for your time and feedback. I've been out of town for a bit and haven't had much time on the board, so am just getting back to responding.

I really appreciate all of the suggestions and support, and as soon as I can get some time away from my day job I will get back at it!

-Matt