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First Practice Session - What do you think?

 
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AndreaK



Joined: 01 Aug 2012
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 11:57 am    Post subject: First Practice Session - What do you think? Reply with quote

I posted this in another VO board. While I'm waiting to hear from more people there, I thought I'd also post here to get more (and more) critiques.

Here's the low down:
-I'm new. And bright green. Like the relish at Sam's Club.
-This is my first practice session I've recorded. It's not demo ready and neither am I, but I value your feedback.
-I added music and then was kindly informed that most stuff would be dry. -Ignore it if you must. I have a music background and couldn't help but add in something that reminded me of an Imax film.
-I am signing up for classes, very cautiously, with a certain training service that has mixed reviews. But, for a beginner like me, it is a good fit.
-I'd like to know what you think of my voice, what you hear, what you like, don't like, what you're thinking as you listen.
-I'm asking to be grilled because I've read your profiles, checked out your websites: a lot of you are the real deal! I highly value your opinions.
In the future, I hope to get demos and post them here for more feedback. It should be very interesting to see the difference between now and the future.

I hope that helps you understand where I'm coming from! And thank you very much in advance.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/94581868/Grand%20Canyon%20fun%20pg%20167-169.mp3
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Philip Banks
Je Ne Sais Quoi


Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 11046
Location: Portgordon, Scotland

PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 1:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was SO much worserer than you when I started! If you want to suck you're going to have to put in a little more effort than you've made thus far.

Your sound is marketable, fabby! You're not ready yet but you knew that any way.

Lesson one - Get a friend in the same room as you or on the phone and have a good ole chat with them. Record the chat. Do some editing and then listen to you communicating with someone. Listen to your prepared audio and really hear and feel the difference. Take a piece of copy and make it sound like you.

Next lesson 75cents ...You can owe me
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ConnieTerwilliger
Triple G


Joined: 07 Dec 2004
Posts: 3381
Location: San Diego - serving the world

PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 2:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You probably sound much like you do on this sample, in pitch and general energy and stuff, but I echo Philip's suggestion. You need to hear your genuine connection when just talking extemporaneously with someone. There are subtle pauses and inflections and thinking that happen when you are really listening and communicating.

That's what you need to bring to the recording.

And yes, a lot of copy makes it VERY difficult to do this! That's what makes this business a lot harder than just reading aloud.
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AndreaK



Joined: 01 Aug 2012
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 3:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you both! I do sound like I rehearsed this - good for me, not so good for sounding like a conversation! I'll "accidentally" record something with my husband some time very soon and listen to what I sound like in a recording.
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melissa eX
MMD


Joined: 20 Oct 2007
Posts: 2781
Location: Lower Manhattan, New Amsterdam, the original NYC

PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 10:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes to what both Philip and Connie said. And also, slow down. Which will happen naturally when you really connect with what you're reading. It's those subtle pauses that Connie talks about that happen naturally when you're in the moment.

And yeah, I was a lot worse than this when I first started. A lot.
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Lance Blair
M&M


Joined: 03 Jun 2007
Posts: 2279
Location: Atlanta

PostPosted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 6:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One of my former worst habits (generally a bad habit among many VOs) is to rush the first phrase of every line. You might think that the substantial content is in the middle of the sentence, but if you really treat the first phrase with care and make it deliberate/thoughtful the rest of the sentence will flow. Somebody wrote these words, and they are thoughts...the first phrase was chosen deliberately. Sometimes, it's good to say things in an off-hand quick way if you've established that flow, but if the flow isn't there in the script don't force it.

For example, take the sentence "There is a way to get exactly what you want."

You could say:

"Thereisaway to get exactly what you want." or, you could say

"There is a way to get exactly what you want." and surprisingly, the "you want" will probably end up being much more interesting and full of meaning in the second version. Try it! Smile Keep at it and good luck. Great advice all around.
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and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!
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Bob Bergen
CM


Joined: 22 Apr 2008
Posts: 937

PostPosted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Andrea! You are much riper than you think. Not nearly as green!

I agree with everyone else. You need to get to the point where you are able to bring more of "Andrea" to the read. It's more about what you do with the words than what you sound like. The script is a skeleton. You need to give it a body.

This will all come with time and experience. Study improv! You need to get comfortable in your own skin. You need to be able to bring yourself to the copy with ease. You've got the chops. Now you just need to hone them.

And just to give you some perspective, here's a clip of my very first day in a VO workshop. You are MILES better than I was!!
http://bobbergen.com/audio/BBFirstDayVO%201.mp3

As they saying goes, it gets better!! BB
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Bruce
Boardmeister


Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 7921
Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bob, you are a bold man to post that. But as they say, we all gotta start somewhere.

One of these days I'll transfer some of my earliest air checks and commercial reads from tape to digital, and finally post them somewhere... when I'm too old to care.

B
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I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .
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Lance Blair
M&M


Joined: 03 Jun 2007
Posts: 2279
Location: Atlanta

PostPosted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks Bob! Even that clip is charming and there's personality to it. We hear that in Andrea's VO too! I've saved some of my first clips that have derogatory labels like "Really Lame First Narration Reel - Don't Bother.mp3"
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and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!
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Philip Banks
Je Ne Sais Quoi


Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 11046
Location: Portgordon, Scotland

PostPosted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Right. Audio from a TV commercial. My personal walk of shame

http://soundcloud.com/philip-banks/singingelephant
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Bish
3.5 kHz


Joined: 22 Nov 2009
Posts: 3738
Location: Lost in the cultural wasteland of Long Island

PostPosted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Philip, I will never, ever, be able to look at you the same way again Cry

Laugh
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.
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AndreaK



Joined: 01 Aug 2012
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:14 pm    Post subject: You all rock Reply with quote

OK, I know this sounds like brown nosing. Maybe it is! But thank you for all the comments and, even more for sharing your first sessions with me! That's f-ing awesome that you're willing to go out on a limb and show me where you started compared to where you are today. THANK YOU!
~Brown nosing over, commence life.
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