VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[Philip Banks]

This post is prompted by a comment I made in the Gear section regarding Bernard pitching for a show. My thoughts and probably every potential listener would think the same, what’s in it? Why should I listen? The discussion was largely about the potential for podcasting, plugging in various pieces of technology and the functionality of the studio equipment.

For those of us who have studios, technical issues do arise from time to time and this group is full of the experience needed to solve problems, buy the right gear and get the best out of it.

Looking at a great deal of the requests for demo feedback, the responses and the “case for the defence”, most believe that the content is a “given” but the Oralfixalator may need De-topping around the mid transition. If someone used their basic PC mic and windows audio recorder, no effects, processing, music, just the voice, what would we make of the demo?

If someone is selling their skills as an audio producer, every production element is subject to scrutiny and that includes the voice artist who was cast for each particular spot. In the context of a demo for a voice artist the only thing that should be subject to scrutiny is the voice, its tone, pitch, accent, style, the actors approach, interpretation of the copy and degree of flexibility. If you’re not flexible, don’t worry. Don La Fontaine is a “one trick pony” and he makes a living. If you sound like Don La Fontaine and are a “one trick pony”, worry, that base is covered.

I honestly believe that we do every person asking for a demo critique a great disservice by majoring on the technical aspects and ignoring the person. We take, Bill Newbie. His mic isn’t that good, the copy is weak, levels all over the place and the transitions are clunky. We decide to help by pooling some money and shipping him to Frank’s studio in Arizona. Posted a week later, 90 seconds of audio perfection from Bill Newbie, perfection that is with the exception of his the voice, its tone, pitch, accent, style, the acting approach, interpretation of the copy and degree of flexibility. Frank puts up a post saying that it took four hours to get Bill sounding that good. But Bill’s demo sounds awful so we’re not going to pay Frank and we certainly are not going to cover Bill’s travel expenses. I’ve decided that’s the way it is, not negotiable.
I’ll bet Frank and Bill are thrilled that no one noticed Bill’s lack of basic ability to the extent that both are a few hundred dollars down on the deal.

What’s to be done? As a voice artist do not post your demo just to get an ego massage, you should expect honesty, guidance, constructive criticism and you should not expect anyone to be rude. As a critic you must remember that you are not a missile set to seek and destroy, you’re not the artist’s mother so “ooooooo that’s nice dear” won’t help. What you write should be designed to help the person grow. Never say “never” but say “unlikely”. Needless to say you should not identify a problem unless you have a proven solution. Don’t be cuddly bunny nice, help. Don’t be cruel, shut up!

I would love to see every one of you, doing better work than you’re doing now and earning more from voice overs than you’re earning now.

Never let it be said I don’t never not tell ya’ll nuthin’.

[kgenus]

Amen brotha!

And to that, I'm hittin' the woodshed.
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Genus

[mikemckenzie]

[lisaloo]

Sort of along these same lines, but taking it sideways a bit . . .let's talk about material.

GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT

One thing I think almost all aspiring VO's should do when setting about to make a demo is get the best possible copy they can find.

That's a given, you say?

Well, apparently not.

Even the best pipes are hobbled by bad copy (e.g. hokey local radio spots), and yet most of the folks doing a demo from scratch seem to gravitate to whatever old or otherwise crummy material they find online or get handed to them by a coach/demo producer.

Here's the thing: especially on a first time demo (when you have no fully produced spots to pull from and thus, no restriction as to what you can record), you are totally free - if not downright INVITED - to steal the best, freshest copy you can get your mitts on!

Provided you don't mimic the actual VO on the original spot, or use copy for a client that is heavily identified with a signature voice (James Earl Jones on Verizon, Billy Crudup on Mastercard, etc.) you can use anything!

Before they set as much as one toe into a booth to lay down demo tracks, I advise people to first set their TiVo or VCR and record three hours of network TV and three hours of cable. If they can do it, I aldo advise they get three hours of radio on tape. For women, I tell them to grab daytime for network, Lifetime/We/Oxygen for cable and their local Lite Rock station for radio. For guys, it's prime time network, ESPN/FSN for cable and either rock or AM-talk radio.

Then I have them play back all the commercials in these blocks and listen with their eyes closed. If something pops out that they think they could have been on the original audition for -- or even something that just plain rings their chimes, they transcribe it into a script (adding info like the overall feel of any music or SFX), etc.

By the time they are done, they should have at least fifteen or twenty scripts to pull things from -- all of which are of-the-moment and if not Clio-worthy, at least good enough to have passed muster and make it to air.

Now, I suppose if someone's goal with a demo is to only draw clients from very small markets, it is fine (and maybe even preferable) to just use local-sounding copy. But if you hope to work in even a mid-sized market (let alone in a big 'un) why limp along behind lame-o copy for Barney's Beer Barn when you could borrow the prose Needham wrote for Budweiser's national campaign?

And if your demo is going to be a combo of "real" jobs and the rest invented from scratch, the same thinking applies. Just make sure that every word that shows up in that precious commercial minute is worthy of the time it's taking up. Once in a while I have used tiny snippets of otherwise lackluster single-market radio spots and set them right alongside a national TV campaign cut. It works just fine. As long as the production values are up to snuff and don't vary wildly, mix and match all you want. Just don't put words that suck on your demo!

Remember: especially where folks trying to break in are concerned, agents and employers alike understand that a demo is just that: a demo. It is understood that newbies have to record from scratch. But what baffles these people much of the time is why -- when an aspiring VO can record anything in the world -- they are forced to listen to so many demos filled with wretched copy. If anything, it's understood that a newbie has more latitude than a veteran when choosing copy, so folks shouldn't aim so low. There is an expectation of quality, even if they don't expect any of the spots to be produced gigs that actually aired.

And two more hints to help avoid sounding like a rip-off artist when digging for material: if you're concerned that your voice is too much like the actual VO on the spots, first of all: thank you for considering the performer who did the actual gig. To create a distinction, just make a deliberate attempt to find another, very different approach to the read and consider changing the style of the music bed (if any) you'll use, etc. Keep the good copy - just make it your own in every sense of the word.

Another good short-cut is to gender-bend and record a script or two that originally carried a VO of the opposite sex.

That's my contribution to the discourse. Your mileage may vary - and not all demos suffer from this (only most of them).

This is, by the way, why I stay out of the Demo Critique forum here and the demo critique business in general. It's really hard to say, "Well, first thing . . . throw the first six cuts away and start over because all of the copy is horrible . . ."

Lisa

[Deirdre]

Another very good source for copy is magazine ads.

Professional writers and all that.
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DBCooperVO.com

[audio'connell]

OK.

So are we setting a new rule that when we hear a demo that actually sucks....I mean REALLY blows...awful, bleeding ears type stuff....are we now agreeing to tell that person to get out of the business right away or we'll collectively rip out his/her larynx?


I'm just asking....
:roll:
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- Peter
audioconnell Voice Over Talent
Your friendly, neighborhood voice over talent

[Philip Banks]

[audio'connell]

[Deirdre]

OK--- down, Boys.

Any criticism posted on this site will be polite and insightful or it will not be allowed to stay up.

It's perfectly fine to be truthful. Point out flaws when they are there. We all like to praise the high points-- but if there are specifics in a demo that are obviously damaging to the career possibilities of the person requesting feedback, I think we are remiss to gloss them over.

We will disagree with each other's opinion from time to time but argumentation in the critique forum will not be tolerated and neither will sarcasm.

Keep things civilized or I will kick your ass.
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DBCooperVO.com

[Philip Banks]

Don't you dare tell me what to do!! I thoroughly intend to be AWFUL and armed with a hake at all times. If Peter, out of the kindess of his heart pre-hangs these people that merely enables me to deliver the fatal blow with my wet flat fish of choice. To any who submit demo's.

1 Please don't wriggle, resistance is useless.
2 Don't break my hake or mention his flatness as he's a bit touchy about
that.
3 There is no item 3
4 See item 3

On a serious note, if a person doesn't feel inclined to help out a newcomer there is nothing wrong with a dignified silence.

[donrandall]

[Dan-O]

I have to say the most beneficial thing to come out of those two trading quips, is that I now know what a "hake" is. For the rest of you, I will spare the trip to the dictionary:

Hake - Any of various marine food fishes of the genera Merluccius and Urophycis, related to and resembling the cod.

Banksey has provided us a fanciful way of saying "I'll slap you with a wet fish!"

Thank you Banksey!

[Frank F]

Remember, it's not nice to fool with Mother Nature AND Mistress Dierdre... She can get mean.... But I like to stay on her good side....

Frank F.

[Jeffers]

[Bailey]