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Deirdre
Czarina Emeritus
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 13016
Location: East Jesus, Maine
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 Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:09 am Post subject: Targeted Auditions are pervading everything |
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I have the great good fortune to work with a stupendously professional production company that has its own ad agency. I'm in a small pool of talent so I enjoy a good deal of work that is simply booked by virtue of my on-site demos (which the creative team of this company made!), reputation, and recommendation of the account executives. Every once in a while, "targeted auditions" come around; normally, these would be for out-of-the-ordinary things like animal sounds, celebrity impersonations, accents, or character voices.
In the last few months, audition requests have been showing up for simple announcer parts.
This morning I received a request to record an audition for a script that was similar to this:
"Warm weather is here and the pool is open at Joe's Bar and Grill!"
Here's the note I wrote back :
| Quote: | Stuff like this really should be cast from the ultra fabulous demos your people have created for the talent at [Super Production Company].
If it were calling for an extremely off-the-wall read, I'd understand the need for a targeted demo, but this is an announcer.
Allowing targeted auditions like this is stepping onto a slippery slope where the clients will end up demanding auditions for tags because they can't imagine what someone's voice is like unless they hear their own script.
If the client is paying for the auditions, that's another thing entirely. You see, time is our chief commodity.
Just my 2 cents.
Deirdre |
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Lizden
A Zillion
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 8856
Location: The dark recesses of my mind
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:14 am Post subject: |
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Interesting.
Good for you by the way!
Let us know what you hear back - paraphrasing is fine 
L.
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Deirdre
Czarina Emeritus
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 13016
Location: East Jesus, Maine
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:24 am Post subject: |
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It's basically the scourge of the Voice 123 model infesting all voice casting services.
It's costing this company money because they have to arrange auditions for their ISDN talent.
I wish they could just tell these clients who need to hear their own script to go suck a lemon.
| Quote: | YOUR clients have the satisfaction of knowing that the talent at [Super Production Company] is already vetted.
The V123 thousands-of-free-auditions model costs the client time time time time to go thru and ferret out the one person who MIGHT be capable.
With the [Super Production Company] setup, the client has the front-loaded assurance that the talent has the right equipment and the chops.
Your casting expertise is pure value added. The jokers who don't want to trust it are lowballers anyway for the most part, isn't that so?
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I know this AE very well, and the pressure to follow the V!@# method must just be agonizing. I wish they wouldn't roll over on this.
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Philip Banks
Je Ne Sais Quoi
Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 11049
Location: Portgordon, Scotland
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:32 am Post subject: |
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A few years ago a young boy ran the gauntlet of cattle calls, call backs and just one time. His name was Daniel Radcliffe, the part was Harry Potter and the job so far has been worth $46,000,000 to him.
What was the fee for the job mentioned above? |
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bobsouer
Frequent Flyer
Joined: 15 Jul 2006
Posts: 9882
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:36 am Post subject: |
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Philip,
Somewhat less I'd wager.
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Philip Banks
Je Ne Sais Quoi
Joined: 20 Jun 2005
Posts: 11049
Location: Portgordon, Scotland
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:37 am Post subject: |
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Dear Client,
I have arranged auditions with 10 of my artists and the auditions will take place between 11-Noon on Friday at our offices. Studio fees and ISDN will be $175 and each artists has agreed a nominal $40 fee, please let me know if the time is convenient and if you would like more artists to participate ...
Go on ....I dare them!!!! |
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KaraEdwards
M&M
Joined: 21 Feb 2007
Posts: 2374
Location: Behind a mic or camera, USA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:00 am Post subject: |
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I was called in recently to a local studio for a series of radio commercial auditions. We were partnered up. My 'guy' mispronounced a word during our run through. The engineer asked if he wanted to record another take.
The guy said no- it's an audition, they just need to hear my voice...and don't we have demos for this?
I had to laff.
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Deirdre
Czarina Emeritus
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 13016
Location: East Jesus, Maine
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| Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:11 am Post subject: |
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With permission, I am sharing what my correspondent had to say:
| Quote: | Unfortunately with places like voice 123 out there, who will give you a hundred free auditions at the drop of a hat, clients won't use my casting expertise or our demos much any more.... they always want to hear their own script. The last thing I want to do is try to get auditions lined up, because we don't make any money off of them either, and they are very time consuming and labor intensive.
*****
I have fought it tooth and nail, because we do put so much time, effort, and money into our demos and voice kits. It just doesn't seem to matter to the clients, anymore. |
They do arrange paid "demos" where the client can direct or sit in on an audition, a la Philip's formula, but those are rare as hen's teeth.
Fees from this production company aren't a king's ransom to be sure, but they fall into your lap most of the time. They call and you're booked, period.
That is certainly worth it.
Having to fish for tuppence isn't.
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Yoda117
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Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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KaraEdwards
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Joined: 21 Feb 2007
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Location: Behind a mic or camera, USA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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I thought about this thread today.
I was called to drive uptown to a studio for an audition for a TV VO (a studio I don't visit often). Did the audition, felt great. As I was leaving, I was told...
"BTW- you are the only person the client wanted to hear audition, so you should probably get the job."
Uhm, then why did I audition? I'm hoping they will just use my audition audio and send the  .
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Deirdre
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Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 13016
Location: East Jesus, Maine
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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I'm glad to say that happens now and then!
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bobsouer
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Joined: 15 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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Yep. Happened to me just a few weeks ago. They wrote a nice little note and said "The client is totally happy with what we have. Here's where to send the invoice."
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Moe Egan
4 Large
Joined: 11 Sep 2006
Posts: 4337
Location: Live Free or Die
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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Those are the best gigs!
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Lance Blair
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Joined: 03 Jun 2007
Posts: 2279
Location: Atlanta
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:21 pm Post subject: |
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Did they want Joe's Bar and Grill
or Joe's Bar and Grill
or did they want to hear you hang on the "Pool is open"
Sadly, they don't know what they want. Don't know the right voice when they hear it, can't trust their own judgment, and can't trust a professional voice talent.
Good to hear you took a stand on this.
A bozo client actually had the nerve to ask me to audition the script again when I had already auditioned and got the job. I foolishly agreed (never again) and things went rapidly downhill from there. I had assumed that it was going to be the only strange request from them. I was wrong.
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BenWils
The Thirteenth Floor
Joined: 08 May 2006
Posts: 1324
Location: In a Flyover State
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| Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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| KaraEdwards wrote: |
Uhm, then why did I audition? I'm hoping they will just use my audition audio and send the . |
They got a spec spot out of you and did not have to pay for it. It happens a lot. More and more clients have less and less of an imagination and they need to hear the finished product instead of reading the script etc. It is nice when they are decent and up front about it and pay for the spec.
Or it could be the agency/producers were pitching the spot to the client, which is a spec as well....just kind of different from the above since the client is not as involved until they get "pitched" to.....and hopefully like it.
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"To be really good at voiceover, you need to improve your footwork and hip snap." |
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