VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[tombrom]

Hi,
This is my first post. I was very lucky to find this site.
A very kind guy by the name of Brian directed me here from another similar site where I felt the "echo" everytime I asked a question.

I am currently living in Sydney, but was lucky enough to get a green card in the lottery and am planning on moving to LA in July.

I have done a lot of research into where to live etc etc and got some good advice LA v NY etc. We also visited LA in Feb to see if we could afford to live there. Answer: No, but still going.

I now need an answer to a really simple question from all you US talent.
In Australia we basically only have Straight reads and Character reads on our demo cds. If you were putting together a cd to get an agent and/or work what "categories" would you put on your cd. I notice that Voicebank seem to have around seven. Is there any "accepted" order for the demos.
i.e. Straight, narration, animation etc?

Thanks for your help everyone.
To save you time, yes, I know LA is cutthroat, I won't take myself too seriously and yes it DOES RAIN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (the song is wrong)
_________________
Thomas Bromhead
www.tombrom.com
tombrom@gmail.com

[Jeff McNeal]

Hi Tom.

Welcome to Los Angeles. Green card, eh? Okay. Lead with your commercial demo. The rest won't matter if you can't get their attention with your commercial reel. As for the rest, the quality of your content should dictate the order, or if you're a whiz and feel you are strong in all aspects of VO across the board, then it also should not matter what order your demos are in.

Just lead with the commercials. And put your strongest stuff first, because if you don't capture their attention in the first 20 seconds, you're toast. At least, that's my advice and I'm sticking to it.

Are you capable of doing a very convincing "American" accent? If you really want to be able to compete in this VO market, it will be mandatory. Outback Steakhouse and Foster's already have a couple of guys...

Best of luck.

[tombrom]

Hi Jeff,
Thanks for that.
I can do a pretty convincing accent, but of course I am realistic in that they won't book me ahead of someone like you. I am going more for the animation side of things and visual stuff. I wouldn't come over just to do voiceovers in US accent as there are already guys who can do it better than I can, like yourself. The interesting thing I noticed is how in LA they pronounced apricot (a ree cot). We say ape ree cot. Thats why you gotta be on the ground. I hope to be there in July.

Thanks for your help Jeff!

Cheers,
_________________
Thomas Bromhead
www.tombrom.com
tombrom@gmail.com

[Deirdre]

Some of us Americans keep the "ape" in "apricot"...and I'm from California.
_________________
DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[anthonyVO]

Welcome aboard, Tom.
Now there's a website with personality - love it!

The first thing i would do is change the name of your commercial demo from "Straight Voices Demonstration" to "Commercial Demo" and "Character Voices Demonstration" to "Character Demo". In the U.S. we want things fast and we want them now so the extra "Voices" and "...nstration" is taking time away from chatting and watching pr0n online

The best to you in LA!

It looks like you already do on-camera commercials so that will help and might save you from having to do an American accent.

To answer your question - yes, lead with your commercial demo and follow it with your character demo. Whatever you do - DO NOT CREATE A DEMO THAT YOU'RE NOT STRONG IN. sorry for the yelling

-Anthony

[Bailey]

Tom... Great website!... very well put together! Loved the video commercial. Demos sounded nice too. Welcome to the VO-BB... the right place to be.

_________________
"Bailey"
a.k.a. Jim Sutton
Retired... Every day is Saturday, except Sunday.
VO-BB Member #00044 .gif" alt="W00T" border="0" />
AOVA Graduate 02/2004 ;
"Be a Voice, not an Echo."

[Philip Banks]

LA? I'd try the Port Gordon market as there's only one voice with whom you must compete. There was another voice over here but he fell down the stairs, eventually.

[dhouston67]

Tom ---

Love the Mena Suvari clip. Welcome aboard!

Echoing Banksey, you might want to join us here in Austin; I think you've only got myself and glittlefield to jockey for position with. (Well, and Drew is a Sunday drive away, but that's about it.)*




*Kidding, Austin voice folks..
_________________
Great Voice. Great Choice. For Voice Talking and stuff.
http://davidhoustonvoice.com
Do That Voice! - The DHV Blog

[Doc]

Tom,

Welcome to our little corner of the world.

You should be very proud of the body of work displayed on your web site. Very entertaining, indeed!

[tombrom]

Thanks so much everyone for all your great replies.
(Where is Port Gordon though????)

I am so glad I am no longer speaking to myself!!

Intelligent and helpful answers.

As most of you are US talent I wonder if you ever caught the series "People Like Us" (UK series) about a voiceover artist (Mockumentary). It was hilarious.

Here is a funny link to a voiceover movie someone sent me once. I don't know the people involved.

http://www.pointbreak.net/briggsy/whatever_it_takes.mov

Hope I can give you some more laughs another time!!

Cheers,
_________________
Thomas Bromhead
www.tombrom.com
tombrom@gmail.com

[glittlefield]

[skynet74]

Hi Thomas, Welcome to the Board. Great website you have. I'm moving to Los Angeles this year as well. Don't worry, I can't afford to live there either, but why should such silly details like money stop us. Nobody else who moves to LA has money either. They just aquire money once they get there! That's the important thing to know.

The other important thing is that just in case things don't work out, Los Angeles is one of the best city's in America to be homeless in. You will never freeze to death and you'll still be able to Audition for all the gigs that =you want inbetween your naps in the park.

WELCOME AGAIN.


John