VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

SteVO · Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:44 pm Post subject:

Amy...I love that last post. I actually think I put myself into a category. I never was a pukey jock but I know exactly what you mean. My forte was conversational DJ-ing...(what kind of word is THAT?). In my short time in radio it became apparent that to be a successful morning guy I had to start yelling and puking because that's what my PM and GM thought was good radio. It became...a...er...um a habit. I LOVE sports but these ESPN radio guys make me sick! That's another thought for another day, however. Getting back to the topic, this forum gives me more and more encouragement each day. My coach tells me I'm doing well so, to me, that means I'm losing "radio guy" enough to show promise. Yes the mic is my friend, let me sooth you mic, let me sweet talk you, let me buy you dinner, let me.....OUCH!!! Jeeeeesh I just had my microphone slap me. Embarrassed

[/i]
_________________
"I'm thinking...and it hurts"

Gregory Best · Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 4:15 pm Post subject:

Right on Amy & Dan.
_________________
Gregory Best

greg@gregorybest.com

Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

Great radio personalities have all the skills of great voice over artists.

Bad voice over talents have all the skills of bad radio jockeys.
_________________
Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

SteVO · Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 8:48 pm Post subject:

STOP MAKING SENSE. Laugh

_________________
"I'm thinking...and it hurts"

TessTalks · Joined: 16 Jun 2010 Posts: 5

Philip Banks · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 4:31 pm Post subject:

You need to have "affected style" in your skillset but more often than not you merely have to exercise the choice not to use it. The words are there for you so all the Voiceoverist needs to do is find the mood and make eye contact. If it was hard work I wouldn't do it.........Follow me for the lazy way to do anything.

SteVO · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 4:42 pm Post subject:

That Jeff Bridges spot makes ME sound good by comparison. There is a case of a "name" winning out over "talent",
_________________
"I'm thinking...and it hurts"

asnively · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 4:53 pm Post subject:

Azkope-- you don't like his performance? What do you wish he'd done differently? I think he nails it.
_________________
the Amy Snively family of brands for all your branded thing needs.
Amy Snively
Faff Camp
FaffCon
TalkerTees

SteVO · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 4:58 pm Post subject:

I'm no expert but I got this "dead man walking" feeling. Must be all the Crystal Lite I drink
_________________
"I'm thinking...and it hurts"

Moe Egan · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 5:05 pm Post subject:

Jeff Bridges can do no wrong. Just sayin
_________________
Moe Egan
i want to be the voice in your head.
~~~~~

SteVO · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 5:09 pm Post subject:

I suppose that's my prejudice. I don't care much for him as an actor, either. Lips Are Sealed

_________________
"I'm thinking...and it hurts"

whalewtchr · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 7:55 pm Post subject:

He indeed makes eye contact on this spot. He makes the script "his".
_________________
jonahcummings

Mike Sommer · Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2010 10:25 pm Post subject:

Nothing wrong with that commercial.

If Mr Bridges rubs your rhubarb wrong, you should try to get past it and listen to the music in that delivery. There were so many light and delicate touches in that spot that made it sound like he was talking to me.

Until you're in the booth with just a piece of copy and a mic, and your job is to make it sound breezy-easy conversational, while 10 people are on the other side of the glass hanging on your every word, you'll never understand what just happened in that spot.
_________________
The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.

Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

I like Bridges in that spot, even if the last line is a bit of a duff but I also don't generally care for much his "aw, well the hell with it" attitude he puts on just about everything he does. I'd go in to depth about it...but, aw, the hell with it.

We feel like he's talking to us in part because we are so familiar with his voice from exposure, it's a psychological thing - like how over four years we feel like we know the personality of our presidents from their speech patterns. Mr. Bridges is a great talent, no doubt, but so much of the power of a celebrity VO doesn't come from the performance...our minds can latch onto the voice even if we can't name the actor.

As for being breezy under pressure, Bridges and all top actors earned their stripes in part because they are supremely confident, or at least experts at not letting on that they're not and having amazing public self control. As for direction, we here often talk about "giving the director what they want" - in the case of celebrity VOs they are directed sparingly if at all compared to us working class voiceoverist folks. I've recorded a few a-list people and I've edited the sessions from a few of the a-list VO/actors and the direction intensity just isn't there. The talents are hired for their personality, and nobody is going to try and get in the way of that. The directors are more like ADs making sure nobody screws up the session.

Anyhow, back in the real world for the OP there's a lesson there...the more calmly confident you are the less likely (in theory) you are to be over-directed. It's often the nervous types that get used like doormats in a session.
_________________
Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!

Philip Banks · Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:52 am Post subject:

Bob the DJ could've done it so much better!!! Well I think so based on his aircheck