VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Jason Huggins · Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:44 am Post subject: Small stat comparison

I will start off by saying that this has P2Ps as part of the topic. I do NOT want to talk about the merits of P2P sites whatsoever. I simply had a question about personal strategy, put some numbers together, and wanted to share the information.

So I am 33. I would consider that still in the Young Adult category (if you say young adult is 20-40 and middle age is 40-60ish). So for the purpose of using my auditioning time effectively I wanted to see what category people had hired me to voice. Is it worth my time to audition for projects that have Middle Aged Male in the casting specs? I took a look at every job I have done on Voices.com and found that almost exactly 1/3 were Young Adult, 1/3 were Middle Aged and 1/3 were not specified.

My takeaway from this? Labels are often relatively pointless. Just because a project is looking for a person that is outside your age range that does not preclude you from being selected. It seems that often time, people are guessing as to what they want and they don't know it until they hear it. They might say Middle Aged (thinking they want someone who is 45) but then hear a 25 year old read and interpret the script very well and realize that that fits better. The opposite is surely true as well. If they ask for someone who is a Young Adult, and then hear a mature voice, that could be exactly what they wanted...but just didn't realize it.

The moral of the story: Don't let casting specs deter you from auditioning for a project that you believe you could do well.*

*Obviously this doesn't mean that you should never use casting specs to determine whether or not to audition. If they are asking for a man that sounds like Mike Rowe, it is a pretty safe bet that a 22 year old woman would not be considered and it would be a waste of time...but hey, I've heard some creative folks out there!

Lee Gordon · Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 10:32 am Post subject:

I'm 65 and do not let a "young adult" spec deter me from going after a job. If they go into more detail and include words like "youthful" or "hip," I generally pass. But terms like "young" or "senior" are very subjective and you never know what perspective the producer has, unless they provide examples.
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Bish · Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 4:36 pm Post subject: Re: Small stat comparison

Jason Huggins · Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:47 pm Post subject:

Well used my British friend Smile

bobsouer · Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:16 am Post subject:

Jason,

I think the key is your sound, not your actual age. I have sounded like a middle-aged male since I was 25. Some of my friends are well beyond me in years and still sound much younger than either of us.
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FinMac · Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:27 pm Post subject: Depends on your perspective

Was recently in a coaching session with a very well known and respected producer/director/coach who has a large studio in NYC.

He told a story about a commercial he was to produce where the client asked for a "kid" to record the voice over.

So they brought in a 10 year old to record the spot. When the client heard the recording he said, "that's too young". So they brought in a young teenager. "That's too young" was the reply again.

So, they brought in a 20 year old and got the same reply. A 25 year old was next, but still the same song. In the end a 35 year-old was found that was the right "age" for the spot.

Turns out that the client was about 90 years old, so a 35 year old was a kid in his view.

It all depends on the perspective of the potential client as to what they really want. So don't sweat it !
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yarg28 · Posted: Fri Mar 13, 2015 1:38 pm Post subject:

i sort of struggle with this also. I'm 44 but generally appear, sound, and act younger (less and less so all the time) than that. The difference between "young adult" and "middle age" is extremely subjective.

I just read the copy and see if it sounds "hipper" than I can be. Sometimes the middle age copy sounds a bit too sophisticated for me.

Too bad I'm not a better actor.

At any rate, I've checked stats also and I havent found a pattern for me yet either. Cant decide if thats good or bad.

MichaelN · Joined: 17 Feb 2015 Posts: 8

Jason, you bring up a very interesting point which I was thinking about recently. You're right, with Voices.com it's a no brainer since auditions aren't limited.
However, do you approach it the same way with voice123 where the SmartCast limit comes into play? I imagine the copy plays a huge part. So even if they request Middle/Senior and the copy sounds like something a young adult might say, would you go for it?

Philip Banks · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:45 am Post subject:

He refuses to discuss his P2P approach ..On pain of death!

Jason Huggins · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:07 am Post subject:

Phillip is right Smile

The point of the post wasn't to get into P2P strategy, but rather to say that you should audition for anything you feel capable of (regardless of origin) even if the specs don't completely match you....within reason Smile

Philip Banks · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:36 am Post subject:

It's a gut reaction "Mmmyeah that's me!" or "DELETE!"

Bish · Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:41 am Post subject:

I've always applied the two question rule:

1) Can I do this?
2) Should I do this?

You can take them in either order, but do you think you can do a good job (even with stretching the given "direction"... (Philip's "that's me") ... and is it worth doing from a source/pay/hassle/can't be arsed point of view?
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MichaelN · Joined: 17 Feb 2015 Posts: 8

Yikes, death ... that's something a little tricky to bounce back from!

But yeah, what you've all said makes sense, if the invisible neon lights above the copy say "YOU", do it.

chrisvoco · Club 300 Joined: 14 Mar 2014 Posts: 380 Location: Local

Here at my house, we've all been sick and it's fallen to me to be the nurse. I haven't even come near the mic lately. If you see any requests for worn-out dudes who sound like they've been gargling razor blades and bleach, lemme know.
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