VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

starkeee1 · Guest

I was curious as to others' thoughts on this --

My voiceover demo has two tracks, a commercial and a narration track - the commercial track is a little over 2 minutes, the narration track is one.

Recently I've gotten some feedback that no one wants to hear a demo longer than a minute, so I'm considering cutting down my commercial track.

What are others' experiences and thoughts on this?

Guest · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:04 pm Post subject:

Reverse the two. 1 minute for the commercial and 2 for the narration.

Deirdre · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 7:41 pm Post subject:

I keep my commercial stuff under a minute.

You get about 7 seconds to snag the ear of the person who is listening. Be excellent out of the starting gate and then showcase a few of your very best bits.
Leave 'em wanting more, but don't make the mistake of having tiny elements that don't give the sample a chance to be heard.
In the 57 seconds of my spots demo, I have 8 elements.

My current character demo is less than 20 seconds.

The radio image demo is less than 30 seconds.

Narration is about a minute and a half.
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anthonyVO · 14th Avenue Joined: 09 Aug 2005 Posts: 1470 Location: NYC

Keep the commercial demo to a minute (minute and a half maximum, but a minute or close to it would be best).

Normally, no one listens over 15 seconds or so anyway.
Go on voicebank.net - you'll get a feel for length of individual spots (some demos can be better even at that level, but it's still a good resource for thousands of demos).

I agree with everyone here.

-Anthony

kitstern · Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2005 10:30 pm Post subject:

I'm thinking of having a "quicky" overview of less than a minute somewhere on my site. Then if they're interested in hearing more, they can go to the demo page.

I was also told that the narration demo needs to be longer, but you have to be careful about not having enough length in the spots on the commercial demo.
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Philip Banks · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2005 12:16 am Post subject:

The listener will decide the length of your demo by hitting stop. They will make a judgement based on what they want to hear. Sometimes there will be a requirement to hear more than a few seconds to establish if you can hold interest levels, equally if you deliver THE sound in one second then the job is yours.

Should someone comment that a demo is too long at 2 or 3 minutes with a variety of material, how interesting would the artist concerned remain during a audio book reading or a corporate training video. It is not enough to say a demo is too long there has to be a reason.

Best demo length is a matter of opinion and is based on the individual voice over artist. Best foot forward in 30 seconds, beyond that even a cake recipe will do.

My MegatasticMixJune2005 demo runs for 6mins 5 seconds.

A voice over artist wants more work or in the majority of cases some work. Opinions regarding demo length, CD artwork, choice of material, studio quality, the best coach, the best book, the best agent, the best website and how the market is collapsing or expanding are everywhere. Truth is that no one knows and they don't have the guts to admit it. What we face every day can be summed up in the text below.

The impossible is always tricky. Once it has been accomplished, people are full of logic. 'This is how it happened...' they say, in a tone of voice which implies that they were always expecting such an outcome. When, though, someone dares to admit that they really do not know how they managed to make something occur, they are looked at disdainfully, rather as they are when they announce their intention to try something that most people think of as hopeless. You had best decide what you want today; an explanation - or a result?

Bruce · Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2005 9:21 am Post subject:

When I wear my producer hat I listen until I get an idea if the talent is appropriate for the job. Frequently I have my answer in 5 seconds, and if I'm listening to 100 demos, I just don't have the time or patience to listen to 100 minutes (or more) of demos. If they're good for the job or just really good, I will listen to the whole thing.

Narration demos are usually a bit longer with longer cuts to show that you can get the "arc" of an idea accross.

Bruce

CWToo · Guest

starkeee1 · Guest

Thanks for the comments!

I've generally gotten positive feedback on my demo, and I have gotten work from it (though I've embarked on my first major marketing effort somewhat recently). So I think I'll stick with it as is for now. But length is definitely something to keep in mind for the future or when I feel like I'm ready to start replacing spots with work that I've done.

Interesting that you mention having a longer narration track - I got that comment also from one producer -- when I mentioned that I've gotten mostly narration work, she recommended lengthening that track to show more variety.

Thanks again all!

audio'connell · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 7:48 pm Post subject:

One minute...nothing longer. And it didn't take me SIX paragraphs to get to my point. :lol: Brevity...the choice of a pointless generation.
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audioconnell Voice Over Talent
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Philip Banks · Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 11:40 pm Post subject:

Brevity, particularly if you're dull. Laugh

audio'connell · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 3:55 am Post subject: Oh yeah?!

Philip Banks · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 6:40 am Post subject:

To enjoy the benefits of the full set...............You have to be British!

Jim Barton · Guest

I usually try to keep commercial demos right at :60, primarily because that's the cap that most agents require for their websites and agency CD's. Other than that, your demo can really be as long as you want, with the caveat that most producers won't listen much past the first 20-30 seconds anyway.

As far as narration goes you can (and should) make the demo longer, primarily to demonstrate that you have the ability to sustain a particular style, ie high-tech, medical, a dialect, etc. So I usually feature pieces of 15-30 seconds in length for my narration demo, making the entire demo 2-2.5 minutes long.

I also would suggest that talent interested in producing an audiobook demo should make it separate from your narration demo. Your target audience for these two industries couldn't be more different; the audiobook producer certainly doesn't want to hear your latest Biotech read, and the producer in charge of corporate communications at XYZ, Inc. isn't interested in your take on Little Women.

Jim

Andy · Guest

I'm married to a Little Woman...all of 5'1" and 100 lbs. soaking wet. I'd just as soon refrain from givin' ya my take on her 'cause she's been quite the nice nurse lady since I broke my leg and I wouldn't wanna get tossed off that gravy train.