VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Bruce]

I'm in the process of finding an animated character for a client's TV commercials and so I put the job up on the Work section here. Knowing that this was a fairly choosy client I thought I'd better expand my search and also went to V123 for the first time in about a year.

First let me say the VO-BB auditioners as a group are superior to the other group. I was able to choose 4 out of 15 VO-BBers to submit to the client, and got just 4 out of 55 people who auditioned on V123.

I will say the rating system V123 offers producers ("seekers") is a bit daunting considering I wear both hats. I started to rate people and then realized I'd be forever marking these people's permanent records , and it felt kinda creepy, so I stopped and just listened.

O.K., after listening to 70 auditions, let me be so bold as to offer tips on improving one's chances of making the cut. This applies more to several of the people that came through V123 as opposed to the pros from VO-BB by the way, but maybe there's something here that will inspire you:

Read the producer's comments on what they want and try to apply them to your audition. I know this sounds obvious, but in my description I used phrases like: "animated character, young, a talking sunbeam, not particularly feminine, young in spirit, perky". I couldn't believe how many audtioners used their everyday announcer voices. Not animated, not a character, not young or perky at all. Some of the women turned their femininity UP a notch instead of down.

What's with all the booping and beeping? A handful of auditions had two or three beeps in front of each take, just like they used to do 40 years ago when things were run live from tape (they'd cue things up by counting the beeps). Today it sounds just plain silly. It doesn't help.

If you feel you've got to watermark your audition, don't make it a really annoying noise. I heard a variety of beeps, boops, stop watches, crickets, music tones...some of them so loud it really ruined the audition.

Radio and ex-radio people, please turn down the compression. If you're doing a screaming car commercial demo, sure, leave it up, but it really takes away from what you really sound like on anything else. If your voice sounds like it's all squished into a piece of plastic tubing, that just isn't very appealing.

Make sure your audition's audio quality is good. A number of folks sounded like they were using $20 Radio Shack mics (tinny, no low end, popping the mic), yet their generic demo sounded all nicely produced. I heard lots of room noise on some and computer fans on others. Your audio has to sound technically professional if you want producers to trust that any audio they get from you will be usable.

I hope this helps anyone who needs it. The rest of you, you're sounding great!

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Jeffrey Kafer]

The takeaway? Skip V123 and just come to us. We got your back.
Love to know who the 4 were from here you submitted, but that might not be appropriate.
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Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com

[todd ellis]

[Yoda117]

[TigerMitch]

Bruce:

I "second" your emotion (My Man, Smokey!).

Every audition I do...via agents or, direct...I send out technically perfect and, craft-wise, to the specs asked for. My thought process...I do the audition as if IT IS the final product!

And, if I don't think I can meet the requirements of the read, I don't do it!

Just my 2 cents...Mitch

[Moe Egan]

Thanks for the reminders Bruce. It was very thoughtful of you to take the time to post this for all...'specially for them to whom it applies. Yer Swell!
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Moe Egan
i want to be the voice in your head.
~~~~~

[Yoda117]

[COURVO]

That's great info, Bruce...thanks!

I'd like to think a higher quality comes out of the VO-BB entries 'cause the chatter here leads to technically smarter, creatively more talented, and pragmatically more prepared auditioners than the average bear.

YMMV... but I'm proud to be here, and I think it's made a big difference in my approach to the biz.

CourVO
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Dave Courvoisier - Las Vegas, NV
http://www.CourVO.com
CourVO@CourVO.com
Courvo's "Voice Acting in Vegas" Blog: http://www.CourVO.biz
on your phone at courvo.mobi
702.610.6288
"I'm not a news anchor, but I play one on TV."

[TheVoiceOfBob]

Agreed Dave.

Thanks Bruce for the window into the seeker side of things.

I may not read the instructions when I buy a new electronic toy, but I do read the requirements for a job audition. Sunny, young, perky not me on most days and DEFINITELY not during allergy season.

Now if anyone needs a phlegmy, COPD sounding voice, hurry up, I'll only be this way another week or so.
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Try to imagine a world where there is no such thing as hypothetical situations.

The Voice of Bob

[Lizden]

Hey Bruce!
What a great reminder! Thanks for taking the time to post this...should be required reading for audition newbies...and a great refresher for working VOs!

And Mitch....

[Bailey]

Bruce... Very good comparisons and observations.

I was one that wanted to send you a clip... through the VO-BB... but after I tried 3 or 4 times I realized that it just didn't sound like what you were looking for. Perhaps a few of those from V123 just audition for everything that comes down the Pike... not knowing that they are wasting their time AND the clients time.
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"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."

[asnively]

[louzucaro]

Which is RIDICULOUS since their system completely overloads the audio anyway and makes everything sound a bit icky.
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Lou Zucaro
http://www.voicehero.com

"Well, yeah, there's my favorite leaf!"

[Deirdre]

Thank you Bruce, and thank you gang for caring to send the very best.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Jeffrey Kafer]