VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

AndreaK · Joined: 01 Aug 2012 Posts: 4

I posted this in another VO board. While I'm waiting to hear from more people there, I thought I'd also post here to get more (and more) critiques.

Here's the low down:
-I'm new. And bright green. Like the relish at Sam's Club.
-This is my first practice session I've recorded. It's not demo ready and neither am I, but I value your feedback.
-I added music and then was kindly informed that most stuff would be dry. -Ignore it if you must. I have a music background and couldn't help but add in something that reminded me of an Imax film.
-I am signing up for classes, very cautiously, with a certain training service that has mixed reviews. But, for a beginner like me, it is a good fit.
-I'd like to know what you think of my voice, what you hear, what you like, don't like, what you're thinking as you listen.
-I'm asking to be grilled because I've read your profiles, checked out your websites: a lot of you are the real deal! I highly value your opinions.
In the future, I hope to get demos and post them here for more feedback. It should be very interesting to see the difference between now and the future.

I hope that helps you understand where I'm coming from! And thank you very much in advance.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/94581868/Grand%20Canyon%20fun%20pg%20167-169.mp3

Philip Banks · Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 1:07 pm Post subject:

I was SO much worserer than you when I started! If you want to suck you're going to have to put in a little more effort than you've made thus far.

Your sound is marketable, fabby! You're not ready yet but you knew that any way.

Lesson one - Get a friend in the same room as you or on the phone and have a good ole chat with them. Record the chat. Do some editing and then listen to you communicating with someone. Listen to your prepared audio and really hear and feel the difference. Take a piece of copy and make it sound like you.

Next lesson 75cents ...You can owe me

ConnieTerwilliger · Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 2:54 pm Post subject:

You probably sound much like you do on this sample, in pitch and general energy and stuff, but I echo Philip's suggestion. You need to hear your genuine connection when just talking extemporaneously with someone. There are subtle pauses and inflections and thinking that happen when you are really listening and communicating.

That's what you need to bring to the recording.

And yes, a lot of copy makes it VERY difficult to do this! That's what makes this business a lot harder than just reading aloud.
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AndreaK · Joined: 01 Aug 2012 Posts: 4

Thank you both! I do sound like I rehearsed this - good for me, not so good for sounding like a conversation! I'll "accidentally" record something with my husband some time very soon and listen to what I sound like in a recording.

melissa eX · Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 10:03 pm Post subject:

Yes to what both Philip and Connie said. And also, slow down. Which will happen naturally when you really connect with what you're reading. It's those subtle pauses that Connie talks about that happen naturally when you're in the moment.

And yeah, I was a lot worse than this when I first started. A lot.

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

One of my former worst habits (generally a bad habit among many VOs) is to rush the first phrase of every line. You might think that the substantial content is in the middle of the sentence, but if you really treat the first phrase with care and make it deliberate/thoughtful the rest of the sentence will flow. Somebody wrote these words, and they are thoughts...the first phrase was chosen deliberately. Sometimes, it's good to say things in an off-hand quick way if you've established that flow, but if the flow isn't there in the script don't force it.

For example, take the sentence "There is a way to get exactly what you want."

You could say:

"Thereisaway to get exactly what you want." or, you could say

"There is a way to get exactly what you want." and surprisingly, the "you want" will probably end up being much more interesting and full of meaning in the second version. Try it! Smile

Keep at it and good luck. Great advice all around.
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Bob Bergen · CM Joined: 22 Apr 2008 Posts: 981

Hey Andrea! You are much riper than you think. Not nearly as green!

I agree with everyone else. You need to get to the point where you are able to bring more of "Andrea" to the read. It's more about what you do with the words than what you sound like. The script is a skeleton. You need to give it a body.

This will all come with time and experience. Study improv! You need to get comfortable in your own skin. You need to be able to bring yourself to the copy with ease. You've got the chops. Now you just need to hone them.

And just to give you some perspective, here's a clip of my very first day in a VO workshop. You are MILES better than I was!!
http://bobbergen.com/audio/BBFirstDayVO%201.mp3

As they saying goes, it gets better!! BB

Bruce · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:34 am Post subject:

Bob, you are a bold man to post that. But as they say, we all gotta start somewhere.

One of these days I'll transfer some of my earliest air checks and commercial reads from tape to digital, and finally post them somewhere... when I'm too old to care.

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

Thanks Bob! Even that clip is charming and there's personality to it. We hear that in Andrea's VO too! I've saved some of my first clips that have derogatory labels like "Really Lame First Narration Reel - Don't Bother.mp3"
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Philip Banks · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:09 pm Post subject:

Right. Audio from a TV commercial. My personal walk of shame

http://soundcloud.com/philip-banks/singingelephant

Bish · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 2:34 pm Post subject:

Philip, I will never, ever, be able to look at you the same way again Cry

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AndreaK · Joined: 01 Aug 2012 Posts: 4

OK, I know this sounds like brown nosing. Maybe it is! But thank you for all the comments and, even more for sharing your first sessions with me! That's f-ing awesome that you're willing to go out on a limb and show me where you started compared to where you are today. THANK YOU!
~Brown nosing over, commence life.