Performance wise, two things stand out to me:
1) Respect the punctuation. The “albeit misconceived” clause kind of lives right on top and bulldozes over the commas that feel like they should be there, and there’s a few other times where it feels like that happens and the message starts to get muddied for me. Give the script room to breathe and tell a story.
2) It felt like the same emotional note throughout, no real changes in the overall inflection or emotion. Find the beats in the story, and make the changes in tone to reflect that. You have a very rich voice that will match well with a luxury brand, now it’s just about connecting with the material.
Nice copy, Jbach! I second everything Brian has said here, and I would add that I understand the challenge of typing out copy that you hear directly from a commercial. I’m not sure if that’s how you had gotten this copy, but whenever I find copy this way I notice that I add ellipses and punctuation marks based on what the VO Actor has done and then at risk of it being a direct copy I try and go back and write in as complete a sentence as possible to take their emotional read and their choices back out of it. Again, not sure if this applies to you but if so I hear ya and maybe that will help!
Awesome…I always feel a little beat up and bruised after a session with David, but in a good way…he’s great at really getting the bad habits out of reads. Good luck!
Here is my first upload, please tell me what you think. It’s a PSA about pool safety, here is the text:
POOL SAFETY
Sometimes there’s no do over
Somethings you can’t rewind
That’s when an extra safety step can mean the difference between a close call
And a call to 911
Simple steps save lives
Learn more at PoolSafely dot gov
(edit)
Ooof. Just saw that the WAV file was uploaded so you have to download it. How do I upload like the rest of you, so all you have to do is listen to it?
This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by Shmuel. Reason: mistake in uploading
Hey Everyone! I’m back at it again with some more VO HW, working towards my first commercial demo! If anyone has any comments and suggestions I would greatly appreciate! And tips and tricks too would be awesome! Hope everyone out there is staying safe!!
Motel 6 Do-Over
I’ve just been hearing about this trendy new hairstyle called a man bun. I mean what’s next the hee hive? Well Motel 6 recently got a new updo of sorts too with renovations nationwide and even with our fresh modern look you’ll still find rooms at the lowest price of any national chain so you can save up enough money to get yourself a haircut or maybe a hat.
We’ll leave the light on for you, at Motel6
American Cancer Society
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Wall Street Journal
Between my breakfast and the Wall Street Journal, I get all my daily requirements. To start my day, I need a good balanced breakfast. But, to start my business day, I need my copy of the Wall Street Journal. The Journal gives me all the business information and background I need. So, every morning I read the Wall Street Journal. That way, when I get my daily business information, I’m sure to get a full serving!
Hi. Nice work. On the first one, I’m wondering how you feel about the man bun. Since its the first thing you what happens just before you say that? Do you have lead in?
On the second one, I’d play with being even more conversational than you already are. Who is the one person you’re talking to?
On the third, the first line seems slightly rushed. I’d emphasize breakfast and Wall Street Journal more. Again, what’s happening before your first line?
Thank you everyone for the valuable feedback. I was in fact playing around with my mic placement and background noise reduction, so Sarah’s tidbit on my volume was VERY useful.
Hey Dante! Yes yes yes that voice of yours is fabulous! I would double check your gain level because I found the volume was loud on all three… also I think you’ve got the announcer style down pat. I would play with your second copy, the Excedrin, and try it in a more casual friend to friend conversational style. Just to play and to give yourself a little more variety in the style of read. The announcer style worked well for the type of spot the first and third would be. Great job!
You’ve got a great voice. All three reads, though, were essentially the same tone/emotion (let’s hear some range, I know you have it) and all three felt “announcery”, as opposed to the more conversational tone that casting directors are looking for right now. Reel in the energy (the tone in these would be perfect for a sports commercial) and let’s hear what you can do. Looking forward to hearing more!
Hi Dante. Great voice. On the first one it flows nicely. I hear a hint of maybe a New York accent on the word exercise. Thats not a bad thing of course. It just seemed slightly different from the overall neutral accent you were using. The second one: perfect. Wouldn’t touch it. The third seems to get a little clunky on “athletes, stars and trainers”. Like it was edited with “stars and trainers” added after. At any rate that part seems like it could flow a little more, give each one their moment in the spotlight so to speak.
Good job, Rob. Your words are very clear, but I felt like the delivery was almost a little too slow to be engaging. It’s a fine line that I am working on too. Try it out with picking up the pace a little bit and I think it will come together for you great.
Here’s another script. What do you think of my tone? Did I achieve my goal of sounding confident, genteel, and excited?
Jonny Craig
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I think it sounds confident and excited, but I think it would be good to sound a little more relaxed and at ease especially towards the end. The ending sounds a bit forced. I would relax more but keep the friendliness.
Welcome aboard Ryan. You have a great voice and the tempo you read at was very well-paced. However, I’m not so sure about the words you were hitting and the tone for both of your reads sounds like you’re either reading off a page or just not that interested in the product your selling… When reading a script, imagine you are speaking to the audience face-to-face, or pretend someone’s in front of you and the script is your actual speech. One the most important hurdles a Voice Actor has to overcome is not sounding like a reader. VO is primarily conversational. Hope this helps.