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This topic was modified 4 years, 1 month ago by David Goldberg.
This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by David Goldberg.
Hello all!
Here is another practice script from the library. Please ignore any recording issues. I am just looking for feedback/suggestions on my technique. Thanks!
Script: Cosmos
Welcome to the planet earth. A place of blue nitrogen skies, oceans of liquid water, cool forests, soft meadows; A world positively rippling with life. From the cosmic perspective, it is, for the moment, unique. The only world on which we know with certainty that the matter of the cosmos has become alive, and aware. There must be many such worlds scattered through space, but our search for them begins here, with the accumulated wisdom of the men and women of our species, acquired at great cost, over a million years.
Hi Kevin! I liked your voice for this read and genre. I think the pace could have been a little faster and the tone on the lists throughout (such as “..blue nitrogen skies, oceans of liquid water, cool forests, soft meadows) a little more varied in tone from each other if that makes sense. Your voice is nice and calm and clear. Good job!
A better recording setup would help me hear your performance better and give more specific feedback on your technique. Something you are probably going to address eventually. I think your pacing could be a little faster. In a documentary piece, a slower pace does allow time for the visuals to tell their story but this still seemed a touch slow. At times this has a connected, conversational feeling but then the slow pace and careful articulation makes it feel slightly condescending, like you are speaking to a non-English speaking audience and trying especially hard to be understood. You have a pleasing voice and I’d enjoy listening to you deliver a documentary like this one. Thanks for sharing. Bill A.
Hello all! Here is a recording (on my phone) for any and all feedback. Working with lead-ins to help get in the mood and make it sound more believable and conversational, less like I’m reading. Let me know if it hits the mark. Thank you!
Mary
American Cancer Society
It’s tough to quit smoking. Just ask any of the 50 million Americans who continue to puff away, even though they know the toll it takes on health and longevity. When it comes to breaking this lethal habit, the most effective tool is willpower. The American Cancer Society now offers a free video for those smokers who feel they can’t quit alone. Call the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY today, at 1-800-575-2424
Hi Mary. That was a good lead in line. To help more with making it conversational, some things to consider. Who are you talking to? Is this a friend or loved one? Is this a smoker? Or perhaps the wife of a smoker worried for the health of her husband. How do you feel towards this persons? Be specific. Have a picture in mind. Talk to that person. Bill provided an awesome read below, but don’t just mimic him. He took a point of view. Find your point of view. I could feel the compassion trying to work its way through. Find a way to make it real for you. I hope this helps.
Hi Mary! I think bumping up the pace in areas will help it sound more conversational, rather than a bit methodical. Maybe practice by speaking these lines to your dog, or pretend that the audience is a teenager. That will take some of the stiffness out. I think your best line is definitely: When it comes to breaking this lethal habit, the most effective tool is willpower. That one sounds natural! Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi, Mary. I think this would be more conversational and connected if you didn’t emphasize certain words quite so much. The words you stress you really hit too hard, in my opinion. Try “lifting” the pitch slightly on those words and I think you’ll have a even better read. I’ve attached a clip of me trying to demonstrate this idea. Hope it helps. Bill A.
Hi Bill, thanks for the feedback! Yes, I did hit a few words harder than typical, so that makes sense to lighten that up. I’ll try it again with a more natural, relaxed tone and see how it goes. Thanks for the tips!
Last one! This is a script for an into to paragliding:
Working towards your first pilot rating will be an exciting (and memorable) part of your journey into free flight. Everything is new and even the smallest flights will be immense accomplishments. If you’re listening to this, you’ve probably dreamed the dream and are ready to get started.
Hi KBridges! I’m not hearing anything on this recording? Can you try uploading again please? I tried it a couple of times and maxed out the volume but did not hear anything.
Me again! Here’s another script, kid’s narration for my upcoming demo:
Why is food important? Well, it tastes good, and it’s fun to eat, but it also gives us energy! That means it helps our bodies move and work, so we can grow, play, dance, run, study, and think.
Hi KBridges! One of the things I’m working on is lists. I agree with Mary here, that the last list of 5 (grow, play…) needs more tonal variety. See how you can play with different inflections on those. Love your voice!
Hi KBridges, great work! The only critique I would give is for the 2 sets of lists to be differentiated a bit more to help them stand out. The first list could build up from the first to last item – “it tastes good, and it’s fun to eat, but it also gives us energy!” The second list of 5 items (grow, play, dance, run, study, and think) almost all had the same tone except for think. It’s good, just a touch more variation would make it even better. Good job!
Hello again! Here’s another script, this one is more for kids E-learning:
These words have something in common: Can’t, won’t, don’t….. They are contraction words! In today’s lesson we will learn about contractions and work with a few examples.
What Is a Contraction?
Imagine blowing up a balloon and watching it expand. It gets bigger and bigger. Now if we let the air out, it shrinks, or contracts. To contract means to get smaller.
Here’s a script I’m working on for my upcoming demo. It’s an E-learning piece. Shortened for the demo. Thank you for your ears and critiques!
Breathing correctly is a big part of singing, and you undoubtedly have inhales and exhales along with your actual singing in any vocal recording. Depending on your stylistic decisions,you may need to reduce, remove, or sometimes even add breaths to make your vocal part work in the context of a song.
Hi KBridges! This was a good read. I liked the pacing and the emphasis and pauses throughout. It felt like there may need to be just a tiny more of a pause after “stylistic decisions,…” to prepare the listener for what you are about to tell them, just my opinion on that. Good job!
Hi kbridges, I enjoyed your read and voice. I thought pacing and inflection was good but the volume seems very low and on your 3rd read I could not hear your voice ? I think you need to make them much louder! Hope this helps
Steve
Hi folks. This is a practice before I record my first commercial demo. All tips welcome! I nabbed the script from a real ad….
An Everypaw pet insurance policy would be great for this little rascal. For extra peace of mind when he gets up to mischief. And fancies himself as a bit of a daredevil. Head to everypaw.com for an instant quote.
Hi Sarah, good read! The energy was really great and it was very friendly. I agree that the first 2 words “An Everypaw” ran together, I would suggest really emphasizing “Everypaw” here because it’s a weird unusual word to begin with, and you want the listener to know what you are talking about pretty quickly. You can then emphasize “Everypaw” again at the end of the script to make it stand out and understand what the product / service is that you are talking about. Very good!
Good read! I like the energy and the variation in tone. I think “an Everypaw” ran together so it sounds like “aneverypaw”. I also think you could think of commas instead of periods between these phrases, since they seem like incomplete sentences. “An Everypaw… policy would be great… for extra peace of mind…,and fancies himself a daredevil”. It’s all part of the same thought although there are different ideas here. Just remember to keep them flowing into each other 🙂
Steve. Your read was great for the vibe of this company, which seems like a cool young company. Really nice! You definitely connected with the fun. I agree with the comments on the choppiness. I’m wondering if there is some gating going on with your equipment where perhaps the lower frequencies are being dropped? A couple of interpretation thoughts. Make the distinction clearer that the listener is not an “employee”, they are family. And consider ‘not too formal’ as a qualification of the word “formally” said earlier. So maybe more emphasis on ‘too’. Nice read!
Steve: Great voice for this! I do agree with Kevin on that choppy part at :09, but you played the choppiness perfectly, imo, at :19 on “Now it’s time for me…to bring you…up to speed…”
Steve, this is really awesome. You have a very natural and friendly voice for this genre. I am impressed.
My only feedback is “but not too formal because that’s just not our style” starting at 0:09. It seems choppy with breaks between each word. I think smoothing it out would sound more relaxed and consistent with the rest of your performance. Keep in mind, I am a beginner VO actor, and this is just my impression.
Hi Steve! Great job on this read! Very conversational while still being educational, pleasant and welcoming. Your voice is very well-suited for this genre. I really don’t have much to critique here. Very good!
Ah, I’m imagining this script as part of a new job where you can’t be around people so they send you a cake and this video to help you get started. Pretty funny image.
Good read! It sounds very welcoming and warm, flowing naturally and casually. I hear a smile in your voice 🙂
I think your read was “not too formal” and quite conversational. You sound relaxed and friendly. Only the “complimentary cake you have in front of you” seemed a bit disconnected. You could try gesturing as you say that line as though you’re pointing out the imaginary cake. Otherwise, good quality sound and a strong performance. Thanks for sharing.
FAIRY 1: HEY, IT’S US. THE BEN & JERRY’S FREEZER FAIRIES.
THAT’S RIGHT. BEN & JERRY’S FREEZER FAIRIES. SOME PEOPLE
DON’T BELIEVE IN FREEZER FAIRIES. DOESN’T BOTHER US. WE
KNOW WE’RE HERE.
FAIRY 2: HERE’S HOW IT WORKS. DO SOMETHING
GOOD IN THE WORLD AND BANG. WE STICK A PINT
OR TWO OF BEN & JERRY’S IN YOUR FREEZER WHEN NO ONE IS
LOOKING.
FAIRY 1: DO SOMETHING BAD AND BOOM! NO BEN &
JERRY’S. PLUS WE STICK SOMETHING REALLY WEIRD IN YOUR
FREEZER LIKE FROZEN CLAMS.
FAIRY 2: WE AIN’T NO LIGHTWEIGHT FAIRIES THAT TAP
DANCE ON MOONBEAMS AND STUFF!
FAIRY 1: YEAH, WE WORK FOR A LIVING.
FAIRY 2: JUST LIKE YOU GUYS.
FAIRY 1: OKAY, SETTLE DOWN GUYS. US FREEZER FAIRIES
CAN BE SENSITIVE TOO.
FAIRY 2: SO WHERE WERE WE?
FAIRY 1: LET’S REVIEW. DO SOMETHING GOOD….
FAIRY 2: WE SNEAK SOME BEN & JERRY’S INTO YOUR FREEZER.
MAYBE SOME CHERRY GARCIA.
FAIRY 1: OR SOME CHUNKY MONKEY. DO SOMETHING BAD….
FAIRY 2: AND NO BEN & JERRY’S IN YOUR FREEZER!
FAIRY 1: PLUS WE MESS WITH YOUR HEAD A LITTLE BIT.
FAIRY 2: OK, TILL NEXT TIME. WE WISH YOU A FREEZER FULL OF
LOVE AND SURPRISES.
FAIRY 1: BE GOOD OUT THERE.
FAIRY 2: OR ELSE!
Hi Bil-Bo, You are so talented. I love your voice. I have heard some of your other recordings and they all sound AMAZING!. The way you transition from characters to commercial such ease.
Hi Bil-Bo, really nice! Again, good production with the music. I like the character voices and the lightness of the script, it was really fun to hear. Good job!
Really good! Great work with the music background. Fun script. Like the voice quality a lot. Sometimes it was hard to tell the 2 fairies apart. If you can make the 2 voices a little more distinct from each other that would be an improvement. Nice job!
Good job with this performance, Bil-bo. It was very entertaining for me. I imagined a tv or radio show as I listened to it. Good job incorporating music into your performance too. Did you perform both characters? If so, that was very good. Nice recording quality too.
FAIRY 1: HEY, IT’S US. THE BEN & JERRY’S FREEZER FAIRIES.
THAT’S RIGHT. BEN & JERRY’S FREEZER FAIRIES. SOME PEOPLE
DON’T BELIEVE IN FREEZER FAIRIES. DOESN’T BOTHER US. WE
KNOW WE’RE HERE.
FAIRY 2: HERE’S HOW IT WORKS. DO SOMETHING
GOOD IN THE WORLD AND BANG. WE STICK A PINT
OR TWO OF BEN & JERRY’S IN YOUR FREEZER WHEN NO ONE IS
LOOKING.
FAIRY 1: DO SOMETHING BAD AND BOOM! NO BEN &
JERRY’S. PLUS WE STICK SOMETHING REALLY WEIRD IN YOUR
FREEZER LIKE FROZEN CLAMS.
FAIRY 2: WE AIN’T NO LIGHTWEIGHT FAIRIES THAT TAP
DANCE ON MOONBEAMS AND STUFF!
FAIRY 1: YEAH, WE WORK FOR A LIVING.
FAIRY 2: JUST LIKE YOU GUYS.
FAIRY 1: OKAY, SETTLE DOWN GUYS. US FREEZER FAIRIES
CAN BE SENSITIVE TOO.
FAIRY 2: SO WHERE WERE WE?
FAIRY 1: LET’S REVIEW. DO SOMETHING GOOD….
FAIRY 2: WE SNEAK SOME BEN & JERRY’S INTO YOUR FREEZER.
MAYBE SOME CHERRY GARCIA.
FAIRY 1: OR SOME CHUNKY MONKEY. DO SOMETHING BAD….
FAIRY 2: AND NO BEN & JERRY’S IN YOUR FREEZER!
FAIRY 1: PLUS WE MESS WITH YOUR HEAD A LITTLE BIT.
FAIRY 2: OK, TILL NEXT TIME. WE WISH YOU A FREEZER FULL OF
LOVE AND SURPRISES.
FAIRY 1: BE GOOD OUT THERE.
FAIRY 2: OR ELSE!
Beringer Wine
Some might choose a lecture or a documentary film to tell the story of 125 years of winemaking. We prefer a glass. At Beringer, we are proud to be the only winery ever to win Wine Spectator’s “Number-1 Wine of the Year” for both a cabernet and a chardonnay. But our greatest achievement lies in knowing that everything we’ve learned is yours to enjoy – each time you pour a glass of our wine. Beringer…All we are in every bottle.
Hi Bil-Bo, very good! I too like the music behind it, it’s very well-produced. Your voice is so nice and conversational on this, really sounded effortless and great for the script. Very good job!
This is really well done. Your delivery of the script is excellent. Your voice fits the part really well. Again, good job working in the music background, especially the timing with the music concluding right as you conclude. I’d be curious to know how you did that. Did you just time your delivery and then find a track of the same length? Only suggestion might be to lower the level of the music a little relative to the volume of your voice. Excellent! Looking forward to hearing more!
Hi Daniel
It’s easy to find production music in 30-second and 60-second versions for 30 & 60 second scripts for radio and tv. When recording voice track you know you need to come in a second or two under 30 or 60. Thanks for listening and commenting.
BillH