Using the advice in the voice actor’s to-do list that was shared in the recent Edge newsletter, and hoping to get some feedback on some recent auditions.
Audition 1 Specs: Male, 40s-70s. Natural, not commercial. Authoritative. A rich, deep, lived-in voice with some unique character. No southern accents (neutral dialect). Ability to romance copy, create a longing for West Virginia. Multiple scripts.
Audition 2 Specs: Super energetic and exciting, yet friendly – that friend who can’t wait to tell you about something new they tried.
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!
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!
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.
I can’t offer any feedback on the delivery in terms of performance (lo siento mucho, no hablo español) but the tone and diction were excellent, and it sounded like it was recorded in a professional space, so for what that’s worth…great job!
Putting the finishing touches on the new booth I’m building (pictures soon!) and did my first sound test this morning with the first page of the next audiobook I’m contracted to narrate. Aside from the plosives and the sound of my phone vibrating, how’s the sound quality of the booth to your ears? (Pretty much ignore everything performance-related, this was just a quick read.)
Sadly, the audition closed before I could submit, but I liked the direction this ended up going…the brief called for “dramatic, slow, poignant, and a hint of a whisper”, with the note that it would be over dark imagery.
Could use some feedback on this audition.
Client brief: strong, warm inviting, real, authentic, anthemic sounding. (Was asked to attempt to “match the read and performance…as much as possible” in this sample video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAk1mY71SaY
Script:
We will always face challenges. The only constant we face is change
This is the nature of the world around us.
But nothing replaces the need for safety and security,
and a proven solution to your needs is what we strive for.
We bring clarity,
We bring safety,
We bring focus.
Our reliable and secure camera technologies and innovations lead the industry in safeguarding you, your businesses, and your assets.
Pelco provides solutions to every situation, because challenges will continue to change.
If you Google it, you’ll find a whole range of opinions on breath sounds, but from what my coaches have told me, just leave them in unless they are truly distracting. (I took out the weird-sounding mouth noises, they’re just gross.)