Consider ways to break from the stereotypical pattern.  A huge number of the participants read the first line like this: “For Jen (pause) truth was (pause) relative.” Pausing after the first word or two is a habit even long-experienced professionals fall into. It interrupts your first thought, making it harder to capture and hold the listener’s imagination. (Also, this is a TV commercial. If it had been a radio commercial, with no visual of Jen, the pause could make the cold-open syllables “For Jen” meaningless and confusing.)  Yes, there is a comma after “Jen,” but it’s not a full stop, and sometimes a comma is more for grammatical form.  In the case of this script, neither pause was even logical; often it was just weird and clumsy.

And, in an audition, it sounds, oh, so repetitious.  Yet, it was a choice that just about everyone made. For comparison, listen to our first place winner.  She paused at the first comma (generally a good practice), but super-briefly, and in a way that audibly continued her thought into the next words.

Pronounce words correctly. Many people mispronounced the opening word (“For”) as “Fer” and the second word (“Jen”) as “Jin.”  Some of these might have been a US Southern pronunciation (for example many Southerners pronounce “ten” as “tin.”  But, these first two words, especially since they’re the first two words, they could be heard as “Forge in,” or “For gin,” or just not understood at all.

Don’t rush it.  This is a very common issue with auditions.  (In fact, this is a “reprise” of a tip we gave last month.)  There are various reasons why talent might speak too fast.  Nervousness.  Wanting to show enthusiasm and energy.  Or just never thought about it.  This is true even of many submissions that otherwise might be very good.

There are several reasons why rushing a read is less than stellar:

1. It doesn’t take into account the video aspect. Give the viewer time to relate the video action and your words.

2. It doesn’t allow your words – or, more importantly, your thoughts – to sink in.

3. Hyperactivity is not always pleasant.

Provide professional sound quality. The vast majority of entrants had terrible audio and/or mic technique.  They were too far from the mic, or recording in a room full of hard surfaces, and clearly didn’t even try to surround themselves with blankets or pillows.

Furthermore, although this contest is a learning experience, and so we welcome (and try to listen to) every entry, a recording that has horrid audio quality is not going to win First Place. If you need the challenge to get your VO juices flowing, we welcome your best shot for now, but you should plan to improve your sound as soon as you’re able.  Be aware that — in this era of remote auditioning and recording — without professional-sounding audio, you won’t be considered a professional VO talent, no matter how well you read.

A great way to understand what professional audio consists of would be to take our Home Studio 101 class.  You’ll learn how to set up a recording space, set your volume levels correctly, how to choose and work the mic, how to use DAW (recording software) correctly, and more.