Claritin
Voice Direction:
This is a simulated audition for a 15-second radio spot for Claritin allergy medication. Read should be crisp and clear to reflect the clarity of the product, and with a friendly tone. No slate.
Script:
Say goodbye to itchy eyes and runny noses with Claritin D, the number one allergy medicine. Claritin D is clinically tested and has been proven to relieve everyday allergy symptoms. Soak up the sun and breathe clearly again with Claritin.
Congratulations to our winners, Stacey Kay, Erin Cox, and Jacob Keebler. They gave our allergy script a breath of fresh air. Here are tips to help you relax and deliver your next audition more easily.
Another example is the letter D. Most people missed it in “goodbye” and left us with “gooh-bye.” Here’s a tip: “Watch” your pronunciation literally. Practice a bit in front of a mirror. Do you do these sufficiently: move your jaw, open your mouth, and use your tongue? Working at the mirror, exaggerate your mouth activity, then – when at the mic – reduce your exaggerated movements to what is then more precise than originally, but now feels natural.
Other slurred words ranged in this simulated audition, including “simtms” for “symptoms,” “wunny” for “runny,” and others. We don’t believe voice actors intentionally pronounced these words this way to sound stuffed-up.
1st place winner: Stacey Kay
Judge's Comments
Fabulous. She nailed it…almost. Her vocal performance is crisp and clear. And she’s friendly. That’s all very good. But she could add more “friendly.” One way to help in this would be to eliminate the tension-inducing glottal stops (as explained in the article above). There’s a tiny one before “itchy,” and big ones before “allergy” and “everyday.” Also, remember that “friendliness” should not come at the expense of that clarity. As it is, she said “gooh-bye.” And, wow, although the script says “Claritin D” in two places, the end of the script is simply “Claritin.” She should not have added the “D” there. From a technical standpoint, there is a bit of slapback reverb. That’s different from typical room resonance. “Slapback” is a single repetition, very quick, as if standing in a small alley or long, wide hallway. Since most jobs are recorded in the talent’s studio, that could cost her the assignment.
2nd place winner: Erin Cox
Judge's Comments
A friendly read, audibly showing off a wonderful smile. But she needs to pay more attention to performance detail. Overall, it’s just not super-clear. Specifically, she said “gooh-buy.” There’s a tiny hesitation or glottal stop between “Claritin D” and “is clinically.” There are also glottal stops before “everyday” and “allergy.” And the words “soak up the sun” sound like “soak up duh sun.” Technically, the audio is muffled, a bit low, with a tiny amount of resonance.
3rd place winner: Jacob Kuebler (Keebler)
Judge's Comments
A nice, friendly read. It’s smooth, with no glottal stops. This is very refreshing for a reviewer to hear. And, although it’s unlikely that the client will use the ending sneeze, it is a fun (and realistic sounding) bit of creativity. To move up in the shortlist, he needs to work on some other things. Overall, there’s not enough variety – or emotional progression — to maintain the listener’s interest. Even words like “itchy” and “runny” are near identical. Another factor that limits emotion is his focus on articulation. It’s good to enunciate. But it’s not good when people hear you thinking about it or you sound rehearsed. For example, “has been proven” is too distinct – it sounds rather robotic. This is ironic, as he let his guard down with “gooh-bye.” The “every” in “everyday” is a bit slurred. And, again speaking of emotion, the last words of the first and last sentences are a bit dark – they lack the “smile.” The audio is a bit low and slightly muffled. There’s a sloppy edit between “symptoms” and “soak.”
