GE
Voice Direction:
This is a simulated audition for an 8 section HR safety video series for GE. Each section will range from 30 to 60 minutes. The videos will be played to employees at all our labs in 11 different countries. The voice will be synced to various charts and graphics in the video.
Script:
The purpose of this 8-section video-series is to increase your knowledge of ionizing radiation and to help you develop safe work habits here in the GE laboratory. A test will follow each section. Select "section 1" when you're ready to begin.
Congratulations to our winners, Gene Manning, Randall Horvath, and Tanya Sudy. What better way to demonstrate and learn about narration than a quick course in ionizing radiation? No, really, in most VO genres, you never know when you’ll encounter something new. They each did a good job of expressing confidence, with clarity and a more friendly manner than some. These tips will help you radiate all those qualities – or whatever the Director asks for – in your next audition.
1st place winner: Gene Manning
Judge's Comments
Generally good. He has confidence, vocal drive, and makes the material seem clear. Pacing is a smidge too fast. A few breaths land inside phrases, which cause him to sound somewhat choppy and out of breath (as if straining to breathe). The technical quality is borderline. It’s a little muffled, and a bit unclear. We hear random noises, maybe someone or something moving in the background. If the client will record the actual job in their own studio, these factors may not much matter. But they are distracting, could raise a screener’s eyebrows, and maybe cost him the job.
2nd place winner: Randall Horvath
Judge's Comments
Good phrasing, good enunciation, good tempo, all good. But he sounds a bit dry. He could use a bit more pride or warmth in his voice. Also, some sloppiness: He said “tuh-‘ncrease your knowledge.” A vocal indication, such as a very short break, or a change in pitch, or a change in tempo) prior to “Section 1” would have been helpful to convey the opening quotation mark … whereas the longer pause after “Section 1” was too long. Recording quality is clear, but a noisy background and slight resonance would make it unusable in a real-world job.
3rd place winner: Tanya Sudy
Judge's Comments
Overall, her tempo, pacing, and pronunciation are good. Several other considerations detracting from those qualities. Her read is stilted and somewhat choppy, with numerous tiny hesitations between thoughts, and tiny glottal stops. (A glottal stop is a momentary closing of the throat, typically before a word that begins with a vowel). So the overall impression is that she simply needs some technical training. The pronunciation of “8-section video” is awkward – it sounds like she says “sectionuh.” Recording quality is not good – there’s way too much resonance in her space, making this unusable. The audio is otherwise clean, so improving the room tone should be her focus.
