Not-quite-newbie seeks demo feedback...

Matt Prather

Hi, there!

So why "not quite newbie"? Well, 2 reasons: (1) I also work as a VUI Designer, so I've coached voice talent for years, (2) because I worked in the VO biz a looooooooong time ago (roughly when the Flintstones were still using the bird beak to play the granite platters on the Victrola), but I've been away for quite a while --- and everything has changed so much, I feel like a newbie, especially since I don't have a sweet PSA gig or station affiliation any more... Sad

At any rate, I'd love some feedback on my Commercial/Character demo. I'm even thinking I might need to tease out the various parts and assemble a dedicated Commerical version and a dedicated Character version (also have Narration, IVR/VUI, and Spanish-language demos). The producer didn't think it was necessary, but I'm not sure I agree....

Thoughts? Thanks in advance! --Matt

Scott Pratt · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007, 03:33 (GMT) Post subject:

You have a great tone, you have "warm and reassuring" totally wrapped up...I agree that splitting into separate commercial/character demos would be a good idea, as together, it seems a little long. I especially liked the hospital spot (delivered a baby at 25 weeks, etc), great read. Overall (from a real newbie, so for what it's worth), good job!

Scott

Matt Prather · Posted: Fri Feb 23, 2007, 23:45 (GMT) Post subject: Thanks, Scott!

Well, thanks, Scott --- appreciate that, although my friends would probably characterize me as anything but "warm and reassuring"! LOL

Anybody else? C'mon, I can't believe there are no opinions out there, one way or the other. What's good about this, what's not so great about this? Should it be reordered, chopped up into commercial vs. character, chopped up into individual segments, or.......just chopped up?!

Bring it on, I can deal with it --- after all, I'm warm and reassuring! Wink

--Matt

Robert Jadah · Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007, 00:04 (GMT) Post subject: Welcome Matt

That was fun, Matt...a nice trip through Voiceland.
You have some nice chops.
As a general demo, however, I'd question its usefulness.
It may - may - be a good presentation demo when trawling for an agent.
But, I mean, if you pop that in as a generic answer to a posting for a medical Power Point presentation, the client's going to hit that STOP button fairly quickly.
Firstly, you must separate the character stuff from the commercial stuff.
This ain't Carnegie Hall. And keep in mind that the character stuff is very, very, very minor.
And I did detect a common - and oftimes fatal - deep-voice affliction (which I share) that I term Vocal Narcissism. We can be so impressed with our own rumblings that we forget to BE THE TEXT.
It disconnects the voice from the listener...bringing us back to the Carnegie Hall image.
There is also a sing-song cadence to your delivery. I take flack for a similar style, but consider it more a signature tone than a flaw. It will be remarked upon, however.
You have a warm elegance; an articulate class.
But I think you're a ways away from bringing it to the pedestrian copy with which V123 abounds.
Put your best commercial snippets together. Keep them short. Run the whole thing some :60.
I know we'll be hearing you around.....
Voice On

Matt Prather · Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007, 00:36 (GMT) Post subject: Re: Welcome Matt

John Bigl · Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007, 00:56 (GMT) Post subject: very nice

nice depth and versatilty, Matt ...

Welcome to The Forums...
Be sure and check in at Hola, Hello etc etc...

Can you do a nice Wagner aria for me?? I'll edit next to some Kiri Te ....

Smile

Be Well

J.S. Gilbert · Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007, 20:06 (GMT) Post subject: my 2 cents

Two things going for it. I can hear a degree of acting ability and most of itsounds like things you might be cast to do.

Specifics - I think you can pull out a nice guy warm read and I think you can do a sracastic guy read well. If you combine them, there needs to be some sort of action taking place that would cause you to go from one to the other. Starbucks to me has a hint of "smarmy' at places that doesn't fit the copy. I would also take out the line "this is hogwas of course". it makes me lose my suspension of disbelief.

The piece about safely delivering a baby could have more of a proud sound ot it and the end line I think you can play around a whole lot more. I think that when you said thatline you didn't have a clear sense of what you were trying to motivate the listener to do. Are you superior? Are you trying to get them to seek work opprotunities at your place of employment? It would also be better if you think of a very specific individual to say it to.

Church lady thing and some other stuff should be cut down considerably. It represents less than 1/5 of 1% of what you might get hired for on here.

Vocal quality and tonality is very good and so is your overall pacing and comedic timing. My thought is that given some time and the right copy, youo might be able to develop a very signature read like Ben Stein or John O'Hurley. In your particular case I think your money voice is rather evident. I wouldn't hire you to do annoying high pitched bad imersonations of Mrs. Doubtfire.

Matt Prather · Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007, 21:10 (GMT) Post subject: Re: my 2 cents

J.S. Gilbert · Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007, 21:53 (GMT) Post subject: defensive are we?

As you can see, I liked your demo overall. You were asking for ways it can be improved. Were you asking about the demo in general or were you asking someone with over 3 years experience on V123, who has both hired and been hired through here what their opinion of the demo was for it's use in marekting yourself here?

I have opinions both ways.

Honestly I don't care about who you did the spot for and/or why or whether it was real or not. I'm comenting on it's overall sound to me as it would apply to someone considering hiring talent would judge it.

In particular, my comments were designed to appeal to the bulk of individuals who might look for talent on V123 today.
You are better off with 30 seconds of that which might appeal to the bulk of people looking for talent.

As for it's use in a broader context. If you only let me hear 8 seconds of something you did, then that is what I will judge you on. I'm not going to call you up on the phone and ask you what the rest of the spot sounded like or what it's context was. to me, the voice was nice and in it's context, which is the onyl friggin thing you will be judged on it didn't fly for me.

As for your hospital spot,just as voice talent don't need any background or training these days and also have their good and bad days, so do directors. Personally I don't think that what you say there motivates the listener to any call to action. If this was a piece that highly relied on it's visuals which made it more effective, then it loses something by not having them. As a voice talent, I drop my everything else hat for the most part and do what I'm being told. If I'm asked for a critique, I try to examine things utilizing the sum total of my experiences. I personally beleive I could direct you better on the closing line and then I must assume that other directors can too. If you recorded that piece at The Annex in Menlo Park, then I probably know the director. I don't mean to knock anybody and I don't know what the client wanted, etc. I do know that on a demo you don't have to satisfy clients or stick to the script.

Honestly, I thought that most of this stuff was produced for you by a v.o. teacher as part of a produced demo, and was not paid work. Since you tell me that is not the case, then I believe you. The fact that it sounds as though it was mostly all done on the same mic with identical pre, eq and compression (aside from one or two pieces) is probably due to the fact that I'm an idiot and don't know what I'm talking about.
In which case, you should probably disregard anything I have to say.

Matt, you're in my market- I work Santa Cruz to Sacramento and I'm in S.F. I work regularly for Tellme, Be Vocal, Pearson Educational. I'm on several boards of directors for Advertising and Gaming Industries and I was the Bay Area ADDY Awards Chair for 2005 and 2006. I write about advertising and audio for magazines and I'm also pretty busy as a v.o. talent.

Just thought I'd clarify who you're getting the critique from.