LEADS AND READS - WEEK OF 11/12 thru 11/18

Erik Sheppard

Open for business.

Christian Plasberg · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007, 15:54 (GMT) Post subject:

Been a while since I logged on here (still had to do it twice, but oh well)...

David Oxford · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007, 19:44 (GMT) Post subject:

Hey, Scott.

I know we're into the new week here on L&R but I wanted to respond to your last post on last week's thread, regarding the '2' you got for that promotional video audition you submitted. If it makes you feel any better, I got a '2' on it, as well...and I noticed their average rating for all auditions is a 2.4? I mean, I know how to read and everything - and I saw where they wanted a deep-voiced delivery. I thought I gave them one of my better reads (my pipes were definitely resonating on that one) but I suppose I just don't know what they're looking for. (Do they?)

I know people will say not to worry about the ratings - and for the most part, I really don't. However, I still don't understand how a lead can be posted with the information given...and then you follow that information and give it a really GOOD read....and they slap a '2' on you? I guess I'm getting a little paranoid lately because, there for awhile, I was getting nothing but 4's & 5's (with an occasional 3) but more recently, I'm getting hit with more 3's and, now, this 2. I don't think I've lost my sense of direction all of a sudden - so what gives? I know this has been discussed more than once already.....but, any further thoughts from anyone? I wouldn't be wasting my time writing about it here if I didn't think that, in some way, this "rating figure" we obtain as a result of the combined ratings we're given impacts our future ability to receive leads, whether through the V123 Smartcast system or from private seekers.

Colin Campbell · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007, 20:10 (GMT) Post subject:

This got me a 2... (I should have given them a 1 for bad copy. Full of errors.)

David Oxford · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007, 20:22 (GMT) Post subject:

Lee Gordon · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007, 21:29 (GMT) Post subject:

Let's see now -- Scott and Colin each get "2" ratings and 2.4 is the average. I got a 3 for that one so I guess the job will be mine, huh? Anxious

BTW, Colin is so right about the script. Both it and their project decription appeared to be written by someone whose native language may not have been English.

I decided to read the script exactly as it was provided, leaving in things like "bacteria's, ammonias, and algae's." And, frankly, I don't know why they didn't pluralize "ammonia" with an apostrophe, as they incorrectly did with the other two words that should have been singular in the first place. knüppeln

Diane Havens · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007, 22:18 (GMT) Post subject:

When I see copy written that poorly, I just delete it.

Deby Cedars · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 03:42 (GMT) Post subject:

Lee I did think your pond scum was better. I think they are just being harsh, but then again what do you expect from pond scum people.

Christian...I liked the Rodz thing until the last sentence. I didn't believe it and it sounded forced. Needed a bit more excitement, I think.

As for the ratings thing it doesn't seems to matter. The last time I got a low score was the stag resort thing, and I had more auditions then than I do now. Lately I've gotten a lot of 4's and 5's, but there has not been much in my inbox lately. Only one good project today and I didn't have the right voice for it. I did do some of the "rate to be defined" radio stuff out bordom today. I have yet to have any real success with this imaging stuff, but I had nothing better to do today. They said they wanted a very sensual seducing voice.

Allison Scussel · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 05:22 (GMT) Post subject:

Lee Gordon · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 10:14 (GMT) Post subject:

Diane Havens · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 12:40 (GMT) Post subject:

I don't know, Lee -- I assume the opposite. Bogus copy, bogus bucks. I also find those leads are unpredictable raters. I'd really like to see in the info on the seeker what the average rating they have given is on all former projects. That would influence my decision to submit one of my precious auditions to them, and not someone else.

Scott Pollak · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 17:44 (GMT) Post subject:

Well, my computer crashed over the weekend and I'm still reinstalling the millions of things I lost. Yes, I back things up, but not often enough. I'm now a subscriber to Carbonite, the automatic online backup so I NEVER have to go thru this again.

This is all a lead-in to the fact that I just got done reinstalling all of my stock music libraries so I could produce this remake of a spot I wrote and produced last year for the holidays. This is a tweaked 2007 version.

Diane Havens · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 17:54 (GMT) Post subject:

Scott --
Sorry to hear about your crash. My PDA gave out on me last month and that was bad enough!!
Thanks for posting a holiday piece. Nice! And just in time to remind me how not ready I am for it again this year.

Scott Pollak · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 18:08 (GMT) Post subject:

... and just now got a "5" on this one. Which, of course, means....???

Laughing

Lee Gordon · Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007, 18:46 (GMT) Post subject: