Please Critique!!!!

Sanford Guerrero · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 06:31 (GMT) Post subject: Please Critique!!!!

Please check out four of my very own commercials and demos at http://voice123.com/sanfordguerrero and I welcome your honest, blunt and no-holds barred critiques!

MORE ABOUT MY DEMOS...

1. "Friendly and energetic"
- This is an actual radio commercial I did for a company I work for that publishes local newspaper content and jobs online. It aired during the month of October of 2007 at a Radio 104.5, a commercial Alt-Rock station O&O by Clear Channel Philadelphia. Unfortunately I wasn't paid since it was for my work. However as my reward, I did get to come in late at work and still went home on time, kept a hard-copy of my commercial, and job networked and exchanged demos with the audio engineers in the hope of getting more gigs. Smile

2. "Soft Light"
- From an actual Flash internet commercial produced last December, 2007.

3. Commercial Demo Reel

4. Narrative Demo Reel

3 and 4 are self-explanatory. These are actual VO demos were produced at a recording studio after the three-hour once-a-month voice-over classes for three months near Doylestown, PA.

= = =

Since December, I have not had a gig or new direct lead. Since January, I've done 24 auditions through the SmartCast Voice123 system with no call-backs and gotten ratings between 1 to 5! It really varies! Smile

Thank you all.

Michael Loonan · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 17:41 (GMT) Post subject: Hey Sanford!

This is my first time at this site - thanks for sharing your demo and great to be pursuing work in the same industry! : ) Your demos sound nice - clear voice, good expression, etc. I'm just passing on one comment I got from a past client - I had posted my picture on my profile, but they told me that it's better to just have voice w/no picture. Sort of like the violin player who auditions for the orchestra behind the curtain, to keep everything totally neutral and objective. Just my two cents. If you really want to keep you pic up there, I'd suggest getting a more professional headshot taken - current pic is a good smile, etc, but doesn't 'look' as professional as your voice demo 'sounds.' Best wishes, my friend - Michael
http://voice123.com/michaelloonan

Melba Sibrel · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 18:58 (GMT) Post subject:

Reality check, Sanford. You're not nearly "there".
(edited because I lost track of who I was addressing!)

First the good news: the single spot on the top of your page is actually a pretty good read. You sound real, young guy next door, approachable. There are quality issues that seem to originate from poor mic technique. Lots of popping and some back of the throat noise. If you had even a basic VO class, for pete's sake, that should have been one of the first things you were taught.

The bad news: your commercial demo (which I assumed was the one you walked away from your class with) is pretty amatuerish in comparison to those against whom you'll be competing -- even in your local market. Your reads are too stilted -- you sound like your reading very well in class, instead of talking to me. You tend to be a bit too precise on your pronunciation and there's a sing song delivery: the pitch goes up, up, and ....then it comes down. Very much the same on most of the sentences. In short, you've got to have more than a "nice voice"...you've got to make me believe you. Chuck the commercial demo, the narrative and the soft sell spot -- keep the higher energy spot you have at the top of the page and rebuild another demo after you have done a lot more work. Let your next class be an improv acting class...it'll help you loosen up and become more natural in your delivery instead of reading nicely. And I do say keep at it, because I hear a lot of potential in you.

Not the gospel here, I'd never claim that, but just my $.02.

I wish the best! Now go get to work.

Deby Cedars · Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008, 23:51 (GMT) Post subject:

I have to agree. An improv class would be good, maybe a community play, and a film class as well. The first two spots sound more "real" than you commercial demo. I don't think your ready to make a new demo just yet though. I would like to hear at least one voice that is not your own. Something that tells me you can act.

I also think a visual image instead of a photo would work better for you. You have an ethnic look but, your voice is young and friendly and very American. If you want you can take a $25 class with moi over the phone. If you would rather study with a man you could pay $35 for a class with Eric Rath over the phone. Please pm me if you need more info on either of these options.

I too hear a lot of potential in a rough diamond that needs a lot of polishing. Very Happy

Scott Pollak · Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008, 04:05 (GMT) Post subject:

Sanford,

First of all, great name! What a poetically flowing name you have!

Next: Here's what else you have: potential. But it's going to take a lot of time and work to get to where you can be competitive.

I'm pretty much in agreement with what Melba and Deby ascertained. Your first spot is not bad, the soft and light aquatic ponds spot is terrible, though. VERY stilted with you straining for perfect grammar and enunciation. There's not a thing in that spot that is real, or genuine, or warm or believable. It's the type of spot an account executive in a very small market radio station runs back to the station and voices himself just after closing a $500 schedule with a local advertiser, so that they can get it on the air just in time for afternoon drive.

Your voice needs a LOT of training, in many areas. You have a fairly high pitch that seems to be a result of you speaking mainly from your throat and not your diaphragm. Even with a high pitch, there needs to be 'depth'. The best women voicers have it, despite having a much higher pitch than a man. Because your voice hasn't been trained, there's an audible strain coming from you when you're voicing these.

As mentioned by Deby, acting classes will also help you to begin to deliver copy with authenticity, something that's lacking here. Without that skill, you're doomed in the v/o business.

If you haven't already read the 'sticky' at the top of the "Newbies" thread, you need to do so:

http://voiceoversavvy.com/ftopic4098.html

You have youth, energy, enthusiasm and some experience on your side. You also have time on your side. But you now have to buckle down and go do the hard part, the classes, instructions, practice, training, rejection, critiques, and much more. Do all this and we'll see where you go from here.

All the best, Sanford!