LEADS AND READS - WEEK OF 6/30 TO 7/06

September Day Leach · **Voice Talent** Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 1526

Hi Maggie! Very Happy

I REALLY liked your read on the Imperia spot. I'm betting your voice is more what they were after. I hope you get it!!

Wow, the men are knocking 'em out of the park this week!

And Deby! GREAT emotion girl!! Laughing

Michael, it's always cool to hear someone else's take on something you auditioned for! I liked your pacing. I maybe should have sped up my read a bit

Maggie's Voice · **Voice Talent** Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 588

Thanks James & September. Once I submit though, I forget about it. I have no control over it at that point! The gig always goes to the person it's meant to go to anyway. I never take it personally one way or another (better for my sanity) Very Happy

Now September, I liked your spa message but thought it sounded more like a TV spot than an on-hold message. I thought Michael's had more of the on-hold flavour - both good reads, just different feels! Nice job both of you!

David Bosco · **Voice Talent** Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 281

I agree with September, there's a lot of good stuff going on here this week talent-wise, especially Thom's excellent Raven. I think even ol' EAP would have approved.

I haven't had much to work with myself this week. Actually, I think it's another SmartCast Snafu. I've been ranting and raving about it over at General Chit Chat. Please check that out and let me know if you have any advice. I have been corresponding with one of the SmartCast team on it but I'd really like to know if anybody has had similar experiences.

This one came in today and I took a stab just to stay oiled. A narration for a student film with a 'Russian-ish' accent per the direction given. Convincing or not?

Deby Cedars · **Voice Talent** Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1482

Thom this is more of a job critique than an audition critique.

The line is suddenly there came a tapping.....The sound efx just didn't sound sudden to me. Of course the fact that you added them for an audition means you went well beyond the call of duty. I bet you do get the job and the only reason I nit picked is because I think we get more out of this thread when we comment more specifically on one another.

I could have said perfection beyond the call of duty....or good job on the balogna spot....but that doesn't really help us....does it. I would give this a 5 star rating. If you do get this job please let me know. I know you don't like to post on in the WGTG section but, please let me know. I'm rooting for you. 10 von 10

David.....to my ears this sounded like a mix between Italian and Mexican. When I googled Russian You Tube this is what I found. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DryEmFCJLYM&feature=related

Colin Campbell · Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2008, 08:39 (GMT) Post subject:

I really like this week's LaR. The old crew back at it and in fine style. I don't want to ever lose track of you guys. (You know who you are!)

Day off from the "day job" tomorrow so I am up late "as is my way." I am nocturnal by nature.

Off to Friday night oldies.

BTW... I've got a brand spankin' new digital camera so expect to be sequestered like a hung jury or a relative circa 1968 visiting kin and getting a less than apreciated presentation from a Kodak Carosel.

David Bosco · **Voice Talent** Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 281

"Hey everybody! Here comes Colin with his slides!
Yaaaay!!" (read that, OH NO!! verzweifelt

)

Deby:

I agree with you on two points. First, I did feel the accent slip out of Russia and into Latin America and maybe over to Greece a little. I was going for a blend of a person I knew from Lithuania and Mr. Chekov from Star Trek without being too heavy on the accent as the instructions indicated. I got a 3 with the average being 3.2
Secondly, your thought about helpful comments in this thread is important to remember. To highlight the positives and negatives as we perceive them, and the more comments the better. It helps everybody involved.

Steve Royal · **Voice Talent** Joined: 17 Aug 2006 Posts: 167

It's been a pretty slow week for me, so far.
If it keeps going like this, I'll NEVER be able to afford that mink-clad, diamond-encrusted Platinum membership! Rolling Eyes

This one called for a disbelieving, saddened Voice of God type read for a computer game.
Well, I had fun with it, anyway! Razz

Deby Cedars · **Voice Talent** Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1482

Steve the delivery of this felt more like an audio book read than a video game read to me. Your very articulate! I love the crisp quality to your voice and delivery. You seemed more aloof than sad though.

Steve Royal · **Voice Talent** Joined: 17 Aug 2006 Posts: 167

Hi Deby,
Thanks for that!
I guess that as the job called for a narrative to go with game footage (I didn't mention that before, sorry), I figured this would be the style they were looking for.
Although this guy (God?) has been hurt, saddened and betrayed, although his children want to destroy him, he is still a God. In my mind, he still needs to project a certain amount of dignity and detachment. But, I do see what you mean by sounding aloof.
Listening back to this in the cold light of day, I probably could have sounded sadder, too.

....maybe I should have been thinking about beer prices while I was reading it - that always makes me sad!
Smile

The client seemed to like it...gave it a 4, and the average is 2.6.

Robert Jadah · **Voice Talent** Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 2627

I'm going to start refusing jobs; taking them sacrifices too much listening pleasure here. Great stuff, all!

It seems to me that lack of complete direction is one of our worst bugaboos. I read for a big job today, and was told to be "ironic, energetic, passionate, dramatic, serious, and light-hearted through-out. Remember to make the audience laugh."
That's awfully tough in :54, but at least there were landmarks.

Meanwhile - in everything I've enjoyed hearing here - it's a complete interpretative crapshoot, isn't it?
But, since I'm from the Deby school (no comments=no gain), here are my thumbnail comments. Please remember that I'm about three months behind in my Visa payments, and haven't voiced for money in over 24 hours.
DEBY: For socio-status reasons, I cannot much comment on your Lena Horne (there is an "E") accent. I loved the emoting. I wasn't convinced by your Mom role in the BOLOGNA; you sounded much more like a teasing older sister. I very much liked your whiny Timothy.
COLIN: Man, did you bring the big Colin stick! You may have fallen into the rumble-voice trap of staying too low-key and - from the seekers' perspective - understating the matter. Great production, as usual.
STEVE R: What happened, man? You opened with some passion and inflection, and then tapered off into a more monotonic read as of "...banner fluttering.....final hold of my power, etc." To these ears, you had life and zest and a bit of zing for half the piece.
SEPTEMBER: Love you, girl. Your Imperia, however, sounded a tad rushed and insufficiently chatty. The great Leach voice sounded (dare I say it?) mildly disiniterested, and then I thought you overdid the sultry thing on the RFSA bit, on which you may also have sounded too young; almost breathless.

Nice to hear from you, BRUCE JACOBSON: For obvious reasons, I'm a big fan of the old-time rumblers, and love your timbre. It's important to remember, however, that our tones are like those of the lumbering old trucks on the freeway: we need to triple our OOMPH to match the excitement of the hig revvers. Your HIGHWAY came across as borderline funereal, while the ROA similarly lacked a bit of zip. I'd suggest going to what you think is over the top. It's likely that would be comparatively zingy.
MICHAEL: You know I'm a fan, but I heard a monotone on this entry. "Truly unique atmosphere", for example, probably deserved a punch, as did the listing of "sculpture and fine art, etc.".
DAVID: While enjoying your MYKOLA, I again wonder at the viability of shooting for the imitation of accents that are genuinely available. To my North American ears, you lost the good accent only on the words "collapses" and "renumeration", but to a native listener, it was proibably more evident. I felt the same way about
MELBA: whose delightful Scot (?) or Brit (?) had such lovely characterization, but had me cringing on "fiddlesticks" and "congratulations", which sounded distinctly North American.

ahhh..so much good to hear; so much silliness to spread. I'll have to make it a two-parter.

Voice On!

Robert Jadah · **Voice Talent** Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 2627

.....droning on....
KENT: I loved the closing "...how we're working....again close." I thought the rest sounded a mite 'mailed-in' or listless, almost by rote.
JAMES: Re: my earlier accent comments. I delighted in your obvious enthusiasm, and Kingstonian Next Door Take. I remain convinced, however, that a genuine Jamaican accent lurks among the thousands of V123 subscribers, and that your yeoman effort may not suffice.
THOM WILKENS: Remains among this site's beacons. I especially applaud Thom's continuing effort to have us read slower; to languidly love the words. Our universally positive reaction to his slow and immaculate pace only reinforces his argument for a more deliberate pace. I'd only quibble with Thom's textual interpretation (i.e, when "he mutters", the read actually gains in volume, when I would think it should drop.)
MAGGIE: Your IMPERIA was uber-solid: whispery and confidential. You may not, however, have sufficiently 'tossed off' the critical lines, "...few days on the beach....gold bikini". To these untrained ears, the salesy bit was probably not as convincing as the rest.

Now, did I forget to infuriate anyone?

Voice On!
(and On and On and On!)

Colin Campbell · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008, 03:17 (GMT) Post subject:

I'll be sure to tell you guys how I didn't get the job.

Melba Sibrel · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008, 05:11 (GMT) Post subject:

Wales. She's from Wales. She may have dropped into Pennsylvania by way of Missouri once and picked up a drop of Yank. It happens.

Deby Cedars · **Voice Talent** Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1482

....maybe I should have been thinking about beer prices while I was reading it - that always makes me sad!

lachtot

Deby Cedars · **Voice Talent** Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1482