Okay, big breath...
Bob – Thanks a ton for providing your input. This is outstanding advice. Yeah, as far as my contact with my agent after the read is concerned, a couple of weeks may be an overstatement but it was surely not right away. I thought I would give her a bit before I started pestering her about the read. What I did send was pretty much in line with what you stated, in that I just ask for suggestions as to what I should work on to make sure I am hitting the target their clients are looking for.
BB -“Why did you want feedback???”
JM - I wanted feedback for my own self improvement and to make sure I was in the ball park with what the client was looking for. I had to drop out of my
VO pursuits for the past couple of years because of a medical issue and I have been trying to get back on track. Also, this was only the second or third real spot I have attempted since I started back up and I really wanted their feedback to ensure I was still a viable talent. The Sac area has such a narrow band with regards to the type of
VO read ad agencies are looking for and I need to make sure I am within the spectrum they are searching for if I want to work locally, which I do.
BB -“Did you think your read sucked?”
JM - No. Not at all. Actually I felt pretty good about the read. For me it was a fun spot to read and I felt pretty confident with how I approached it, outside of my bad attempt at a Brazilian accent. The spot I have been referring to is the “Jamba Juice” Radio spot I posted in “Lead & Reads” under DEMO OF THE DAY - WEEK OF 00/03 thru 09/09 just in case you are interested in listening to it.
BB – “Was it a category you've not had much experience in?”
JM - Yeah, sort of. It was a Brazilian accent that I tossed together since I did not have one in my bag o’ tricks. I know this is a no no but since there are very few Auditions that actually come from the agency I just wanted to jump on it to keep myself in the loop.
I hear ya on the rest of what you are saying. Confidence is a big factor and can separate those that book from those that don’t. Hum!!! This could explain some things.
This is incredible input and I really appreciate you taking the time and thought in providing this. I’ll take all of this and put it to good use.
OBTW -- I called my agent to talk to her about something else and I just so happen to mention the audition. As you all stated, she had been swamped and did not have a chance to respond, but she was more then happy to provide me some feedback/advice once she has the spare time. She was really cool about the whole thing. Apparently many of the local ad agencies were using the online voice banks since they could get folks to read a spot for 50 bucks which is much less than the cost of the studio use in the area. But, she is trying to change this so the local talent pool would get used more often. Sounds a bit promising to me and I certainly wish her luck. She’ll need it.
Oh yeah, the client with the radio spot decided to go with a female rather than a male so my read was set aside. Hey, Maybe next time.
I think I have said too much so I’ll stop now.
Thanks to all that have responded. You all are first rate.
Jon