Tips on Direction
Hi All, Greetings from the West Coast of Canada
I'm just looking for a little advice on Direction. My entrance audition was rejected and I 100% agree with the rationale for the rejection.
What I'm wondering about though, is the direction that comes with the assignment, and I think I was a little confused.
The assignment I received showed under instructions: Need it to sound Epic, interesting and a bit mysterious.
The script followed. Then under additional instructions it reads:
We are looking for a voice that sounds Natural and conversational, Friendly yet professional, not sales-like.
I guess my question is which of these sets of Direction should I be focusing on? the first set with the script, or the additional instructions? If both are intended, then how does one sound mysterious Epic and conversational? :)
Hopefully I can get a little better understanding of the process so that when (if) I get a 2nd chance at auditioning for membership, I'll be better prepared.
Thanks, Rich
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Hi Rich!
Thanks for contacting us about that. So, the instructions of the project are meant to give you some guidance on how to read the recording. When we say 'natural and conversational' we mean that, regardless of the main intention of the recording, you shouldn't sound forced and/or fake.
We want you to sound like you really believe what you're saying. The script should flow and convey the idea of the script without sounding strained, harsh or even robotic. When we make an extra emphasis on natural and conversational, that's what we mean. Basically, we just want to make sure the recording sounds naturally read and thought through and not to feel fake or hard to believe! Makes sense?
We hosted a webinar with our Top Pro, Tommy Griffiths, on guiding yourself, listening and feeling the script before recording. It's super clear when he explains it there! I saw you watched and commented on it. Hope that helped!!
That totally makes sense. Thanks Angela. I will definitely work on that and apply to my next audition.
Another question. My Audition for application was denied solely on the performance aspect. Is it safe to gather that if there were also technical flaws, they would have been included in the denial reasons?
Hi, Richard!
I've listened to your application again, and here are some other comments.
In general terms, your recording has high levels of hiss, and background noises. There are also loud and distracting mouth clicks.
Always make sure to edit the recording. Add proper fades and clean the audio from everything that distracts from the performance. It seems you read the entire script in one take, but the audio could definitively use some editing to give it a more professional character.
I hope this helps!
Best,
Juan.
Perfect! Thank you Juan!
I agree with Juan on that regard! You may want to check our webinar on hiss noise to pinpoint where the noise present in your recording is coming from. There are various sources that can create it and it's important to know where it's coming from so you can tackle the problem.
You can find the recap here: https://goo.gl/D4b6Vx
Hopefully, you find it useful! :) If you'd like us to review a new take you do, share it with us here. We'll be happy to help!
Thank you for the webinar on hiss Angela. That link wasn't working for me, but I was able to find the webinar on your youtube channel.
Looks like I've got some tearing apart and troubleshooting to do :)
Once I'm done that I will record a new take(s) and post to let yours and Juan's golden ears take a listen :)
You're right! Sorry, I linked it wrong. You can read the recap here in case you'd like to go back to a specific part: https://goo.gl/D4b6Vx I made sure to link it right this time :P
I look forward to a new recording! We'll be super happy to help.