Should I choose artistic direction or specifics on time
I was just rejected for a contest submission, and again I am baffled at the feedback
For beginning reference here is the contest
https://voicebunny.com/projects/#/timeline/3726ABB174F4E31EBD78?version=default
and here is my submission
https://soundcloud.com/user-375739838/game-submission
In the rejection notice it said that my tone did not match the clip the client liked- I’ll just state here that I I disagree- it does match very closely- however the big problem is that they gave SPECIFIC amounts of time for each clip to last. I was trying REALLY hard to match the times given as closely as possible- meaning that I had to speak VERY SLOWLY. It is almost impossible to sound “Upbeat and engaging” when you are trying to stretch the time. The issue is that the auditions that were ACCEPTED did not match the time amounts given at all. So my question here - give the instructions below...
I would like your voice to be upbeat and engaging, but professional. Since our users are primarily non-native speakers of English, please pronounce each word clearly. The time lengths for each section are indicative. You can also sign up for a free trial of our games at www.culturebuffgames.com to better understand what we do. It takes less than a minute]. [START OF VOICEOVER] [1 sec pause] [approximately 7 secs total time for the section below] This instruction video will teach you how to play any of our games. [2 secs pause] [approximately 9 secs total time for the section below] In order to demonstrate the functions and features of our games we will use our American Values game as an example. [2 secs pause] [approximately 12 secs total time for the section below] Let’s look at our American Values game.
So I ask you, which do YOU choose? Upbeat and engaging or to match the very specific times that are listed as closely as possible. As an example one of the accepted auditions had a clip that was 4 seconds long for the section listed as 7 seconds. That's a GIGANTIC difference. Clearly voice bunny QC would prefer that we don’t pay attention to the very specific instructions? I guess I’m still new at this, however it seems unfair for me to AGAIN have a rejection on my stats for something that is so subjective. I get when QC rejects something for audio issues, or for problems with plosives, etc. But to say that they don’t think I sound like the clip when other than PACING I match the clip pretty precisely- and the pacing is only because of the very precise instructions that were given.
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To clarify- if you listen to the second section of my audio- where I didn’t have to try to stretch out to match the 7 second time request, you can see that my voice matches the suggested audio clip precisely.
Hey Allasha,
Wow, tough project. I looked at the job and listened to your read. I suppose I would say artistic direction would need to take precedence based on this:
The client does say "approximately" (X) seconds, so I think I'd go for a natural read rather than exact time. I realize you were stretching to make the read fit the time, but some of the breaks just seemed to me un-natural, not the way you would have read it if time were not a factor.
If this was a speedie or contest, have you considered just working on bookings? I have had reasonable success just doing that.
For what it's worth. Hope it gets worked out for you,
Joe B.
Hi Aleesha, sorry you're going through this.
I asked about your rejection and this is what I got:
Now, trying to match the voice may have affected your deliverable, ending in something very different from the reference.
Always here for you, hope this helps.
Johnatan Sanchez, it would be helpful in the future if VoiceBunny didn’t expect us to match the timing listed, to remove it from the audition text. There is a big discrepancy there that is confusing for Bunny Pro’s. If I see things like this in the future would it just be best for me to flag it- or just submit without the timing matching unless it specifically states that the client paid for the voice to be timed out?
Hi, Aleesha! This is Andrés of the Pro Management team. Echoing Johnatan, auditions are definitely about the tone. The timing issues can be worked out later.
If you flag the project and wait for us to respond, you're risking the chance of losing a spot in the contest. Another Pro will most likely upload their audition before you. For this reason, I suggest that you submit an audition, but also flag the project. That way we're aware that something is off and will be able to sort things out with the client before the winning Pro attempts to record the project in its entirety.
You always know how to answer the question perfectly! Thank you Andres Munoz!
Anytime, Aleesha! We're here to help :-D