Introduction
You've got a VO demo and you need a pro to have a listen to it to find out whether or not it totally sucks, might be OK....or whether or not you got ripped off by the guy at the local radio station.
You also need to know what needs to be tweaked, or how to structure it in the most appealing way.
You want the truth....from a professional who makes a living doing VO and more importantly, someone who hires VO talent (I do all the time)....so you too can start making a few bucks and stand out from everyone else.
You're not alone. I critique about 20 demos a year, for those who are smart enough to know a professional critique is worth far more than it's cost. Like it or not, your demo is the single most important aspect of your marketing strategy as a voice talent....and if it sucks - you won't get work. Period.
Here's the details on my voice demo critique service.
If you have little or no talent, I won't take your money.
And I won't critique your demo either.
I will only take the time to critique demos for those who actually have a modicum of talent for the work. If you've just signed up for Voice123 and posted a demo that you did yourself in an hour, then this service is not for you. I'd appreciate it if you not waste my time.
If, however, you think your demo is decent, you've been working at voice-over for a while, are dedicated and motivated to improve....then this service is just what you need to light a fire under your.......
Well....you know what I mean ;-)!
I'm going to be honest.
This is a no-holds-barred critique. If the production sucks, I will tell you. If your reads are flat, I will tell you. If your acting abilities are contrived and forced, I will tell you.
On the other hand, if you sound good, I'll tell you....and go further to inform you as to how to get better. Regardless of what aspect of your demo I am commenting on, I will be 100% honest with you - this much you can count on.
What makes you qualified, Todd?
25+ years doing freelance VO, for one.
Secondly, I've done about 150 "in studio" critiques over the last 7 years, so I know a good talent (or, more often the case, bad talent) when I hear one.
Thirdly, of those 150 critiques, I've produced about a dozen demos over that period of time....and every single person I've produced a demo for is getting work.
Finally, I hire VO talent all the time. I've also been hired, as a professional VO talent, by hundreds of different people from all facets of the VO industry and therefore, have keen insight into what casting directors, producers and corporations listen for when hiring voice talent.
Oh, I could tell you about my trophy case and all the plaques and accolades on the wall in my studio - but those won't tell you about all the information, experience and know-how I've got crammed into my head that you need to access to improve.
It's a great critique.
I take it seriously....I'm very passionate about the work in general and I enjoy helping others via this service. I'll give you tons of things to think about, practice and change. I spend about 2 hours....depending on the demo submitted. Some stuff is pretty basic and it takes me an hour or so......those that actually have talent take up more time.
It's normally 2-3 pages long and is accompanied by several audio clips culled from your demo, and in some cases, audio examples from me when the textual realm of communication reaches it's limitation.
Important: This critique is authored under the premise that you want to make money at doing VO. That said, I address issues that will prevent you from achieving that goal. I listen with not only my professional ear...but that of a prospective client who may be considering you for hire.
I break up the critique into a few categories, depending on what needs the most attention. The basics are:
Voice Characteristics: In this section, I address things like your vocal age range, any diction issues you might have, a general description of your voice (the one you should use) and it's physical attributes like projection, tone, etc.
Vocal performance: Here we get into the "meat" of the critique as I delve into how well or poorly you're actually performing the scripts. This is where you'll discover strengths and/or weaknesses in your acting ability, delivery, inflections, energy vs. volume & pacing issues etc.
Normally, I address every single clip on your demo.....unless they all sound the same. Then I'll simply tell you that they all sound the same.... ;-)
Your Demo: In this segment, I take a look at your overall demo in general. The choices you made for content, the order of the content, production values, length, editing and listenability (is that a word? LOL!).
Summary: Self-explanatory. I encapsulate all told, driving the proverbial ice pick into your forehead with the accuracy of....well......an ice pick! lol.
Here you'll find out what you've got to do to improve, where and to what extent. Within the Summary section, you'll also get some valuable information about how a proper demo is structured and produced....and how to approach the process from start to finish.
For this service, I charge $199.00. To put that into perspective, I charge $150.00 per hour for studio time. The critique takes me a couple of hours and you get boatloads of advice and information.
That said....I think the price is pretty fair. But, I'll leave that for you to decide. If you'd like a critique, send me an e-mail with the demo (only one, sorry) you'd like critiqued. Then, check your ego at the door and prepare yourself for the forthcoming changes you're going to have to make.
Kind Regards,
Todd Schick
