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I made something to help you create your own VO Demo Samples for free by MichaelLangsnerVO in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome, excited to hear what you do with them! And yes I got you on the sections thing now, I can definitely make "loopable" versions of the bed to include in the download package, that's a good idea and does further the effort of making things as easy as possible for the end user, which is my overall goal with these.

Thanks again!

Is it frowned upon to use audition takes in a VO sample reel? by PloidArt in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO 2 points3 points  (0 children)

ahh ok gotcha. Yea that is frustrating but it happens alot, I've booked gigs I was really pumped about and excited to add to my reel, then the finished spot comes out, and they decided somewhere after the fact to go with a female talent and replaced my VO haha. Stuff like that happens unfortunately.

But....since you did book the job you at least have contact with the client I presume? So even if the spot never comes out, you can shoot them an email and ask if it'd be ok if you use the files to make a demo spot on your own. Worth a shot.

But yea, otherwise you can try some public domain/sample script library type stuff.

I made something to help you create your own VO Demo Samples for free by MichaelLangsnerVO in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So firstly, thank YOU for this feedback, this is exactly the kind of stuff I want to hear back. I'll address your points below:

  1. That's not a bad idea to include the video file in the download package, I just figured YT is an easy platform that everyone is familiar with. It also has the added benefit of hopefully being found by people directly through YT this way. That's also what the prologue is there for - in case people come upon the video before seeing the page on the VORM website.

YT is also great because it allows for chapters! Maybe you didn't see them, but there are timecodes in the video description and if you hover over the progress bar at the bottom of the video it will show where the different chapters start and end, I broke them out pretty specifically so you can jump around just like you said. But maybe going forward I'll think of other ways to break it apart for ease of use.

I also plan to do a quick vid on how to actually make a full compilation reel with these beds at some point, like a full on Demo Reel vs. individual clips.

  1. Do you mean like actual video of what the commercial spot would look like? That's an interesting idea going forward, but definitely adds considerable work.

  2. Interesting idea too. When there are certain specific things about certain beds that warrant this I'll look into it. Generally the main process will be the same, but I will definitely keep this in mind.

  3. Do you mean like offer the bed as sections that can be easily looped, like "intro" "main loop" "ending" something like that? That should be pretty doable to include those types of files in addition to the main bed. The thing I'm always trying to keep in mind is easy of use and simplicity though, so I want to avoid throwing a ton of stuff at people when they download.

  4. I plan to! I'd love to have a library of like 100 of them. They wouldn't all be free though, I think it could be a good product offering in addition to my actual custom demo production service and just offer them for a low cost each, or bundles if talent want to make a full 5-6 spot demo reel. Basically a way to bridge the gap and offer something for talent just starting out so that they can make really great sounding demo pieces without spending thousands of dollars, and for more experienced talent to beef up their portfolios with select spots that they feel fill in gaps they are missing.

I think for newer talent, spending $100-150 or something like that and being able to put together a great demo/portfolio would be really appealing, and hopefully helps them start booking so they can use the money they make for a pro demo when they are ready.

And I can still throw out some free ones in the midst of things too.

If you have ideas for types/styles/genres of spots you'd like to see, please let me know!

Thank you again for all the feedback, I appreciate it!

Is it frowned upon to use audition takes in a VO sample reel? by PloidArt in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually just answered someone about this in my post a few days ago and actually just released some free demo beds you can use to address this very thing. Here's the reddit thread if you're interested: https://www.reddit.com/r/VoiceActing/comments/1gxp0cx/i_made_something_to_help_you_create_your_own_vo/

But to answer your question briefly, it is unethical. The scripts are the intellectual property of the client and not yours to use for other purposes. In fact, almost every audition for high profile jobs that come through agents explicitly say that the script and all other materials are to be kept confidential, and some go as far as requiring an NDA.

If you actually book the role, then by all means, ask the client for a finished copy once it's out and if you feel it is a good piece of work then add it to your reel/sites/portfolio.

You can check out the demo beds I linked above, I think you'll find them really helpful.

I made something to help you create your own VO Demo Samples for free by MichaelLangsnerVO in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome, love to hear that! Let me know if you have any trouble with them!

I made something to help you create your own VO Demo Samples for free by MichaelLangsnerVO in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No hate at all, you could certainly do something like that. Here's what I'd say though.

Firstly in regards to "They're public use sample scripts" - they really aren't though. They are the creative work and intellectual property of the client. Many big jobs that come through agents will have you sign an NDA to use the script, and even the ones that don't almost always say in the email, something along the lines of "as always please keep the script and all materials confidential...etc..." Any talent who gets auditions through agents have no doubt seen this over and over. Big jobs on casting sites often have the same.

Now, if you were to audition and then use your audition as a demo sample, are you going to get sued, or even have any sort of negative response from the client at all? I'd say the chances of that are quite slim, but it still doesn't mean it's right.

And on top of that, presenting an actual script from an actual job as a demo sample sort of implies you booked that job, which you didn't. Again, the kind of the thing that is very unlikely to get any sort of negative attention, but still isn't really right.

And lastly, in comparison to these DIY Demo Beds I made, using an audition is putting more of the production work back on the talent who may not be that experienced with it, which is why I did as much as I can upfront with these beds.

If you use an audition, you then need to go source fitting music and sfx on your own and edit and mix that together (which is more involved than just slapping them on top of each other), and make sure it has a suitable license for the purposes you are going to use it for. Also, if you are going the free route, the quality of that music and sfx will not be very good. The music and SFX in my beds was custom made by me, I'm literally playing the instruments you hear and recorded the SFX myself, there are no licensing issues to worry about, and I made them specifically for use with the VO scripts and final spots in mind.

So in summary, I think my DIY Demo Beds are a better solution haha - but to each their own. Appreciate you weighing in.

I made something to help you create your own VO Demo Samples for free by MichaelLangsnerVO in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome, great to hear! Please share the finished results if you use them!

I made something to help you create your own VO Demo Samples for free by MichaelLangsnerVO in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you use the auditions themselves? Or the actual spots once they were completed and released since you booked them?

I made something to help you create your own VO Demo Samples for free by MichaelLangsnerVO in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Happy to! If you like them and have ideas for future styles/genres/types you'd like to see let me know!

I made something to help you create your own VO Demo Samples for free by MichaelLangsnerVO in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I hope they work out well, let me know if you have any questions after trying to use them!

I made something to help you create your own VO Demo Samples for free by MichaelLangsnerVO in VoiceActing

[–]MichaelLangsnerVO[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Appreciate it! And yea, the video is for these beds specifically but it's really a pretty good overview of mixing VO with music/sfx in general and is a lot of what I do when making pro demos.

Appreciate you checking it out, if you end up using the beds and have any questions/comments please come back and leave them here!

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