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Production "Peer Review"

A

AtHomeBoy_2000

Guest
I recently Graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a major in Radio Brodcasting Talent/Production. I have a lot of Production and Imaging work. I'd love a "peer review" from some of you who are out there in the buisness. If you e-mail me, I'll send you the link to where you can listen to my work. Any feed back would be greatlly appreciated.

~Jason G.
 
> I recently Graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a
> major in Radio Brodcasting Talent/Production. I have a lot
> of Production and Imaging work. I'd love a "peer review"
> from some of you who are out there in the buisness. If you
> e-mail me, I'll send you the link to where you can listen to
> my work. Any feed back would be greatlly appreciated.
>
> ~Jason G.
>
I'd love to hear it, why don't you just post the link on here?
 
I would, but the link is to my personal website with family pictures and all that type of stuff. I dont really want to be broadcastin that to anyone who happens to wander across these boards.

> > I recently Graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with
> a
> > major in Radio Brodcasting Talent/Production. I have a lot
>
> > of Production and Imaging work. I'd love a "peer review"
> > from some of you who are out there in the buisness. If you
>
> > e-mail me, I'll send you the link to where you can listen
> to
> > my work. Any feed back would be greatlly appreciated.
> >
> > ~Jason G.
> >
> I'd love to hear it, why don't you just post the link on
> here?
>
 
Why not upload it to me by logging on here:

www.spotshuttle.com/upload.html

You'll be prompted to "Browse" where your audio file is and see an "UPLOAD" button..It will go to the server and I will FTP then post the link here for you. Always interesting to hear new people, and ideas..and most everyone here will be kind.

JL
 
I'd love to hear it and offer any constructive criticism. That's always the name of the game with critiques. constructive I mean.
 
I listened to your spot demos.

Your production technique is pretty good. Clean, not overly compressed.

The "ideas" were good, but the copywriting was weak. Too many cliches.

The male voice I heard on most spots was ok. Better as a "real guy" than
as an announcer type (that's a good thing).

I would say that if you haven't worked professionally in production yet, you're doing very well!

You'll find as you go along that COPYWRITING is the most important element
to a solid commercial that sells product, and occasionally entertains.

For your professional commercial demo, get better copy, even if you "borrow"
it from other spots.

Good luck. Your off to a great start.

Orson W.
 
> I recently Graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a
> major in Radio Brodcasting Talent/Production. I have a lot
> of Production and Imaging work. I'd love a "peer review"
> from some of you who are out there in the buisness. If you
> e-mail me, I'll send you the link to where you can listen to
> my work. Any feed back would be greatlly appreciated.
>
> ~Jason G.
>
Ok, I listened...it's not horrible. :p Call me Simon if you will, but I don't hear anything truly impressive either, but you've got potential "kid!"

As far as your imaging elements that I heard, not too bad, but I'm assuming you have a very limited budget/library of tools, yes? You might schmooze around people you know and see if anyone can donate to your cause for experience sake.

The promos/spots with your voice are my biggest hang up, and if you don't mind some constructive advice...it sounds a lot like you're holding back...not using the full range of your voice...almost afraid of the mic...don't be afraid of the mic...it's probably the only thing named mike you want to have in your face....looking down your throat. :p
 
I agree with what the others have said. You're on the right track. Experience is going to be your best teacher. Remember to have fun with it. There's too much BS in this line of work to put up with if you don't enjoy what you are doing.
 
> You'll find as you go along that COPYWRITING is the most
> important element
> to a solid commercial that sells product, and occasionally
> entertains.
>
I agree. The copy is everything. Second is performance, and I didnt hear a great range. You pitched your voice down for the fright night spot, but you could have just as easily created a character. It's just when you say "a night of terror", I dont believe you. Same with the Bob Seger spot. If you dont sound excited about it, I'm not gonna be. The "real guy" approach is a good one to have in your bag of tricks, but it's not the only one.
 
> I recently Graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a
> major in Radio Brodcasting Talent/Production. I have a lot
> of Production and Imaging work. I'd love a "peer review"
> from some of you who are out there in the buisness. If you
> e-mail me, I'll send you the link to where you can listen to
> my work. Any feed back would be greatlly appreciated.
>
> ~Jason G.
>

I think peer feedback is a great idea. Most of us do not know each other, therefore, do not have to worry so much about hurting a buddy's feelings. I would like to invite you to http://www.xdjproductions.com where you can listen to a few demos and give me some feedback. Thanks in advance!

J. Dean
 
> > You'll find as you go along that COPYWRITING is the most
> > important element
> > to a solid commercial that sells product, and occasionally
>
> > entertains.
> >
> I agree. The copy is everything. Second is performance,
> and I didnt hear a great range. You pitched your voice down
> for the fright night spot, but you could have just as easily
> created a character. It's just when you say "a night of
> terror", I dont believe you. Same with the Bob Seger spot.
> If you dont sound excited about it, I'm not gonna be. The
> "real guy" approach is a good one to have in your bag of
> tricks, but it's not the only one.
>
Could not agree more. Might sound funny, but put a smile on your face! The concert spot was clean in terms of production, but not exciting. I get the feeling that I didnt hear everything you have to work with in terms of your voice, and thats probably because you haven't learned to trust your voice yet. You have to learn to just have fun, and envoke the emotion freely. It will be easier to back off when you need to if you learn to let go first. Also, listen to spots all over the place, then emulate the delivery. Notice I said emulate...NOT IMITATE. The purpose is for learning delivery technique, not to copy tone and timber. In terms of the copywriting....I dont need to repeat the wise words above, but to get better WRITE WRITE WRITE! Remember, less said...best said. Phrases like "songs like...." only serve to clutter the spot. If I'm a Bob Seger fan...I know the song when you put it in the spot. You are definitely on the right path. Hope that helps.
 
As others have said, you sound really "tight". Wouldn't hurt you to try and get on somewhere as a fill-in DJ or news person to practice the voice.

One thing to really watch is time...there's nothing more annoying to me as a board op than having a a :62 commercial followed by a :64 commercial to fit into a 2:00 break. Makes the station sound bad.
 
Yeah..I agree with these guys. It technically sounded clean..and I thought that for the most part it had potential to become really good. As the other guys and ladies have mentioned..do as much as you can to get some work..even if it takes a call to a local cable TV company and "volunteer" to do audio tracks for the local spots and promos. They are usually always ready to use a new voice.

In the meantime try this copy:

IT'S SPRING TIME SAVINGS DAYS AT SOFA KING! NOTHING BEATS A SOFA KING DEAL!

EVERY STICK IN STOCK IS PRICED "SOFA KING" LOW!

AND OUR WAREHOUSE IS "SOFA KING" FULL WE NEED TO SELL SELL SELL!

EVERY CHAIR AND LOVESEAT IS "SOFA KING" COMFORTABLE YOU'LL WANT ONE TODAY!

"SOFA KING" MANY WAYS TO FINANCE MEANS SAVING TIME IS HERE!

SPRING INTO SOFA KING AND SPRING OUT WITH DISCOUNTS THAT ARE "SOFA KING" HUGE!
 
Jason,

I agree with what the others have said. Your production skills certainly show potential, especially for someone who's just starting out. Your voice doesn't sound very alive yet, but that will change as you get comfortable with it. Get lots and lots and LOTS of practice writing...the more you do, the better you'll get at it.

An imaging guy have a ton of respect for, John Frost, recently shared some interesting advice on this subject...

==================================================================
The recipe for productions that work

1. Writing. It all starts here. Annnnd....
2. Delivery. Without this, you can ruin the best writing.

With great timing, spacing, delivery... you can even make really bad writing work. Some might say the quality (aka 'sound quality') of the recording also contributes. Yes, it contributes, but it's not one of the TWO essential ingredients. To me, it's like the plate the food's served on. (Example: South Park. 1. Good writing. 2. Good timing. Animation quality not that important. It already works.) Both writing and timing are equally important. Trust me...that's one thing I learn over again every single day. You can never ever ever know everything there is to know about writing or delivery, as both change with the times. What was funny once is played out...etc. DOES IT WORK? IF NOT, WHICH OF THE TWO PARTS BROKE DOWN?

The next time you produce something, ask yourself, 'Does it work?' If it works, it's art. To me. - Jf
==================================================================

My final advice is to listen, listen, LISTEN! Listen to as much production as you can. (In this day and age, the internet is a gold mine of streaming radio stations from all over the country...take advantage of that!) Figure out who's styles you most want to emulate, and learn how to achieve what works so well for them. Incorporate all of this into your own work, and keep producing as much as you can. We are all made up of certain influences, but with experience, we end up having our own unique styles.
 
> Yeah..I agree with these guys. It technically sounded
> clean..and I thought that for the most part it had potential
> to become really good. As the other guys and ladies have
> mentioned..do as much as you can to get some work..even if
> it takes a call to a local cable TV company and "volunteer"
> to do audio tracks for the local spots and promos. They are
> usually always ready to use a new voice.
>
> In the meantime try this copy:
>
> IT'S SPRING TIME SAVINGS DAYS AT SOFA KING! NOTHING BEATS A
> SOFA KING DEAL!
>
> EVERY STICK IN STOCK IS PRICED "SOFA KING" LOW!
>
> AND OUR WAREHOUSE IS "SOFA KING" FULL WE NEED TO SELL SELL
> SELL!
>
> EVERY CHAIR AND LOVESEAT IS "SOFA KING" COMFORTABLE YOU'LL
> WANT ONE TODAY!
>
> "SOFA KING" MANY WAYS TO FINANCE MEANS SAVING TIME IS HERE!
>
>
> SPRING INTO SOFA KING AND SPRING OUT WITH DISCOUNTS THAT ARE
> "SOFA KING" HUGE!
>


LOL!!!!



<P ID="signature">______________
~Always leave a hole when you go.
"http://www.theGospelShowOneVoice.com"><img</img></P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by MarkLaRoi on 03/03/06 05:25 PM.</FONT></P>
 
Special THank you

I wanted to thank all of you for your feedback. It's VERY greatly appreciated. I really feal that I may have a future in this. just need to "pay my dues" on the way up.

I wanted to respond to a few comments.
1) Limited Budget / Tools: Where I went to College, it wasnt always easy to get exactly what i was lookign for. So, often i had to scower the internet and try and find smething. Or, i would use one sound effect then reuse it in another place with an effect or in reverse to make it sound differant. So, basically i did a lot with very little.

2) Holding Back: THere was comment that i sounded liek I was holding back. Well, I shoudl explain the atmostphere I was doing these in. basically, it's a classroom with 10 other kids all doing their work at the same time. So, you needed to be a little reserved as to not interupt other people recording in the room.

3) copywriting: i will admite my copywriting is a little weak. Often, i was writing these on the train on the way to school. So, there wasn't a lot of forethought in them.

Once again, thank you for the constructive criticism. It really means a lot. i feel motovated.
 
Re: Production \

One of the posters above invited peer feedback for XDJ productions. I listened to the demos and I do not intend to be insulting, but, in my opinion you really need to work on your sound. I am sure you are familiar with the "it" sound many vo talents have. Perhaps you should try and work more towards that. Your quality seems fine, but there is just something missing and I am not sure quiet how to describe it to you. Perhaps some of the others can help me put into words what I am hearing, if they are hearing it too. I think you have potential, just keep working on improving.

Good luck.
 
Re: Production \

fat guy in a little coat said:
One of the posters above invited peer feedback for XDJ productions. I listened to the demos and I do not intend to be insulting, but, in my opinion you really need to work on your sound. I am sure you are familiar with the "it" sound many vo talents have. Perhaps you should try and work more towards that. Your quality seems fine, but there is just something missing and I am not sure quiet how to describe it to you. Perhaps some of the others can help me put into words what I am hearing, if they are hearing it too. I think you have potential, just keep working on improving.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

I think on his Automotive Demo, he's pretty close to the "it" sound....for that kind of read. Compared to the TV Promo demo where it sounded kind of un-natural for him.
I think vocal quality's pretty darn good, and definitely the upbeat reads are the best showcase of his work.
 
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