Should I feel flattered or flummoxed?
‘Love getting audition notices, but when they’re from three different respected agencies, and all three leads are exactly the same, which do you answer? All 3? Pick one? Which one?
I suppose every well-connected voice actor has seen the call for an edgy “Resident Evil” game movie-trailer voice by now. Which means, oh…maybe…ah….what?…. 300 other top-notch voices are vying for the same job…maybe 500 voices even.
Don’t tell me this isn’t a competitive business. That’s just a little fib we all reassuringly perpetuate on the VO message boards to make us feel better that we didn’t book the job.
S’OK…I put mine out there. Maybe this time MY trailer voice is the one they pick!
CourVO
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Dave:
I think VO has ALWAYS been a competitive business but it’s my opinion that one has to define who is competing with whom.
Voice talents are competing with a producer’s ear and in some cases the favor of their own agents. Even if we have 500 voice talents going for the same job, we can only present what talent we have (which are usually unique) and it can only be judged by the incredibly subjective ear of the producer. Only he/she knows what they want in regards to a voice type/sound.
And I only got the audition from one agent, so good on you that your agents are out beating the bushes for you.
Best always,
- Peter
Well, if I may share my opinion on the subject, everyone’s quick to say that there’s a lot of competition out there in the acting market, but that doesn’t necessarily mean “may the best man win.” Often sup-par voices or actors are chosen and the project ends up sup-par, and in the end it’s nobody’s problem but the director’s and producer’s. I’m a fan of the Resident Evil game series, as many plot holes at it may have, but every time I hit the load screen I have to mock the voice over:
“RRRRRRRrrrrrrRRRResident EEEEEEEeeeevil…
…
…
…
FIIIIIIIIIIIIII…
…
–iiiIIIIIIIve.”
I wouldn’t hire that guy, but hey, it’s not my call. What I’m good at, what I offer, what they’re looking for, and when they settle upon, are seldom the same. The way I look at it, until I’m down to my last dime, if they don’t want to buy what I’m selling, then I’m not going to get bent out of shape.