Evaluating Those Demos

Happy New Year to everyone. Hope everyone had a great holiday -- and didn't get stuck in the Chicago airport on the way home the way I did. NOT fun, but pretty. To get an idea of what it was like, you can download the Winter Wonderland screensaver which employs several interactive techniques.

As you know, we've been discussing the role narrators play in a finished production. And I've indicated some questions you must ask yourself as a scriptwriter and/or client when making a selection for your production or project.

If you've decided to go with a professional firm or use talented amateurs, you are likely to have several sources from which to choose. Businesses and corporations'communication or marketing departments may have several companies or individuals "on file" from mailings. For others, your local phonebook (look under "audio production," "video or multimedia," "theater," "media," etc.)is helpful. The Internet has listings from search engines or from a new service proaudiosearch.com, now available with geographic, gender, and age parameters. Once you've indicated an interest, you'll almost certainly hear from several more.

The most common introduction to these services is the narrator demo (this one on the 'Net, courtesy of Real Audio) designed to impress, excite, and convince a potential client of the individuals' ability to enhance your production. Although of genuine benefit in giving scriptwriters an idea of how their words may be presented, it's important not to let these tapes/sounds totally determine your decision. Imagination and those ever present questions must be employed.

For example, suppose a demo contains commercials, where the narrator or narrators must speak quickly and with exaggerated enthusiasm in order to present the material in the time allowed. You listen with a frown. After all, you say, it is nothing like my script -- I certainly don't want it to sound like that! And that tape/company is discarded.

My point? Don't just ask yourself that -- ask the company. They may have another demo closer to your project's type with the same or another narrator -- or better yet, be willing to cut one "on approval" with narrators reading a portion of your script. Good narrators use a variety of styles and voices. It's important to understand this and provide information on your project prior to receiving a sample, or failing that, as follow up to give yourself a true opportunity to make a fair evaluation. Those who provide narration understand this and are quite willing to work with you to give themselves the best chance of clinching your job. (If not -- you probably don't want to work with them anyway!)

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