» demo Double Dutch

Everything is perception. Perception is everything.

Two groups of kids were playing outside. Someone had written a big number six on the street and a fight had broken out because of it. One group claimed that the number was actually a nine. The other group insisted it was a six. Before the debate got totally out of hand, a little girl shouted: “Stop it! You’re all wrong. Can’t you see it’s just a circle with a line?”

The kids decided that she was right and they went on to do some cloud spotting. But as they were lying in the grass, another fight broke out. “That cloud looks just like a giant elf” said one of them. “No way”, said another kid. “It’s a fairy. Anyone can see that!”

SOME PERSPECTIVE
How on earth is it possible to come to very different conclusions, based on the same input? Well, the simple answer is that most of us tend to select information based on what resonates with our model of the world. The rest is conveniently filtered out. In other words: we see what we want to see and we hear what we want to hear.

I remember the story of a psychologist who decided to test this principle. During a road trip to promote his latest book, he had breakfast in a different diner every morning. And every morning he ordered “scramberred eggs”. Not once did a waitress ask: “Excuse me sir, what did you just say?” He always got a plate of scrambled eggs.

As a trained journalist I happen to be a professional skeptic. I was taught to always check my sources, and in the absence of empirical evidence, do my own fact-finding. So, when I read the “scramberred eggs” anecdote, I decided to put it to the test.

AN EXPERIMENT
One of my favorite sound engineers was a huge fan of a crooner known for songs like “Stardust”, “Mona Lisa” and “When I fall in love”. During a break I innocently asked: “Hey Mike, did you know that they just discovered an unknown recording by Napkin Cole?” He said: “Really? Where did you hear that?” And for the next half hour all we talked about was Napkin Cole. I must have used the name at least 40 times, and not once did Mike raise an eyebrow. It was unforgettable…

Having strong preconceptions is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, taking things for granted means that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. It’s the principle of generalization upon which all learning is based. On the other hand, it closes us off to valuable new information. Worst of all, it seems to happen beyond our control.

For us voice-over pros, this is both comforting and frightening. When we record a demo, we base our approach on our take on the text. We put the info through our filters and come up with a unique interpretation. That we can control. But once our demo reaches the voice-seeker, everything depends on what unconscious filters are operating behind the scenes of her brain.

MY BIG BREAK
A few years ago, I auditioned for an amazing job. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I just knew that it was going to be my big break. Needless to say, I pulled out all the stops to make sure my demo was spot-on. I even asked people in the business to give me some honest feedback. Only after I was completely satisfied that I had absolutely nailed it, I sent my demo on its way. An hour later I received a generic rejection. It was a slap in the face and I felt like a complete failure. I listened to my demo over and over again, and I couldn’t figure out what had gone so horribly wrong. A year later I got the answer.

By chance I ran into a colleague of the voice-seeker who had crushed my dreams. He recognized my voice and we started talking about the project I had auditioned for. I said to him: “I have to ask. I would have been perfect for this project. Why didn’t I get the job?”

He paused for a moment and replied: “I know exactly why. You sounded just like her ex-boyfriend.”

When I heard those words, two very conflicting emotions boiled up to the surface. I was both livid and relieved. My angry ego shouted: how could this woman have been so unprofessional? At the same time I was glad to know that there was nothing I could have done to change her mind.

Ancient wisdom tells us that the world we see is a mirror of who we are. Everything is perception. Perception is everything. Case closed.

Paul Strikwerda