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Ricky Salmon's Voiceover Blog
Below are a few posts from the BigFish Media Voiceover Blog.
For the full, regularly updated blog please visit BigFish Media Voiceovers.
Our blog contains lots of useful information about running a Voiceover Business as well as more frivolous information.
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A bizarre phone call about voiceover work
Sometimes life as a voiceover artist and agent is exciting: you never know how the day is going to turn out or what challenges and riches await.
Other days it is just bizarre.
So there I was in the garden, gardening (and saving money by not employing the services of the gardener) when I got a call from a guy who we will call Mark so claimed to be, let's say, Leeds. We have a chat: what's the voiceover price for a job and what's the project etc. We agree a fee and he will email me the script. He is surprised that I can deliver by tomorrow lunchtime, so I thought here's another potentially happy customer.
A few hours later there is still no email, so, after checking my spam inbox, I call him. Mark must have been on the phone because it was one of those annoying "I am busy, call back later" answerphone messages that don't allow you to leave a message. This is my first alarm bell.
A while passes and I call him back again and speak to the same guy (at least it sounds like the same guy) who denies being Mark. Bemused I hang up.
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How to find a voiceover artist
What do you normally do when your client comes to you and asks you to find them a Voiceover Artist?
Do you point them towards an agency and let them get on with it?
Perhaps you suggest hiring the voice you hired last time, to save the trouble?
Or maybe you panic about the best way forward, perhaps even by trying to convince them that they don’t need one for their project, and that it’s strong enough to speak for itself?
If any of the above seems familiar then you’re not alone, but it doesn’t have to be quite like that. In the same way that technology has revolutionised the business of making video in the last decade, that same technology has seen a quiet revolution in the world of the Voiceover Artist.
The equipment to produce professional audio doesn’t cost what it once did, and this has meant that more “voices” than ever are working from home studios and marketing themselves either outside, or as well as, traditional artiste/agency relationships. I know because I’m one of them.
Voiceover Artists all over the world now use the internet to find, or attract, work, whether through their own websites like BigFish Media, or via one of the online casting directories like voiceovers.co.uk.
If your client is on a budget, then cutting out both the agency fees, and the time and cost of taking your talent into a production facility with an engineer, could make an attractive difference to the balance sheet. Not only that, but the quality of the finished audio might well surprise you.
Of course you need to do your homework. The lower the bar of entry, the more any profession becomes attractive to those who don’t necessarily possess the skills to do it justice.
But the beauty of the internet is that you and your client can check out what you’re likely to get back before you engage a voiceover talent. You can even ask for a sample as an audition. Most voiceover artists will be happy to record a part of your script and deliver it in a format of your choice.
If you get them to do that, then you’ll know exactly the quality of the end product, including the voiceover artist’s delivery, technical quality and editing skills.
What should you expect to pay? Well, the price range varies hugely. On some casting sites you might be lucky and pay well under the £200 or so that’s still perceived to be the ballpark hourly rate you’d pay for taking your talent into a studio.
But make sure you do that homework: if you don’t, then that £45 voiceover track that seemed like such a bargain at the time might not turn out to be all it promised.
It’s still true that in voiceovers – as in life – you generally get what you pay for. Buy cheap, buy twice. And if you’re paying £200 for your voiceover artist, but not paying the traditional associated costs on top, that is still a huge saving.
Check that your agreed rate includes things such as preparation time, session fees, studio costs, de-breathing editing and file transfer. BigFish Media will do all these for you.
Check the talent’s policy on re-takes or amendments in case there’s anything that you or your client aren’t happy with. Don’t be afraid to ask for a written quote. And make sure you have agreed any usage fees, if appropriate.
It’s true that not every project needs a voiceover, but the next time that one does, take heart: With a bit of care, and with the help of the internet, Voiceover Artists from all over the world are now well within your reach.
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How to be a voiceover artist
Every week we get many people calling or emailing for advice on a voiceover career, so I thought it worth posting this.
So how do you become a voiceover artist? How do you get to be as good as the people who do voice-overs for radio stations and provide the voices of so many commercials?
Well do you know who they are and what they do? Why do you want to become one? Why do you think you can do it as well or better?
Things for you to do and think about. What you need to do first?
Get involved with your local hospital radio station. It will give you technical experience, experience in front of the microphone: everything you will need to give you a thorough grounding in using your voice.
Do you have a local theatre group or amateur dramatic society? Find them and volunteer, voiceover work IS ACTING!!! Even the simplest voice over requires performance skills.
Do you have a mobile phone? Change the voice mail message on it every day, try to impress people with it. Make a note of what works for your voice-over and what doesn't.
Find someone to whom you can regularly read a story. If you're good at characters, well a good story will give you plenty of opportunity to prove it.
Do you want to go on a course and get some professional voiceover training? They'll teach you how to get the best out of your voice.
Enthusiasm is great and it will get you through the tough times, but a space shuttle pilot got to sit in his seat through a combination of training, experience, dedication, enthusiasm and hard work now you must do the same.
I suspect like most people keen to follow a career in voice-over work you would like to phone someone up tomorrow morning and be paid to voice something for them tomorrow afternoon. I've never known that happen for anyone. Now it's time for you to put in the work.
A good, clever or flexible voice is only rung one on a very long ladder. Imagine I am a producer and you need to give me a reason why I should use you in preference to someone else, what would you say? You can't say good voice, good impressions, good at accents; the other guy has got that already.
Work in the voiceover industry can be feast or famine and in the early days it will be thin on the ground, you just need to keep telling people that you are out there. Remember it is not a salaried job so if you don't work, you don't earn. There can be travel involved depending on what voiceover work you are doing.
With the right equipment it is possible to work from home but you will need to find the space for an office and voice-over booth. You can set yourself up for about £4,000. You will need to buy at least one computer and printer, an ISDN codec, editing software (eg Pro Tools or Adobe Audition), Microsoft Office and a decent microphone (Neumann are the best by far but very expensive).
Using ISDN technology you can be accessed live from around the world; most local radio commercial voiceovers are recorded this way. If you are working alone from home (especially without an agent) you will need the drive and determination to succeed, as well as being your own IT expert, accountant, office manager and marketing manager. Just having "a good voice" is not nearly enough.
You will then need to build up your voice-over contacts book, market yourself using the internet, the phone and email. It is possible to break in, and there are lots of people who will give you a first chance, but if you try before you are ready you could very easily blow it. Producers of voiceovers talk to one another so your first session could also be your last.
Practice reading aloud, record yourself, listen to voice-overs on TV, radio, film and ask yourself why they are good or bad. Could you have done better?
BigFish Media are happy to produce your voice-over showreel and put it onto CD for you. Please contact us for details. Any demo longer than a minute is too long. What are you going to put on it? That's up to you, but before you decide, get advice from the experts.
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Here is the first of what I hope will be regular contributions from BigFish Media Voiceover Artist Sasha Twining:
SNOW JOKE
It seems that it’s all about the snow this week. While many of us are shivering inside and wondering how to get to work, some canny traders are cashing in. A quick check on eBay reveals a £12.99 plastic sledge on offer with 24 bids, for over £50! Great fun if you can get your hands on it, but you have to wonder just who is being taken for a (slippery) ride.
EXTRA CROUTONS
Soup, glorious soup. We’ve been loving the hot stuff in this weather. The big four supermarkets have revealed sales are up by between 50 and 80%. Tesco has claimed that in the next ten days they will have sold enough to fill two Olympic sized swimming pools.
A VIRGIN ON THE HIGH STREET
There’s a new face on the high street, and it wants your cash. Virgin has bought the right to offer savings accounts and mortages by snapping up the little known Church House Trust Bank for £12million. The suggestion is that they may now bid for some of the Lloyds and RBS branches which have to be sold off.
FROZEN OUT?
We’ve seen a case of David and Goliath this week, with the people of Iceland convincing their president to veto a law that would have paid back the UK, after the collapse of Icesave. Around 200,000 savers lost their money and were compensated by our government. Now, Gordon Brown wants his cash back, but he may have a fight on his hands. The matter is being put to a referendum in Iceland next month.
(CAN'T GET NO) SATISFACTION
It was the first week back at work after the Christmas break for many of us, but it seems we weren’t champing at the bit. A new survey claimed a third feel undervalued and unappreciated during the recession, and a quarter of us are seriously thinking of looking for a new job. Maybe it’s not just the bad weather that’s responsible for the empty chairs in the office.
Sasha Twining is LBC 97.3's Business Correspondent. You can hear her Monday-Friday between 4 and 7pm on the James Whale Programme.
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Being considerate pays off
Sometimes finding work when you are self-employed can come from the most unexpected sources.
Through a strategy of a good new website, advertising using Google Adwords and a great guy who does most of our seach engine optimisation work (to get the website listed high up on the google free - or organic - listings), BigFish Media is now proudly on page one. It's very rewarding and has taken most of last year to acheive.
It is because of all these things that clients find our voiceover services. However, a great source of new unexpected work came through a most peculiar route: My parnter had his hotmail account hacked and lost all of his contacts and emails. All of his contacts were then emailed with a link which threatened to do the same thing to them.
So, being the nice guy I am, I emailed all the contacts to tell them to ignore the email and delete it. One of them then returned the email offering me some lucrative presentation training work with an international law firm.
Funny old world eh?
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Broadband Troubles
Terrific! On Tuesday afternoon the broadband connection to my office went down. Completely. It had been playing up all morning, but then after one of those wonderful “power cycles” to try to solve the problem, the internet failed. Completely.
How can you run an internet-based business without the internet? Quite Tricky.
Why the phone line (on which the broadband is carried) still works is a mystery to me – and my neighbour – who had the opposite problem a few months back.
After a frustrating call routed via India and a guy instructing me on how to diagnose the problem which involved a series of increasingly bizarre questions, a screwdriver and the BT socket, he gave up and transferred me back to the UK.
Eventually a nice man from BT was promised on Thursday morning who would come out to fix the problem on what the nice woman in Southampton called ” a free visit”. Quite why she was so pleased to speak to someone else in “the south” I don’t know. I was going to ask, and then reminisce about my seven years living there (working for BBC Radio Solent and Ocean Sound/Power FM) and my first ever professional voiceover engagement in Eastleigh, but I decided against it.
True to their word a nice little man from BT turned up today, got out his screwdriver and laptop, fiddled about under my desk and the mass of wires there and eventually diagnosed a faulty filter. He then apologised and said he’d have to charge me for the filter. (That’s fair enough I thought). Oh and for his time. So which bit of the this was a “free visit”?
Still, I am delighted that the voice-over business is back up and running again. Now to that backlog of emails….
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Voiceover Artists are cool
According to new research, conducted by MSN, being a Voiceover Artist is among the ten coolest jobs. Working as a Voice Actor, as the Americans seem to prefer to call it, is the tenth coolest job to have. How lucky are we?!
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How often should a Voiceover Artist record a new Showreel?
If you are inexperienced or if you’re on your first or second voiceover showreel, wait until you’ve done a few paying jobs. That extra experience will help, because with voiceovers, there is a very steep learning curve in the beginning. Your next voiceover showreel will already be much smoother and your skills will be improved even after such a short time.
I’ve worked with many voiceovers who are still new to the game, and after a few rounds in studio, it’s like they’re a different voiceover. More confident, better and really starting to find their own style.
Experienced Voiceover Artist
Once you’ve had a certain amount of experience, the learning curve isn’t as steep anymore. Now you just have to make sure your voiceover showreel is “acting your age”. You don’t need to re-record your showreel every year.
You can refresh your existing showreel every couple of years or so. Do some simple editing, adding new voiceovers you’ve done and take out some of the older work.
New Voiceover Showreels
Then, commpletely re-record a new voiceover showreel every four years. Too often I’ve heard people sound really young on their demo, and then when you get them in studio, they sound nothing like they do on their showreel.
If your voiceover showreel is letting you down, if you recorded a showreel that you were never really happy with or if you aren't getting booked any more, do it now!
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How does a Voice-over Artist get an agent?
92% of the voice-over talent said have an outstanding demo.
Research the standards for demos in the genres you plan to create them in. Use top quality national copy that is customized for your voice. Do not self direct; rely on the expert skills of a trained coach. Do not self produce. Hire a skilled producer who is known for their work on voice-over demos.
84% of the voice-over talent said have a great resume of coaches and instructors.
Having had the right teachers speaks to your ability beyond the highly produced demo. Each coach should have a clear area of expertise. One coach may not be all you need. Many talent find that training with a variety of coaches helps them to fast track their goal of landing a big agent.
75% of the voice-over talent said have a great referral.
It’s important to have friends. Other voice-over talent are not only a wealth of hints and advice but they may be your golden ticket to a high powered agent. But choose wisely; a referral needs to be someone the agent works with and respects.
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Marketing is crucial, even if you have a Voice-over Agent
One of the greatest myths in the voiceover industry is that all it takes to be successful and “make it big” is get on a major agent’s roster. There is a lot to be said for working with a well-known and reputable agent but, an agent is not where the buck stops. The most successful voice artists are those who actively employ agent-driven marketing as well as their own.
A lot of talent rest on their laurel’s and say; “I’ve made it now that I’ve got an agent! I never have to look for work again.” Voice Artists who fall into the trap of believing their agents mean they don't have to get their own work are living in a fantasy world.
The Truth
Agents do create and distribute marketing materials using a variety of the latest technologies to reach industry professionals who might hire you. These marketing efforts are not usually specific to any one talent on the agent’s roster. These efforts exist to bolster the agency as a whole. This is why individual marketing is critical.
Every Voice Artist should take steps on their own to bring attention to their unique skills and abilities with or without an agent! Working in conjunction with and communicating with your agent is crucial to get the best results.
In most cases your agent will even offer their advice when it comes to creating the best possible presentation, and why wouldn’t they? Any marketing you do benefits you both!
The Plan
If you don’t have a marketing plan, there’s no time like the present. Instead of putting unnecessary pressure on your agent to be the sole source for new clients, try taking a more pro-active route.
Direct mail campaigns, website advertising, newsletter blasts and blogs are all proven and effective ways to promote your voice. Set aside a small percentage of your earnings for a marketing budget to help you accumulate the funds needed.
Then consult your agent, a voiceover marketing expert and other voice talent about where your money is best invested. Don’t try to blanket an industry; chose proven, targeted methods. If your material is well presented and you give your marketing campaign time to work – it will work!
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Dealing with late Voice-over payments
If your day to day billing system is in order then collections can be a very easy process. Most voice-over artists waste time dealing with collections because they are not prepared to collect late payments. That part is easy to fix. What may not be so easy to fix is your mindset about collections. Never assume that a client is going to pay you on time.
Clear Policy
Firstly, have a clear policy regarding clients who fail to pay for their voice-overs in a timely manner. This policy should be available on your website or by request. Make sure that all new clients receive a copy of this policy along with their first invoice. You may even want to ask them to sign and return it or otherwise acknowledge that they received it.
A typical policy might state:
All first time clients are expected to pay in advance of the first voice-over.
After first successful payment, clients will automatically have a 30 day credit system to use for placing future voice-overs.
Future jobs must be paid within 30 days of the date of the job. If a client’s account should become more than 90 days overdue their account will be shut down and all voice-over work suspended.
Improving
Should a client bring their account to good standing after a 90 day period, all credit privileges will remain revoked. If the client wishes to re-instate recording privileges, all future jobs will require payment in full, in advance.
The Next Step
Next, create ready to send, draft collection letters. You’ll need three total; one each for accounts that are 30, 60 and 90 days past due. Each letter should be cordial but firm in an attempt to collect a debt. If you’ve never seen a collection letter search for samples online and check Microsoft’s template website for examples.
Once your drafts are complete you will need to set aside about two hours a month to review all the outstanding accounts in your billing system. Start with 30 day past due accounts.
This letter should be the mildest as it is a reminder; perhaps they forgot to pay or the original invoice was lost. Send this letter via email and attach a copy of the original invoice for your client’s convenience.
Worsening Situation?
Then move to the 60 day past due accounts and repeat the process. This letter should be a little more forceful. Lastly come the 90 day past due accounts. First send the letter stating that their voice-over account has been shut down after two prior attempts to collect. This letter should be sent via certified mail.
From that point forward 90 day past due clients should be called and email at least once per week until the issue is resolved.
After six months of attempting to collect a debt you will need to make a decision; either, turn the account over to an outside collection company or attorney, or write it off as bad debt on your taxes.
Writing Off Debt
Writing it off is usually the better option as further collection attempts will only cost you more time and money and aggravation. You’ve lost enough of both by this point.
Depending on how large your database of voice-over clients is, you might want to consider outsourcing your collections all together.
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For our full, regularly updated, voiceover blog, please visit the BigFish Media Voiceover Blogspot and while you are there why not subscribe to it? Or follow us on Twitter @RickyBigFish