Recently I was typing “VO” on one of my audio file labels and, for whatever reason, “Very Optimistic” popped into my head. I thought about it a minute and decided that was a good way to approach the new year ahead of me. Then I wondered what else “VO” could stand for. Vast Opportunities came to mind. The Internet and home studios have certainly opened up opportunities that we could not have imaged even just a decade ago.
So now I’ve decided to have some fun with this. How can I use the letters “VO” to motivate me in my career this year? How about Visualize Objectives? Take a look at all of my Viable Options. Determine to be a Vivacious Original! Then I was suddenly craving Valencia Oranges…
As much as I dislike January in the Mid-Atlantic (in case you haven’t heard, I hate cold!!), the first month of the year does bring a sense of hope with it somehow. A time to renew commitments and refresh our goals. I desire to go farther with my career in Voice Over than ever before, so to be a Victorious Orator, I must Viva Occasions! (Am I just grasping for them now)?
So what does “VO” mean to you this year? I’d love to add to the list. Please feel welcomed to leave your thoughts, ideas and comments here. Even if they don’t begin with V-O, any motivators as we regroup for 2012 would be appreciated by all to want to dream big this year!
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I enjoy “collecting” voiceover direction that is well…kind of ridiculous. Yes, I actually have a file on my computer labeled “Ridiculous Direction” where I save some of the best. I thought it would be fun to share a few now and then and maybe bring a smile, a chuckle, a laugh-out-loud to someone today. Or, it may just make you say “whaa…?”.
Disclaimer: If you are a producer or talent seeker and find your directions included here, please don’t take it personally and think that I am making fun of you. Think of it as a fun, light-hearted way of seeing the silliness of it all. You know, amusing, but with a serious undertone…actually it’s pretty darn funny but with a hint of somberness…try thinking Harrison Ford, but as a businesswoman with a slight Polynesian accent (which could be pretty hilarious, but we want to keep things calm and soothing, so don’t go overboard with it). I hope that helps!! : )
No spelling or grammar corrections have been made in these. They are direct quotes from jobs or job postings.
Telephone Messages – Female
“Female, professional, corporate…with a touch of naughty would be perfect. 99% of our clients are male civil engineers. They need something to make their lives a bit more interesting (not too interesting though)”
75 Second Computer Promo
“Voice will be narration for a short, punchy animated promo with attitude. What we are looking for is the feeling of a real voice behind the words, NOT a sales pitch.
Reading should be: Simple. Direct. Matter a fact.
But with room for for quirky charm or a bit of wry edge and attitude to leak in around the edges. (Wow, I really love that line!) Just turn off the sales and lets hear the voice behind it.”
Corporate Video – Female
When you record your demo, imagine yourself as a European who spent time educated in the US. That should get you the accent we are looking for.”
:30 TV commercial
“I need a VO for the spot below. I want it to be good. I have no direction other than that.”
Video Narration – Female (yes, this job was posted for a female voice)
“It cant be voice of god, not too much like a movie trailer, NOT like mason adams on smuckers. NOT it was a cold and stormy night type. It needs to be approachable friendly asurring, not hard edged. Looking for retired country judge character on his porch in a rocking chair, maybe smoking a pipe watching the sun rise as he waxes nastalgic about how new dawn has helped him live a fufilling life, deaply moved.”
Stay tuned…more to come! If you are a voice talent reading this I am sure (it’s pretty much a given) that you have your own collection, so please feel free to share here. We all need a little LOL each day!
Come on down!!! You’re the next contestant on The Price Is Right!
Sometimes, setting VO rates can feel like you are playing a game. But that is the last thing I (or most voice talent) want to do. There are so many variables that go into each project, and therefore, into each price quote. I am often asked for my rate card. While I do have predetermined rates for all categories of voice over, I use them as a guideline, and not an amount carved in stone. Why? Well let’s take a look at the variables.
One thing that goes into consideration is the type or purpose of the recording. Is it a radio commercial? TV commercial? Corporate video? In-house training video? Telephone messages? You may wonder why this matters. Well, my voice can be used to simply welcome someone who calls a particular company, or it can be used to actually bring in money for the company through advertising. It can be used to train new employees, or it can be used to increase the company by recruiting new employees. Even the unions such as SAG and AFTRA recognize this is a valid starting point for determining rates.
Next, we need to look at the target market or audience. If that radio commercial is going to be heard on syndication nationwide, it obviously should cost more than a spot only being used at a couple of stations in a rural community. The unions have some base rates for radio and television spots and then add additional fees according to the cities where they will be broadcast. So, for me, the amount quoted for an advertising voiceover can vary greatly.
Even with non-advertising jobs, the target audience can still come into play. A training video being used by a large corporation to train employees at multiple locations will most likely pay more than a small business that is using the video in-house for a handful of employees. And if the video will be distributed, rented or sold to other businesses within an industry, or if it will be sold to the general public, then the rates just went up again. So, you see part of the determining factor has to do with whether the client will monetarily profit from the use of my voice or not.
Then, of course, we come to the length of the script. How much time will it take for me to record? And, if I am expected to record from my own studio and also edit, and/or mix the audio, and convert it to the required format, that not only takes more time, but also more expertise and equipment.
This is not an exhaustive list of variables for determining rates, since there are also items like the use of ISDN to record, or whether this is for a buy-out of usage or if residuals will be expected, or even if and how many sessions of revisions will be allowed without new charges. So, if you ask me for my rate card, and I ask you to provide me with some more information first, hopefully now you can understand why. It’s not because I’m trying to find ways to get more money out of you, it’s because I want to be fair to you, to me and to the voiceover industry.
For a general idea of common voice over rates, here are a few links (in red below) to some websites that offer guidelines for non-union fees for VO. You will notice a wide range of rates between each of these resources, so again, consider the variables. The more information I receive about a project, the more accurate (and fair and reasonable) my quote will be. Edge Studio Voice Over Industry Ratecard
Voices.com – Voice Over Rates
Voice123 – How Much Are Talents and Voice Producers Charging for Non-Union Voice Over Work Delivered Online?
And one site that provides a list of current union rates for SAG and AFTRA: Producers Handy Dandy Mid-Atlantic Voice Over Resource for Union Talent
Another valuable resource I use for determining length of audio: Edge Studio Words to Time Calculator
Please call or email me with the details of your project for a quote. Oh, and I’m always glad to provide you with a custom sample of your script at no charge!
email: diane@dianesvoice.com phone: 240-580-3355 web: DianesVoice.com
More and more, people are finding themselves in need of a voice — for their phone system, their web video, their advertising, their training videos, their podcasts — and they decide to hire a professional. So they search the Internet and they find me, or another professional voice talent’s website, or they go to a voiceover marketplace like Voices.com or Voice123. Here is where many times expectations and reality collide, as some voice seekers are surprised at the cost for someone to just read their little script. Why should we get paid that much “just to talk?”
My goal always is to charge a rate that is fair — fair to the client, fair to me, and fair to the industry as well. As voice talents, our hope (dream maybe) is that the best voice for the job always wins. Unfortunately, in the age of the Internet, where anyone with a computer and some sort of microphone can call themselves a “voice over talent”, we sometimes see the cheapest “bid” win instead.
So, in an effort to educate potential voice seekers or buyers, as well as to convince true professionals of their own worth and keep the voiceover marketplace fair, let’s take a look at “The Making of a Voice Over”.
I’ve just been hired to record a voiceover for a corporate video. I receive the script via email and open it, but before I can print it, I must take the time to reformat it into something that I can easily read (font size, spacing, no sentences are broken up from one page to the next, etc.).
Next, I print the script and read all the way through it once to get a general understanding of what is being said, and I look for any words that may be unfamiliar to me or pronunications I may be unsure of. If there are terms to look up, or if the script is poorly written, I must take more time to get a grasp of what is intended. If I see real problems with grammar or incorrect words being used, I must decide if I should make those changes, or if I need to bring it to the producer’s attention.
Once I am familiar with the script, I must be sure I understand the intended audience as well as any specific direction given by the producer. Believe it or not, a voice over is not really as much about the voice, as it is about the delivery. This process requires me to read through the script again (aloud). Also, if timing is important to the script (which it often is), I must make sure that my pacing is correct in order to read it within the time allotted.
Now it is time for me to open my recording program and set up the session. I then go into my recording booth and read a few lines to check my levels. Keep in mind, that this requires not only time, but also the knowledge, skill and expertise necessary to operate professional audio recording equipment and software. Much time and expense has gone into the purchase of equipment and learning to use it properly.
Once that is all set, I begin recording the script. Often I will record straight through at first, then listen back to decide if I got the delivery style right. Best case scenerio, it sounds great the first time with no mistakes whatsoever, but that is not likely. It’s pretty safe to say that at least a few places will need recorded again (and again).
At this point, I am usually required to at least edit out my mistakes and provide the client with an audio file that is just their script, read straight through with no flubs. Again, the time it takes for me to do this depends upon how much editing is needed, so this can vary greatly.
If the client is working with an audio engineer to complete the mix, then my job is almost done. I still need to export my audio file, convert it into the proper format required, and name and tag it. Then it will need to be uploaded to my server or to the client’s FTP for them to download.
If the client wants an edited and finished audio track, ready to use “as is”, then I take the time to edit out breaths, check for timing and mix any desired processing to the file before the conversion and upload.
So, as you can see, although the script may have been only say, 5 minutes, there was a little more than “just talking” involved in the process. Ever have an experience where minutes seemed to last for hours? It happens to me all the time. ;- )
