“That’s Not How It Works In London”
This is what a producer from a London-based agency told me when I informed her that in order to book our studio for a recording session, her company would have to make full payment in advance. It may well be …
Time is Money
There is one great equaliser in life, one thing that is constant no matter who you are. From ordinary citizen to oligarch, an hour is an hour – it’s always 3600 seconds no matter what walk of life you come …
Asking for a Friend
What happens when we get this kind of enquiry? One of my friends is looking for voiceovers to read his ads. What is the pricing structure and is it different for repeat orders? Will we get the file of the …
Ghosting
Scenario 1 Client: I need a VO (gives me various parameters) Me: Sure, we can help. It will cost S$ X Client: (gives me new parameters) Me: OK… in that case, it will cost S$ X Client: (gives me new …
Groundhog Day
Client: I need a studio. Send me pics. Me: We have a Neumann TLM103 in a Whisper Room Booth and a mega-specced ProTools DAW Client: Gimme a quote Me: Who do you want to use for the voice? Client: Dunno. …
Get A Load This Joker…
I get a lot of emails from wannabe voice talents asking for work. We have strict guidelines on who we will add to our database because clients expect us to recommend people who can get the job done when the …
Surprise!
Negotiation – a tough skill to learn at best, and an unlearnable black art at worst. No-one likes to negotiate unless they’re coming in with a position of having an overwhelming advantage. No one likes to lose – I get …
No to Smartphone Auditions
We don’t arrange free, undirected demos of scripts recorded by a voice talent on a smartphone anymore. Why? Aside from noticing that none of these auditions convert to paid recordings, the voices are wary because they fear a recording of …
Don’t be a Little Bitch
In any situation where producers choose someone for a role, you’ll often hear of unhappiness on the part of those not cast. In voice-over work, this process can be tough on talent if they are approached again and again (“are …
Why We Insist on Seeing a Script
Years ago, we received a request to quote for a 145-word script, which the production company estimated had a run time of around 1 minute. The word count made sense for a 60s spot. We did our sums for the …
Same Day Turnaround
Twice this week I’ve had a prospective customer call up in a panic, telling me they need a voice recorded the same day. The first one called at 9 pm Singapore time (UK-based client) so I told them that the …
No Give Backs for Licensing
1. You walk into a McDonalds & order a Big Mac. Pay for it & walk out. Can you go back a day later and get a refund for your burger if you haven’t eaten it? 2. You book a …
Where in the World is? Geolock Explained
If you’re an English voice talent, then you’ve definitely come across this before – how do you make sure your client, who wants to do a digital ad, pays you fairly for your voice in the territories agreed when quoting, if …
The Art of the Deal – What it’s Really Worth
I had a production house contact me for a series of 5-6 minute sponsored programs with associated trailers that needed a narrator & wanted full broadcast & online rights in perpetuity, worldwide. They’d shortlisted six male & six female voices. …
Words Per Minute
Producer – “So how long was the read?” Studio – “2 minutes 41 seconds” Producer – “Woah! This read needs to no more than 90 seconds!” Studio – “But your script is 375 words! For 90 seconds, you have a …
Dance with Them that Brung Ya!
Human psychology is fascinating – watching how people react in a group where ranking is involved makes for great soap opera. The scenario I’m most interested is who hires the voice talent and how that affects the session. There are …
Shortlisting – It’s Not a Negotiation!
Most Asia-based voice talents record in a commercial studio, and someone has to organize the session. The studio, the production house, the agency or the client itself. Often, how a client chooses a voice involves short-listing. What most voices don’t …
Odd Pronunciations
Weird words are the bane of any script for a voice talent if they don’t know how to pronounce them correctly. Having to do an unpaid re-record as a result of a mispronounced word sucks. If you’re producing a script and your …
How to Say 2018?
When the year comes up in a script, I’ve noticed the client & voice will have a quick discussion over how to say “2018” – two-thousand-and-eighteen or twenty-eighteen. At the turn of the millennium, everyone knew that 2000 would be two thousand. …