Vox Daily

FastTrack Promotion ends today

Greetings,

Today is the last day to take advantage of our FastTrack promotion.

Have a great weekend, and we look forward to serving you.

Best regards,

Stephanie

It only took Steve Jobs one listen and he was hooked on the medium. How 'bout you?

Greetings,

Did you know that one of the biggest, most diverse, and lucrative industries today is the consumption of audio books?

Audible, a company that sells audio books, has been profitable in this industry since 2003 and more than doubled its number of subscriptions (to 237,000) and its annual revenues (to an estimated $63 million) last year (source, Business 2.0 magazine).

Once Steve Jobs of Apple Computers downloaded "Lincoln at Gettysburg", he was hooked on Audible, introduced the service at a Macworld conference (2003), and played a recording of E.B. White narrating his beloved novel, "Charlotte's Web". Following Apple's lead, many Mac fans quickly adopted the new trend, downloading audio books to their iTunes, and most recently, to their iPods.

We'll talk some more about audio books on Monday :)

Until then,

Stephanie

Refer a friend (or many) to Voices.com, and you could win an iPod Nano!

Salutations!

Has chatting at the water cooler been pretty dull at your place of work lately?

If all is calm on the office front, why not spice it up and refer InteractiveVoices to one of your friends?

Until April 30th, 2006, you could win an Apple iPod Nano just for referring a colleague to InteractiveVoices! This contest is open to both business clients and voice actors to participate in and no purchase is necessary.

There's nothing to hesitate about!

To refer a friend to InteractiveVoices and be entered in to win an Apple iPod Nano, all you need to do is be a member of InteractiveVoices (Premium, Preferred, Guest, or Client member).

To get started right now, click here.

Good luck, and we hope you win!

Best regards,

Stephanie and the InteractiveVoices Team

Those amiable beavers from the Bell Canada Commercials are campaigning for a new holiday!

Greetings,

It's funny. Since the Torino Olympic Games wrapped up, I haven't seen any more television commercials for Bell Canada's now infamous Frank and Gordon characters.

During the Olympic Games, these two somewhat lovable beavers were the heart, soul, and bore the closest resemblance to Canada's official yet un-official mascots for the Torino Games. With voice talents of Norm MacDonald and Ken Campbell, the twosome marketed Bell Canada's services in tandem with the Olympics, producing witty commentary and buzz for all things Canadian.

What are Frank and Gordon up to these days? Well, they're still plugging away with their National Beaver Day proposal, a prospective national holiday that would recognize the significance of beavers and celebrate their uniquely Canadian qualities. They are on the nickel, after all ($0.05)!

Reach out to your furry brothers and sisters and give them the recognition they deserve here.

To quote, "Beavers are industrious, reliable, naturally good-looking, and completely Canadian."

We really should take a day to appreciate our national icons and another holiday wouldn't hurt - it would even generate a new avenue for voice-overs!

Cheers,

Stephanie

Featured on a list of the Top 200 Web 2.0 sites. What an honour!

Greetings,

In this day and age of Web 2.0, it seems like everyone is getting on the bandwagon. It's good to know however, that there is a measuring stick.

It's our great honour to be recognized as one of the Top 200 Web 2.0 services!

Web 2.0 services are characterized by their simplicity, specialization, and universal accessibility. The bottom line is that our service is so clearly defined and easy to use that nearly anyone can incorporate InteractiveVoices into their lives.

Irregular in Web 2.0 circles is the ability to provide more than one service. Usually, the service provided simplifies one functionality or meets one need. Upon illuminating this, it is exciting to be able to offer two services to you of equal value and convenience - finding a voice-over professional, and being found as a voice-over talent.

Here's what some other journalists have said about Voices.com:

Voices.com - Busca la voz ideal para tu negocio

Desde luego Voices.com no va a ser muy útil en el día a día de muchos de nosotros, pero es una idea tan original que no resistí a la tentación de contarlo en wwwhatsnew.

Para aquellos que necesitan encontrar voces agradables (para doblajes, recepción, atendimiento...) se trata de un buscador perfecto. Cientos de voces de diferentes personas que quieren ser encontradas para trabajar con la voz y cientos de ofertas de trabajo en las que los candidatos se incriben dejando un mensaje mp3.

Quien sabe si es el primer paso de las entrevistas de trabajo por videoconferencia.

Translation: Voices.com - The Ideal Voice for Your Business

Of course Voices.com is not going to be very useful in the day to day of many of us, but it is an original idea that I did not resist the temptation to include at wwwhatsnew. For those who need to find pleasant voices (for doblajes, reception, atendimiento...), InteractiveVoices is a perfect service. Hundreds of different voice talents who want to be found and hired for voice-over work can apply for hundreds of job opportunities. Candidates audition for work by typing a message, including a quote and an MP3 sample of their voice. Who knows if this is the first passage of job interviews by video conference.

wwwhatsnew.blogspot.com

"Principles that render Voices.com a Web 2.0 company include the continued focus on a rich user experience by working with technologies such as RSS, CSS and AJAX while using the Web as a software platform."

AJAX DEVELOPER'S JOURNAL

Voices.com

"Voices.com is a new online marketplace for voices. Like Voice123, Voices.com helps you find the perfect voice, on time and within budget. Need a voice over for your new web presentation? Have to have a cool opening intro for your upcoming podcast show? Voices.com allows posting your audio needs, preview .MP3 samples and to compare prices among different offerings. DJs, dubbers and anyone with a voice talent can also sign-up and promote her own voice at no cost whatsoever. Voices.com allows voice professionals to create their own profile page and to stock it with audio samples in MP3. Voices.com also allows easy and automated management of transactions without taking any commission fee. Free 30-day trial for clients seeking voices. Thereafter, voice talent seekers pay $99 a year or $19.95 per job posting while professional voice professionals can choose between three levels of membership ranging from free to ($99 or) $199 year, depending on the number of options needed (more storage space, ability to receive direct PayPal payments, etc.)."

Robin Good's picks of the week.
New Picks Of The Week: March 19th, 2006.

Life simplified. At the end of the day, we've made finding and hiring professional voice talents and voice actors easy and affordable.

Thank you for working with us!

Best regards,

The Voices.com Team

FastTrack your voice-over career with Voices.com

Greetings,

You've landed here because I invited you, or because you happen to be reading this on our blog - either way, I'm pleased to be able to offer you this limited time package!

There's no better way to swing into Spring than getting your career off on the right foot at InteractiveVoices.

As mentioned above, we're including The Definitive Guide to Voice-Over Success and The Voice Over Script Collection in our spring FastTrack promotion! Two excellent resources for the professional voice talent, thrown in with our usual goodies, amazing voiceover job opportunities, and extraordinary customer support - we'll even take you personally on an inside tour of our services and show you the ropes!

This offer is good until March 31st, 2006 (that's the last Friday of this month).

If this sounds appealing to you, click here for your next steps.

Cheers!

Stephanie

Ever recorded for crown corporations?

Greetings,

In Canada and in other Commonwealth Nations, we are constantly reminded of our past and present ties to the United Kingdom and the British people.

Whether it be the face of Queen Elizabeth II on our currency, how prime ministerial governments operate, the military, airforce, and navy, ceremonial regalia, the English language, the Commonwealth Games, or even postage stamps, we are culturally and sentimentally bound to an institution and kingdom that has persevered for over a millenium.

Perhaps you have emigrated from the United Kingdom to another country. Maybe you reside in the UK to this day. As someone who visited England, Scotland, and Wales, I can say that simply being there and taking in the sights strengthened my connection and conscious awareness of just how important maintaining a relationship with our roots is.

Have you ever been a voice talent in her majesty's (or his majesty George VI) service? If so, please share your experiences.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Kara Tritton of the UK has set an extraordinarily high bar for multi character cartoon voice acting. Read on!

Greetings,

Do you know who holds the Guinness Book of World Records crown for the most characters voiced by one voice actor in a cartoon series?

Imagine voicing 10 characters in a series. That's pretty normal for some voice actors... Now imagine voicing 198!

That's just what Kara Tritton of the UK did, voicing 198 cartoon characters for 75 episodes over six years of Nick Jr.'s "Blue's Clues" UK series, playing people, food, animals, ghosts and planets.

To visit Kara's website and hear some of the voices that earned her the world record, click here.

Best wishes,

Stephanie

* Kara was not the voice of Blue, but she was everyone else!

Charging fees for voice work is normal... Right?

Greetings,

As a professional voice talent, it is customary to charge a fee for voice-over work. Not only is it customary, it's essential to put bread on the table for your family.

I would say that this is true for the vast majority of professionals and individuals who aspire to go into this line of work, unfortunately, there are a few apples out there who want to give away voice-over services for free or at ridiculously low prices.

How is an honest professional to feed their family, pay for electricity, and balance their finances with corruption stowing away at the very point of sale?

This is an issue close to our hearts at InteractiveVoices because our service is built upon a business-to-business platform, connecting buyers and sellers of voice-overs.

Before we move ahead, I want to identify the differences between those who actually hold credentials and make their living from recording voice-overs and amateurs who liken themselves to professional voice talents.

First of all, the professional, as is his or her right, sets business standards for themselves and charges fees for their time, work, and skills. This person is also talented and capable of meeting the needs of their clients on creative, technical and business terms.

On the flipside, someone claiming to be a voice talent is missing the mark and misleading clients. Their knowledge of performance, packaging a product, and invoicing clients may be limited. Not only that, they often don't know the worth of a voice-over and charge far less than they should, disturbing the delicate balance of the trade both online and offline.

The jobs falling into the hands of eager amateurs are usually small and local in nature such as telephone recordings and radio commercials.

Whether a job is large or small, high paying or just enough to get you through the week, voice-over work is indeed the bread and butter of the professional voice talent.

When aspiring voice talent give away voice-overs for free, they are generally doing it to build up their portfolio and voice-over resume.

Is there a better way for them to go about gaining experience without working for free? Are there any programs available that exist for this purpose?

Best,

Stephanie

We get this question all the time. Here's the answer!

Greetings,

From time to time, we are approached by talents (and sometimes, even by clients) asking us if we are an agency. I'd like to take this opportunity to dispel the myth that all marketplaces face.

To settle the score once and for all: InteractiveVoices is NOT an agency!

We also do not take any commissions on the work you receive - that's what agents do.

Now, back to the program :)

Voice talents can choose between 3 memberships, Premium (USD$199 per year), Preferred (USD$99 per year), and Guest (free).

There are two paid membership options for voice talent at our site. Why? They are there to help market talents more effectively on the Internet and give them an exclusive means to receive direct access to high quality job opportunities, and nearly unheard of in some circles, the ability to communicate with clients one-on-one.

Many voice talents incorporate their membership fees to our site into their annual marketing budgets - as professionals, they see our service as another tool to get their voice out to the global village of clients.

If you take a minute, you might realize that your agent(s) may not be getting you as much work as they used to...

Why is this?

More and more people (and among them, clients) are becoming Internet savvy, smarter with their finances, and want to experience voice casting for themselves, reviewing voices that meet their requirements and enjoy personally selecting the talent who will represent their image as a corporation or organization.

Many talent are surprised by the caliber of clients who use our web service to find, audition, and hire professional voice talents. By virtue that clients can go directly to the source, (voice talents who record from professional-grade home studios), intermediary parties are not involved.

By giving clients this option, they immediately save time, money, can build lasting relationships with professionals, and establish a rapport with others that they would like to work with in the future.

To clarify, as a voice talent, you have 3 membership options at our site, one of which is free of charge. Should you decide to, you can pay for services that you think are worth your investment regarding your voice-over career and pursuit of freelance voice-over work online.

Why go Premium or Preferred?

Our paid memberships include Featured Talent categories, ample storage for files and file delivery, high ranking in the search results, access to jobs, and exclusive marketing opportunities for you to participate in.

Premium members also receive The Definitive Guide to Voice-Over Success and priority ranking in the search results.

Compare our 3 membership options here.

Thank you for reading, and we trust that we can serve you in the capacity that best meets your needs as a professional voice talent.

Stephanie and the InteractiveVoices Team

Opportunity is knocking in this hot market for voices. Strategize with us :)

Greetings,

It's almost officially Spring. Thank you Wiarton Willie!

For real estate agents and homeowners looking to sell, now's the time to get their home on the market and scout eager buyers. The tried and true methods of selling a house are still quite popular, but in recent years, the real estate marketplace has adapted to online strategies, including voice-over coupled with virtual marketing.

Voice-overs for the home buying and selling market can be recorded as often as three times a day or more, depending on the number of homes that a particular agent or service has partnered with that day.

Because of the high volume of real estate projects an agency receives everyday, real estate companies realize that fostering strong relationships with professional voice talents is necessary as well as competitive. That being said, real estate voice talent need to be good, reliable, affordable, persuasive and fast!

One might think that this market is untapped, and it nearly is. Given this information, it might be a good idea to produce an MP3 demo of your voice for the fast-paced real estate movers and shakers and their continuous cycle of clientele.

Need some incentives? Well, think about this: By recording voice-over work for real estate, you may be just as effective when it comes to closing the deal as the real estate agent is. Not only that, but you could be introducing someone to the home of their dreams!

Now that we're on the same page... Do you need a home sellers script to record from? In The Voice-Over Script Collection, there is an entire section devoted to voice-overs for real estate applications, from commercials to online virtual tours of property listings.

There's no better time to jump on this than now. The snow is melting, an air of rejunventation is sweeping the continent, and parents who are looking to move after the school year is over (the end of May or June, depending on where you live) are putting their houses up for sale NOW!

It's also Spring Break season and people are coming back itching for a change in residency.

Here's where you can find some pro scripts to land some real estate voice-over jobs.

Best,

Stephanie

Save yourself sleepless nights by setting the rules for your voice acting career in advance.

Greetings,

As a professional voice talent or voice actor, have you turned down work because it was against your moral, ethical, or religious beliefs?

If your gut or conscience tells you not to record for a particular business or project, listen to that voice inside your head and your heart. When you stay true and make decisions abiding by your beliefs, you cannot be false to any other person, and most importantly, you remain true to yourself.

At InteractiveVoices, we have certain policies in place regarding the types of jobs we approve and deny, following a code of ethics and morals based upon a Christian (biblical) view. That means that we don't approve jobs that contain profane, adult, racist, or slanderous content.

It's difficult sometimes to hold your own, but the rewards are always more bountiful than you can imagine. Taking the straight and narrow path (or, the road less traveled), is integral to your worth as a professional voice actor, member of a family or community, and as an individual person.

Here's some inspiration to take with you from Robert Frost (1874–1963) about the road, and perhaps the internal struggle he took in 1920.

Best regards,

Stephanie

~~~~~~

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

One of the easiest recording tools to use online.

Greetings,

We've had a lot of questions in recent months about the recording tool Audacity, so many in fact, that we created a solution in our Frequently Asked Questions database!

Here's some information that is sure to go a long way if you're looking for a guide on recording with Audacity.

Audacity is a free, easy-to-use audio editor and recorder for Windows, Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. You can use Audacity to:

* Record live audio.
* Convert tapes and records into digital recordings or CDs.
* Edit Ogg Vorbis, MP3, and WAV sound files.
* Cut, copy, splice, and mix sounds together.
* Change the speed or pitch of a recording.

Learn more about the Audacity program and download it here.

If you have questions or comments for the Audacity developers, you can reach them by email for a helping hand with their product.

Or, you can check the Audacity Frequently Asked Questions, available 24/7 online.

Cheers,

Stephanie

"Audacity" is a trademark of Dominic Mazzoni.

Poster boy Orson Welles and my personal fave... you'll have to read to find out!

Greetings,

There is nothing more glorious in the history of broadcast than the Golden Age of Radio.

Orson Welles was radio's poster boy, basking in the glow of studio lights while thrilling and enchanting the American public over the airwaves. Most famous for his rendition of "The War of the Worlds" on October 31, 1938, Orson succeeded in fueling mass pandemonium with his all too literal way with words.

"War of the Worlds" was the vehicle that rocketed Orson Welles' career sky high, aided by the support of a new sponsor, Campbell's Soup, a company whose patronage was instrumental in ferrying Orson's genius to epic heights and a career in the movies spanning several decades in Hollywood.

Is there anyone who you think should be honored with a mention from the Golden Age of Radio? If so, please leave a comment :)

Best,

Stephanie

P.S. There is nothing more electric than listening to old recordings of Foster Hewitt broadcasting from Maple Leaf Gardens on Hockey Night in Canada. There, now you know my pick :)

Find out how Time, Desire, and Ego can rob you of voice-over jobs

Greetings,

You may be recording them, and you may not. I'm talking about custom demos for auditions.

When it comes to getting a job online, it'll take everything you've got to sell your talent one-on-one with a client.

In the past, we've looked at how to write great proposals for clients, how to quote, and even how important it is to include a demo specific to their needs, whether it be a read of their script or a stock demo that reflects their project.

The feedback from clients, however, is that if they include a portion of their script, they expect to hear you interpret their copy in the form of a custom demo.

There are 3 common areas where human nature (and lacking proper recording studio equipment) can be perilous.

The Big 3 are Time, Desire, and Ego.

Come on this adventure with me, will you :)

Time

Do you have the time to just stop everything and record a custom demo? For those of you who work at home, equipped with industry standard studio gear, recording on demand can be as easy as creating a new session, positioning yourself in front of your trusty microphone, and getting down to business, script in hand (or, in browser window, whichever works for you).

That's wonderful for talents with pro studios, however, what about talents that do not professionally record from home?

This is where the custom demo may go out the window.

"But, what about recording it through an online system?" you might ask? I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but online recording software that allows you to simply use your computers internal microphone often comes across as tinny, poor quality, and incredibly difficult to enjoy from a clients point of view.

By nature of the technology available (I'm referring directly to online recording tools), recording in this manner jeopardizes your chances of landing a job.

Right away, you're facing:

Distortion
Reduced quality
Low fidelity (yes, this is bad)
Limited amount of time to record
Not being able to edit the recording
No record of the recording on your personal computer
Relying on a particular service to submit lower quality audio
Clients not being able to or not wanting to share your demo with colleagues
A poor first impression of what you can do for the client

If you have the choice to record a really solid custom demo with proper equipment, don't settle for providing a potential customer with inadequate audio and a poor first impression of your work. In most cases, if you are not prepared to record a sample of the script (and have the time and resources to do so), you may not be as interested in the job as you may have thought.

This leads us to our next category:

Desire

When the chips are down, do you really want this job? Client feedback has revealed that if a talent DOES NOT submit a custom demo and a script has been included for that purpose, the client believes that submissions without custom demos are not worth reviewing. Why? They interpret a stock demo as obvious disinterest in their project. Can you identify with them?

If you truly want the job, prove it to the client and give them a taste of what you can do for them.

This goes for jobs both large and small. Even if the budget is only $100, the client still deserves to know how you intend to represent their company. Remember, you have the opportunity to be the voice of another corporation or organization, so take that to heart.

First impressions are lasting on both ends of the spectrum. They've given you a good impression of their company, and now it's up to you to follow through putting your best foot forward with a custom demo and a customized response / quote for their project.

Lastly, we'll move ahead to one of the biggest hurdles some talent face when it comes to recording a custom demo:

Ego

The mindset here is usually "I've been the voice of superstar bluechip clients, and I don't need to prove myself to you".

This is a dangerous place to be for a voice talent who is trying to find themselves work.

Yes, it may be true that there are numerous credits which indicate your extraordinary voice acting roles, clients, etc., but, odds are that the majority of clients will have no concept of the breadth of your voice acting history - and in most instances, won't make the decision to hire simply because of past credits and one's clout as a voice-over phenom.

It all comes down to how you can serve the client and how you can serve the people in their charge, not about the latest voice acting project you've starred in or the most recent national commercial you've recorded.

At InteractiveVoices, we want you to get work. That's why we provide you with high caliber jobs, resources, marketing tools, and peer support forums to equip you with everything necessary to succeed as a pro voice talent.

We also have a strongly vested interest in making sure that clients are served with the same objectives, providing them with world-class talent and demos to match.

With the best interests of both our voice talents and clients in mind, we can keep moving forward, innovating, improving, and integrating the two worlds of voice talents and the businesses relying upon their services.

Sincerely,

Stephanie

There is big money to be spent in the new wave of in-game advertising. Could this lead to more money for voice actors in games with in-game advertising placements?

Greetings,

Will corporate advertising in video games translate into bigger budgets for game producers?

As reported in Business Week, Nielsen Interactive Entertainment is providing marketers with metrics measuring the impact of product placement on video games. The study only yields results on a case-by-case basis, but marketers are already lining up to get in on the action.

Last year, Nielsen added measurement where there had been none before, which the ratings company expects will kick-start the $79 million industry to more than $1 billion by 2010. Perhaps no one will be more excited about this than game publishers, who desperately need the added revenue stream as video game production costs rise and the price of games stays the same.

A handful of big companies such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Nike have been putting their products in games for several years now, and the trend is catching on fast.

For instance, you might see a character in a video game drinking a Fresca, driving a Ferrari, or visiting a Planet Hollywood... These in-game advertisements, though not as obvious as a television commercial or printed sponsorship listing, are subtle enough to entice consumers, reminding them that their product is both omnipresent and relevant - as well as props that generate excitement, add familiarity, and move the plot, of course.

Since big name companies are jumping on the in-game advertising bandwagon, there's no harm in speculating that the significantly higher profits reaped from advertisers would allow for higher budgets to be allocated to production and post-production costs.

One could then insinuate that voice actors could see a rise in their pay as well...

The next step for Nielsen, will be standardizing ad units and impressions; the company plans to offer universal measurement metrics for the entire game industry--although the expected delay of the PlayStation 3 will likely scale back Nielsen's plans to late next year.

Just to throw this out there: Do you think that voice actors are paid sufficiently for their video game voice acting work?

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Do your pets steal the show in your recordings?

Hi there,

A while back, we chatted about voice actors performing the voices of animated mascots, but now, I'd like to bring up something that probably hasn't been talked about before in online circles.... ready?

I was thinking about the number of recordings where you hear animals, whether it be a dog barking, a cat meowing, a bird chirping, and so forth. I figure that if voice actors are employing the help of their kids to record for projects requiring children's voices, surely, there must be voice actors who persuade their pets to chime in on recording sessions that require animal noises.

It's no secret that there are sound effect libraries where you can download samples of animal utterances, but I'm certain that there is a percentage of talent out there who share their mics with four-legged friends and perching songbirds.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Has Spot come out to play for a national radio commercial or has Polly aided in a narration project?

Let us know and send a photo (.jpg) of your pet recording their "voice-over". We'll feature all of the entries received in a special article honoring the voice-overs of the animal kingdom. If you can, provide a web link to where their work can be listened to, and include their voice acting 'credits'.

Best,

Stephanie

P.S. Does anybody remember Mr. Ed (a horse on TV) or the "News From Zoos" on the CBC with Charlie, a chimpanzee voiced by Carl Banas (with the help of voice-over commentary by Sandy Hoyt)?

Curse of the Were-Rabbit Receives Top Honours

Greetings,

Wallace and Gromit - Curse of the Were-Rabbit, took home the Oscar for Best Animated Film!

For those of you who follow these award shows, Wallace and Gromit - Curse of the Were-Rabbit, also scooped the Outstanding British Film of the Year at the Baftas less than a month ago. This was the first time an animated film has featured in the category.

Directors Nick Park and Steve Box of Aardman Animations were still stunned by their triumph.

"It's one small step for Wallace and Gromit, one giant leap for Plasticine-kind," joked Box.

Park said: "We had always had this vision for our own movie. It was a great night for Aardman, for animation and for us as filmmakers."

Another wonderful surprise for the directors of the film was that they secured A - List actors. Wallace and Gromit's cast consisted of celebrity voice actors Helena Bonham-Carter, Ralph Fiennes and Peter Sallis - all of whom were at the Oscars lastnight to celebrate the Oscar win.

Box said of Sallis at the Baftas: "I think Peter is very proud of his work as Wallace and he really wanted to come last night. He's coming to the Oscars with us and I think it will be the trip of a lifetime for him."

Aardman now has other Hollywood actors on its wish-list, with Christopher Walken among top choices.

"I'm a huge fan of Christopher Walken and he's got a great voice for animation," said Box.

The next project at Aardmans is Flushed Away, a computer-generated adventure about sewer rats featuring the voice of Shane Richie.

The Bristol-based company's Bafta success comes four months after a devastating warehouse fire destroyed much of its history.

Thank you for your thoughts over the weekend,

Best Stephanie

What is a full buyout? Learn more about billing options and gain access to valuable business templates here.

As one whiles away Friday afternoon and answers a support case, inspiration strikes...!

One of the questions received this week was "What is a Buyout"? For those of you who have agents or managers that see to billing clients for you, or, for those of you new to the voice-over arena, this is a completely legitimate question and we're happy to be of service!

A full buyout (as opposed to monthly, quarterly or annual billing cycles) is a one time payment from the client to you for your voice-over services.

Generally, the notion of a buyout applies to non-union voice-over work. A full buyout means that you as the service provider are making an agreement with your client that lets them use the audio for however long and for whatever purposes they would like.

For example, XYZ company hires you to record a :30 radio commercial for use at the local radio station to air for 6 weeks. You would quote accordingly and invoice your client X amount of money for the :30 radio commercial. The client would pay you the amount that you quoted and that would be it.

Essentially, the recording becomes their property and once you are paid in full for the work, you won't make money from that voice-over recording again.

Some talents arrange for residuals or royalties to be paid to them in the event that the audio is used during particular seasons or for prolonged periods of time - each agreement is different depending on the circumstances and nature of the voice-over work.

When quoting for a job using the buyout arrangement, be sure that you are being properly compensated for the work - don't compromise just to make a quick buck. You can find a document with suggested rates for a number of different applications, perfectly suitable for buyout terms here.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Best Animated Feature Film Nominees

Greetings,

We're less than a week away from the Oscars now...

In conjunction with this great spectacle, we thought that we would ask you which animated film you think will take home the Best Animated Feature Film category and why.

The nominees are:

Wallace and Gromit - Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Film Synopsis
Cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his practical dog Gromit have opened a successful business ridding local gardens of marauding rabbits. The appearance of an enormous, garden-devouring beast, however, threatens Lady Tottingham's annual Giant Vegetable contest and provides the duo with their greatest challenge.

Featuring the voice talents of:
Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham-Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Peter Kay, Nicholas Smith, Robert Horvath, Liz Smith and more.

Academy Awards History
This is the fifth Academy Award nomination for Nick Park. He was previously nominated for:

* A CLOSE SHAVE (1995) -- Winner, Short Film (Animated)
* THE WRONG TROUSERS (1993) -- Winner, Short Film (Animated)
* CREATURE COMFORTS (1990) -- Winner, Short Film (Animated)
* A GRAND DAY OUT (1990) -- Nominee, Short Film (Animated)

This is the first Academy Award nomination for Steve Box.

Howl's Moving Castle

Film Synopsis
When the quiet Sophie is rescued from a group of soldiers by a mysterious wizard named Howl, she arouses the jealousy of the Witch of the Waste, who transforms her into an old woman. Unrecognizable in her enchanted state, Sophie leaves her village and seeks out Howl in his magical moving castle.

Featuring the voice talents of:
Christian Bale, Sofie Gråbøl, Billy Crystal, Lauren Bacall, Jean Simmons, and more.

Academy Awards History
This is the 2nd Academy Award nomination for Hayao Miyazaki. He was previously nominated for:

* SPIRITED AWAY (2002) -- Winner, Animated Feature Film

Corpse Bride

Film Synopsis
Timid, sensitive Victor Van Dort is delighted to find himself on the brink of marriage to the lovely Victoria Everglot. While rehearsing his wedding vows in the cemetery, however, he learns to his horror that he has accidentally married one of its dead inhabitants, an adoring corpse named Emily.

Featuring the voice talents of:
Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Richard E. Grant, Paul Whitehouse, Joanna Lumley, Albert Finney, Enn Reitel, Danny Elfman and more.

Academy Awards History
* These are the first Academy Award nominations for Tim Burton and Mike Johnson.

View the complete list nominees for the 78th Annual Academy Awards here. Don't forget that there is also a Best Short Animated Film category - check it out too! The official Oscar website is a fabulous source for information and fun activities.

Stephanie

Which is better? Share your opinions!

Greetings,

The age old question... Should you join a union or remain a free agent?

Many professional talent endorse joining a union in order to get all of the career benefits that are available. Union work pays nearly twice as much money and provides retirement benefits and medical coverage that would not be available to non-unionized voice talents. Not only that, but some unions even act legally on a talents behalf should the need arise.

Although most career talent opt to go the union route, there are some very successful non-union talents. They may not receive the perks and benefits of the union, but they do save money on union initiation fees, dues, and often qualify to record more diverse and interesting work for smaller projects that pay non-union fees.

When it comes down to it, choose wisely depending on your personal circumstances. If you are only looking for a part-time job or intend to moonlight occasionally, refraining from joining the union may be the best decision for you.

If you are in voice-overs for the long haul and are embracing a career in the voice acting field, the union is an attractive option that will help you meet your goals, particularly if you have a family to provide for.

Does anyone have comments for or against either of these options?

Best,

Stephanie