Vox Daily

"It's a great time to be in VO"

Greetings,

Today, I happened to find an article on the Animation World Magazine site about voice acting for video games. The article focused on how the industry is now casting professional voice talent for video game voice-over roles, elevating the status of voice-overs (voice-overs used to be the weakest link in a video game) and heightening the interactive experiences of gamers worldwide.

After reading through the first couple of pages, on the third page I spotted MJ Lallo, voice-over coach and professional voice talent based out of Burbank, California.

In conversation via email with the fabulous MJ Lallo, I asked her if she had any advice for voice talent and those aspiring to join the voice-over ranks.

MJ, always in good spirits, had this encouragement to share with you:

"It's a great time to be in VO. The market has gotten huge and global since email and MP3 technology exploded. When I started in 1990 everything was controlled by the Big LA & NY Talent Agencies - now there are international online casting companies as well as more small agencies jumping in on this lucrative and ever expanding business."

MJ Lallo teaches voice-over classes and has her own DVD on how to market your talent in the voice-over industry. She is also active as a voice talent herself, making her home online as well as in the studio.

If you're in the Burbank area, or even if you're not, take a look at MJ's voice-over classes. You'll find an extensive list of services and classes for voices of all types and ages at CreatingVoices.com.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Photos courtesy of MJ Lallo

Your turn to sit in the Casting Directors chair!

Greetings,

Do you remember the old cartoon series Transformers (1984-1987) and the movie in 1986? Well, a remake of the hit movie is coming to the big screen next year with live action and CGI, brought to life by Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks.

The live-action “Transformers” movie has been set to open nationwide on 07-04-07, it was jointly announced by DreamWorks Pictures, Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), and Paramount Pictures.

Although this post was triggered primarily by the movies announcement, we're really interested in the voices, so let's dive in.

The director, Michael Bay, has revealed that the original voice actors who were instrumental to the success of the series are able to audition for their former roles.

Upon conducting a little research on the original Transformers cast, I found Susan Blu, who voiced Arcee in the series. Susan is a successful actor, director, casting director, author of "Word of Mouth", and voice-over instructor. Susan teaches voice-over classes in Studio City, California.

Another talent on the list of notable names in the voice-over field is Beau Weaver who now focuses on theatrical trailers and television campaigns for feature films. Beau also pursues narration work for documentaries, national commercials and animated cartoons.

Let's fast forward to the 1990s. A new brand of Transformers came out, starring a new cast, building upon the immensely popular series from the 80s. Some of the familiar voices from those series are David Kaye who voiced Megatron, Ian James Corlett, and Richard Ian Cox.

These voice actors, one would think, are also able to audition for the roles.

If you could do the casting, who would be voice acting in the new Transformers movie?

Best,

Stephanie

P.S. Visit the Transformers at Hasbro's site for fun activities and updated information about the movie.

Toledo Blade trumpets one of Voices.com's own, Mike Shepherd

Greetings,

It's not very often that professional voice talent are applauded for their work in the public eye.

A Toledo based media outlet, Toledo Blade, recently covered a story featuring several voice talent, giving an indepth look at the careers of Karen Hamer, Tom Brady, Joe Cali, Mike Shepherd (an InteractiveVoices talent), Amy Ashcroft, Keith David, Amy Scott, and Scott Greggory.

The article educates the average person about how talent go about recording voice-overs and the complexities of a voice acting career, giving the much needed impression that voice-over is hard work and being talented is only one of many factors necessary to achieve success.

The author went the extra mile and interviewed many of talents, truly giving everyone a glimpse into the world that they live in everyday. Human interest lies at the very heart of the piece.

It's grand to see articles like this one, recognizing the voices of those who greet us everyday, giving a name and face to the voices that are known so well.

Cheers,

Stephanie

If you work in one of these cities, share your stories of life in the fast lane!

Greetings,

As a voice talent living in either New York City or Los Angeles, you're in two of the most creative cities in the United States, and also residing in two of the most competitive cities in the world with regard to landing voice-over work or on-camera roles.

Let's take a look at the landscape...

New York City is home to 8.1 million people, the most populous city in the United States. Trying to make it as a creative professional is extremely difficult in any city, let alone the Big Apple. Everything is fast paced from networking to sealing the deal.

Los Angeles, although on the west coast and presumably more relaxed, is no stroll on the beach when it comes to finding work. Talents are up at the same time their east coast counterparts are, often starting the work day at the crack of dawn to get a move on the competition.

What unites you as talents in New York City and Los Angeles?

In order to succeed, you need to have the right connections, the talent, ambition, and a vigilant ear very, very close to the ground. That's just an observers point of view who serves voice talent at InteractiveVoices.

Here's an opportunity for you to share your stories.

What's it really like out there for you on a daily basis, how do you make ends meet, and how does working in either New York City or Los Angeles compare to other cities where you've worked?

Cheers,

Stephanie

Whether it's Mike Myers, Julia Roberts, or George Clooney, we want to know!

Greetings,

Every week, it seems as though another celebrity in Hollywood has recorded a voice-over for either a video game, television commercial, or has landed a plum role as a voice actor in an animated film.

Voice-over is becoming the hottest line of work for Hollywood movie actors and actresses, and it's not hard to see why.

Voice-overs offer a lot of perks and also pay celebs very well, accepting voice acting jobs with Fortune 500 companies and assuming the role of audio ambassador as well as public spokespersons, whether attending live events or promoting the company on-camera.

Of all these celebrity actors, who do you think has been the most convincing in their new role as a voice-over talent or voice actor?

Looking forward to reading your picks!

Best regards,

Stephanie

Behind the scenes in audio production.

Greetings,

You might be wondering what a Foley Artist is and what they do.

Foley artists are members of a film crew responsible for making sound effects! Foley artists work behind the scenes, making soundtracks more realistic and professional. The Foley artist may work alone or amongst other Foley artists, depending on the film and project requirements.

Foley artists create all sorts of sounds. For instance, the squeaking of a wood floor or the rustling of leaves. Other sounds that we often take for granted in films include the sound of horses galloping, doors being knocked on, the slamming of doors, the clashing of swords, the striking of a match, and so on.

Did you know that the crunching of grass or leaves is created by the Foley artist using balled up audio tape?

The name Foley comes from the master Jack Foley, a great practioner of this art, and an instrumental person who helped Universal transition from Silent films to those with sound.

In some instances, voice talent are also called to be vocal Foley artists. A voice-over may require you to go beyond the normal boundaries of speech into a world of sound effects, created using your own voice but in a different manner.

Performing character voices or narrating an audio book are perfect examples of where the voice may phonate without words, that is to say, create specific sounds or utterances foreign to natural vocal production regarding speech.

Have you ever been a Foley artist?

Cheers,

Stephanie

Find some great samples here.

Greetings,

Do you add music tracks to your voice-over demos?

Music is often a nice touch and helps to set the theme and tone for your voice-over. One thing to be mindful of though when you are selecting music to be used in a voiceover demo is whether or not the music is royalty-free.

Royalty-free basically means that you can use the music without having to pay royalties to the composer.

Once purchased or acquired legally (royalty-free music downloads), you can use the music for your own purposes, for example, as a background track for business presentations, audiobooks, or telephone auto attendants, IVRs and on-hold messaging systems.

Did you know that InteractiveVoices has our own royalty-free music library that you can sample from?

The music was composed several years ago by a member of our management team who decided to share the music composed with you, our customers, rendering it royalty-free and available to use in voice-over demos and professional voice-over recordings.

Have you used royalty-free music in your demos or voice work?

Best wishes,

Stephanie

You do literally everything where performance and production are concerned, but do your fees reflect that?

Greetings,

As a career voice talent working from either a professional grade home recording studio or a recording facility in a business environment, you wear many hats, some of which are more obvious than others.

Here's a list of the different roles and responsibilities that you have working on your own as a professional voice-over talent:

1. You have a wonderful, unique voice. An instrument that sets you apart and a keen interest in using it to your full advantage, including, keeping yourself (and your voice) healthy. In this capacity, you are a performer.
2. You are responsible for finding work for yourself, whether it be through the auditioning process, networking, or marketing efforts.
3. You are a business person and oversee all of the daily operations and marketing of your voice-over business.
4. You are a project manager and organize your recording and payment schedules, communicating with your clients directly to ensure success.
5. You are a consultant. Many clients need extra attention and advice, something that you give on a regular basis when meeting their needs and becoming a part of their vision.
6. As a performer, you need to check the script for any inaccuracies, phrasing, plan your interpretation, warm up your voice, and rehearse the script before recording.
7. You are a recording engineer responsible for setting up a session and recording the voice-over.
8. You are an editor. Once the voice-over has been recorded, you edit out any mistakes, unwanted breaths, and create a seamless recording.
9. You are a mixing and mastering engineer. Adding sound effects, synching up music tracks, and evening out the sound levels is an art form, a specialty service by most accounts.
10. You are the customer service and fulfillment department. Once the work is done, you deliver the final product to the clients specifications, including formatting files appropriately. You might also need to make revisions or rerecord a script.

These services, if performed by several people at a recording studio, a talent agency, or a creative advertising firm would all have premium charges applied to them.

As a voice talent working for yourself wearing all of these hats, you might forget that the service you provide is equal to several different jobs performed by many people who are all being paid for each service they provide.

This brings us to the moment of truth... are you covering all of your costs when you record for a client?

Just because you are an entrepreneur (you own and run your own business) doesn't mean that your work is any less valuable because the client is only paying one person for the work.

Stop to think if you are being paid sufficiently and making a profit or if you are losing money, helping to fund other peoples projects.

Respectfully,

Stephanie

P.S. Wow, what a response we've received from this posting! After you've had a chance to read through the comments, pop by our May 3rd post about our Job Posting Approval Guidelines.

Let's keep the momentum going :)

Meet Joanne, one of your colleagues.

Greetings,

Joanne Metcalf is a non-union voice talent, is English speaking (North American English), and can perform Southern USA and British accents.

Her voice is warm, soothing and mature. Her voice is perfect for corporate and motherly reads.

Joanne has showcased two voice-over demos, a commercial voice-over demo and a narration voice-over demo.

To learn more about Joanne Metcalf and to listen to her voice-over work, visit her at InteractiveVoices.com.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Bilingual Spanish / English Voice Actor

Greetings,

Pedro Sabino is a professionally trained voice talent, fluent in both his native Spanish and in English, specializing in television commercial voice-overs.

His voice is smooth, warm, and beautifully resonant; Pedro's vocal tone is wonderfully robust and captivating. His clever interpretations and voice acting skills decidedly manifest his versatility and passion for his art.

Pedro, with 19 years of experience in the industry, actively records voice-overs for television commercials, pursues voice acting, and has held anchor positions on both broadcast radio and television.

As mentioned above, Pedro Sabino is a trained voice talent. He holds two college certificates in professional television and radio announcing, including a superior course focusing on the art of announcing. Pedro has also been the recipient of various voice-over and broadcast news anchor awards.

In addition to voice-over services, Pedro provides English-Spanish translation for journals and is a freelance interpreter at live events.

Pedro has showcased two voice-over demos, including a Spanish demo entitled: Comerciales, Narración Industrial y Promos Radio y TV and an English voice-over demo, demonstrating his skills as a commercial voice talent.

To learn more about Pedro Sabino and to listen to his voice-over work (in both Spanish and English), visit him at InteractiveVoices.com.

Cheers,

Stephanie

Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent. No doubt, you're already acquainted :)

Greetings,

I'd like to introduce you to one of Canada's most beloved gems, Gordon Pinsent (b. 1930), a native of Newfoundland.

In recognition of Gordon's rich theatrical background and contributions to Canadian culture over the years, dignitaries have bestowed three Honorary Doctorates upon Gordon and he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1980.

Many of you may know Gordon for his work in Kevin Spacey's "The Shipping News" (2001). Gordon was the cast and crews model for the Newfoundland accent that made the movie so heartwarming and convincing.

In addition to his acting career on the screen, Gordon has found happiness off screen as well, serving our ears as the voice of King Babar in both the Babar television series and the movie.

For those of you who grew up with the beautifully written and illustrated Babar the Elephant book series, you're sure to appreciate the animated television program and elephant renaissance.

If you're watching the CBC tonight, you'll see Gordon Pinsent starring in a one hour special about the late famed Canadian poet Al Purdy, entitled "Yours, Al".

Best regards,

Stephanie

Tips on how to land a telephone gig.

Greetings,

Some great feedback has come our way after posting the telephone voice-over work article and I'd like to share more information about how to get these jobs in an audition situation.

What do I Say?

This may go without saying, but it is extremely important to personalize your proposals and explain exactly how you can help the client with their specific project.

Really, what should I say?

Be sure to include your contact details, such as your phone number (including your area code), and email address. Even though there is a direct link to your web page for them to follow, it's best to make hiring you as easy as possible on the client.

Remember... each of these clients will have your contact information, a sample of your voice, and the means to hire you for the job that you applied for originally, or for future work with their company.

What do I Record?

Ah, the custom demo question... When reviewing auditions, clients place great emphasis on the interpretation, tone color, and vocal technique of the voice talent. When they are listening for these things, they're also hoping to hear how you would sound representing their company.

How do they know you're serious about working for them?

If you really want the job, prove it to the client and go the extra mile to record a brief yet pleasing rendition of their script. You don't need to record more than one line of the script. The effort is there, and you will have met their preliminary desires immediately.

This process is often referred to as recording a custom demo. Some talents use watermarks to safeguard their work while others change the company name in the script.

What do I charge?

Usually clients set their budgets between USD$100-$250 for telephone related jobs, unless their projects are significantly larger in size or volume of recordings needed. Most of these jobs go between $100-$150 by virtue of the brevity of the scripts and also because this market is so very competitive. This is particularly true of scripts shorter than 250 words.

* Make sure that you include your quote in the quoting field! Quoting "0" (that is, quoting 'zero') is a poor strategy when persuading someone to hire you because it confuses clients and gives them the opportunity to bypass your audition. That, and they also might think you want to record for free.... yikes!

But wait, there's more...

If a client wants a certain voice talent, they will pay the quoted price, even if it is just $1 higher than another talents quote. That also goes for hiring their ideal voice - clients will pay the desired voice talent the rate that they quote, even if it costs more than what they expected to pay.

Why will they pay more?

In essence, when posting a telephone job, the organization is hiring someone to greet their customers at all hours of the day, every day of the week. The selected voice talent needs to understand their business, sell to customers, retain callers on hold, make the caller feel appreciated, keep them interested, and consistently project the public image of the company... whew, that's quite the job description!

If you are experiencing a lack of response in the telephone voice-over department, it's truly just a matter of time before you land a job. After reading this article, you should be well on your way to some telephony success!

Here's to you :)

Best regards,

Stephanie

P.S. Another way to get telephone voice-over work is to showcase a telephone voice-over demo on your web page. Imagine... you could get work in your sleep because of your demo!

Entry level or bread and butter?

Greetings,

Do you record telephone voice-over work?

Although telephone jobs may be brief and perceived as entry level by some, one of the top priorities of any organization, whether a startup or a publicly traded company, is to have a solid telephone system up and running to serve their customers.

We recently read a report that revealed 90% of sales are completed by telephone. That's quite the staggering figure when you consider the numerous ways that business can be conducted today (i.e. by fax, mail, online, etc.).

Most people, especially when purchasing expensive items, would rather speak with a representative over the phone than purchase online without the added security and assurance provided by person to person contact.

Depending on their size and business model, companies come to rely heavily upon their telephone systems to project a good first impression of their organization to first-time callers and potential customers.

A complete telephone system includes an auto attendant, interactive voice response (IVR), on-hold messaging, and voicemail - all of which are recorded by professional voice-over talents from a clients script.

What are the benefits of recording telephone voice-overs?

• Recording for telephone systems is easy and work is abundant
• Payment is often made upfront for telephone jobs
• Telephone work is brief and straightforward in nature
• Companies will adopt you as their official telecommunications voice
• Possibilities for ongoing work, voicing revisions to their script over time
• A sense of belonging - you're a part of their 'team'
• Opportunities to record other voice work for their company

Having you record their telephone system is also a good way for the organization to see if you will be a good fit for future voice-over work. Once entrusting you with a little and seeing the return on their investment (caller perception, satisfaction, retension and sales), they will continue to increase the amount of work and financial compensation that they give to you as a steward and voice of their company.

A lot of jobs are posted at our site for telecommunications, and just as many if not more are awarded to talent through the search results or the Telephone Voice-overs featured talent category.

If you haven't recorded a telephone demo yet to showcase on your web page, I encourage you to do so - otherwise, you might be missing out!

Don't let that happen to you - the opportunities that may come of a small telephone job could be worth more than you think!

Best wishes,

Stephanie

Get yourself on the air!

Greetings,

Have you ever wondered what it takes to get your foot in the door as a station voice for broadcast radio?

Thinking locally, that is the radio stations in your hometown, will serve you best when trying to break into the market as an imaging voice, a promo voice, or commercial voice for broadcast radio.

While you're thinking locally, think traditionally as well. Most stations still require a hard copy of your resume and a demo CD of your work to keep on file.

Address your package to the producer, program director or general manager. This may take some researching to locate the appropriate directors contact details, but you definitely want your package getting into the hands of the right person at the station, lest it get lost or thrown out.

As with any traditional job application, you will need to:

• Write a cover letter and resume introducing your services
• Follow up to confirm receipt of your resume
• Ask if you can send your demo CD for consideration
• Mail a package including a CD sampler of your radio work / demos
• Follow up again to gain feedback

Highlight how you and your voice can make a difference, for example, your proven ability to reach their target audience. It's all about the station, not about you. If you remind yourself of that when applying for work, the responses from stations will be more favorable than not.

Have a great day,

Stephanie

P.S. If you haven't already, you can sign-up for a Guest voice talent membership (free) to upload your radio imaging, promos, or commercial demos at InteractiveVoices.com, the voice-over marketplace.

Although the high profile commercial world seems swarmed with celebrities, the bulk of the work is everything else and voiced by you!

Greetings,

While its true that celebrities are being asked to record for several high-profile companies, the vast majority of voice-over work is performed by voice talents who work from professional-grade recording studios.

Although they aren't paid millions of dollars like their celebrity counterparts, their voice-overs are often more effective, believable, and relatable.

The most successful voice actors secure business because of their individual performance styles, voice types, and work ethic. Companies who rely on celebrities to sell their product based upon the perception of a celebrity are setting the stage to potentially miss the mark and the sale because the products appeal rests with the viewers predetermined opinion of the celebrity and their impression of them both on-camera and off.

Professional voice actors and voice talent find work by promoting themselves online at InteractiveVoices.com, the voice-over marketplace. Talents each have their own web page, can upload samples of their voice, post their resume, and audition for voice-over work on a daily basis. This work includes broadcast commercials, voice acting for video games, corporate narration, telephony, and audio book narration.

Business clients post their jobs and receive replies from talents online within minutes of posting their job requirements. These pros are fast, specialized, and are definitely more economical to work with!

If you've been told that you have a great voice (or if you need one that'll get the job done), visit InteractiveVoices.com

Looking forward to working with you.

To your success!

Stephanie

How's Yours?

Greetings,

Have you ever heard that a first impression is lasting?

There are many instances in life where you will be making first impressions or have them impressed upon you. In voice-overs, the first impression that clients are given of you as a voice talent online (on the Internet) is often determined by your resume and the voice-over demos on your web page or voice demos submitted in an audition situation.

When submitting a voice sample for a job, particularly if there is a script included, it is wise to include a custom demo of the clients script (incorporating watermarks and the like), or a demo that best reflects their needs, for example, an automotive demo for a car dealership spot.

Consider the following:

Does your voice-over demo give clients a good taste of your voice type, skills, and versatility, both vocally and artistically?

Are your proposals free of grammatical errors and customized for each job that you apply for?

Do your price quotes reflect the budget range of the client or correlate with the rate sheets of professional freelance or union rates?

All of these components will shape the clients opinion of you, your voice-over skills, and will ultimately decide whether or not they work with you.

Some food for thought :)

Enjoy your weekend,

Stephanie

These two aren't usually paired together in the same sentence, but today, they are. Check it out!

Greetings,

What do Bruce Willis and Avril Lavigne have in common?

They're both providing voice-overs for the new DreamWorks animated film, Over the Hedge! The American actor and the Canadian rocker are both exploring their voice acting limits in this tale of life beyond the hedge.

A new trailer is available online for DreamWorks Animation's upcoming animated-comedy Over the Hedge, featuring the voices of Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, William Shatner, Avril Lavigne, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Wanda Sykes, Nick Nolte, Omid Djalili, Allison Janney and Thomas Haden Church. The animated film opens on May 19th, 2006.

The DreamWorks Fansite has also uploaded 10 character profiles that provide information on who is playing each role.

On another note, Disney's The Wild is coming out this month starring the voice talents of Kiefer Sutherland. It opens in theaters on April 14th. Will any of you be seeing it?

Best,

Stephanie

P.S. The photo above of Actor Bruce Willis and recording artist Avril Lavigne was taken at Nickelodeon's 19th annual Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles, California on April 1, 2006. (UPI Photo/Jim Ruymen) - Photo via NewsCom

Hype is building a year in advance for this crowd pleaser!

Greetings,

The Simpsons are coming to a theater near you, gracing the silver screen for the first time in Simpsons history.

Voice actors from the series have been hitting the talk show circuits, most recently on the Conan O'Brien show, bringing their wit, characters, and creative genius to the fore of North American culture once again.

Are you in the mood for a The Simpsons Movie prescreening teaser?

This animated film will feature the voice talents of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, and Tress MacNeille. Guest starring in the movie are Erin Brockovich, Minnie Driver, and Albert Brooks.

Producer Matt Groening has been quoted as saying "We are very excited about the performances in this movie. Come next Oscars, we think it's going to be Milhouse's night". Another producer, Al Jean says, "I can absolutely guarantee that this film will far exceed the wildest expectations of every Simpsons fan. Start lining up at the theater now, preferably in costume."

The Simpsons Movie will hit the box office on July 27th, 2007.

Read a complete cast listing of the original Simpsons series (1989) and see how the creation of cartoonist Matt Groening has become so popular and coined by many as the best cartoon series ever, and the longest running primetime show on television. 17 years in the business is a long time, and quite the steady voice-over job!

Do you have a favorite episode of The Simpsons?

Cheers,

Stephanie

SAG flexes some muscle and the hourly voice acting session rates go up.

Greetings,

For those of you who are members of the Screen Actors Guild and have performed voice-overs for cable cartoon shows recently, you've just landed a 20% increase in your residuals.

The deal is tentative (struck last Tuesday in Los Angeles), and if approved by the guild, payments will be raised by 20% to voice actors for reruns of their work on basic cable shows.

The pay increase would be retroactive to Jan. 1 and run through June 20, 2008.

For many of you, this financial recognition has been a long time coming. Will this increase make a big difference to your bottom line?

Best regards,

Stephanie

Get a piece of this $900 Million Dollar Industry.

Greetings,

You may have noticed that audio books are entering into the mainstream regarding literary consumption. Books on tape, spoken word recordings, storytelling based upon oral tradition...

While its lovely and whimsical to think about the endless options to satisfy us as consumers, the marriage of the spoken word and digital recording for audiobooks is currently a $900 million dollar industry.

The founder of Audible, Donald Katz, in a recent interview with Business 2.0, shared his insight on where this market is headed. The demand for audio books has ballooned, much aided by the presence of the iPod. People are taking their music with them wherever they go, are listening to podcasts, so the ability to take your favorite book with you in digital form via an MP3 player isn't a big stretch of the imagination.

Think of it as theatre of the mind. Its like floating off into an oasis of well crafted words flowing through the mouth of an excellent orator - it takes limited effort to listen, enjoy, and digest the plot, objective, or thematic material of an audio book.

As voice actors, narrators and storytellers, you too can have a piece of this pie. Afterall, the entire concept of this product is built upon using the human voice to breathe life into the written word, and now, this is an on-demand service.

Books, magazines, newspapers, speeches, interviews, how-to manuals, and also the localization of these is now the fastest growing market in the world regarding the use of voice-overs.

As mentioned in our audiobook post last week, you can take your favorite books anywhere now on an iPod or similar MP3 playing device. You'll also be able to take your pick between reading the printed word and listening to the spoken word in many cases. With Audible at the wheel and competitors creeping up quickly, there may be more audiobook titles available online than printed books stocked in libraries!

Have you listened to an audiobook before? If so, what differences did you find between reading and listening?

Cheers,

Stephanie