September 19th, 2011
After briefly mentioning the new voice over job that I got back in August I’ve received quite a few emails asking me to talk about some of the juicy details. Since I aim to please, this post will be all about what exactly the job is, how I landed the job, what the job entails, how much time I spend everyday on the job, and anything else that pops into my head as I write.
But before I begin to divulge, let me say up front that I am bound by a “somewhat relaxed” NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). Which means that there are specifics about the job that I’m not allowed to talk about, but I can talk about it in general terms.
So now, here are the most asked questions about the new job and their answers:
I was hired by a video production house that specializes in a very unique video product for its customers. My voice will only be heard in these videos and not on TV or the radio or even on the Internet. The videos are very family orientated which makes me feel good when recording the scripts — and there are a lot of them!
Can you tell me about the scripts?
Unfortunately the NDA prohibits me from going into details about the scripts themselves, but what I can say is that the kinds of scripts are quite varied. This is one of the things I love about this job — the variety is just awesome!
One kind of script requires a Hollywood style movie trailer read, another needs a more sultry and romantic read, and yet another requires me to sound like a WWF announcer. There is a fourth kind of script that requires a TV documentary read and a fifth kind that needs an “Academy Awards announcer” style of read.
The amount of scripts I receive is anywhere from only one script per day up to as many as seven! Luckily, each script is short and only takes about 20-30 minutes to record, edit, and email back to the production house.
How did you get it?
This really was the most often asked question. Many of you wanted to know if I got it through my agent, or perhaps through one of the online Pay to Play sites like Voices.com or Voice123. Some even wanted to know if it was through cold calling or word of mouth.
The answer is: none of the above.
The production house found me through my website: David’s Book of Voices – Voice Overs by David Radtke. It was simply a Google search. But that should be a signal that your personal voice over website needs to be competitive not only in content, but also in getting good search engine rankings.
Why were you chosen?
Ok, this actually wasn’t asked by any of VAN’s readers, but I’d like to briefly touch upon it because it’s something that everyone thinking of getting into voice acting or who already is in voice acting needs to decide. And that is: what kind of demo do I need?
My commercial demo was designed to show off my range. I can be young, hip and quirky. I can be older and more mature. I can have variety in my voice or I can be flat. It was because my demo had so much range that I was eventually chosen over the others in the running for this job.
Please keep in mind, this kind of demo wasn’t my decision — it was my coach’s decision. My coach knows my abilities and what I sound like better than anyone else.
There is another kind of demo that focuses on your main “voice” or “sound”. So, if you naturally sound like a guy from the Bronx, a cowboy, a sultry seductress, or a high-pitched bubbly cheerleader, then that kind of demo focuses only on that sound.
Personally, I am in no position to tell you what kind of demo you should have. That is between you and your coach on how to best market your abilities.
The contract
The contract was pretty typical. It included the payment terms, delivery of payment, length of contract, the Non-Disclosure Agreement, and a few other housekeeping tidbits such as if there is a dispute over payment, terms for renewing the contract and terms for leaving the contract. Luckily my friend is a lawyer, and after reading it through and translating the legalese into recognizable English he gave it the thumbs up.
Did I miss anything?
As always, my goal is to help those interested in becoming voice actors. So if I missed covering any questions you might have, please feel free to ask them in the comment section below.