A simple guide to hiring me…and any other voice over!
When working directly with clients, I always aim to make the procedure as straightforward, clear and easy as possible. I want my clients to return, not just because I do a great job, but because I make the entire process easy for them. In a world where everything needs to be done yesterday, and most people are under tight deadlines, I always aim to be the smoothest part of that process. That means good preparation, nailing the read, and providing alternatives if necessary; to ensure a client doesn’t have to return for revisions unless absolutely necessary.
So, how exactly do you hire a voice over, what information do they need before they begin, and what can you do to really help them in delivering exactly what you require.
So first of all, lets summarise the main ways you can hire a voice actor:
There are pay to play sites, such as Voice123 or Bodalgo, that feature hundreds of different sounds and voices, which you can either post an audition for, or just search through.
There’s the direct approach, finding a voice actors personal website and getting in touch with them there.
There’s the agency approach, where you contact a voice agent and tell them what you’re looking for.
Ands there’s also recommendations, you could ask colleagues or friends if they have worked with anyone who delivered particularly well. This is a great way to find someone tried and tested.
Once you’ve decided how you want to hire a voice actor, and personally I would always recommend working directly with the actor themselves; there are certain things you need to have in place once you’ve established they are the one for you.
A script, which is as close to finalised and locked as possible. Always make sure you’re sending your talent the finished and approved version of the script.
Information regarding your deadline or how quickly you’d like to have the finished recording.
Where the finished project will be used, for example is it an online explainer for a company website, is it a commercial for National Television or is it a video to be hosted at an events evening? Where the project will end up, will have an effect on the overall pricing.
Any constraints the project might have, such as timings or speed of delivery.
There are also a few things that you can do as a client that can really help your voice actor to bring your script alive.
Think of keywords that fit your brand, your company or your style. How do you describe what you do, and why you do it? Now a good voice actor will do their research, but often times a certain word might really be the essence of your script and what you want to convey. So don’t be afraid to share that with your voice actor.
Make sure your document is in a readable format, and potentially one that can be edited or annotated. I markup my scripts in the preparation phase, so it’s vital to me that my scripts are in an easy to read format, with space for my notes.
And finally, you’ve probably seen or heard examples of the kind of work you are trying to produce, so share those with your VO! Does your piece have music to it? Are you creating a similar add to the one you saw yesterday? Is the visual style just like something the VO themselves has already voiced for? If so, share all these elements with them, they can help to spark their creative juices.
So now you know, hiring a voice over is a simple process!
If you have any questions about the process, feel free to check out my FAQ page on the website, or get in touch and I would be happy to help.
Singing out, SBVO!
Comments