Sometimes, as a Voiceover Artist, it can be all too easy to get entrenched in your own way of thinking.
You might think a script sounds a bit too wooden; You might think that your comical Dutch accent is spot on; You might even be one of those people who pronounces the word bagel, “boigel”. But you are wrong. Even if you’re not wrong, it doesn’t matter. The only people whose opinions you need to appease are the client and the producer.
Given that no-one in the industry can ever guess what’s going on in a client’s head, we caught up with a big-wig producer to help give you an insight into the things that factor into the Voiceover selection decision.
Who are you?
Hello I’m Dan and I’m a senior imaging producer for Capital. I’ve previously worked for the Free Radio Network and Gem106.
How important is getting the right Voiceover for you?
VO choice is crucial in imaging as you need to appeal to the target demographic while staying true to the brand. A few things I look out for when choosing VOs are: a strong demo showcasing the voices they’re fully confident in voicing in, clear diction and natural flow, and whether they voice inflections correctly.
Alongside ticking the boxes above, friendliness and the ability to take constructive criticism is something that makes me want to work with VOs. I’ve made some great genuine friends that I have used in the past and they stick in the forefront of my mind when it comes to choosing voices.
What’s the best way for you to take a Voiceover session?
Face to face, or ISDN are still my preferred methods of taking VO sessions. We do have the ability to use source connect, ipDTL and Skype where I work, but they’re not installed in our studios as standard yet and takes an engineer to set up the clean feed etc…
No doubt these services will one day overtake ISDN, and maybe when it’s used more and more we will upgrade the systems to accommodate.
What can Voiceover Artists do to help you choose them?
One thing that voices could do to help our decision would be to make sure they have filled in all their information so that it’s as easy as possible to get in touch with them. It’s also important their showreels are up to date with their latest demos. The more information that’s in their profile, the better, like clients have you recently voiced for, the flexibility of your voice (accents and age, etc.), and any session time restrictions (i.e. Collecting children from school at XX’o clock…)
What puts you off using a Voiceover Artist?
99% of the voices I’ve used are friendly and easy to work with, but having a difficult session and struggling to strike a rapport in the first few sessions puts me off Voiceover Artists. Producers also talk, so word can spread if a few people have had similar experiences.
So there you have it – some insider info to help you get more Voiceover work.
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