VO Tips

Another awesome resource on the web for any freelancer, not just voice talent:

The Freelance Hourly Rate Calculator

This should help you figure out what to charge per hour to make ends meet. Keep in mind though, as a voice talent, you will work less than most other types of freelancers out there, unless you have more to offer your clients (script writing, audio editing, etc.) You also don’t want to charge more than you’re worth. Don’t worry, clients will be the first to tell you if your rate is too high, but by then it already be too late.

The more you offer, the more you get paid (that is, if you’re jack or jill of all trades and also master of all of them). This is true with your voice as well. If you have a very bland and uninteresting voice (which sometimes is called for) you probably won’t get called again. Practice and you won’t have to worry about it.

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You’re really missing out if you don’t know about this awesome resource for scripts:

Script Collection

I was writing a script collection until I came across this AWESOME resource on Jeff Kafer’s blog.

There are thousands of scripts in this collection and they all seem really great. DEFINITELY take advantage of this resource for your demos.

Going off of the last post, People. If you have thousands of connections and nothing to offer when they find you, you might as well not waste your time.

Sounds a little harsh, but it’s true. If someone finds you on your Myspace, Facebook, personal website (do you have one?), or they contact you by phone, are they going to be impressed with what they see or hear, or will they blow you off because you sound like an amateur?

There’s one way to prevent that: Practice.

I never say practice makes perfect, especially when it comes to voice over work. Practice makes persistence. You can’t always be perfect when it comes to voice over. Perfection lies in the ears of the producer or the client, not with your ears. Something may be perfect to your ears but completely wrong for the listener.

How do you practice using your voice? There’s a lot of great practice methods I use all the time.

Here’s another P for voice over success. Not one of the top 5, but definitely a thing that everyone who does internet business should have:

Paypal.

Paypal is a service that allows you to send and receive payment without sharing your financial information with anyone. I use it on my website to take payment from clients. (See the bottom of www.voiceofmichael.com). Since I am a business member of paypal, I can take credit card payments as well. There are different levels of paypal for different users, check it out and see what level of service is best for you.

Since every voice over person I know does work remotely (and sometimes never even meets their clients face to face), how do you expect them to pay you? If you’re waiting on a check in the mail, there’s a good chance it might not show up. Cash by mail? Forget it! Western Union? That’s getting desperate. You need Paypal so you can make money on the internet. It’s very secure, probably one of the most secure sites on the net. Go to their site and sign up right now!

There are other payment services on the net, but I can’t remember them off the top of my head. Share other payment services you use in the comments.

Hope all of you had a happy holidays, I know I did. Be looking for the next post soon! Subscribe to my feed at the top of the page to get my posts delivered to your mailbox instantly.

Rodney sent me an email yesterday and told me he has a new CD of motivational music hot off the presses, here’s the email:

“Hello Michael,

Hope all is well. Just wanted to let you know about my new motivational and
inspirational album, ‘Better Than Before.’ It’s seven songs
geared toward the voiceover community. Music designed to keep you in a positive
frame of mind as you pursue your voiceover career. It’s a collection of
R&B, Pop and Gospel selections sung by me. You can purchase it at
www.rodneysaulsberry.com.

YouTube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-okWBRH8K0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrRx54eRJDg

Your web site is very impressive Michael. Not only does it promote you greatly,
it’s a great source of information for the voiceover community. Happy
Holidays!

Thank You,

Rodney Saulsberry”

Thanks Rodney, I definitely appreciate it and look forward to getting my copy asap.

All of you should too, it will make a great gift to yourself or an aspiring voice talent that you know.

Also, Rodney’s book “You Can Bank on Your Voice” and “Step Up to the Mic” are amazing resources for voice talent of every caliber, you should get a copy or two if you don’t already have one. There are some amazing tips in these books, trust me, I have both.

All of the aforementioned are available via his website: www.rodneysaulsberry.com

Taking another drink of Metamucil, I feel myself aging as I type this, but I love the gameshow The Price is Right. There’s just something about people trying to guess what two new pairs of skis cost that really entertains me.

Have you ever actually been on the other end, though? I imagine it’s pretty suspenseful and almost impossible to think while in the limelight under time constraints… wait a tick… something about this sounds very familiar.

Well, if you’ve played the voice over game before, you’ve played The Price is Right. As a matter of fact, you’ve been involved in every aspect of the game.

If you have a blog related to voice over, let me know and I will post it in my blogroll!

Great opportunity for free publicity!

Next post: 5 P’s of Voiceover Success: PRICE is COMING SOON!

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Friends,

It greatly saddens me to hear of the passing of the greatest master of the art of voice over the world has ever seen: Don LaFontaine.

Everyone knows his voice, it’s been heard on almost half of the movie trailers broadcast in the past decade. If you’ve watched Fox (the Simpsons, 24, House, or any of their shows) he was the voice of their commercials. In my mind and in the minds of many others, he was truly the greatest voice the world has ever heard.

A true master in every since of the word, the world that is voice over would not be what it is without his great contributions to the art.

Everyone will miss you Don. Thank you for your artistry and your contributions to the world of voice-over. You will live on as a true legend in my mind and in the minds of all other voice over artists the world over. Rest in peace.

Let’s just admit it: There is some copy out there you wish never existed. It is redundant, half the sentences in the darn thing make no logical sense, long words are used but their placement is incorrect (trying to make the author look smart, but actually achieving the opposite), etc. There are about a million different kinds of boring and terribly written copy, so what do we do about it?

A lot (and I do mean almost everyone I meet) thinks that being a voice over artist is an easy life. Granted, it’s easier than a 9-5, but by no means is it a complete cakewalk. Everyone thinks that all you do is sit in front of a microphone and read stuff. Not true!