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Voice Over Training Articles
13 things that are hurting your new voice over business
By Stew Crossen
There's a lot a stake. Avoid these blunders in your new voice over business.
1. You didn't warm up.
You're expected to be ready to perform when you arrive. Do your vocal warms up in the car or on the walk from the train station.
2. You seem distracted or preoccupied.
Got a lot on your mind? An overdue electric bill, an ailing parent or a new puppy at home alone can certainly be cause for
distraction. VO is about being in the moment. You've got to have your head, body and soul fully involved.
3. You dress like it's casual Friday at Happy Valley Camp.
Leave the flip flops, cargo shorts and baggy Hawaiian shirt at home. Dress professionally, business casual, clean, pressed, neat.
And tone down the jewelry too.
4. You're wearing heavy perfume, after shave or smell of cigarettes.
Shower and wear clean clothes, but leave the fragrances home.
And the cigarettes too. Voice over is often done in small,
crowded or cramped spaces. Many people are sensitive to perfume
and cigarette smoke and can have allergic reactions.
5. You had a meatball sub 10 minutes before the gig.
Why would you want to fill your stomach just before a gig? A full stomach can have a negative impact on your breathing. Plus,
there's belching, gas and even heartburn. If you're that hungry, eat a few hours before the gig. Or quelch your hunger
by drinking water.
6. You talk too much.
VO is about talking, but don't overdo it by engaging the producer
or client with witty banter. Beginners get nervous and tend
to talk too much. Honestly, the director or client doesn't
care about your new puppy, or microphone you recently purchased.
You won't impress them by being chatty. Exchange greetings
and be pleasant. Otherwise don't speak unless spoken too or
unless you're talking about the job. Stay focused, do your
job and leave quietly.
7. You didn't do a proper read through
before the audition or recording take.
If the director or client seems inexperienced or preoccupied
and doesn't offer you an opportunity to do a read through,
ask for one. Ask for a second or third if it's necessary.
8. Your web site.
You spent $2300 on your web site. It took 9 months to design
and build. It has a front end, back end, database, 17 pages,
java navigation, high res logo, fast loading graphics and
awesome flash. It's SEO'd and W3c compliant. You have Google
analytics and two Google Adword campaigns running costing
$200 a month. Uh... okaaaay. All you really need is 4 simple
pages. Home, About, Demos and Contact, for well under $1000.
Potential clients don't care about flash, logos, color palettes
or widgets. All they care about is great sounding demos and
an easy way to contact you.
9. A list of your sudio equipment.
The only people who might care what equipment you have are
a few of your fellow voice actors. 99% of your potential clients
wouldn't know a dynamic mic from a condensor mic or a preamp
from a plate reverb. And they don't care. However, they do
know what sounds good and what doesn't. All they really care
about is the finished cost, timely delivery and a professional
job.
10. Where and who you studied with.
The owner of the restaurant chain, president of the insurance
company or the independent film producer doesn't care who,
where or even if you studied voice over. All they really care
about is getting a professional job, done on time, and at
a reasonable cost.
11. Tell everyone you "do it all" or that you're "full Service".
Beginners want to do it all. Problem is they can't. Veterans
can do it all. However, they've learned that you don't have
to do it all. And what does "full service" mean anyway? You
probably don't do ADR, Foley or Mastering. So be very specific
about what you do. Tell your potential customers exactly what
it is you do and have samples to prove it. Keep it simple.
12. Being too social.
Between FaceBook, Twitter, and the three Voice Over Forums
you belong to, you're spending 3 or more hours a day online
socializing. Sure they're touted to be the new revolution
in marketing and promotion. Here's a news flash. There's a
world of difference between socializing online and actually
marketing yourself online with social media. Do some research
or hire someone to figure it out for you. Here's my idea of
being social... spend 3 hours a day actually getting out and
visiting local businesses. Introduce yourself and show the
owners how you can help them attract new customers and make
more sales. How? Talk to them about their after hours phone
message, web site, overhead sound system and point-of-sale
just for starters.
13. El Presidente.
Your business cards, web site, CD labels and the mouse pads
you hand out all state that you're the "President"
of your voice over company. You're answering machine says,
"Hi, I'm Jack Overshoe, president of the Jack Overshoe
Voice Over Company." Are you serious? Unless your voice
over business is incorporated and you're legally "The
President", forget the uppity stuff. Just be yourself.
This article is not intended to be all inclusive of everything
that could hurt your chance of success in your voice over
business. Using common sense, having a pleasant dispostion
and a helpful attitude will earn you a good reputation. And
that alone can get you more voice over business than you can
handle.
Call or for voice-over information.
Stew "Beef Stew" Crossen
860.871.7515
Daily 10am to 8pm, east coast
Connect with Stew on:
Facebook | Blog | MySpace | Twitter
Member:
Connecticut Broadcasters Association
Connecticut Production Coalition
Hartford Radio History
Media Communications Assoc. Int. / CT Chapter
Voice123.com
VoicePunch.com
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