[jason216]

Silver...

There are lots of questions here, but I'll give you my opinion. Let me preface this with...this is from my experience so far. I am not union due mainly to where I live, and the work I get. That's a whole other area where there are many qualified people here who could address that.

As far as auditions go. I spent a lot of time "dressing up" auditions with music and sfx my first month at v123, and got 2 gigs...but I don't think it had anything to do with the production stuff...My thinking was that this would be good watermarking, but I have since forgone all of that unless someone states they want music as well. I've been schooled by many people here about that and I've come to the conclusion....send a voice clip that sounds as good as you can make it. (levels and eq up to standard practices, at least -9 to -6 which leaves head room for later stuff...Me personally, I stay just below the yellow on most meters about-6 to -3...never red!!!!) I think with the plethora of auditions the client listens to, the voice they end up using is simply the one they liked best for that project. Having your production chops in order simply helps your voice pop out of their speakers. Still if it's not what they want, you can pop all day long to no avail...

As far as watermarking goes. I have taken the route, thanks to my friends here, of changing a word, phone number by one number, company name...things like that. Adding anything audio can be distracting and even annoying. Now if you're going to change a word I suggest you state that when you write your presentation about yourself. e.g..."I have changed a word/number strictly for watermarking purposes only. Final product will be as directed"

I, as a producer, also wanted to get some music and stuff heard, but I've come to the conclusion that for on line, cattle call, auditions, again thanks to my friends here, that it's easier to state all that in your written presentation...e.g..."If music or sfx are ever needed, we provide full production services...see my site for more info" or something to that effect.

Some people are trying to sell their production skills and that's all good...I thought I would too, but again, one thing at a time. They are looking for a voice and usually already have all the production people they need. If you get a gig, there is plenty of time to sell that part of your services. I now just state all that in my written presentation. And for what it's worth...I think that written presentation is almost as important as your audition. You may "sell" yourself simply with what you write. After all this is really a sales gig...You have as product, your voice...so sell it!!!

As far as payment goes...It's all over the place if you're not union. Most clients have short windows for you to get them what they need so they can move on. Getting money down is hard sometimes because of that. Yea, it's a crap shoot sometimes...so are a lot of businesses...You just have to trust your instincts and do the best you can. If all things line up though...get some sort of deposit then get the balance upon final approval. Some companies can pay right away...Some have to wait for their clients to pay them so they can pay you…some companies have 30, 45 or 60 day billing cycles. That's just part of it...

I'll shut up now...
Jason

Damn...when I started writing this...no one had spoken up yet...but after being kicked out twice and the fact I type slow...I may be redundant...see JOE...lol