OnLine audtions

[SilverSurfer3001]

I have to admit: The first few auditions I sent out were complete with sound effects and music beds and VST Plug-ins and everything that I could toss into the mix. It took forever to put together. Then I realised - Hey! they are auditioning to hear my voice, not my production chops (or lack thereof), so now I simply lay down a flat audition and shoot it out.

Here's my conundruum. Sending out a dry-voiced audition to a nameless, faceless and (most imprtantly) billable-less identity on the internet could wind up being used without any remuneration at all (not that that has ever happened to me - I'm talking about you skilled and talented folk who inhabit this place and who have landed jobs from these sites).

How do you prevent that? I have been told that it is a good idea to send in the audition with a note that a tone has been laid down as a watermark to run throughout the audition and upon contact, a clean and (hopefully) better track will submitted. Then lay in a few random pops and clicks just to overide any frequency overrides that a good engineer can create.

Which brings me to another question:
Remuneration: Do you bill and expect payment "Pre-Pay" or do you bill "on Delivery" or do you bill on a "30 day" rate with 1.5% per additional 30days? Mind you, I am talking strictly these online gigs?

I realise that I may be getting the cart before the horse, but I'd rather be prepared when that first call comes, than scratching my head and learning through the school of hard knocks...

Thanks for any input...

[KRMDjames]

change the original up a bit and let the client know you will revise the copy once contact is made..

[JoeActor]

Whoa! Thems there a whole heap-o-questions!

Ok, here's my personal take, one at a time:

1) Dry or Produced
My vote is almost always Dry. I prefer to work with clients that have their own production, and as you said, pros will want to hear my un-altered voice...

2) VO Theft
I don't use watermarks because I find them annoying and they show a lack of trust on our part. I have changed the copy as James suggested (different phone or web site). I like that option the best, but only when it's a potentially questionable client. Most on V123 are hidden, so they're all questionable for me. Voices.com at least tells you something so you can research up front (kudos to them ;-)

3) Payment
For large projects or questionable clients, I'll ask for payment (half or full) up front, and the balance on delivery. Sometimes I will send a low quality audio for approval, then send the final once they've paid. However, I do many of my jobs with delivery up front, payment due after delivery. So far most have paid up (sometimes it takes a while, tho...)

Oh, and I don't do the extra fee for late payment. Just a personal preference.

So, there it is then...,
Joe J Thomas
www.JoeActor.com

[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

[voicy1stef]

I used to watermark all of my auditions. But after considering some earlier feedback from Joe, now I'll either read only part of the copy, or will watermark only the last little bit. And I inform them in my proposal that it's a partial read, or partially watermarked. I let potentials know that they have the option of Sure Pay (voices.com) or if paying by Paypal half up front, and half when the work is done.

My auditions are dry, cause I agree with other more experienced v-o's that they're listening for the voice and I'm not a tech person...but as I'm now starting to get a little bit into music software--if they ask for some sort of musical background, I can provide something simple!

Cheers!

[imaginator]

i love production. i'm a sound fx junkie. but when i do devote time to auditions i'm doing well just to spend time on a good voicetrack, let alone any extras (which probably are not wanted anyway).

and unless i know and trust the source, i only do partial reads and mention that in my communication to the potential client. sometimes i will intentionally start my audition at some point other than the first line of the copy, just to sound different than all the other clips the recipient has slogged through before mine.

[Julie Williams]

To avoid them stealing your work: One thing I do is not read the entire script, or make a few changes (like names or phone numbers.) I don't watermark because they're distracting. In fact, when I receive watermarked auditions, I delete them.

Payment Policies:
If your agent books the job, agent collects for your and pays you after taking his or her cut.
If client is international, I ALWAYS require payment in advance by credit card--no exceptions.
If client is in USA, I encourage payment in advance by VISA, Mastercard, Paypal, or Voices.com's SurePay. I encourage it by bidding one rate for PIA and a much higher rate for check immediately upon delivery.
I do allow some clients, for whom I've worked for years, to pay by check. It should be noted, that most of them have money in my mailbox within a week.

With these terms, I usually get paid quicker than most talent. If a client is slow pay, I won't work for him again. As a one-person office, I don't have time to waste trying to collect on VO jobs!

You will be stiffed on occasion. Note, the low budget clients tend to be the ones who take forever to pay! One client who hires for commercials online and says he'll "use you a lot" only offers $75 per spot and takes months to pay. But for someone like you who hasn't done any work yet, it may be worth it.

[b3ar]

*scribbles madly in notebook*

A few less rookie mistakes on my auditions means money in the bank. This is all great advice!

[jimron]

I used to watermark, but not so much anymore. Now I'm more prone to not reading the entire script. But let me ask this... If you're concerned about having your audition "stolen" (as we all are), and you change words in the script, isn't that considered watermarking? Whether it's a blip, low quality file or change in script, you're preventing them from using your audio without paying you.

Someone mentioned trust. You're changing the script... wouldn't that show a lack of trust also?

Just looking to keep the conversation going.

[SilverSurfer3001]

I think it's a whole different set of rukes for online auditions. Essentially, you are sending out a blind audition to an entity to which you may have no way of following up. Since they are nameless and faceless, I can not place my full trust in that entity, therefore there is an inherent set of "safeties" that not only should be implmented, they must be implemented. The internet can be a pretty squirrely place, and we have to treat each opportunity on said net with a certain amount of suspicion.

Now, if I get a call from an agent, and they are requesting an audition, they will get a full blown read with as clean a track as I can provide and it will be shipped out to the customer immediately -through my agent.