Fresh & Full of Questions

[Raerity]

Hello Everyone,

The limited experience i have had in using my voice creatively (Louis Vuitton Soundwalk English voice for 'Gong Li in Beijing') has convinced me to at least research further in the voice over industry, and explore any potential opportunities in what appears to be a highly competitive area within the creative or entertainment world.

I have gone through every thread within the Newbie section of the Forum at least, as well as Bob Bergen's FAQ, and what informative, supportive as well as direct, no nonsense responses there are - Thank you! These discussions are truly helpful.

So here are some of mine:

• The question of whether voice talent specialise within the variety of voice over markets (animation, character, commercial, corporate, narration, audiobooks, audioguides, radio) had been posted before, but i wanted to know also:

1. How is the work availability distributed across these various areas? Is there a lot more work available in commericals as opposed to narration, for example? Does that depend on geographical location?
2. Do agents specialise in representing talents of different skills?
3. How do the types of work differ in terms of pay? Are commercials always more lucrative than corporate or documentaries?
4. Can professionals afford to stay in their preferred area, or is the industry competitive to a level that everyone tends to cross over? I have observed professionals recording for animation, and I appreciate the high level of skill and technique involved in this area, but mostly this type of voice work just doesn't appeal to me - am i sealing my own fate in being picky?
5. I assume with everything, some people are better one thing than another, does this apply to voice work? Or is it a matter of if you are good and successful at doing commercials, then you must be able to do animation as well?
6. If I assume correctly, then how do you recognise your forte and weaknesses before the obvious of failed auditions, and expert critique? Is there a gut feeling?

• Are completed works of an individual protected by copyright laws, as they are in recorded music? Are there specific organisations and groups that protect the legal interests of voice talent as there are for musicians?
• Are royalties paid on all repeated broadcast of completed recordings as it is in recorded music? Or does that depend on the type of work?
• In your experience, what are the pros and cons of belonging to a union for voice professionals?
• There are many courses and coaches available - is there value in any of the teleclasses, or is it compulsory to work with coaches on a one on one basis in person?
• If you have a particular accent in English, is there a point of marketing yourself in your non-native country? Eg. British accent in the US voice industry, and vice versa. Would you invariably be more sought after in your native industry?

Think that's it for now, I'm sure i will be brimming with more once I see your welcome responses. My interest is genuine, just want to assess the type of investment and rate of return as anyone would for a career move.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions or pointing me in the right direction to other resources, your feedback is much appreciated.

Rae

[JoeActor]

Hi Rae,

Wow, you're on fire!

Well, lemme see if I can take a couple of these at least:

1. Some work does depend on geography. If you wanna do video games, animation, and such, it's LA. Other places do have some work (Dallas has Funimation), but to make a career out of it, you'll need to be near the source.

2. Some agents specialize, some don't. This should be made clear by them prior to signing. My LA agent specializes in Animation, but I've also gotten commercial work from her.

4. (yeah, I'm skipping around)... See "1" for the answer. Some work is very region specific, so for that, you may have to move.

5. I'm good at everything. (ok, so I have my niches - wasn't he a philosopher?). Most VA's settle on a couple key areas. Easier to focus, and you also become known for those areas. Might be best to concentrate on one to start, then branch out as you get your footing.

Ok, I'm off-line for a bit.

I'm sure others will fill in more blanks,
Joe J Thomas
www.JoeActor.com

[Robert Jadah]

Hey Rae; welcome to the playground.
You didn't exactly tiptoe in, did you?

But that's the spirit: take great big gulps and attack the VO thickets with the biggest darn machete you can find.
You see, rather than you defining the markets, the markets will define you, which is why it takes years for most voicers to start baling money.

We all, for example, think we can do commercial. Seems easy. It`s taken me years, much money in well-intentioned coaching, and literally hundreds of auditions to discover that I CANNOT SELL CAT FOOD, HEALTH SERVICES, GET-RICH-QUICK SCHEMES, CARS, or much else for that matter.
It turns out that nobody wants to hear me rumble about what product you must buy.
I am also happily useless at telephony.

I suspect that if anybody were to tell you right now that you can never, ever, ever become proficient at, for example, audio books or narration, you`d pooh-pooh that observation.
Which is why I revert to my exhortation that you stride forth and take it all on.

Firstly, the market will whisper to you. Then it will shout.
Then you adjust.
I know this doesn`t really answer any of your questions, but you may be trying to take an X-Ray of a moving target.

Good luck to you, Rae. You seem to have the initiative necessary.

Filibusteringly Yours,

[SilverSurfer3001]

There goes that beautiful prose. I can never get enough of that.! Go get 'em master Jadah...

[Claired]

ok, here's my attempt to reply to these rather complex questions:

1. How is the work availability distributed across these various areas? Is there a lot more work available in commericals as opposed to narration, for example? Does that depend on geographical location?

Yes, there will be a lot more commercials and TV in the major markets. It also depends on the medium. Most commercials and TV jobs will be cast via an agent, but narrations and elearning are very often cast direct with the voice via personal websites or pay to play

2.Do agents specialize in representing talents of different skills?

Yes, often. One agent will be better with animations, the other better with commercials, the other better with documentaries etc... some agents will specialize in foreign voices, others in celebrity voices...

3.How do the types of work differ in terms of pay? Are commercials always more lucrative than corporate or documentaries?

that's the million dollars question. Rates of pay vary so much according to the type of script, the market, the voice that records it... it's impossible to give a straight answer.

4.Can professionals afford to stay in their preferred area, or is the industry competitive to a level that everyone tends to cross over? I have observed professionals recording for animation, and I appreciate the high level of skill and technique involved in this area, but mostly this type of voice work just doesn't appeal to me - am i sealing my own fate in being picky?

Absolutely not, be picky, voice what suits you and what you enjoy. Some people make a very good living by only doing one type of voice acting.

5.I assume with everything, some people are better one thing than another, does this apply to voice work? Or is it a matter of if you are good and successful at doing commercials, then you must be able to do animation as well?

again: no, you do not have to be good at everything. Being great at one thing is better than average at several.

6.If I assume correctly, then how do you recognize your forte and weaknesses before the obvious of failed auditions, and expert critique? Is there a gut feeling?

It's not a gut feeling, you train your ears by listening to others and listening back to yourself, taking classes with great people etc... eventually, you'll know what's good, what's great and what is neither.

• Are completed works of an individual protected by copyright laws, as they are in recorded music? Are there specific organizations and groups that protect the legal interests of voice talent as there are for musicians?

I don't know.

• Are royalties paid on all repeated broadcast of completed recordings as it is in recorded music? Or does that depend on the type of work?

depends on what you have negotiated. Often it is a buyout for a certain period of time.

• In your experience, what are the pros and cons of belonging to a union for voice professionals?

oh, dear. that one needs a thread for itself. so I'll leave it for now.

• There are many courses and coaches available - is there value in any of the teleclasses, or is it compulsory to work with coaches on a one on one basis in person?

whatever works for you. It's a free world, nothing is compulsory.

• If you have a particular accent in English, is there a point of marketing yourself in your non-native country? Eg. British accent in the US voice industry, and vice versa. Would you invariably be more sought after in your native industry?

Absolutely, I am the living proof that you can make a good living outside your own country.

[shenecke]

Claired, you are a blessing to us newbies. Helpful, knowledgeable, you type well and are easy on the eyes!

[Raerity]

Thank you ALL for the detailed, thoughtful, expert responses - much appreciated! Am digesting and marinading - will probably come back with more questions later!

Thanks again!

Rae