Ask the Professional Voice Over Talent

[elmwood]

@filmore

Why is there so much badly-done ethnic voiceovers in radio commercials?

On a related note, what’s the deal with Spanish voiceovers, at least in the United States? Seems like most voiceovers on Spanish-language television are made by men, and most are abnormally deep baritone and bass voices. Is it an appeal to the culture of machismo, even when baritones are used in commercials for products like tampons and diapers, or something else?

[eclectic_wench]

Would it be OK if I piggybacked a little on this thread? I’ve got a different perspective on the same area. I did part-time VO for years, as one of the day jobs to pay the rent between acting gigs. I did mainly corporate stuff (lots of e-learning software) and some magazine-onto-CD-for-the-blind stuff. No commercials.

So far, the main differences between my experience and Septemberday’s seem to be:

• I never had any of my own equipment. I only know one or two people who do, and they’re focused on commercials and do a much higher volume of work than I ever did. The client would hire an audio ‘solutions’ company, who would go through their database of voices and send a bunch of samples to the client, who would then pick the one(s) they liked. If it was me, I’d go into the company’s studio and do the gig there. They did the post-production.

• Sight-reading skill is a much higher priority in corporate VO than in commercial, because on average you’re given much more stuff at a time. (I’ve shown up for a session and been handed over a hundred pages of bumph, including large amounts of computer programming code.) Plus they’re always changing it through the last minute and beyond, so there’s not really much point preparing in advance, because Tuesday’s final version probably bears no resemblance to what you’ll have to read on Wednesday, which in turn bears no resemblance to what they’ll call you back to redo on Friday. I have a nice voice, but what really got me the work was that I’m an exceptional sight-reader. Audio companies love that, because they spend way less time both in studio and in post-production if you’re getting it right the first time.

• A huge percentage of the time I had no idea what I was talking about. Not a clue. Because you’re sight-reading, and because a lot of the time the subject is something about which you know absolutely zip, everything goes straight from your eyes to your mouth; it bypasses your brain completely. I can make twenty minutes of management technique sound clear, engaging and authoritative, without having the faintest notion what I just said. I’d get home and my boyfriend would ask me, ‘So what were you reading about today?’ and I wouldn’t be able to answer. Sometimes I had to sign non-disclosure agreements, but they were completely unnecessary. I couldn’t have disclosed anything if I’d wanted to.

[Asimovian]

I don’t have any questions at the moment, but I wanted to express my appreciation for you starting this thread.

My wife and I once took an eight-session VO class with a woman by the name of Dolores Diehl here in LA, and while it was a lot of fun, it was also extremely challenging. I have a great deal of respect for people who are able to make a good living doing that kind of work. And that obviously includes you, Septemberday.

[gaffa]

@eclectic_wench

A huge percentage of the time I had no idea what I was talking about. Not a clue. Because you’re sight-reading, and because a lot of the time the subject is something about which you know absolutely zip, everything goes straight from your eyes to your mouth; it bypasses your brain completely. I can make twenty minutes of management technique sound clear, engaging and authoritative, without having the faintest notion what I just said. I’d get home and my boyfriend would ask me, ‘So what were you reading about today?’ and I wouldn’t be able to answer. Sometimes I had to sign non-disclosure agreements, but they were completely unnecessary. I couldn’t have disclosed anything if I’d wanted to.

So the Monty Python bit with the announcers was true:

Remember: Deep breaths, and try not to think about what you’re saying.

[Septemberday]

@elmwood

On a related note, what’s the deal with Spanish voiceovers, at least in the United States? Seems like most voiceovers on Spanish-language television are made by men, and most are abnormally deep baritone and bass voices. Is it an appeal to the culture of machismo, even when baritones are used in commercials for products like tampons and diapers, or something else?

That’s exactly what it is. The idea is that the men control the money so you’ve got to reach them for every product.

[Septemberday]

@eclectic_wench

Would it be OK if I piggybacked a little on this thread? I’ve got a different perspective on the same area. I did part-time VO for years, as one of the day jobs to pay the rent between acting gigs. I did mainly corporate stuff (lots of e-learning software) and some magazine-onto-CD-for-the-blind stuff. No commercials.

So far, the main differences between my experience and Septemberday’s seem to be:

• I never had any of my own equipment. I only know one or two people who do, and they’re focused on commercials and do a much higher volume of work than I ever did. The client would hire an audio ‘solutions’ company, who would go through their database of voices and send a bunch of samples to the client, who would then pick the one(s) they liked. If it was me, I’d go into the company’s studio and do the gig there. They did the post-production.

• Sight-reading skill is a much higher priority in corporate VO than in commercial, because on average you’re given much more stuff at a time. (I’ve shown up for a session and been handed over a hundred pages of bumph, including large amounts of computer programming code.) Plus they’re always changing it through the last minute and beyond, so there’s not really much point preparing in advance, because Tuesday’s final version probably bears no resemblance to what you’ll have to read on Wednesday, which in turn bears no resemblance to what they’ll call you back to redo on Friday. I have a nice voice, but what really got me the work was that I’m an exceptional sight-reader. Audio companies love that, because they spend way less time both in studio and in post-production if you’re getting it right the first time.

• A huge percentage of the time I had no idea what I was talking about. Not a clue. Because you’re sight-reading, and because a lot of the time the subject is something about which you know absolutely zip, everything goes straight from your eyes to your mouth; it bypasses your brain completely. I can make twenty minutes of management technique sound clear, engaging and authoritative, without having the faintest notion what I just said. I’d get home and my boyfriend would ask me, ‘So what were you reading about today?’ and I wouldn’t be able to answer. Sometimes I had to sign non-disclosure agreements, but they were completely unnecessary. I couldn’t have disclosed anything if I’d wanted to.

That’s exactly why I loathe long format stuff. I want to get, get out, and go on with my life. I just did a long format for DHL last week and I was exhausted by the time it was over.

[Septemberday]

@Asimovian

I don’t have any questions at the moment, but I wanted to express my appreciation for you starting this thread.

My wife and I once took an eight-session VO class with a woman by the name of Dolores Diehl here in LA, and while it was a lot of fun, it was also extremely challenging. I have a great deal of respect for people who are able to make a good living doing that kind of work. And that obviously includes you, Septemberday.

It was my pleasure I hear Dolores’s class is very good and it’s nice to hear another good review! Thank you very much for your kind words

[Gary_Robson]

I have two questions for you, Septemberday.

I do my own commercials for my business, and I also do a lot of emcee work. I’ve developed a skill for looking over the words and mentally adjusting how fast I talk to exactly hit my :30 or :60. The crew at the local radio station all talk about how I always seem to pull things off in one take that take them two or three, and a whole lot of people have suggested I do VO work because I have a good voice for it. Most of them have suggested it so I’d do something for them for free, unfortunately.

1. I have contacts, but the first question they always ask is how much I charge. I have no CLUE how much to quote (I’m in rural Montana, incidentally).

2. Is having a distinct voice an advantage or disadvantage? People instantly recognize my voice if they’ve heard it before, and I’m concerned that would hurt. If I do a spot for one of the nonprofits around here, people hear the spot and say, “Hey! That’s the bookstore guy!”