YOUR FIRST TIME HIRING A VOICE ACTOR

Select the Right Talent

The sound of the voice itself and an actor’s experience, believability, and copy translation make all the difference. Whatever I record for you will sound honest.

My job is to make this process easy when you need a great voice over recorded. Handling anything from complex medical or multipart reads, to simpler projects – these are what I get to do each day from my great studio.

Assuming you have a script ready, we can get right to it but, let me share a few standard details first.

How Much Do You Pay a Voice Actor?

Price depends on your intended usage of the finished work. Will it be used locally, nationally, globally?

Having a discussion with the voice actor about your project needs, how the recording(s) will be used, and your project budget will help you land on a price that's acceptable to you both.

Audition

It is customary to request an audition for a project, especially if you have not worked with the actor before. Most voice actors will do this without charge (well, not actors like Morgan Freeman - his rate sheet is… whew).

Offer the actor your thoughts on the style of narration you would like, fast aggressive, friendly neighborly, direct and visual. And as for myself, I like to do this on the phone. We can visit briefly, I will gain better understanding of what you need, it smooths the process, and it will give YOU confidence talking to me directly.

Upon your approval of the audition, you share your thoughts and then hire the actor. You’ll also want to give added details like any changes you'd like to hear from the test file, type of final audio file format, and editing instructions. Some clients want ready-to-go audio and others prefer live session files to choose their words more carefully.

Corrections and Changes

Generally, a final script is just that - final. But recording errors, transitions, and other issues do occur.  The actor should always cover his own mistakes (no charge). As for me, even minor copy changes are not an issue but, if a re-write has happened, you should be understanding of my time and offer an additional payment equal to the effort. When you build a relationship with the actor (see above phone call), this shouldn't be a problem. AND, you will not be a payment hostage ever.  All of my clients have been happy at the end of each project.

Quality, Contact, Usage, Audition, Corrections and lastly…

Delivery and Payment

Files are delivered electronically by any variety of services. We can discuss the best options depending on file size, etc.

More extensive projects may require multiple payments, as the audio parts are in the process of being produced. For these projects, partial, final audio and an invoice will be sent, with the remainder of the file delivered upon payment. This is standard practice.

You can use a credit card to make payment through PayPal or remit a check to the address on the invoice. This payment arrangement is to be agreed between the client and voice actor before recording begins.

Reach out right now with any questions. After this call your needs are my concern, and I respond right away.