Join Voice Over Expert Pat Fraley as he discusses "Knowing VO Genre & Style". In this episode, Pat helps you to discover the importance of knowing voice over genres and styles, and being able to adjust your performance level to them.

Download Podcast Episode 59 »

Tags:

Pat Fraley, Pat Fraley Teaches, PatFraley.com, VO, Genre, Styles, Voice Overs, Voice Acting

Transcript of VO Genres and Styles

[Opening Music]

Julie-Ann Dean: Welcome to Voiceover Experts brought to you by Voices.com, the number one voiceover marketplace. Voiceover Experts brings you tips, pearls of wisdom and techniques from top instructors, authors and performers in the field of voiceover. Join us each week to discover tricks of the trade that will help you to develop your craft and prosper as a career voiceover talent. It's never been easier to learn, perform, and succeed from the privacy of your own home and your own pace. This is truly an education you won't find anywhere else.

This week, Voices.com is pleased to present Pat Fraley.

Pat Fraley: Hi. This is Pat Fraley. I wanted to give you a brief lesson on the importance of being able to adjust your performance to the various genres and styles of voiceover. First, a working definition of genre. Genre is another word for category. I used it instead because it's French and therefore, (indiscernible). Not that I don't go as far as to pronounce it. Genre! And spit on the mic.

For our purposes, the genres of voiceover are radio commercials, TV spots, animation tracks, ADR, interactive gaming projects, audio books, et cetera. Each of these genres generally call for a different level of performance particularly, when characters are called for. For example, animation often calls for more exaggerated or better extended characterization.

Sometimes at the level of a French farce. Big is not enough. Interactive calls for characterization on a more real plane. And audio books oftentimes requires just enough characterization to infer the character. Almost an attitude adjustment. If you don't deliver a large enough performance for animation, you aren't giving the animator the advocative tracks to do their job. If you don't adjust your performance in an interactive gaming project by serving up a strong sense of reality, you don't connect with the player.

And if you go too far with the character in an audio book, you sever or damage the listener's suspension of disbelief. Hey, they know you're not a pirate as you read to them. They make the unspoken contract to suspend their knowledge if you don't push it too far, but if you do go too far, you break it 'arr. Once broken, they turn off the iPod.

So, those are some generalizations on genre. What about the definition of style? Style is the distinct manner of expression within a genre. Just like a sitcom is a genre but Fawlty Towers was in that genre but so is Friends. They had two distinctly different styles. Like in a genre of audio books, you have The Great Gatsby and Huck Finn.

It doesn't matter how versatile or fast you are to characterization. If you can't recognize the genre and style of a project and can't accomplish the necessary adjustments of performance which is needful. Your efforts of successfully auditioning for a job are dramatically decreased if you don't know how to adjust and fit into the genre and style of any given script, text or copy.

Let me give you an example of a job I just booked. Now, believe me, I can give you 100 other lessons from unsuccessful auditions but I'm reasonably sure that I booked this because I understood the genre and style which was needful on this assignment. The audition was for an interactive game. The title, at least what they gave me was The Hardy Boys.

Now, before I read the audition script, I know that the genre of interactive gaming calls for a sense of reality so that the player can relay to the characters. Now, what about the style? The Hardy Boys is kind of old school and as much as characters are a bit more presented, it ain't Law and Order. I looked at the script and read the description of the three characters I'm auditioning for. Now knowing that they have me for three characters for the prize of one, I figured I better make all three characters separate, even though there's a strong possibility I won't be cast in all three of those.

I was right. I got cast in three but only one of the ones I auditioned for. So the first character I auditioned for was described as an eccentric, flamboyant, ex-stage actor in his 50s. So I lay him down following the description but with enough reality, so it sounds like he's thinking and feeling. Here's a bit of the audition.

Of course I'm not taking anything away from your detecting prowess. In fact, I should have said you've been misled here by the Bayport P.D. If left to your own devices, you would likely have stayed on the correct trail. I assume you have questions to ask? Hmm?

Next, I have a character described as merely having a strong voice, mid-50s. I knew he had to separate from the two other voices, so here's what I did.

Pat Fraley, it's Thomas. Budding detectives and of course, it will be my pleasure and they aren't letting me leave, you know. They think I'm a thief.

And my third character I auditioned for was described as the previous character's brother. Well off, strong voice, not nice in his late 50s. With the genre and style firmly implanted in my brain, he came off like this.

Pat Fraley, this is Samuel. Not anymore, he's not. I'm renouncing him as my brother. Do you hear me, Thomas? I renounce you.

Did you notice that all the characters sound like they came out of the same bag? Same level of performance? I hope I'm capable of playing all three at a higher level like for animation or more subtle for an audio book, but I was guided by my knowledge of genre and style for this project. So that's it. Now, this job wouldn't have come my way if I didn't have the ability at characterization. It was tempered, however and molded to fit into the genre and style of the project.

Last word of wisdom. It comes from Harrison Ford. He once said, "My job is an assistant story teller. It all begins and ends with a story." If you'd like some personal attention to gaining the skills of recognizing style and genre and playing them, you can find information on it on my website, patfraley.com. You'll find it on my teaching page. Thanks for listening.

Julie-Ann Dean: To learn more about the special guest featured in this Voices.com podcast, visit the Voiceover Experts show notes at Podcasts.Voices.com/VoiceoverExperts. Remember to stay subscribed.

If you're a first time listener, you can subscribe for free to this podcast in the Apple iTunes Podcast Directory or by visiting Podcasts.Voices.com. To start your voiceover career online, go to Voices.com and register for a voice talent membership today.

[Closing Music]

Links from today's show:

Pat Fraley
Pat Fraley Free Lessons

Your Instructor this week:

Voice Over Expert Pat Fraley

Patrick Fraley has created voices for over 4,000 characters, placing him among the top ten performers of all time to be cast in animation. He has produced dozens of award-winning audiobooks, such as, Adventures of Tom Sawyer, A Very Easy Death, and The Light in The Piazza. Pat produced and performed all 100 voices on the award winning audiobook, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which People Magazine hailed as, "The best yet of this evergreen." Patrick teaches events, workshops, and seminars on various aspects of voice over across the country, and has created a variety of instructional books and CDs, all available at PatFraley.com. He is a member of The Voice and Speech Trainers of America, and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Professional Acting from Cornell University.

Did you enjoy Pat's episode? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

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Join Voice Over Experts Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino from Break Into VoiceOver with discussion from Nancy on the topic of "Top Market Agent: The Platinum (but not the only!) Piston in Your VO Engine". Nancy relates that professional voice talent should aspire to have agency representation at every level in addition to a presence on voice over marketplaces.

Download Podcast Episode 58 »

Tags:

Nancy Wolfson, Anna Vocino, Voice Over Work, Agents, Marketplaces, Break Into VoiceOver, Voice Overs, Voice Acting

Transcript of Top Market Voice Over Agent : The Piston in Your Engine

[Opening Music]

Julie-Ann Dean: Welcome to Voiceover Experts brought to you by Voices.com, the number one voiceover marketplace. Voiceover Experts brings you tips, pearls of wisdom and techniques from top instructors, authors and performers in the field of voiceover. Join us each week to discover tricks of the trade that will help you to develop your craft and prosper as a career voiceover talent. It's never been easier to learn, perform, and succeed from the privacy of your own home and your own pace. This is truly an education you won't find anywhere else.

This week, Voices.com is pleased to present Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino.

Nancy Wolfson: It used to be that this engine of your career ran not only in one piston. And that required moving to a major market in getting the LA or the New York or the Chicago talent agent to sign you.

And now, that has become but one piston in the engine. It is the platinum piston in the engine but there are other pistons that you need to have working for you. So ultimately the aggregate is that you've got a major market agent, a small market agent or two or three possibly, I mean, I'm in a sort of a rare situation and then I'm a coach who can actually also send you auditions.

You want to be on Voices.com and the aggregate of all of that is what we'll really constitute in active opportunity center for your career. And possibly the last pursuit of all of that is the major market agent. It is still and will be for quite a long time the platinum piston in your engine but actually, that last piston in the engine, that platinum piston, that major market agent is best and only pursued when you've got a whole lot of work that you've procured for yourself to show them that you're a good person to do business with.

Julie-Ann Dean: To learn more about the special guest featured in this Voices.com podcast, visit the Voiceover Experts show notes at Podcasts.Voices.com/VoiceoverExperts. Remember to stay subscribed.

If you're a first time listener, you can subscribe for free to this podcast in the Apple iTunes Podcast Directory or by visiting Podcasts.Voices.com. To start your voiceover career online, go to Voices.com and register for a voice talent membership today.

[Closing Music]

Links from today's show:

Braintracks Audio
Break Into Voiceover

Your Instructor this week:

Voice Over Experts Nancy Wolfson and Anna Vocino

Nancy Wolfson

Based in Los Angeles, CA Nancy Wolfson is a private voice over consultant and freelance casting director for commercials, animation, narration, and audio books. She writes, produces, and directs demos for her clients and has been the leading coach in the top market(s) over a decade. Her coursework has been accredited at the university level in private and group classes throughout North America and Europe. For over 15 years, she has worked with beginners, working pros, and celebrities as a producer and talent agent.

Anna Vocino

Anna Vocino is an on-camera and voice over actress based in Los Angeles. You can see her work as a series regular on Vh1's improvised comedy series "Free Radio." Anna's voice over work can be heard in "Dawn of War 2," "Splinter Cell: Double Agent," "MTV's Celebrity Death Match," "The Young and The Restless," recent campaigns for Canada Dry, Ford, AT&T, Southern Linc Wireless, and hundreds of narrations for Toyota, Capital One, Saks Fifth Avenue, Adobe, GotVMail, Disney DVDs, and numerous others. Check out Anna's website at www.annavocino.com.

Did you enjoy Nancy and Anna's episode? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

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Join Voice Over Expert Phyllis K. Day in her interactive lecture "Finding Your Authentic Voice". In this podcast, Phyllis shares how she was able to help a client of hers whose background was in radio make his voice sound more natural, getting past ingrained Walter Cronkite voice styling to realize his own authentic voice.

Download Podcast Episode 57 »

Tags:

Phyllis K. Day, Voice Coaching, Voice Overs, Voice, Voice Acting, Visual Coaching, Finding the X

Transcript of Finding Your Authentic Voice

[Opening Music]

Julie-Ann Dean: Welcome to Voiceover Experts brought to you by Voices.com, the number one voiceover marketplace. Voiceover Experts brings you tips, pearls of wisdom and techniques from top instructors, authors and performers in the field of voiceover. Join us each week to discover tricks of the trade that will help you to develop your craft and prosper as a career voiceover talent. It's never been easier to learn, perform, and succeed from the privacy of your own home and your own pace. This is truly an education you won't find anywhere else.

This week, Voices.com is pleased to present Phyllis K. Day.

Phyllis K. Day: Hi. I'm Phyllis K. Day. Last time we talked, you learned that I hear and see sound. I was born this way. It wasn't something I learned. However, the good news for you is that it helps me to enable voiceover talents to quickly improve the way they use their voice. This is because to me, each voice has an authentic sound that in some cases has layers that hide that sound. I peel back the layers with the VO talent and it improves everything they do.

I am not an acting coach and I don't teach acting, but what I can do, I call knowing where the X is. No matter how great an actor you are, if you're not using your authentic voice, you will struggle. Take Joe Bob, for example. Joe Bob grew up in Amarillo, Texas. He played football, basketball, baseball, (ran track), and the list goes on.

You could say he had the jock gene. He grew to be over six feet tall but he had both jock genes that is he also wanted to be a disc jockey. Little Joe Bob spent many hours of his childhood imitating how one TV news anchor in particular sounded along with many other announcers that influenced him back in the day. When he was old enough, he got on the air, paid his dues and up the ladder he went.

Now, like many other radio guys, he's working less in auditioning more to little or no avail. Joe Bob has a great voice. He just needs to peel back a few layers. After hearing my last podcast, he contacted me. I listened to all his current demos. I asked him to send me an mp3 of his voice unprocessed talking about his past, present, his hopes for the future, what makes him happy, sad, and so on.

For almost all of his mp3, he was not using his authentic voice. Here's a little bit of it.

Hi Phyllis. Just want to say thanks so much for spending time with me on the phone the other day and I hope your shoulder is healing. I also want to say how funny I still find it. I'm smiling and laughing every time I think about it when you say I was ...

Phyllis K. Day: He was on for almost the whole thing until toward the end. He sneezed and said, "Excuse me." Without thinking, he used his real voice to say that. Something he'd never do on the air, sneeze, that is. So after sneezing, he didn't shift his voice back to his radio voice.

(sneezing) Pardon me.

Listen to it again.

(sneezing) Pardon me.

The next plays his authentic voice showed was when he stopped to think about something. Also forgetting to be on and that's producing a different sound.

She would have been a junior senior as I started. And our games were across the street and all after school, you know. So it was ...

So what is Joe Bob's X? First of all, he's a growler.

Somewhere between dusky gray and pale green.

Growling was a very popular use of a man's voice at one time. It gave them sort of a strong but intimate yet manly sound. Sort of. Nowadays, it just makes them sound like they're saying, "Hey, listen to me and be impressed." Now, most women can't do the growl, me included.

Now, Joe Bob is a nice guy. He's not some puffed-up egotistical fellow. In fact, he was concerned that he couldn't seem to sound more real and he wanted to. People would tell him, "You sound like you're trying to impress me. You sound like you're trying to impress me with your voice." He wasn't trying. He just was stuck in a rut.

The second X, little Joe Bob watched way too much Walter Cronkite.

What you include more than 600 papers and 40 books. Place them among the greatest figures in the history of Cardiovascular research.

Now, here's part of an audition he sent me but don't listen for the acting. Listen to the sound of his voice and the growl.

The battlefield. There is no other place or such an outpouring of intense human emotion is displayed, from courage, camaraderie, and exhilaration to fear, hatred and agony.

I smacked him around a little bit after that. No, no, no, no, no I didn't do that. But, after our second session, he sent me this redo of the same piece. Again, listen to how much clearer his voice sounds and not the acting. Not that the acting is bad, it's just not what we're focusing on right now.

The battlefield. There is no other place or such an outpouring of intense human emotion is displayed, from courage, camaraderie, and exhilaration to fear, hatred and agony.

Joe Bob will have to be diligent and try to stay authentic and not go back to growling or using the Cronkite effect.

These lavish homes included libraries, ballrooms, billiard rooms, and much more. Homes during this time were built to last to stand the test of time.

He must use what I call his sneeze voice.

These lavish homes included libraries, ballrooms, billiard rooms, and much more. Homes during this time were built to last.

He'll have another two or three sessions with me and then he's on his way to make the use of his authentic voice a habit. We'll wait another month or two and then see how he's been doing with the tools he now has to keep his sound true. And he's got a lot of demos to redo in the mean time.

Would you like to work with me? E-mail me at voicecoach@phyllisk.com. That's voicecoach@phyllisk.com and we'll set up a free evaluation of your voice. Then if you're ready to move forward, we'll move forward. I promise. I'm Phyllis K. Day.

Julie-Ann Dean: Thank you for joining us. To learn more about the special guest featured in this Voices.com podcast, visit the Voiceover Experts show notes at Podcasts.Voices.com/VoiceoverExperts. Remember to stay subscribed.

If you're a first time listener, you can subscribe for free to this podcast in the Apple iTunes Podcast Directory or by visiting Podcasts.Voices.com. To start your voiceover career online, go to Voices.com and register for a voice talent membership today.

[Closing Music]

Links from today's show:

Phyllis K. Day
Phyllis K. Day on Voices.com

Your Instructor this week:

Voice Over Expert Phyllis K. Day

Phyllis is a freelance technical writer and voice professional with over thirty years experience. A Broadcast Journalism graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, Phyllis became an anchor a few months later on the North Carolina News Network. She has also anchored on Business Radio Network and American Forum Radio Network in Colorado. Her voice has been heard nation-wide and she was also the narrator for a show heard daily on NPR and Armed Forces Radio in the 1990s. Phyllis was part of a mentoring program for several years at North Carolina State University for the students in NC State's radio program. She currently runs personalized coaching workshops, in addition to narrations for e-learning and business presentations.

Did you enjoy Phyllis' episode? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

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Join Voice Over Expert Gary Terzza in his lecture "5 Tips for Getting Voice Over Work". Go over a checklist with Gary that will help you improve your chances of securing work as a professional voice talent. By being a positive realist, you'll prepare yourself for success in the business of voice over, accomplish goals, and meet your own expectations.

Download Podcast Episode 56 »

Tags:

Gary Terzza, Voice Over Masterclass, UK, Voice Over Work, Voice Over Demo, British Voice Over Instructor

Transcript of 5 Tips for Getting Voice Over Work

[Opening Music]

Julie-Ann Dean: Welcome to Voiceover Experts brought to you by Voices.com, the number one voiceover marketplace. Voiceover Experts brings you tips, pearls of wisdom and techniques from top instructors, authors and performers in the field of voiceover. Join us each week to discover tricks of the trade that will help you to develop your craft and prosper as a career voiceover talent. It's never been easier to learn, perform, and succeed from the privacy of your own home and your own pace. This is truly an education you won't find anywhere else.

This week, Voices.com is pleased to present Gary Terzza.

Gary Terrza: Hi, this is Gary Terzza here from VoMasterclass.com podcasting from the UK and I'd thought I'd talk a little bit today about a question I often get asked from my students, ex-students and indeed from other voiceover talents I meet along the way and it is, "Why aren't I getting more work?" or worse still, "Why aren't I getting any work?"

Now although it does vary from person to person, I think it boils down to a few basic reasons that are probably common to all of us really. First, the demo. Now what's your demo really like? And I want you to be honest with yourself on this one. Does it stand out? Were you your best when you recorded it or is it a bit thrown together perhaps? And crucially, did you have anyone listening to it or even directing you while you recorded it. You know, an extra pair of ears is a real asset. They can tell you when you're going over the top or putting in material that is frankly just not up to scratch. Choose another voice talent to have them listen or book yourself into a studio and even ask the sound engineer to provide an objective critic. I'm sure they would mind. They never (inaudible) of coming forward in my experience and you'll be surprised what a difference that will make to the objectivity of it all.

It will stop you being a bit too self-indulgent, I think that's the main thing and also don't be afraid to throw away takes that are not good enough for your show reel. It's as much about what you leave out as what you put in and then we come to expectation. Now in my experience at my voiceover master class, the students who don't do so well are those whose expectations are either too high or too low. Now some expect to be earning X amount by first thing Monday morning after the course. I even had one guy who said, "Will I be earning 20,000 within 12 months?" And I thought, "Well, how on earth can I possibly answer that question?" In both cases about expectations, it's wrong of course. You need to be positive but realistic and although money is important, if your sole aim is to earn money in voiceovers, you will fail. Have some fun, make a difference to your life and earn some cash along the way in that order.

And then there's the marketing and to paraphrase Albert Einstein rather badly. Sorry, Albert. Voiceovers are 20 percent talent and 80 percent blood, sweat and tears. It's no good having the best demo in the world if you don't do anything with it. It's marketing, marketing, marketing. Sounds laborious, I know and sometimes it is. But it's absolutely essential. Send your show reel everywhere, to all the TV and radio stations you could possibly think of, big and small production companies, agents and even the ordinary corporations and small businesses, accountants, plumbers, you name it, they all need phone messages, they might all need some audio on their websites as well.

Now you need to develop a thick skin which I know from personal experience is not easy because at the end of the day, we're all creative artists and we don't want to be hurt quite understandably I think but you have to survive in the cold hard world of commerce and I think you've got to balance that with the idea of working in a commercial environment. You're a business, I'm a business. The guy next to us, the woman next to us who are doing voiceovers, they're businesses as well and at the end of the day, we are competing in this competitive world but that doesn't mean it's impossible. The more business-like you are, the more chance you stand of securing work.

Also, don't specialize too early. Some of my students come along with rigid ideas about their voices. They say things like, "I'm ideal for factual documentaries but not commercials." And I say, "Well, that's in your opinion, not the client's." Voiceovers are in the ear of the beholder. In other words, someone can hear something in your voice that you don't. You must not pigeonhole yourself too early. Keep your options and your mind open.

In addition, the voiceover's role is to bring words to life. It's not that you can choose your favorite copy. Scripts can be terribly dull and technical. That doesn't matter. It's your job to possess those words and invigorate them with meaning. Now probably the best advice I can give you is don't give up. You'll be rejected for more jobs that you'll be accepted for. We all are. It's the name of the game but the more you challenge yourself around, the greater chance you'll have of securing work and believe me, it's worth it. Voiceovers are great fun and they can be terribly flexibly as well. Setting up a home recording studio gives you enormous choice as to when you do your work depending on the client's deadline of course but the reality is you are your own boss with all the wonderful freedom that it gives you.

So to recap, record a killer demo, keep your expectations real, don't take rejection personally, keep your options open and act like a successful business. Oh and have a bit of fun as well. Thanks for listening and good luck.

Julie-Ann Dean: Thank you for joining us. To learn more about the special guest featured in this Voices.com podcast, visit the Voiceover Experts show notes at Podcasts.Voices.com/VoiceoverExperts. Remember to stay subscribed.

If you're a first time listener, you can subscribe for free to this podcast in the Apple iTunes Podcast Directory or by visiting Podcasts.Voices.com. To start your voiceover career online, go to Voices.com and register for a voice talent membership today.

[Closing Music]

Links from today's show:

Gary Terzza
Gary Terzza on Voices.com

Your Instructor this week:

Voice Over Expert Gary Terzza

Gary Terzza is a professional voiceover and coach with a client list that includes Channel 4, Channel five, VH-1 and the BBC. He also runs a voice-over master class Association in Central London and Hertfordshire.

Did you enjoy Gary's episode? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

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Join professional voice talent Alison Pitman of the UK in her second podcast lecture "Setting Up A Voice Over Business ". In this episode, you'll discover five tips that will help you take the plunge into professional voice acting. Alison also shares that if you love what you do and believe in your talents, success is within your reach.

Download Podcast Episode 55 »

Tags:

Alison Pitman, UK Female Voice, Business, Voiceovers, Basics, Voice Overs, Voice Acting

Transcript of Setting Up a Voice Over Business

[Opening Music]

Julie-Ann Dean: Welcome to Voiceover Experts brought to you by Voices.com, the number one voiceover marketplace. Voiceover Experts brings you tips, pearls of wisdom and techniques from top instructors, authors and performers in the field of voiceover. Join us each week to discover tricks of the trade that will help you to develop your craft and prosper as a career voiceover talent. It's never been easier to learn, perform, and succeed from the privacy of your own home and your own pace. This is truly an education you won't find anywhere else.

This week, Voices.com is pleased to present Alison Pitman.

Alison Pitman: Hello and welcome to the second in my series of business podcast for voiceover artists and businesses. My name is Alison Pitman and this week, I'm going to take a step back a bit and talk about setting up in business. If you're thinking of taking the plunge and working full time exclusively as a voiceover talent, hopefully this will give you some ideas and encouragement.

Here is the first five of ten tips to help start your voiceover business. Listen out for the final five in part two of this podcast next week.

Tip number one. Doing what you love.

This is often the first thing people think about when they consider setting up a business. Here is an opportunity to make a living doing something I really love and that I'm passionate about. I'm assuming that as a voiceover artist, you have that passion because anyone pursuing any creative business whether it's voiceover or acting, film directing, musicianship, writing. If you don't love what you do, you'll find it so difficult to have a successful business with it. The creative industries are incredibly overcrowded and a really hard nut to crack and if you don't have a love of what you do and a self-belief in your talents, then it will be a real struggle to make any money at all, let alone enough to support yourself and your family.

Also remember you're going to be spending so much time and energy starting and developing your voiceover business. It's really important to know now that you do truly enjoy what you do. Now, remember to keep this in your head when you hit the tough times.

So we now know you've got the passion. Now, stand back and think dispassionately. Can you turn your voiceover hobby into a profitable enterprise? Is there a market for your voice? This process of market research is probably something you've done already without realizing it. If you look hard enough even for the most unique, unusual voices, there will be projects and productions looking for a sound like yours. Ask yourself whether these projects will be often enough and lucrative enough to make a living from it. If not, what are your options? Change career? Or maybe take some training to develop your range and techniques as a voice artist to improve your employability.

Tip number two, the business plan.

It can be quite useful to write a business plan for your voiceover career. I must admit it's not something I do straight away but it is a good exercise in focusing your mind getting in the professional mindset and defining exactly what you want to achieve, how and when. It's also great to have them to refer back to as you business develops. You'll find various general business plan templates available on the Web and also Voices.com have one which is designed specifically for the voiceover artist in mind. A business plan is also vital if you need to raise finance through a bank loan or overdraft for example. Investors want to see in black and white what they're investing in. Finance also brings me to my next point.

Tip number three, finance.

How much money are you going to need? What you need it for and how you're going to get it? With the credit crunch seemingly not wanting to go away, raising external finance through bank loans and investors isn't as easy as it once was so you need to consider other options. Firstly, what you need the money for. Well to start with, you're going to need cash to pay the bills and feed yourself until your business gets going. Some say that it can take about three years before a business gets really established and generates a decent income so having savings, an additional job or in my case like many others, a very understanding partner or spouse with a steady income.

So what else do you need finance for? A home studio comes high on the list of most voiceover artist. There have been plenty of articles, blogs and pods about home studio equipment and their cost which I'm not going to go over here. Suffice to say when you're starting up, do you really need all that fancy gear? Start small and as your experience and expertise grows, then grow your equipment chain around that.

For my first voiceover job, I didn't even have a proper microphone. I recorded into a Sony digital video camera and edited the audio using video editing software. Needless to say, the audio quality wasn't brilliant but it got me jobs and I could build up my portfolio and my bank balance so I could afford better and proper gear. Have a look around the web and see what you can buy within your budgets, take a look at Harlan Hogan's portable studio booth for example. For $129, what more could you ask for and he even has an article with instructions as to how to build one yourself. His website is HarlanHogan.com.

Think carefully and spend wisely. Do you really need ISDN facilities right away? So let's take a look at other set-up costs.

Tip number four, business cards, website design, domain registration, hosting, office equipment, advertising and marketing costs and a whole host of others.

Work out what you really need now. What would be nice to have in the future? What can you really do without? Also, look at the skills you have now. What can you do yourself to keep costs down? Do you really need a website designer? Could you design a simple site yourself? Are there any goods or services you need that you could do in exchange for, for your voiceover services. For example, why not see if your local printers can get you some free business cards in exchange for you recording their voicemail greetings or website audio.

And always look around on the internet and the high street to get a good range of prices My final tip for this podcast comes under the general heading of professionalism.

Tip number five, be professional from the start.

Everything about you and the way you do business needs to let people know that you are a serious professional. Get yourself some business cards, a work phone number. Get your voice on the business line voicemail and a proper business e-mail address and get professional help. It doesn't take long to realize that running a voiceover business isn't all about being a voiceover actor. You are now responsible for a whole diverse range of activities, bookkeeping, sales and marketing, administration, some of these tasks would really benefit from expert help.

If you're not an accountant, hire one. If you need to write a contract, why not hire a lawyer. This also applies to tax and legal issues. It's an awful lot easier and often a lot cheaper to get these things sorted right from the start rather than try and to unpick the mess afterwards. Are you setting up as a sole trader or you registering as a business? These will have implications on the tax you're liable for and the VAT you may have to pay. It's worth seeking out professional help from your local tax office to get all the information you need and the forms that you need to fill in.

Consider joining professional organizations and unions. The recently created SaVoa organization, the Society of Accredited Voiceover Artists is a good place to start. Visit their website at Savoa.org to find out more. Unions vary from country to country, Equity here in the UK, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFTRA in the States and ACTRA in Canada. It may also be worth considering your local small business organizations where you can keep up to date with the latest in general business practices as well as providing a good avenue for networking.

I hope these first five tips were helpful and please, do tune in for the final five in my next podcast. Thanks for listening and if you would like to get in touch, please visit my website at ThePhoneVoice.com. Until the next time, bye for now.

Julie-Ann Dean: Thank you for joining us. To learn more about the special guest featured in this Voices.com podcast, visit the Voiceover Experts show notes at Podcasts.Voices.com/VoiceoverExperts. Remember to stay subscribed.

If you're a first time listener, you can subscribe for free to this podcast in the Apple iTunes Podcast Directory or by visiting Podcasts.Voices.com. To start your voiceover career online, go to Voices.com and register for a voice talent membership today.

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Links from today's show:

Alison Pitman
Alison Pitman on Voices.com

Your Instructor this week:

Voice Over Talent Alison Pitman

Based in Bristol, voice actor Alison Pitman has voiced various projects for clients based all over the world recording professionally from her home studio in the UK. Known as "The Phone Voice", Alison specializes in recordings for voicemail, on-hold messages, IVR and corporate narrations. Alison has worked for over 10 years in the film and television industries and played a role in the Oscar nominated "Little Voice". In addition to her performance experience Alison Pitman has a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Did you enjoy Alison's episode? Leave a comment with your thoughts!

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