The Art of Voice Acting: the art and business of performing for voice over (6 page)

You will notice that the better commercials and voiceover work do not sound like someone “doing” voiceover work. They sound like your best friend talking to you—comfortable, friendly, and most of all, not “announcery.” A good performer can make even bad copy sound reasonably good—and what they can do with good copy is truly amazing.

Create an emotional, visual image in the mind of the audience with a twist of a word. A slight change in the delivery of a word—a shift of the nuance—can change the entire meaning of a sentence. Speaking a word softly or with more intensity, or perhaps sustaining a vowel, making the delivery crisp, or taking the inflection up or down can all affect the meaning of a sentence and its emotional impact in the mind of the listener. These are skills that are acquired over time and are all basic acting techniques that help to create an emotional connection with the audience.

To be an effective voice performer you need to discover the qualities and characteristics of your voice that will make you different from all those other voices out there. Keep developing new techniques. Keep practicing and studying the work of others in the business. Find your unique qualities and perfect them. Learn how to make any piece of copy your own, and you will be in demand. Remember, it’s not about your voice, but what you can do with it.

One frequent observation that has appeared in discussions of this book over the past several editions is my repeated recommendation for continued training. The necessity to keep up with business trends and constantly hone performance techniques cannot be over-emphasized! It is impossible to take too many classes! There is always something new to be learned. Even if you leave a class with only one small piece of useful information, that small gem may someday pay big dividends. The same is true of books and articles. You will be amazed at where you can find a tip or trick that will help you create a believable performance.

There are four types of classes that are most valuable for the voiceover performer: acting, voiceover, improvisation, and business. Acting classes will give you opportunities to learn about directing, dramatic structure, comedic timing, stage presence, emotional delivery, and innumerable other fine points of performing. Voiceover classes will give you opportunities to practice your skills on-mic and study new techniques with personalized coaching. Improvisation in voice work is common with dialogue or multiple voice copy and is an essential skill for commercials, animation, video game and other niche areas of the business. This type of training helps improve your spontaneity and ability to adapt quickly. You will also learn skills that can be applied to character development and copy interpretation. And
because the nature of voiceover work today is largely entrepreneurial, it is imperative that you have at least a basic understanding of fundamental business skills. I truly encourage you to take some classes, attend a workshop, or even spend a few days learning from the pros at a voiceover convention. Continued training is an incredibly worthwhile investment in your performing career. I promise you will learn a lot, and you might actually have lots of fun. Here are some of the places you can find classes:

• Community theater groups are constantly in need of volunteers. Even if you are working on a crew, you will be able to study what goes on in the theater. Watch what the director does, and learn how the actors become their characters. Don’t forget that voice acting is theater of the mind—without props, scenery, or lighting.
  
• Most community colleges offer continuing education classes, often in the evenings or on weekends. Tuition is usually reasonable and the skills you can learn will pay off later on. Suitable courses can also be found in most college theater arts curriculums.
  
• Many cities have adult education classes in voiceover, acting, comedy, improvisation, and other subjects that can give you opportunities to acquire the skills you need. Check your local adult or continuing education office, or local colleges and universities for classes offered in your area.
  
• Many cities have private acting and voiceover courses. They are usually not advertised in the phone book, so they may be somewhat difficult to locate. An Internet search for “voiceover (or voice acting) Your City” may bring up some interesting results. Talent agents in most cities may be aware of local training and may be able to refer you to a class or coach. Check the classifieds of the local subscription and free newspapers in your area. You can also call the drama department at high schools and colleges for any referrals they might be able to make. Your local professional and community theater groups may also be able to give you some guidance. You’ll find a comprehensive listing of voiceover coaches in the Resources area at
  www.voiceacting.com
  .
  
• For voiceover classes, try calling some of the recording studios in your area. Many recording studios work with voiceover performers every day and can offer some valuable insights or give you some good leads. Some studios offer classes or do the production work for a class offered by someone else. Or they might be able to simply point you in the right direction by suggesting local workshops or refer you to a local talent agent who might be able to give you some direction.
  

Larger cities, such as Los Angeles and New York, have many voiceover workshops and classes available. Most are reputable and valuable resources. Be careful, though, because some classes are little more than scams designed to take your money. Usually the scam classes will begin with a short “teaser” class or workshop where they provide you with information that you can often find elsewhere for free or from a book. They tell you just enough to get you excited—usually conveniently underplaying the true realities of the business. Then they tell you they will produce and market your demo for a fee—anything from $500 to $5,000. You may even be required to take their class if you want them to produce your demo. Demo fees are usually in addition to the fees you pay for the class, although some will include a demo as part of their overpriced tuition. You may get a demo from these classes, but the quality will likely be poor, and their promises of marketing your demo or sending it out to agents are usually worthless.

Many legitimate classes will also offer their services to assist with your demo. The difference is that you will not be pressured into buying their services and the demo will not be a condition of taking the class. An honest and reputable voiceover instructor will not encourage you to do a demo until you are ready. When they do assist with your demo, the production quality is generally very high. Regardless of who you hire to produce your demo, be sure to check them out. Get copies of some demos they have done and get a list of former clients who you can call to ask about their experience with the producer. If they are legitimate, the demo producer will be happy to help you. Some will even give you a free consultation.

Be aware that no workshop coach or demo producer can guarantee your demo will be heard by an agent or talent buyer, or even that you will be accepted for voiceover work. No matter what they tell you, you are the only person who will determine your success in this business. Do not rely on someone else to do it for you.

Nothing in this book is intended to either promote or discourage union membership. However, joining a performing union is an important decision for anyone pursuing the art of voice acting. If you are just beginning to venture into the world of voice acting, a basic knowledge of the unions is all you need. As you gain experience and do more session work, at some point you may want to consider union membership. This section covers only the basics of union membership and focuses on the U.S. union SAG-AFTRA.
¹

In March, 2012, AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) and SAG (Screen Actors Guild) merged to form one union to represent voiceover and on-camera performers in the United States: SAG-
AFTRA—
www.sagaftra.org
. In Canada, voiceover work is handled by ACTRA (the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television, and Radio Artists) —
www.actra.ca
. British Columbia has UBCP (Union of BC Performers)—
www.ubcp.com
, which is the BC branch of ACTRA. The voiceover talent union in the United Kingdom is Equity—
www.equity.org.uk
. Other countries with collective bargaining unions will also have one or more unions that work with voice talent. It may be necessary to contact a local talent agent to learn which union applies in your country.

The job of all unions is to ensure proper working conditions, to make sure you are paid a reasonable fee for your work, to help you get paid in a timely manner, and to provide health and retirement benefits. The degree to which these are accomplished may vary. Since the focus of this book is on the general craft and business of voiceover, I’ll limit the discussion of performing unions to SAG-AFTRA. If you will be doing voiceover work outside of the United States, you should contact the performance union in the country where you will be working. Many performance unions have agreements or affiliations with unions in other countries, so your original union will be the best place to start.

In the U.S., two major performing unions came into being in the early days of film, radio, and later, television (AFTRA and SAG). Unscrupulous producers were notorious for taking advantage of the actors and not paying performers a decent wage—some not even paying them at all. So, the unions were set up to make sure performers got paid and were treated fairly.

As the unions grew, it was decided that it was unfair for a person just working once or twice a year to have to join the union and pay dues every six months. The result was the Taft-Hartley Act, which resulted in major changes in U.S. labor-management relations. In regards to voiceover, this law gives you (the actor) an opportunity to work under the jurisdiction of the union for 30 consecutive days without having to join the union. You then become “Taft-Hartley’d” or “vouchered” and must join the union if you do another union job. What this means is that if you do a lot of freelance work, you can still do your first union job without having to join the union or pay union dues. The trick is that the next union job you accept, you must join the union, whether it is three days or three years after your first union job. Immediately after the 30-day grace period you have the option to join or not join the union. At the time of this writing, the SAGAFTRA one union rules are still being written. However, for producers who were union signatories prior to the merger, the original SAG requirement of three days work, or three vouchers, still applies for new membership. As the new one union rules are developed there may be some adjustments made to the union’s membership requirements. Up to date information on SAGAFTRA membership is on the union’s website at
www.sagaftra.org
.

One of the advantages of being in the union is that you are more likely to be paid a higher fee, or scale, than if you did the same job as a freelancer—although, in some situations, you can actually negotiate a
higher fee as a freelancer. Union scale is the fee that has been negotiated by the union for a specific type of work. By the time you reach the level of skill to have been hired for a union job, you will most likely be ready to join the union.

SAG-AFTRA is a closed union, which means that you must be hired for a union job in order to join the union, and after your third voucher, or third day of union work, you must join the union when you are hired for your next union job. Those who where members of SAG or AFTRA prior to the merger were automatically moved to SAG-AFTRA membership.

SAG-AFTRA, as a single union, covers union voiceover work in radio, television, sound recordings, film and multimedia. The consolidation of the two unions provides its members with stronger bargaining power and removes the confusion that often occurred when a job might have been covered by both unions.

Joining SAG-AFTRA requires payment in full of a one-time initiation fee and current dues. Dues are set at a base fee until a minimum income from union work is reached. Above the minimum, dues are a calculation of the base plus a percentage of union income. Visit the website or call the SAG-AFTRA office in your area for current fees. You can also ask the union what the current scale is for the type of work you are doing (commercials, industrial, etc.) and you can find current talent rates for most types of voiceover work online at
www.sagaftra.org
. The staff at the SAGAFTRA offices are union members and will be happy to answer your questions.

One function of the unions is to protect your rights as a performer. A recording of your performance can be used for many different projects, and unless you are a union member, there is little you can do to protect yourself. A voiceover performance for a radio commercial can also be used in a TV spot or for an industrial video. There are some 400 different SAG-AFTRA agreements for different types of projects, each of which has a different pay scale, terms and conditions. For example, Radio and TV commercials are paid based on the market in which they air and how long they will be aired. Industrial videos, CD-ROMs, and multi-media are handled in other ways. Without the union you are potentially at the mercy of the person hiring you, and your voice may end up being used for projects you never agreed to.

SAG-AFTRA operates under the principal of
Rule 1
, which simply means that union members agree not to work without a guild or union contract, often referred to as “No Contract, No Work.” A union member working in a nonunion production cannot be protected if the producer refuses to pay, pays late, makes unauthorized use of the performance, or in any other way takes advantage of the performer. Any legal action taken by a performer working outside of Rule 1 is at the performer’s expense, and the union may actually discipline the member with fines, censure, suspension, or even expulsion from the union.

As a member of SAG-AFTRA, you are free to audition for any job, including nonunion jobs. If you are hired for a nonunion job and the
employer is not a signatory, the union may contact the producer and have him or her sign a signatory agreement before hiring you. If you are a union member, and are not sure about your employer’s status with the union, call the union office in your area.

One way for a union member in the U.S. to work a nonunion job is a waiver called a
One Production Only
(O.P.O.)
Limited Letter of Adherence
. This waiver is good for one job only, and the work you do on that job is considered union work. The advantage is that the nonunion producer agrees to the terms of the union agreement, but does not have to become a union signatory. The O.P.O. contract must be signed before any session work.

There are producers who, for one reason or another, will not work with union performers. Money is usually not the reason. It may be unrealistic demands from an agent, company policy to work only with nonunion talent, or simply a dislike of the paperwork. To get around the paperwork and other issues, some agents and production companies will work as a union signatory effectively separating a nonunion producer from the union. This is a win-win situation—because the producer does not have to deal directly with the union, the quality of the talent remains high, and union performers have the opportunity to work for a greater variety of clients at a fair level of compensation. Some voiceover performers operate their own independent production companies as signatories and essentially hire themselves. It is also possible for you, as a union member, to handle the paperwork, thus making it more attractive for a producer to hire you.

Financial core
, or
fi-core
is an aspect of union membership in the U.S. that has been and remains very controversial. Fi-core is a level of union membership at which an actor can be a member of SAG-AFTRA and still be able to work nonunion jobs.

Since the beginning of labor unions, states would make their own laws about whether they would be a “union shop,” or a “right-to-work” state. In a Union Shop state, laws were passed that required a person to be a union member and pay dues in order to do union work. Right to Work states allowed unions to exist, but membership was (and is) voluntary, and the union cannot require a person to pay anything as a condition of employment.
²

Financial core came about as a result of union members who disagreed with the way their union was using a portion of their dues for political activities. They also disagreed with their union’s control over work they could and could not accept. A series of U.S. Supreme Court legal battles beginning in 1963
³
eventually culminated in a 1988
⁴
landmark decision that changed the way all unions work (not just AFTRA and SAG).’ In 2001, President George Bush signed an executive order that requires all unions to inform prospective members of their “financial core rights,” or “Beck Rights,” before they join the union.

The resulting legal decisions for Financial Core require that an individual must first be a union member, and then formally request a change to Financial Core membership status. Upon declaration of Fi-Core status, the union member loses specific membership rights: the right to vote, hold union office, receive the union newsletter, declare their union status, and participate in union-sponsored events, among others. Payment of semi-annual dues is still required, however at a slightly reduced rate. The union determines the portion of dues that are spent for political and other activities that do not directly apply to the union’s collective bargaining efforts, and for those at Fi-Core status, that percentage of dues is deducted from the dues payment.

At its essence, Financial Core creates a nonmember, dues-paying status that allows a performer to work both union and nonunion jobs. Those who favor Fi-Core will mention that the performer regains control over the kind of work they do and their compensation. Those against Fi-Core claim that this membership status seriously disables the effectiveness of collective bargaining. Ultimately, as a voiceover talent, it is up to you to fully research Fi-Core so you completely understand it’s ramifications when the time comes for you to join AFTRA or SAG.

An Internet search for “financial core” will bring up dozens of websites that discuss both sides of this controversial aspect of union membership.

It is generally a good idea to put off joining any union until you have mastered the skills necessary to compete with seasoned union talent. Producers expect a high level of performance quality and versatility from union performers and it takes time and experience to master the skills necessary to perform at that level. Joining SAG-AFTRA too soon not only may be an unwise financial expense, but could have the potential for adversely affecting your voice-acting career. Most voice talent need the seasoning of working lots of nonunion jobs before they will be at a level of skill that can be considered competitive with union talent.

Here are some reasons to consider union membership when you feel you are ready, or when you begin getting audition calls for union work:

• Union membership is considered an indicator of professionalism and quality. Producers know they will get what they want in 2 or 3 takes instead of 20.
  
• Your performance is protected. Union signatories pay residual fees for use of your work beyond the originally contracted period of time.
  
• You will also be paid for any time over one hour on first and second auditions, and paid a fee for any additional callbacks.
  

Nonunion, freelance work is an excellent way to get started in the business, and there are lots of advertisers and producers who use nonunion performers. As a nonunion performer, you negotiate your own fee. The fee will be a one-time-only
buyout
payment. There are no residuals for nonunion work, including work done at
financial core
. The going rate for freelance voice work can be anywhere from $50 to $250 or more depending on the project, the market, your skill level, and what you can negotiate. For nonunion work, or work booked without representation, the negotiated terms are between you and the producer, as are the terms of payment.

If a nonunion producer should ask your fee, and you are not sure what to say, the safest thing to do is to quote the current minimum union scale for the type of project you are being asked to do. You can always negotiate a lower fee. If you have an agent, the correct thing to do is to ask the client to contact your agent. See
Chapter 20
, “How to Work in the Business of Voiceover” for more about setting rates, negotiating fees, and getting paid.