Hm, that's one way to put it. I don't see it like that.
I breathe life into your project.
Take a look a this movie, at any random spot.
Something is lacking, right? That little something that existed in Toy Story, or any Pixar and Disney movie for that matter. That magic. Is it the actors? Well they are all pretty well known, and good at what they do, so why is this movie lacking that oomph, why is that movie rhythm-less, almost lifeless?
The animation is good, the music is good. But the sound mixing is not. The voices lack enthusiasm. So this pretty little movie bombed.
Shame, isn't it?
Now, bare in mind this is my personal opinion and someone else might disagree. But then again, maybe not. "In addition to the decade confusion, the pacing is often way off, with strange editing hiccups that lead to an uneven viewing experience. "
Now let me take you to this.
Films of any kind where about conveying feelings, communication. They still are. Songs, are more than voicing notes in an impeccable voice. Look at Madonna's career. Granted she sold sex, but she also sold rebellion, a fuck off without being metal. She helped the public identify with her and she lost them once her public was settled with grandchildren and she was not relevant anymore to the old or the young. She lost that communication.
Look at most sites. They crave for content. Something that will get the interest, that will convey a feeling, that will generate an image, that will bond the viewer for a split second, to sit and watch one more, then one more.. at the day and age where there is so much info, it is boring to read, or take time to see what this is or the other.
So why is a voice important? Because it conveys feelings. Enthusiasm, sadness, fear, anger, friendliness, sex and intimacy. It breathes life to still images, to a deaf and mute piece of film, enriching it, instead of distracting from it. It gives personality, it sometimes convinces to the point of forgetting there is a voice over.
The person doing this, is usually an actor, trained to bring out his own feelings , or someone gifted who is good at expressing himself or imitating. On top of that, the person in question has to have basic knowledge of sound engineering. And a lot of other qualities I wrote about in another post.
So yes, I "talk" for a living. I talk on behalf of your broom, your application, your BBQ grill, your bra, your cakes. I talk directly to your clients asking them to be patient, I talk to them encouraging them to take that step towards your site and click on the basket. I give life to everything you do.
"yes, but why are you getting paid so much money?" some say.
First of all we are not. Most people expect us to work for peanuts. Some of us are part of a union, some of us are not. Unions are here as a policy. Making sure that if we get sick and can't work, for example, we will not starve. Or to get rights for things we do, so that the client cant reuse and reuse the same audio till the end of times. Or cut my voice screaming "delicious!" and put it in a porn movie for example. I am stretching, of course, and It has never happened, but it's an example.
We have no regular jobs, we have no steady income, the client benefits from the audio, so it is only right to ask for some royalty. Of course, in some cases the client neglects to inform you and is even reluctant to give you your royalties, and you give in, either because you need the job, or because its a high profile job that will open doors.Now I am not stating that I didn't get royalties for that one. In fact, I don't know. I would have done it either way... But what happens with certain jobs coming our way is not right and many voice talents get passed over because they stick to their guns. When in fact they are fighting for all of us.
The thing is, just like any job, you need to love what you do. Yes, it sounds cliche, but think of the times you fell in love with someone. You had the energy and the vision to lift mountains, and nothing was impossible. People in love travel, break lifetime habits, abandon marriages, being in love is the most powerful energy next to lust and sexual attraction, But just like any relationship, being in love is no excuse to let the other walk all over you. You can love what you do, but you also need to set boundaries and be professional. You need to see yourself for who you are and expect the other person to see it too.
I personally would not want to f@ck someone just for the sake of friction* excuse my crudeness), although like everybody (hopefully) reading this, I have, specially in my younger days.. I like to make love (and fuck) with someone I m in love with, want, appreciate and uniting physically is the only way to get close.( And forgive the vulgarity of that comment, but its a long post and shock value works)
I want someone who wants me. And when he does, I put my conditions. Not for him to follow, but for me to say yes. If he is just looking for any random piece of ass, I just wont apply. I need to feel I am the right person for the job, to put all the love I have inside and to help him get his voice and message heard. Just like I would nurture and help and support a partner whom I worshipped, I channel what I have to give and offer. Without being a doormat. Without wasting myself with someone who can't tell the difference... who is easy and any 4.99 bit will do. Who is looking hungrily at a quick fix. I consider myself a juicy, tender and fulfilling, mouthwatering steak, not a dried up, filled with salt hot dog. I want and hope to become for some, sometimes, a gourmet meal. I will let myself be used and consumed, but only if I know the other person is a connoisseur. One night stands are for young inexperienced kids or for people who are down and out on their luck, and I don't say that in a bad way. I have been there. I know. I could go back there, any time. Nothing is forever.
I mix eroticism, food and work in my examples, because it helps to understand what I want. I want the other person to acknowledge my worth and give me the amount of money that is coming to me for my expertise, my time, my training and the dues I paid, doing all kinds of shitty little jobs when I was learning the trade. I am getting paid for my energy, my rhythm and my ability to communicate. And lastly for my reputation.
Some artists demand crazy money. Because they are renowned. They jumped to another league. Julia Roberts f.e is a very good actress but after the Oscar, her fee was extraordinary. She had to pay publicists, image makers, agents, on her way up, she had to play shitty films at the beginning, but once she was there, she was worth every penny. She was a brand. And it was time to collect. And people pay, because she brings it.
In our field, we do not become famous in that aspect. But we do create a name. We are meticulous about quality, our equipment, we cut and edit and we read, each time with that feeling of love in our heart. That desire to play a role, that need to create something out of nothing, really. If our voice is special it is harder to get a jobs but if we manage, to do so, we can become a brand.
The client has a model in his head, he wants a perky voice or a deep voice, like something he has heard. There is not a lot of room for innovation and breakthroughs and after working for years, you pretty much know what the client wants and you do it, fast. You sometimes suggest a different way, just to infuse some originality, when the project is important and the selling pitch is important. So yes, you love what you do, but you are a professional, you have learned to structure, prioritize and finish a project in just a few hours. It is a job. Your job.
My job.
So yes, I talk for a living. And I sing, And I write, and I do everything I can to express my emotions, and my thoughts, silly or not, smart or not. I need to let the flow come in and out of me, all the stimuli, all the experiences, all the products of my body, my mind and my heart...
I don't guard my ideas jealously, more will come. I don't dwell on those that were stolen from me, I look forward.(But I still cringe when I see my artwork on Tshirts everywhere)
And if I get bored, I take a break. I come back with fresh ideas. I write a script, I sing a song with a friend, I make love, I get a new job, as a karaoke presenter, or a booking agent, to experience the field in every possible way. I teach, I coach, I taste, I love, I explore, I experiment, I feel, I evolve.
And then, I talk.
Ps: if you go to www.thepros.dk it will warn you I have no certificate. I don't. I refuse to paygodaddy extra money for something that was supposed to be in the original package :) But it is safe.
I breathe life into your project.
Take a look a this movie, at any random spot.
Something is lacking, right? That little something that existed in Toy Story, or any Pixar and Disney movie for that matter. That magic. Is it the actors? Well they are all pretty well known, and good at what they do, so why is this movie lacking that oomph, why is that movie rhythm-less, almost lifeless?
The animation is good, the music is good. But the sound mixing is not. The voices lack enthusiasm. So this pretty little movie bombed.
Shame, isn't it?
Now, bare in mind this is my personal opinion and someone else might disagree. But then again, maybe not. "In addition to the decade confusion, the pacing is often way off, with strange editing hiccups that lead to an uneven viewing experience. "
Now let me take you to this.
Films of any kind where about conveying feelings, communication. They still are. Songs, are more than voicing notes in an impeccable voice. Look at Madonna's career. Granted she sold sex, but she also sold rebellion, a fuck off without being metal. She helped the public identify with her and she lost them once her public was settled with grandchildren and she was not relevant anymore to the old or the young. She lost that communication.
Look at most sites. They crave for content. Something that will get the interest, that will convey a feeling, that will generate an image, that will bond the viewer for a split second, to sit and watch one more, then one more.. at the day and age where there is so much info, it is boring to read, or take time to see what this is or the other.
So why is a voice important? Because it conveys feelings. Enthusiasm, sadness, fear, anger, friendliness, sex and intimacy. It breathes life to still images, to a deaf and mute piece of film, enriching it, instead of distracting from it. It gives personality, it sometimes convinces to the point of forgetting there is a voice over.
The person doing this, is usually an actor, trained to bring out his own feelings , or someone gifted who is good at expressing himself or imitating. On top of that, the person in question has to have basic knowledge of sound engineering. And a lot of other qualities I wrote about in another post.
So yes, I "talk" for a living. I talk on behalf of your broom, your application, your BBQ grill, your bra, your cakes. I talk directly to your clients asking them to be patient, I talk to them encouraging them to take that step towards your site and click on the basket. I give life to everything you do.
"yes, but why are you getting paid so much money?" some say.
First of all we are not. Most people expect us to work for peanuts. Some of us are part of a union, some of us are not. Unions are here as a policy. Making sure that if we get sick and can't work, for example, we will not starve. Or to get rights for things we do, so that the client cant reuse and reuse the same audio till the end of times. Or cut my voice screaming "delicious!" and put it in a porn movie for example. I am stretching, of course, and It has never happened, but it's an example.
We have no regular jobs, we have no steady income, the client benefits from the audio, so it is only right to ask for some royalty. Of course, in some cases the client neglects to inform you and is even reluctant to give you your royalties, and you give in, either because you need the job, or because its a high profile job that will open doors.Now I am not stating that I didn't get royalties for that one. In fact, I don't know. I would have done it either way... But what happens with certain jobs coming our way is not right and many voice talents get passed over because they stick to their guns. When in fact they are fighting for all of us.
The thing is, just like any job, you need to love what you do. Yes, it sounds cliche, but think of the times you fell in love with someone. You had the energy and the vision to lift mountains, and nothing was impossible. People in love travel, break lifetime habits, abandon marriages, being in love is the most powerful energy next to lust and sexual attraction, But just like any relationship, being in love is no excuse to let the other walk all over you. You can love what you do, but you also need to set boundaries and be professional. You need to see yourself for who you are and expect the other person to see it too.
I personally would not want to f@ck someone just for the sake of friction* excuse my crudeness), although like everybody (hopefully) reading this, I have, specially in my younger days.. I like to make love (and fuck) with someone I m in love with, want, appreciate and uniting physically is the only way to get close.( And forgive the vulgarity of that comment, but its a long post and shock value works)
I want someone who wants me. And when he does, I put my conditions. Not for him to follow, but for me to say yes. If he is just looking for any random piece of ass, I just wont apply. I need to feel I am the right person for the job, to put all the love I have inside and to help him get his voice and message heard. Just like I would nurture and help and support a partner whom I worshipped, I channel what I have to give and offer. Without being a doormat. Without wasting myself with someone who can't tell the difference... who is easy and any 4.99 bit will do. Who is looking hungrily at a quick fix. I consider myself a juicy, tender and fulfilling, mouthwatering steak, not a dried up, filled with salt hot dog. I want and hope to become for some, sometimes, a gourmet meal. I will let myself be used and consumed, but only if I know the other person is a connoisseur. One night stands are for young inexperienced kids or for people who are down and out on their luck, and I don't say that in a bad way. I have been there. I know. I could go back there, any time. Nothing is forever.
I mix eroticism, food and work in my examples, because it helps to understand what I want. I want the other person to acknowledge my worth and give me the amount of money that is coming to me for my expertise, my time, my training and the dues I paid, doing all kinds of shitty little jobs when I was learning the trade. I am getting paid for my energy, my rhythm and my ability to communicate. And lastly for my reputation.
Some artists demand crazy money. Because they are renowned. They jumped to another league. Julia Roberts f.e is a very good actress but after the Oscar, her fee was extraordinary. She had to pay publicists, image makers, agents, on her way up, she had to play shitty films at the beginning, but once she was there, she was worth every penny. She was a brand. And it was time to collect. And people pay, because she brings it.
In our field, we do not become famous in that aspect. But we do create a name. We are meticulous about quality, our equipment, we cut and edit and we read, each time with that feeling of love in our heart. That desire to play a role, that need to create something out of nothing, really. If our voice is special it is harder to get a jobs but if we manage, to do so, we can become a brand.
The client has a model in his head, he wants a perky voice or a deep voice, like something he has heard. There is not a lot of room for innovation and breakthroughs and after working for years, you pretty much know what the client wants and you do it, fast. You sometimes suggest a different way, just to infuse some originality, when the project is important and the selling pitch is important. So yes, you love what you do, but you are a professional, you have learned to structure, prioritize and finish a project in just a few hours. It is a job. Your job.
My job.
So yes, I talk for a living. And I sing, And I write, and I do everything I can to express my emotions, and my thoughts, silly or not, smart or not. I need to let the flow come in and out of me, all the stimuli, all the experiences, all the products of my body, my mind and my heart...
I don't guard my ideas jealously, more will come. I don't dwell on those that were stolen from me, I look forward.(But I still cringe when I see my artwork on Tshirts everywhere)
And if I get bored, I take a break. I come back with fresh ideas. I write a script, I sing a song with a friend, I make love, I get a new job, as a karaoke presenter, or a booking agent, to experience the field in every possible way. I teach, I coach, I taste, I love, I explore, I experiment, I feel, I evolve.
And then, I talk.
Ps: if you go to www.thepros.dk it will warn you I have no certificate. I don't. I refuse to paygodaddy extra money for something that was supposed to be in the original package :) But it is safe.
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