07/03/2012 - Turn your novel into an audio book
Though it will always have a place in many people's hearts, the traditional hardback format for books is rapidly being usurped by technology. Electronic readers like the Kindle have meant that e-sales of books are rapidly increasing and high street book stores are going to have to think fast and adapt if they are going to survive.
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23/02/2012 - Time for a Vocal Workshop
Hello one and all! We are going to be holding a vocal workshop on Tuesday March 6th in Hammersmith. Led by the very lovely Jools Montague - vocal coach extraordinaire - we'll be covering everything from technique to delivery with a focus on commericals and narrative reads. The course fee is £60 for three hours with a 15 minute break for tea, bikkies and chat. Only a few places left so do pop us an email if you would like to reserve your place: jude@thevoiceoverstore.co.uk
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03/02/2012 - Getting to know your voice
If you're hoping to carve out a career in the competitive voice over industry, one of the most important things you need to do is decide how to market your voice and what kind of voice over work you think you would be particularly good at. Some people are blessed with natural versatility and can get to grips with pretty much any voice over brief they're presented with, whether that's corporate video, hard sell radio, character animation or talking books. These people are the envy of most people in the voice over world, because the majority of us mere mortals will be particularly good at a few things, but not necessarily at everything.
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27/01/2012 - Preparing for a voice over job
If you're fairly new to the world of voice over and you have a big job coming up, the lead up can be a little daunting. What happens if your voice is hoarse? What if you trip over your words? What if the client doesn't like what you're doing? Lots of thoughts can swim around your brain making you needlessly nervous about work that is actually a lot of fun.
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19/01/2012 - Producing an effective promotional video
If you're thinking about investing in a promotional video for your website, it's worth putting a bit of time and thought into it before you approach a video production company, so you can be sure your money is well spent. The clearer you are about what you want from your promotional video, the more likely you are to get something that works well with your company brand and tone and really sells your product or service.
One of the key things to bear in mind when putting a brief together for your promotional video is that the shorter and more concise your video is, the better. The optimum length is in or around 90 seconds. Too much longer and the chances are you may lose viewers and any shorter and your script writer will find it difficult to fit all your key points in. So though you may want to say everything you possibly can about your product or service, unfortunately, you just won't have time.
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18/01/2012 - The benefits of promotional videos for websites
With more and more people spending more time in front of a PC iPad or iPhone screen, it's fair to say that traditional forms of advertising are somewhat in decline. Whereas in a previous era, businesses would have spent a large chunk of marketing budget on press, TV and radio, nowadays the promotional video is where it's at. Even if your customer is the type of person to pick up the phone and call you (and not all of them are) the chances are he/she will have gone to your website first to find out more about you and decide if your product or service is what they're looking for. And whereas a few years ago, most people would have been happy enough to trawl through your About us and Home pages to get the information they need, these days they want it all in bite sized, easily digestible chunks. In other words they want to land on our home page and head straight to the promotional video.
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13/01/2012 - The importance of getting the voice over right
If you're thinking of getting a radio ad produced to promote your business, or you want a promotional video for your website, it's absolutely essential to get the voice over right. The right voice over will help you sell your product or company in the way you want it to be sold by getting the most out of the script, matching the style and tone of the script, and really helping to bring everything to life. If you don’t get the voice over right, it doesn't really matter how well written your script is or how great your offer or service is, people just won't listen to it.
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12/01/2012 - Looking after your voice as a voiceover artist
If you make a living as a voiceover artist, you'll know there's nothing worse than succumbing to a cold, or worse still a throat infection just before you're due to go into the studio. The typically nasal sound that is part and parcel of a cold is not something people want to hear in their radio drama, or when listening to their favourite audio book. And advertising clients certainly won't be able to use you, no matter how much they liked your reel or audition. So it's important to keep your voice in tip-top shape by looking after your gerneral health as well as the health of your voice. Eat well, take vitamin supplements and if you're a smoker, well, you know the deal!
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30/11/2011 - What should I have on my voicereel?
Your voice reel is one of the most important things you can invest in if you're trying to break into the big bad world of professional voiceovers, and it's worth spending as much as you can afford to get it right. No matter how lovely your voice is or how confident you are behind the mic, if you don't have a professionally produced reel with a good variety of commercials and narrative reads on it, you're going to find it pretty tough to get any work. Particularly these days when Joe Soaps like us are up against the very many celebrities who are making a tidy sum from voice work for big brands.
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26/10/2011 - Setting up and equipping a home voiceover studio
With that nifty little invention known as the Internet, it's now easier than ever for voice actors to work from home and either email the finished work across to their clients or work in real time via Skype or Source Connect. A home studio can be anything from a mic in your walk in wardrobe to a purpose built and properly sound-proofed room. Not everyone will have the means or the money to build the latter, so let's look at your options if you're like the rest of us and are looking at the former option as a good place to start!
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29/06/2011 - Getting the most from the script
As a voice actor, you'll find yourself working with a wide variety of scripts promoting all manner of things from home insurance to baby wipes, cars to dating websites. Some of them will be well thought out and well written, giving you lots to play with and make your own. Some of them will be pretty poorly written and you'll have to work extra hard to make the read sound natural and convincing. All in a day's work!
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26/05/2011 - Source Connect - the easiest way to work remotely as a voiceover
There's no doubt about it, the World Wide Web has revolutionised the way we work. Many people who would have found themselves tied to the traditional office-based 9-5 job can now work from home, or anywhere else in the world for that matter, and as long as you have the right technology, there's no reason you can't do everything you would do in your office from a remote location.
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26/05/2011 - When to use phone numbers in a radio ad
The topic of phone numbers in radio ads is one that has been hotly debated over the years by many an industry expert. And it's usually a topic that sees creative pitted against client in a steely battle of wills that both are determined to win because they know they're right! As with most things, whether or not you should use a phone number in your ad is a matter of common sense. But before you make your decision, here are a few things to bear in mind.
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26/05/2011 - How to produce a good radio ad
Anyone can produce a radio ad. All you need is a script, a voiceover and a recording studio. Decide what you want to say and off you go and record it. What's difficult about that? Well, nothing really. It's true, anyone can produce a radio ad, but not everyone can produce a good radio ad. And what do I mean by a good radio ad? Well, I mean an ad that people will actually listen to, and one that will convincingly sell the benefits of the product or company in a creative and compelling way.
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