in need of voice over talent but dont cant afford the expensive ones...
 

in need of voice over talent but dont cant afford the expensive ones..
I am on a budget and left with 2 pages of narrations needed for a video i'm making
any suggestions for a place where i can find quality, "economical" voice talents?

thanks guys.

Put an ad in the local paper for new talent required for voiceovers. use an answerphone and then contact the voices who you think fit the bill. As newcomers they won't even want huge amounts of money, and you build up a decent database of usefull voices.

A local university - try the bulletin board in the vocal or drama departments.
Local public radio stations often have on-air talent that will work inexpensively.
If the video is a PSA or for "a cause", check to see if there are any "names" that support the topic. We've gotten lots of celebrities to do voice-over for us via this route.
Try an ad at one of the local music stores. Lead singers often make good talent.
Also, there are a ton of on-line resources for VO talent. If you have any budget at all, you can often find new folks that will work very cheaply.

I second the radio station guys....Most of them do a lot of commercials anyways, and will work for pretty cheap. I have a local radio station morning host buddy who is always offering to do voice-over work - most radio guys only make $8-$12 / hour anyways, so throwing them $20 - $30 for a half hour to an hour of work, they'll be happy.

Dan,

email sent.

I suppose it depends on what you are looking for. I don't have a wide range, but I have done voiceovers that were appropriate for the range I have.

You can hear me reading the Book of Romans from the New Testament if you like.

http://www.stevengotz.com/romans/

I did this for my Sister-In-Law's Christmas Present. It is more sedate than my usual readings, but one has to be careful when reading the bible. Especially since I am not a Christian. I prefer reading children's books. Then I get to act excited or silly.

If you want a male voice, send me a an explanation of what you are looking for and a paragraph of text, I can send you back a recording. If it is what you want, and it is only a couple of pages, and it is interesting material, I can be had for the price of a credit at the end of a "not-for profit" video. If it is "for profit" work, I can be had for a resonable fee.

16 lines per pages or 72 lines per page?

Is it important that your narration to sound "economical", like a top 40 DJ or real?

Regards,

Ty Ford

AFTRA/SAG Narrator
Demos at http://www.tyford.com

And what kind of real? You might want old and serious or young and hip ...let alone male or female.

Hopefully you'll find somebody with a style that compliments your piece.

It should be a mid age man. thicker voice. the video is a promotional for a non profit organization and we need to beef it up with a nice lively v/o. up beat music smiles etc...

Regrettably, at the age of 54, I suppose middle aged is about the right way to describe myself. Sigh.

Why not post a paragraph or two, and we can submit a recording. Pick the one you like best and try to make a deal. If that deal is too hard to reach, go for the second best. If none are good enough, then go for a pro.

Sure, audition it. send me a part of a paragraph.

Ty

Give me a chance!
 

I'd like to get in on this too! I am an independant documentary filmmaker who does his own voice-overs. I'd be glad to audition for you. To see if you like my voice you can check out two short clips from my docs here...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5q2rd0dBc1Q


and here...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BtA_vmtGAtA

Thanks,
Mike

There are lots of nice voices out there. Only a few, like Ty, can make their voices do interesting things. But if all you are looking for is a pleasant male voice, there are lots of choices. Mike's is certainly pleasant. Calming tone.

Thanks Steven. I call it the "Jesus" voice. When I was a youngster I got to be the disembodied voice of Jesus in my Catholic gradeschool's Easter play. I had 'em weeping in the pews! I've been hooked on doing voice-over ever since!

This reminds me...if anyone is in need of a solid, beefy trailer voice, I can help you out, pro-bono. One example is the voice in "Ace Ramano" on my website in my signature, but that was more than a year ago and my voice has gotten bigger since then.

www.internetjock.com is a great source for voice overs. Reasonably priced and very fast. You don't get to direct the read, but you do get one do-over included in the price. They do great work.

Free!?

That would make it worth what?

Ty Ford

I recently used speedspots.com and was really suprised with the good results for a documentary introduction. A one and a half minute spot was $75. They have alot of different talent with samples on their website. What really helps is to submit a mp3 sample file of a style that you like and they can emulate it. Also a clear written script with direction notes can help as well as audio samples of difficult to pronounce words is important.

I am a believer in you get what you pay for but in this case I think I found a bargin.

Hope this helps,

I know of three great profesional talents that will lend thier voice for free for not for profit pieces. I would be happy to refer them to you if you fire me an email. Each of thier styles are different but Mid age warm voice we can knock out.

Let me know if I can help.
What is your time frame?

In as pleasantly a curmudgeonly way as possible........

I work a lot in Washington, D.C., the home of the non-profit organization. Non-profits frequently pound vendors with their "poor me" non-profit status. A LOT of the time it's just a scam to get something for nothing from the weak and inexperienced. While there are exceptions, many non-profits have more money than they let on. Some get their low-pay or no-pay volunteers to ask for "the deal." That way, to the vendor, you have someone talking to you who genuinely doesn't make much or anything at all. I usually ask what their CEO makes every year.

It's not that I don't contribute to causes, I do. After years of being asked to give something for nothing to organizations who have plenty, the strategy wears a bit thin.

Regards,

Ty Ford

here is the text for the narration if you guys would like to audtion
 

Did you know that thanks to HDC...
Hundreds of teens have boldly added an extra 45 minutes to their mad morning schedule by waking up early in order to participate in a morning minyan at hdc.
Hundreds of singles have united in warm social settings to socialize as well as learn more on topics such as successful dating, marriage, Israel, and much more
Dozens of young singles have been successfully introduced to each other only to be wed shortly thereafter.
Hundreds of married couples have found new meaning in what it takes to have a successful marriage and are rejuvenated once again to commit to each other
Hundreds of kids ages 5-13 have learnt to fervently chant and read the aleph bet and find excitement in all the hands -on experience of Jewish projects and trips
Thousands of Jews are gathering to learn from some of the most celebrated speakers on Jewish family values
Hundreds of teens are enjoying identifying themselves with Judaism and Israel through fulfilled and inspirational experiences
Hundreds of public school students have been visited in their lunchroom and given a delicious lunch while left with “food for thought” from an inspirational discussion

Dan,

Here's my audition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3zxQbbUCJA

Please let me know what you think, even if you don't like it. I am always looking to improve.

Thanks,
Mike

make connections for next time...
 

fortunately my real job is as a TV reporter and annoucer. Whenever I need help I grab a co-worker and we cut some tracks in exchange for some beers. works out well.

I am always reading tracks for friends and they in turn help me out with other stuff.

Make friends with a "talent" type person in your area. In the future they can help you out and you can help them if they ever need some video shot "off the books" so to speak.

Even though I work for a TV station, it's amazing how many people want side work done away from the confines of the company I work for...

With that said, with some practice, many people can become their own "voice over" artists. It's a question of listening to what you like and noticing the details (phrasing, diction, emphasis, etc). Try it!

I don't know why that surprises you. You're doing work "off the books" while working for a very "on the books" place.

Bartering services is an interesting concept. I think we all do it to some degree. Enough for the IRS to lay down rules about it. Last time I checked, they were of the opinion that you had to report the cost of the service as income.

Regards,

Ty Ford

voiceovers
 

I would certainly never encourage anything illegal. As Ty mentions, an on-going barter situation runs into a tax reporting situation. A very occasional trade of low cost services should be fine. (Check with your tax professional).


When my buddies ask me to do a voiceover I do it for free. If I need help with something else in the future I'll ask but it's not a trade (most of the time I don't like asking for favors anyway). (Who needs favors when you can get free advice here?)

I find that when "amateurs" try to do voiceovers, they always think they should try to deepen their voice or try to sound like the "voice of god."
While that may work for some videos, the most natural sounding voices work better for most projects.

Cheers.

Sal