27
You're Hired! The Session

In This Chapter

A Journey through the Creative Process

Congratulations, you’ve got the job! Your audition was the first step—and on average, you’ll have submitted about 40–60 auditions, or more, for every job you land. This is a numbers game, remember?

The client likes your audition better than anyone else’s. They’ve agreed to hire you at a fee you or your agent has negotiated, and you have a signed booking agreement.

Now, you need to know the details of the session: When does the session start (your call time)? Will you be working from your home studio? Or will you be going to a recording studio nearby?

The trend in voiceover today, even for top-level professionals, is to record from a home studio. There may or may not be a director, so excellent self-direction skills are essential. The client may request the unedited entire recording session, or raw audio, or they might ask for edited “best takes,” or for a fully edited track ready for air. On rare occasions, the voice talent might even be asked to add music and sound effects. Audio files are then sent to the client for postproduction and distribution. In larger markets, like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, local recording studios are still commonly used for recording voice tracks.

Whether recording from home or at a studio, the process is essentially the same. It’s just that if you’re recording voice tracks in your own studio, you’ll be wearing many hats. You may have your client on the phone or on a phone patch connection to your audio mixer, but you are ultimately in control of both the recording process and your performance. Doing both can be a challenge, and although the focus of this book is not about audio production, it is important that you at least have a basic idea of what’s happening on the other side of the glass.

Much of the creative process involves a lot of technology and a high level of creativity from those involved. As a voiceover performer, only a small portion of the production process involves you. To give you a better idea of how your performance fits in, the rest of this chapter will be devoted to walking you through a typical production.

The Production Process

It all begins with an idea! That idea is put into words on a script, which may go through many revisions. In some cases, a role may be written with a specific performer in mind, but this is usually the exception to the rule. To cast the various roles, the producers listen to demos and hold auditions. The audition process (Chapter 26) narrows the playing field to select the most appropriate voice talent for the project at hand. If your voice is right for the part, and your demo or audition was heard by the right person, you could be hired.

Be absolutely certain you are on time if your session is at a studio or if your client will be on a phone patch. It is much better for you to be early and have to wait than for you to be late and hold up the session. Recording studios book by the hour, with rates from around $100 per hour on up to $300 to $500 per hour in major markets like Hollywood and New York. You do not want to be the person responsible for unnecessary studio charges.

Session Delays

Time is also of the essence when you are recording. Things can happen very fast once you are on-mic and recording begins. You need to be able to deliver your best performance within a few takes. If the producer or director gives you instructions, you need to understand them quickly and adapt your delivery as needed.

The producer will want your best performance as quickly as possible, but in reality, it may take a while. A voiceover session for a:60 radio commercial can take as little as 5 minutes to as much as an hour or longer. But no matter how efficiently things are planned, it seems like there is always something that can cause a delay:

• There may be several voices speaking (dialogue or multi-voice copy), and it may take some time to get the characters right.
• Microphone placement may need to be adjusted or the mic may need to be changed.
• The copy may require major changes or rewrites.
• A session being done to a video playback may require numerous takes to get the timing right.
• There may be technical problems with the equipment.
• The voice tracks may need to be inserted into a rough spot for client approval before the performers can be released.

• The session may be a phone patch or ISDN session or the client may request changes that need to be relayed through the producer or engineer.
• Your client may not know what he or she really wants.
• There may be several would-be directors trying to offer their ideas, creating unnecessary delays and confusion.
• The voiceover performer may lack experience, and may not be able to give the producer the desired reading without extensive directing.
• An earlier session may have run overtime, causing all subsequent sessions to start late.

Regardless of how long you are in the studio, even if it’s your home studio, you are an employee of the ad agency, producer, or client. Present yourself professionally and remain calm. Above all, do your best to enjoy the experience. Keep breathing, stay relaxed, and keep a positive attitude.

Working with Producers, Directors, Writers, and Clients

A voice-actor friend of mine once described a producer/director as “headphones with an attitude.” Regardless of the producer’s attitude, you need to be able to perform effectively. You must be able to adapt your character and delivery to give the producer what he or she asks for. And you need to be able to do this quickly with an attitude of cooperation.

It is common for a producer, after doing many takes, to go back to the kind of read you did at the beginning. You need to be able to do it! It is also common for a producer to focus on getting exactly the right inflection for a single word in the copy. You might do 15 or 20 takes on just one sentence or a single word, and then a producer will change his mind and you will have to start all over.

Every producer has a unique directing style. Occasionally, you will work for a producer or writer who is incredibly demanding, or simply does not know what he wants. When working for this type of person, just do your best and when you are done, leave quietly and politely. You cannot allow yourself to get frustrated while “on the clock.” Later, when you are alone, scream as loud as you like.

There are some producers who operate on a principle of never accepting anything the first time—no matter how good it might be—and I’ve worked with several. Your first take might be wonderful—you hit all the key words, get just the right inflection, and nail the attitude. Yet, the producer may have you do another 10 takes, looking for something better, all the while drifting off target. When all is said and done, that first good take may be the one that’s used.

Who Are Those People?

Some studio sessions may be crowded with many people deeply involved with the project, or you may have several people on a conference call if working from home. Of course, there will be an engineer, and there will usually be someone who is the obvious producer/director. But the client may also be there, as well as his wife, their best friend, the agency rep, the person who wrote the copy, maybe even an account executive from a radio or TV station and possibly a dog. Everyone there, except the dog, has an opinion about what you are doing, and may want to offer suggestions about what you can do to improve your performance. It’s a nice thought, but too many directors will make you crazy.

One obvious problem with so many people is conflicting direction. As a performer, you must choose one person in the control room to whom you will listen for direction. Most of the time this should be the producer handling the session. However, if it is obvious that the producer cannot control the session, you might choose someone else, if you feel the person is a better director.

Once you have made your choice, you must stick with that person for the duration of the session. Changing directors in mid-session will only make your performance more difficult. Simply focus your attention on the person you picked and direct your questions to only that person, mentioning him or her by name when necessary. There’s a way of doing this that won’t offend anyone.

When someone else presses the talkback button and gives you some direction, you need to bring control back to the person you chose. Allow the interruption to happen, and then refer to your chosen director for confirmation or further comment. After this happens a few times, the would-be director will usually get the hint and let the person in charge handle the session. Future comments will then be routed to you via your chosen producer or director—as they should be.

Most studios that record voiceover have engineers who are very experienced in directing voice actors. It is not uncommon for an engineer to “take over” the session if he recognizes that the client or producer is not getting an effective performance or the desired results. Some Hollywood studios have built their reputations on the ability of their engineers to essentially produce the session.

Types of Sessions, Setups, and Script Formats

There are many different types of voiceover projects, and recording sessions come in all shapes and sizes, with a variety of format styles.

Demos

A demo session is for a project that has not yet been sold to the client. It will be a demonstration of what the ad agency is recommending. The client may or may not like it. The ad agency may or may not get the account. A demo is a commercial on spec (speculation).

Mel Blanc, one of the great animation character voices of the 1950s and 1960s, once gave the following definition of working on spec:

Ad agencies, television stations, and radio stations often do projects on spec when they are attempting to get an advertiser’s business—sort of an audition for the ad agency. The potential profit from a successful ad campaign far outweighs the cost of producing a spec commercial—provided the agency lands the account.

Demos will not air (unless they are upgraded by the client), and are paid at a lower scale than regular commercials. They may have several different voiceover performers booked to do the demo session. Since completed spots will be produced, demo sessions are often intended to give the advertiser a choice of performers for the final commercial. If the demo is simply upgraded, your agent will be contacted and you will be paid an additional fee. If a separate session is booked, you will be contacted, scheduled, and paid an additional fee.

Scratch Tracks

A scratch track is similar to a demo in the sense that it is the preliminary form of a commercial. Scratch tracks are most often used for TV commercials and other video productions, and serve as a reference track for the video editor before the final voice track is recorded. A scratch track will often be voiced by the producer, director, or sometimes the editor or audio engineer, and the music, sound effects, and other elements of the spot may or may not be in their final placement.

As a voiceover performer, you may be voicing a scratch track, or you may be providing the final voice that replaces a scratch track. Either way, your job will be to match the timing as much as possible. Your job is not to mimic the style of the person who recorded the scratch track. If the client wanted that style, they would have hired the person who did the scratch track (and it has happened).

Just as for a demo session, your performance for a scratch track may be good enough for use in the final spot. You or your agent will know if the scratch track session is for a demo or a final commercial, and you will be paid accordingly.

Regular Session

This is a session for production of a final commercial. Many engineers refer to regular sessions, to differentiate them from demos, tags, scratch tracks and so on. The only difference between this type of session and all the others is that it is for a complete production.

Session Setups

There are two basic session setups: single session and group session. At a single session, you are the only person in the studio, but this does not mean you are the only voice that will appear in the final project. Other performers, may be recorded later. There will be only one microphone, a music stand, a stool, and a pair of headsets. Many recording studios also have speakers in the studio, so you can choose to use headphones or not. Let the engineer make all adjustments to the mic. You can adjust the stool and music stand to your comfort.

Multiple-voice, or group sessions, are often the most fun of all types of sessions simply because of the ensemble. Each performer normally has his or her own mic, music stand, and headset. Depending on the studio, two performers may be set up facing each other, working off the same mic, or on separate mics in different areas of the studio. A group session is like a small play, only without sets. Looping is almost always done as a group session with from a few to a few dozen voice actors in the studio.

Script Formats

There are a variety of script formats used in the business of voiceover. Radio, television, film, multimedia, video game, and corporate scripts all have slight differences. Regardless of the format, all scripts include the words you will be delivering and important clues you can use to uncover the building blocks of any effective performance.

The Studio Session: Step-by-Step

Working from your home studio is pretty straight-forward. However, when you visit a recording studio, things change.

Let’s walk through a typical session from the moment you enter the studio, until you walk out the door. Much of this is review from other parts of this book; however, this will give you a complete picture of a studio session. After reading this section, you will know what to expect and should be able to act as if you have done it all before. But keep in mind that there are many variables that can affect this scenario. Just “go with the flow” and you will be fine.

Once you enter the studio lobby, your first contact will be the receptionist. Introduce yourself, and tell her which session you are attending. If the studio is in an office building and you paid to park, don’t forget to ask if the studio validates.

The receptionist will let the producer know you are there. If you don’t already have the script, you might be given your copy at this time, or you might have to wait until the producer comes out of the control room. Depending on how the previous session is going, you may have to wait awhile.

The producer, engineer or an assistant will come out to get you when they are ready, the receptionist will direct you to the control room, or someone you might be advised that the session is running late. There are many things that can put a session behind schedule. Remember, this is a hurry-up-and-wait kind of business.

When you enter the control room, introduce yourself to the producer, the engineer, and anyone else you have not yet met. You can be certain that anyone in the control room is important, so be friendly and polite.

If you do not already have your copy, it will be given to you here. This is your last, and often only, opportunity to do a quick “wood shedding,” or script analysis, set your character and ask any questions you might have about the copy. Get as much information as you need now, because once you are in the booth, you will be expected to perform. Get a good idea of the target audience and correct pronunciation of the product’s and client’s names. Make notes as to attitude, mood, and key words. Mark your script so that you will know what you are doing when recording begins. The producer or engineer may want you to read through the copy while in the control room for timing or to go over key points. When the engineer is ready, you will be escorted to the studio.

Practice good studio etiquette and let the engineer handle any adjustments to the mic. Feel free to adjust the music stand to your comfort. If a stool is there, it is for your convenience, and you may choose not to use it or not. Some studios will give you the option of working without headphones, but for most you will need to wear them to hear the director. Find out where the volume control is.

Make sure your cell phone is turned off, or better yet, leave it in the control room either turned off or silenced.

The microphone may have a pop filter in front of it, or it may be covered with a foam wind screen. The purpose of both of these devices is two-fold: first, to minimize popping sounds caused by your breath hitting the microphone and second, to minimize condensation of breath moisture on the microphone’s diaphragm. Popping can be a problem with words containing plosives such as “P,” “B,” “K,” “Q,” and “T.” If an adjustment is needed, let the engineer know. If the mic is properly positioned, the pop screen may not be needed.

When the engineer is ready to record, you will be asked for a level or to read for levels. He needs to set his audio controls for your voice. Consider this a rehearsal, so perform your lines exactly the way you intend to once recording begins. You may do several reads for levels, none of which will likely be recorded. However, the producer or engineer may give you some direction to get you on the right track once recording begins. Some engineers will record your rehearsals, which occasionally are the best takes.

The engineer will slate each take as you go. You will hear all direction and slates in your headphones. This is not the same as slating your name for an audition. The engineer may use an audio slate or identify the project or section you are working on, followed by “take 1,” “take 2,” and so on. Or he may simply use flag markers inserted into the digital project. Before or after an audio slate, you may receive some additional direction.

Do not begin reading until the engineer has finished his slate and all direction is finished. You will know when you can start by listening for the sound of the control room mic being turned off. If you speak too soon, your first few words might be unusable. Wait a beat or two after the slate, get a good supporting breath of air, begin moving, then begin speaking.

As you are reading your lines, the engineer will be watching your levels and listening to the sound of your voice. He will also be keeping a log sheet and will time each take. He may also be discussing your delivery or copy changes with the producer or client.

Common Direction Terms

Expect to receive direction from the producer after each take. Do not change your attitude or character unless requested by the producer. Do not comment about things you feel you are doing wrong, or ask how you are doing. Let the producer guide you into the read he or she is after.

Marc Cashman (cashmancommercials.com) has compiled a list of common direction terms from numerous voiceover resources, including prior editions of this book. Here’s his list:¹

• Accent it: Emphasize or stress a syllable, word or phrase.
• Add life to it: Your reading is flat. One expert advises: “Give it C.P.R.: Concentration, Punch, Revive it!”
• Add some smile: Simply put, smile when you’re reading. It makes you sound friendly and adds more energy to your read.
• Be authoritative: Sound like you know what you’re talking about.
• Be real: Add sincerity to your read. Similar to “make it conversational.” Be genuine and true-to-life in your delivery.
• Billboard it: Emphasize a word or phrase, most always done with the name of the product or service.
• Bring it up/down: Increase or decrease the intensity or volume of your read. This may refer to a specific section or the overall script.
• Button it: Put an ad-lib at the end of a spot.
• Color it: Give a script various shades of meaning. Look at a script as a black and white outline of a picture that you have to color, with shading and texture.
• Don’t sell me: Throw out the “announcer” voice, relax; the read is sounding too hard-sell.
• Fade in/fade out: Turning your head toward or away from the microphone as you are speaking, or actually turning your entire body and walking away. This is done to simulate the “approach” or “exit” of the character in the spot.
• False start: You begin and make a mistake. You stop. The engineer refers to this as a false start and either goes over the first slate or begins a new slate.
• Fix it in the mix: What is done in postproduction, usually after the talent leaves. This involves fixing levels, editing mouth noises, etc.
• Good read: Getting close to what they want, but it’s not there yet.
• Hit the copy points: Emphasize the product/service benefits more.
• In the can: The engineer and producer refer to this as having accomplished all the takes they need to put the spot together.
• In the clear: Deliver your line without stepping on other actors’ lines.
• In the pocket: You’ve given the producer exactly what they want.
• Intimate read: Close in on the mic more, speak with more breath, and make believe you’re talking into someone’s ear.
• Keep it fresh: Giving the energy of your first take, even though you may be on your twentieth.
• Let's lay one down: Let's start recording.
• Less sell/More sell: De-stressing/stressing the client name/benefits.
• Let’s do a take: The recording of a piece of copy. Each take starts with #1 and ascends until the director has the one(s) they like. Also heard: Let’s lay it/one down.
• Let’s get a level: The director or engineer is asking you to speak at the volume you’re going to use for the session. Take advantage of this time to rehearse the copy. Any shouts or yelling will require you to turn your head 45–90 degrees away from the mic. If the mic needs adjusting, the engineer will come into the booth. Do not move the mic unless instructed to do so.
• Make it conversational: Just like it sounds, make your read more natural. Throw out the “announcer” in your read, and take the “read” out of your delivery. If it sounds like you’re reading, you won’t be believable. Pretend you’re telling a story, talking to one person. Believe in what you’re saying.
• Make it flow: Also heard as: Smooth it out. Avoid choppy, staccato reads, unless the character calls for it.
• More/less energy: Add more or less excitement to your read. Use your body to either pump yourself up or calm yourself down. Check with the engineer (i.e., do a level) to make sure you are not too loud or soft.
• Mouth noise: The pops and clicks made by your mouth, tongue, teeth, saliva and more. Most mouth noises can be digitally excised, but make sure that you don’t have excess mouth noise, because too much is an editing nightmare and will affect your work. Water with lemon or pieces of green apple can help reduce or eliminate most mouth noise.
• One more time for protection: The director wants you to do exactly what you just did on the previous take. This is similar to “that was perfect, do it again.” This gives the director a few more options to play with, should they be needed in post-production.
• Over the top: Pushing the character into caricature.
• Pick it up: Start at a specific place in the copy where you made a mistake, as in: “Pick it up from the top of paragraph two,” or “Let’s do a pick-up at the top of the second block.”
• Pick up your cue: Come in faster on a particular line.
• Pick up the pace: Pace is the speed at which you read the copy. Read faster, but keep the same character and attitude.
• Play with it: Have fun with the copy, change your pace and delivery a bit, try different inflections.
• Popping: Noise resulting from hard consonants spoken into the mic. Plosives, which sound like short bursts from a gun, are most evident in consonants like B, K, P, Q and T.
• Punch-in: The process of recording your copy at an edit point in real time. In a punch-in, as opposed to a “pick-up,” the engineer will play back part of the copy you recorded and expect you to continue reading your copy at a certain point. The director will give you explicit directions as to where in the script you will be “punched in,” and you will read along with your prerecorded track until your punch-in point. From there, you’ll continue recording at the same level and tone you originally laid down.
• Read against the text: Reading a line with an emotion opposite of what it would normally be read.
• Romance it: Also “Warm up the copy.” Make it more intimate.
• Run it down: Read the entire script for level, time, and one more rehearsal before you start recording.
• Shave it by …: Take a specific amount of time off your read. Also heard as “shave a hair.” If your read times out at:61, the director might ask you to “shave it by 1.5 seconds.”
• Skoche more/less: A little bit, just a touch more or less. This can refer to volume, emphasis, inflection, timing, attitude, etc.
• Split the difference: Do a take that’s “between” the last two you just did. For example, if your first take comes out at:58, and your second take comes out at:60, and the director asks you to “split the difference,” adjust your pacing so the third take should be in at:59. Or, if your first take is monotone-ish and your second one is very “smiley,” and the director asks you to “split the difference,” adjust your read so that the third take will be somewhat in-between.
• Stay in character: Your performance is inconsistent. The character and voice you commit to must be consistent from beginning to end, take after take after take. Focus. Be consistent.
• Stepping on lines: Starting your line before another actor finishes theirs. Sometimes the director wants actors to “overlap” their lines, or interrupt. Others want each line “in the clear,” where there is no overlapping or stepping.
• Stretch it/tighten it: Make it longer/shorter.
• Take a beat: Pause for about a second. You may be asked to do this during a specific part of the script, like in-between paragraphs, or inside of a sentence or in a music bed. A good sense of comic timing is particularly helpful.
• Take it from the top: Recording from the beginning of a script.
• That’s a buy/keeper: The take that everyone loves—at least the director loves. If the client loves it, then it’s accepted.
• That was perfect—do it again: An inside joke, but a compliment. Usually the producer wants you to reprise your take “for safety” (i.e., to have another great alternate take).
• This is a:15/:30/:60: Refers to the exact length of the spot in seconds, also known as a read or take.
• Three in a row: Reading the same word, phrase, sentence or tag three times, with variations. Each read should have a slightly different approach, but all should be read in the same amount of time. The engineer will slate three in a row “a, b, and c.”
• Throw it away: Don’t put any emphasis or stress on a certain phrase, or possibly the whole script.
• Too much air: Noise resulting from soft consonants spoken into the mic. Most evident in consonants like F, G, H, and W, and word beginnings and endings like CH, PH, SH, and WH.
• Under/over: Less or more than the time amount needed. If you were “under or over” you need to either shorten or lengthen your delivery and “bring it in” to the exact time.
• Warm it up a little: Make your delivery more friendly and personal. Whatever makes you feel warm and fuzzy is the feeling you should inject into your delivery.
• Wood shed: To practice or rehearse a script, reading out loud. From the old days of theater where actors would rehearse in a wood shed before going on stage.
• Wrap: The end—as in “that’s a wrap!”

You will hear many other directions. Do your best to perform as requested. There is a reason why the director is asking you to make adjustments, although that reason will often not be clear to you.

Good producers usually have an idea of what they want, and may or may not be receptive to your suggestions. Find out what the producer is looking for when you first read the script. Once in the booth, you should be pretty much on track for the entire session. If you get a great idea, or if it appears that the producer is having a hard time making a copy change, by all means speak up. You are part of a team, and part of your job is to help build an effective product. If your idea is not welcome, the producer will tell you.

Recording studio equipment sometimes has a mind of its own. There are times when the engineer may stop you in the middle of a take because of a technical problem, and you may have to wait until it is corrected. Once corrected, you need to be ready to pick up where you left off, with the same character and delivery.

If you left your water in the control room or if you need anything, let the folks in the control room know. Once your position is set in front of the microphone (on-mic), the engineer will prefer that you not leave the booth or change your position. If your mic position changes, you can sound very different on different takes, which can be a continuity problem if the engineer needs to assemble several takes to build the final voice track. If you must move off-mic, try to keep your original mic position in mind when you return to the mic.

Be consistent. Changes in dynamics may be useful for certain dramatic effects, but, generally, you will want to keep your voice at a constant volume or in a range consistent with your character. If your performance calls for sudden changes in volume, try to make sure they occur at the same place for each take. If your levels are erratic, the changes in volume may become noticeable in the final edit.

You know what the producer wants. You stay in character. Your timing and pacing are perfect. Your enunciation and inflection are on track. Your performance is wonderful. The producer is happy. The engineer is happy. And, most important, the client is happy. That’s it!

You’re done, right?

Not quite.

Wrap It Up

Before leaving the studio, make sure you read and sign the contract for your services, making sure any changes are noted. Also make sure to let your agent know about any changes. If you are unsure of anything on the contract, call your agent before signing.

For union work, send your SAG-AFTRA form to the union within 48 hours of the session to avoid any penalties. If you are working freelance, make sure you are paid before you leave the studio, or that you have a signed invoice or deal memo—and make certain you have the contact address and phone number of your client. It’s up to you if you agree to have your payment sent to you, but keep in mind that you take a risk of delays or not being paid if you do this.

It’s good form to thank everyone involved before you leave. If you liked your work, ask the producer for a copy when it is finished. One way to ensure that you get a copy is to include a clause to that effect in your agreement. However, even with that, it may never arrive or you may wait several weeks, or even months, before you get it.

Once the paperwork is signed, you are free to leave. Your job is done, so don’t stick around unless invited. After you are gone, the process of assembling the puzzle begins. It may take several hours to several days before the final audio track is complete.

If your session is for a TV spot, the completed audio will often be sent to a video post-production house where the video will be edited to your track to create the final TV spot. In some cases, just the opposite occurs—the video may have been edited to a scratch track, and the purpose of your session would have been to place your voiceover against the preproduced video. Once mastered, copies are made and distributed to radio and TV stations.

Follow up your session with a note to the producer and thank him or her for great direction or mention something you talked about at the session. A simple note or postcard is often all that’s necessary to keep you “top of mind” and get you hired again. If you haven’t already, be sure to add their names to your mailing list for future promotions you send out.

1 Adapted and compiled by Marc Cashman from the following sources:

• Alburger, JR. (2006). The Art of Voice Acting (3rd ed.). Focal Press.
• Apple, T. (1999). Making Money in Voice-Overs. Lone Eagle Publishing Company.
• Berland, T. & Ouellette, D. (1997). Breaking into Commercials. Plume Publishing.
• Blu, S. & Mullin, MA. (1996). Word of Mouth. (revised edition). Pomegranate Press.
• Clark, EA. (2000). There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is. Back Stage Books.
• Douthitt, C. & Wiecks, T. (1996). Putting Your Mouth Where the Money Is. Grey Heron Books.
• Jones, C. (1996). Making Your Voice Heard. Back Stage Books.
• Thomas, S. (1999). So You Want to Be a Voice-over Star. Clubhouse Publishing.
• Whitfield, A. (1992). Take It From the Top. Ring-U-Turkey Press.