As the UK and Europe heads back into a second lockdown, there are useful lessons from the first experience in March that can help us to ensure less disruption to projects this time around.
What we learned last time that we can employ now:
1. Rely on your Voiceover’s Technical experience
We don’t need to be in the same room to get the sound needed for the commercial, corporate project, animation or game. Modern voiceover studios rival those of Soho and LA. So rely on the many years we have spent perfected out sound. Leverage that experience so that you don’t need to have us turn up to a studio in SOHO or LA. We can get going right away from our home studios. Nice and Easy!
2. Leverage the Remote Direction technologies
Source Connect is a standard tool in the modern voiceover arsenal. Along with ipDTL, Cleanfeed and the more ubiquitous Skype and Zoom. We know how to use them, so again rest upon our skill and expertise to make the session as hassle free for you as well. We can make sure the producer, client, engineer are all in on the call, so use that capability to make the session work just as if we were all in the same room together.
3. Reach out even when we are not right
During lockdown, you might find it hard to find that hard to find voice. We can help! The Voiceover community is a caring community. We are regularly recommending colleagues for projects that our clients need to fill. We love doing it, because it builds the community. So reach out if you have a need for a voice that we cannot fill. We are glad to do it.
4. Give as much info as you can
In order to make the project fly, give all the information that you have about tone, style. Anything and everything, even obscure tonal references that will help us turn around the project for you in a self-directed session. When I say obscure, even a painting or another art reference. That will work its magic into our physical bodies and come out through our voices.
So, while you are getting on with the rest of the project particulars, we are record without you having to be on the line, and delivering on tone and brief audio.
5. We are available at the last minute…really
We do this full time, from our dedicated voiceover studios. We can literally turn a project around within hours. If you find yourself in this situation then reach out we can help in no time at all. Our sole job is to make your life easier, so if you are down to the wire, reach out and we will come to the rescue with our voices.
6. Trust in Quality
As was mentioned in 1 above, trust in your voiceover’s experience. The quality and skill we have gained over many years, rather than having just come into the voiceover market recently in 2020, because it is still functioning, unlike many other areas of acting.
That day in day out voiceover experience gives you something extra on a job. Experience. Expertise. Excellence. Go with experience and rest assured the project will have it’s best voice possible with speed, quality audio and a smile (because we have been doing this for years).
The first lockdown showed that we can still keep pipelines going. That experience is vital to call upon to continue with courage and the assuredness that Covid will not disrupt our workflows this time around.
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Paul Mclaughlin © Versatile Voiceovers
www.versatilevoiceovers.com
We will get through this, and with experience from last time, ensure little disruption to content creation with voiceover as a valued part of the creation pipeline.
Good tips, Paul! Thank you for sharing - we'll all get through this eventually!