Even if booking voiceover talents is nothing new to you, there might be a few things that will significantly improve the results of your audio projects and put your mind at rest at the same time. Let's jump right into the most pressing questions when it comes to finding the perfect voice actors…
Question: When posting projects, what information should I share with the talents so I end up with the most relevant auditions?
Answer: At a very minimum, it is three bits of information that should be present in every job posting: 1. What is the purpose of the voiceover? 2. Who will be the target group? 3. What kind of voice and read are you looking for? A voice can be soft, harsh, high, low, airy, and the likes, whereas a read can be a hard-sell, confident, ensuring…
All three pieces of information will give valuable information to the talent. The purpose of a voiceover points in the direction of the correct diction; the target group helps define the perspective the talents take, and the kind of voice and read will clear the vision for the proper delivery.
The better the voice talents understand your needs, the more relevant the auditions you receive. A good briefing has a massive impact on the overall result of your project.
How can I be sure that the audio quality will be professional?
Unlike most other online casting websites, bodalgo will accept professionally trained talents only. Sure, others will claim the same, but ask yourself: How come bodalgo features "only" 10.000 talents worldwide while others boast about 200.000 "talents." And if that does not raise eyebrows, comparing the average quality of auditions you receive from those websites definitely will. Here is an excellent example of what to expect:
bodalgo's average quality of auditions is beyond any platform out there. In the unlikely event, you are not convinced by any of the auditions you receive – there are no obligations whatsoever.
I need custom auditions that read our script, so it is easier for my client to choose the right voice. Will talents do this for free?
Yes. And no. Custom recordings of the audition script are not unusual. Many talents want to increase their chances of nailing the job by providing one (or more) script reads.
But remember: Recording custom auditions (sometimes called "layout") usually costs money. If talents choose to record a custom demo voluntarily, it is their choice. You, therefore, should refrain from demanding custom auditions by writing something like "We will only consider talents that record the script!" in the job's description. Keep it friendly, and everything will be excellent.
Also worth keeping in mind: Higher budget projects are more likely to receive custom auditions than low budget jobs. If you are looking for the best voices out there, an attractive budget will be essential.
Once I have selected a candidate, do I need to write rejection messages to all unsuccessful talents?
No, this is not necessary. The talents are well aware that there is hardly time to write an individual message to every one of them.
What you can do, though: Add a friendly note in your job's description where you thank all talents auditioning for your project and that you will not be able to answer them individually. A nice gesture that only takes 20 seconds and is greatly appreciated by the talents.
The audio has been produced, but the client now changed the copy. Will I have to pay for the new recording?
In a nutshell: yes. If the copy changed, the pick-ups would need to be paid.
Then again: If the changes are minor (less than a few sentences), some talents understand it as customer service to re-record without invoicing. Still, you can not expect all talents to act that way.
The usage scope has not been decided yet, but I need to start the casting immediately. What should I do?
The usage (sometimes also called "buyout") determines in which media and for how long you may use the audio. It is essential as the talent's fee significantly depends on the usage. Suppose you (or your client) are not sure about the usage. In that case, you could either suggest a limited usage (for example: own YouTube channel only) and take it from there or tell the talents to quote for different usage types, so once the usage has been decided, you have the matching offer.
It is vital to understand that you need to re-negotiate the usage if you want to use the audio differently later on! Especially the usage as a paid commercial can be pricy, so we strongly recommend that you get quotes for potential usage variants before hiring the talent.
Remember: If the usage changes, so does the budget needed most of the time.
I had an online commercial produced, but now I want to use it on TV, too? What do I do?
Glad you asked as this is an important question! If you negotiated a fee with a talent, it usually includes certain rights. If you decide you want to use it six months down the road differently, ask the talent what they will charge on top of what you have already paid for the new usage rights.
Pro-Tip: If you are working on behalf of a client, it is crucial that the client fully understands that the usage might be limited and that they should not use the audio in any other way before consulting with you.
I need a voiceover with a foreign accent. How would I do that?
Easy, still: The proper way to identify the right voices is often overlooked. An example will make the point crystal clear:
Need foreign accents? No biggie if you make sure you get one thing right…
Let's assume you are looking for somebody talking English with a genuine Italian accent. Many clients select English as mother tongue and Italian as a foreign language as a first instinct. But that would result in the opposite thing: We would then have somebody that speaks Italian with an English accent. But that's not what we wanted. We need an Italian native speaker that can speak English as a foreign language. And not the other way round.
Next time you are looking for international accents, make sure you get it the right way around. BTW: We double-check every job posting manually. So even if you post it the other way round, we will always make sure you end up with what you expected.
Why is the service bodalgo provides free – where is the catch?
There is none. It's just that bodalgo's business model is different:
Clients may use bodalgo 100 percent free of charge. There are no "processing fees", expensive escrow services, and no "managed services" fees. This is different from most other online casting websites where the client has to pay extra fees, in some cases even without them knowing as the money intended for the talent is funneled into the pockets of intransparent businesses. Creepy, isn't it?
On the other hand, talents need a premium membership to audition for jobs posted by the clients. The membership starts at about 22,50 Euro per month (billed annually). There are no other charges, no matter how many jobs a talent wins.
That's it. Nothing more to it. Because of this simplicity, bodalgo is by far the most transparent online casting website out there. Maybe that's the reason why bodalgo has won the OneVoice Award for "Voice Job Site of the Year" five(!) years in a row…