Newbie

Raquel Johnson
Voice Over: English

Any advice on setting up for voiceover work would be so appreciated.
I did a demo with Gary Tezzra back in 2009, have not done anything since, I am registered with voice 123 but don’t have an account monthly with them.
Would you suggest first thing I do is get a home studio kit?
Kind Regards
Raquel


  • 3 years ago
  • 779
  • 9
Cassandra Scott
Voice Over: English

Hello Raquel. I too booked Gary but it's still ongoing. Did you get the benefit of his year's coaching?
Money is an issue for many, including myself, but I bought a mic and stand then later a pop filter and headphones. (I did buy good quality items). I have since purchased a 'folds down flat' adjustable table that my (large) laptop can sit on so I can read the demo script and press 'record'! The next thing is to create a sound booth and having seen various videos on how folk do this, I've decided to work within a U-shaped curtained area which will surround me on 3 sides. I'm getting a rail that will curve... the type that enable curtains to be hung inside bay windows... and it'll be screwed to the ceiling VIA THE JOISTS. Their position needs to be ascertained before calculating the width of said rail. The curtain doesn't need to be acoustic quality I was told but a decent fully lined one will do the job. In the meantime, having decided to work from my bedroom, my 'professional studio' is a built-in wardrobe... plenty of 'material' behind me and the open doors are draped with blankets. I partly close them to create a triangle within which I work. The sound quality from this space is very good I'm assured. Good luck with your endeavours. Hope this helps.


  • 3 years ago
  • 1
Angus Scott
Voice Over: English

Hi Raquel

My tuppence' worth.... to succeed in VO you either do it properly, or don't bother at all. The world is full of wannabe's who cobble together cheap equipment, in low-quality surroundings and blast off hundreds of auditions based upon a few Youtube 'how-to' videos. Then wonder why they're making no head-way whatsoever.

Especially now, when it has become ultra-competitive and I bet the number of 'wannabe VO artists' has grown massively in the last 6 months with lockdown/WFH.

What you need is proper, professional guidance or, in my humble opinion, you're wasting your time. Best advice I can give is Gravy for the Brain. Join up, learn, ask questions, invest in good equipment and recording space. Practice. And practice some more. Then, and only then, you need to join one or two of the main job sites (eg Voices, Mandy, Bodalgo, 123 etc.) - invest to succeed. Most are an outrageous rip-off in terms of subscription (another topic for debate) but a good source of work.

Anything short of that - unless you have a FABULOUS voice, I'd save your money and try something else!

Ideally I'd prefer the world to continue being full of 'wannabes' because it's less competition for those people doing it properly!

As anecdotal evidence, I'm no great talent. I spent a year (and a small amount of money) wasting my time. Huge effort - no work. I was then advised as above - I joined GFTB, invested a few thousand pounds in equipment/recording area and made that money back (and more) within the first year - because I suddenly knew what I was doing and what was needed to win work. You don't necessarily need to invest that much but it definitely worked for me and was most certainly worth every penny.

Hope that helps :-)


  • 3 years ago
  • 2
Raquel Johnson
Voice Over: English

Thank you Cassandra & Angus for your advice, much appreciated.


  • 3 years ago
  • 3
Raquel Johnson
Voice Over: English

Thank you Cassandra & Angus for your advice, much appreciated.


  • 3 years ago
  • 4
Cassandra Scott
Voice Over: English

Angus,
My problem is space... or lack of. I only live in a one bed tiny flat so have chosen to operate from my bedroom which is a decent size in fact. A 'proper' studio is out of the question for me at this time. But yes, you're right about the market place... all those poor actors/actresses who now find themselves without work. So sad. And our culture goes down the pan. We're about to lose our theatre for ever...


  • 3 years ago
  • 5
Angus Scott
Voice Over: English

Hi Cassandra - yes, it's absolutely disgusting about theatres. A theatrical friend of mine posted up a very telling side-by-side picture (which sadly I don't have the facility to post up here) of an empty theatre next to a picture of an airplane full of people crammed in. Why one allowed and not the other? Don't get me started on this top or I'll never stop!

As for space - yes unfortunately people will always be restricted by whatever their environment is. That's where getting good advice is essential - GFTB I mention above has resident experts who will listen to your 'sound' wherever you record and give great advice on how to treat the area you're recording in, to improve it. Very, very valuable advice!


  • 3 years ago
  • 6
Cassandra Scott
Voice Over: English

Hello again Angus... Indeed yes. Nothing makes sense. Don't get me started either... on the 'fake' death figures and falsifying of Death Certificates - which I heard again from a gentleman I spoke to today whose wife is a doctor!!
If you re-read my response to Rachel, you'll see that I'm still under the guidance of Gary Tezza who has said my 'cupboard' set up is SO much better. The curtained 'booth' will I hope be sufficient... for now.


  • 3 years ago
  • 7
Angus Scott
Voice Over: English

Ok, I promise this is the LAST I'm going to be tempted on this subject :-)

A mathematician friend of mine today has worked out (like many other statisticians):
If you test positive for Covid under the current PCR test, then in reality there is a 90% chance you actually DON'T have Covid. This isn't made-up. It's based upon the Govt's own stats.

If you want to know why, in summary:
- ONS figures state approx 1 in 1000 people is current Covid prevalence.
- Current PCR test has (at BEST) 0.8 'false positive' rate (SAGE figures)

So, if you test 10,000 people at random, 10 will genuinely have the disease, but another 80 will have false positives.
Therefore the Govt claims '90 cases' - when, in fact, there are only 10.

Fact - and the Govt's own facts - not conspiracy!

Bear in mind the rising 'cases' from testing are the basis of locking us down again....

As everyone I know says, 'it stinks'.

Right, I'll shut up now - and good luck with Gary!


  • 3 years ago
  • 8
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