In the realm of Amateur Voice acting there is a big question hovering over everyone’s head. “How much am I worth?” Well, Druox and I are going to try and help you determine that in this collaborative guide.
Let’s face it: Breaking into the voice acting biz today is a lot different from how it was decades ago, especially with the advent of technology. In fact, the very existence of online voice acting communities is proof of this, with projects featuring international casts and the actor’s capability to work from their home studios. That said, for projects that can afford to pay their talents on the other side of the country, pond, or continent, it can get really tricky answering the “What are your rates?” question due to the lack of studio hours serving as a measurement.
(To extra, double clarify, this guide is primarily for Internet projects. The guide for industry rates with actual studio hours to rely on are in this other handy-dandy guide you should check out sometime.)
Before you get dollar signs in your eyes (that means you, super-enthused amateur/aspiring voice actor), keep in mind that there’s a degree of professionalism required to make that digital money, comparable to the professionalism you’d need to get those paychecks in the mail from doing voicework in a physical, not-at-home studio. So, this guide will help you understand what it takes to work like a pro from the comfort of your home.
Online freelancing is a new thing in itself (in this decade), especially as technology progresses and creators figure out ways to get a return for their digital media. So, the rates or methods of payment mentioned here shouldn’t quite be seen as a standard, but rather an example of what to expect when charging for your voice work online.
There are even more thing you need to keep in mind before you even start considering your value as a voiceover, like...
Joined: Feb 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 4,537 Location: Southern CA, USA
Re: What Am I Worth? « Reply #1 on Oct 22, 2011, 3:11pm »
1: Your Quality of Product If you are even going to think about charging money for your voice acting abilities, lines, and/or mixing services, you better be worth that price. You must have professional quality, you must be able to fit the part you are charging the person to play, and you better get your lines in quickly, and efficiently.
How many different formats of audio file can you supply? I can supply all formats. I think you should be able to do that too before you start charging. Once you raise the bar to the point where you require compensation, you will be doing a lot more job hunting. This means you’ll need to be able to audition for cartoons, indie games, flash games/toons, and anything else. If you can’t provide the file type/sample rate/bit rate....it isn’t time to move up yet.
2: Experience Noobs need not bother reading this at all. No offense, but you need a lot of experience to be able to play a lot of different parts, get the proper FX, voice quality, and the right acting chops to even think about getting in the running to start charging money. Remember that once you start charging for your stuff, you’re in competition with people who have a LOT of stuff under their belt. Like Tomamoto, Rina-Chan, Egoraptor, Sapphire, and lots other big names that plenty of people know about. At the end of the day, if you can’t draw a crowd/make the creator profit more than the competing voice actor...you lose.
What microphone do you use? Do you know how it works? Are you using it correctly? If you can’t answer these questions, you better start asking people who can. You don’t need a good microphone to sound like a pro, but you need good microphone techniques, solid knowledge of compressors, limiters, and interfaces to make it happen. This guide is not here to teach you about how those pieces of gear work, but I will be listing what you better have if you consider yourself ready to be paid...
3: The Gear “Put your money where your mouth is” - Wise man. Ever heard that gem? It applies A LOT to this style of work, obviously. The gear you use to record can make or break you. You HAVE to know signal flow to use the right ear, and you HAVE to know what solid state and tube means if you’re going to shop for said gear.
You want the following list of items to tear up the AVA’s paid scene, and make a name for yourself:
Microphone (XLR): Usb microphones are inferior in a lot of ways. However, there is a way around it if you can’t afford an interface/mic. That lies in the next item:
Pre-Amp: This is your best friend. You need this to plug your mic into to even get signal to your DAW, and it is responsible for how you sound just as much as the mic you’re using. ESPECIALLY if it is a tube pre-amp. Do not underestimate the amount of difference a great pre-amp can make when recording vocals, or you will regret it.
Compressor: If you aren’t using a good pre-amp, you will notice that A: You aren’t loud enough. B: There is a lot of noise in the bg, and C: A compressor makes it worse. Why? Compressors do a lot more than make the soft sounds louder and the loud sounds softer. They decrease your dynamic range. This brings up the noise floor. USB mics tend to have high noise floors to begin with unless it is a higher-end one, like a Blue Yeti. Using a compressor will simply make that system noise (fuzz, buzzing, or just sound) a lot louder. How do you stop it? Use gear that is VERY quiet. Especially your mic, and pre-amp. After the compressor, you can get some noise in it, it wont be increased by the compressor, but EVERYTHING before the compressor needs to have very little to no system noise. It is very important.
Limiter: Going into Radio? You better have a limiter. Radio has a very strict set of rules regarding frequency and amplitude. A limiter is designed to keep your recording from crossing a certain threshold (measured in dB) and without one, you will cause issues. Having a limiter is also very good for musical recordings, and I use one all the time simply to keep my audio from peaking and/or damaging my gear.
So you’re ready to buy stuff. You notice that there are Tube varieties of gear. It is expensive, so it is better, right? Yes. Do you want all your gear to be tube? Wrong.
The reason tube gear costs more than solid state gear isn’t only because it is more powerful, and “better” than solid state gear...it is because the tubes re-enforce even-order harmonics and it colors the sound that goes through it. This is what makes old reordings sound the way they do, and why that Tube Marshall JCM 2000 rapes your Solid-State Marshall’s butt when it comes to the over-all tone of the thing. This applies to pre-amps, guitar amps, compressors, microphones, and ANYTHING else you find that is tube. It will color your sound, and the more of those tubes you have the same sound source going through, the more “coloration” it will get. It may sound like that is a good thing, but it is a re-enforcement of harmonic distortion, and it can/will cause...not fun results if you don’t keep track of it. Alternate between tube and solid state. Use solid state gear if you want it to work quickly and accurately, and use tube gear when you want your sound to be more musical in nature, or you want some nice coloration to your sound to give it some oomph.
You want to stand out, so don’t be afraid to take risks. Hopefully you learned a little bit about what you’re doing with gear when it comes to Tube and Solid State, and this will allow you to experiment.
Joined: Feb 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 4,537 Location: Southern CA, USA
Re: What Am I Worth? « Reply #2 on Oct 22, 2011, 3:18pm »
I’ve got all the gear, guys. What do I do next?: Sound proofed? Hope so. Got the quality that matches/exceeds your competition? Excellent. You’re ready to start getting some paid work. Now you need to answer some questions for yourself, and I will give you some general rules of thumb to follow to keep your business flourishing, and the roles coming to you, not the other way around:
Radio?
Flash?
Flash Game?
Indie Game?
Commercial Game?
Where are you going to focus your attention? I suggest picking a few of these, preferable things you can find in the same place. The less time you spend moving about, the more time you will spend auditioning, and securing roles.
Are you locked in and ready to buckle down? Are you a good salesman? Do you have good work experiences under your belt that can vouch for you? Do people talk about you in a good way? Are you ready to ROCK!?
If you answered no to any of those, you will need help. It is fine to get someone else to help you out, or to just get gigs to advertise yourself, but you make sure that people don’t label you as “the free guy” or else that is what you will remain. Demand respect, deliver quality, and you will be paid eventually.
What do I charge them?: Here’s the focal point of the whole guide! Welcome, and congratulations for getting this far to even need to read this! I can’t tell you what the rates you should be using are, that is up to your approach.
You have two ways of doing this: Cold, or Flexible.
The Cold method is where you show them the standard rates, and negotiate from there. It may not end up is as many jobs, but you’ll get paid a lot more when you do work at said jobs.
As for people who are newer at this, like us, weeee think it would be a lot better to use the flexible approach. This is a very successful method of finding your worth, and getting paid that amount as well.
Various factors come into play when it comes time to structure your bill:
*Speed Quality Work Ethic *Politics *How good you can sell yourself
*’d things = money making secrets.
Speed. You must be the fastest. I'm not talking in a week, I’m talking in a day. 24 hours tops to get something substantial in to your boss for them to start listening to/putting into their animation/game. Something that will be the final product. You’re playing to win, and you’re fast. Producers/Animators/Etc. LOOOOVE voice actors that get their lines in quickly, and they don’t need to ask for redos of every turned in line. The quicker you are with getting the right takes in, the more likely you will be hired again, and you bet the guy/girl is telling his/her friends about you.
Quality. Sound the best in the project. That is your goal. Not a good as anyone else, the best. I you strive to sound the best, then two things will happen: You’ll sound the best, or you’ll be pretty darn close. Always aim high, and remember that it isn’t your job to make sure anyone except you sounds the best....unless you’re the voice director....
Work Ethic. Yes, it wasn’t starred. however, it can keep you from getting hired again if your work ethic stinks. You need to be ready to record at all times, and no matter how many times you need to redo a scene/line you are always doing your best to make it sound right. Always working with the writer/director to learn what they want, and how to provide it. You aren’t perfect, no one is. Be willing to own your mistakes, and do what it takes to fix them.
Politics. Does he/she like you? He/she’ll pay you more if he/she does. He/she’ll hire you again if he/she does. He/She will say nice things about you to everyone if he/she does. Basically, make sure you are easy to work with, professional, and do everything you can to make their job easier. Politics. Always important.
How good you can sell yourself. Yes, your work can do all the talking for you, but you have to still create the opportunity to present that work to the potential employer. If you can’t sell yourself well, then you need to find someone who can. Confidence can earn you some extra cash, especially if you live up to the hype. Always keep your eyes open, and always learn from every experience you get in acting. Write stuff down if you have to!! Learning about the industry, the people who work in it, and the people you work for is just as important as knowing a lot about sounding like Homer Simpson. Catch my drift?
Rates: Now for your rates. This is something you need to constantly be thinking about when you’re negotiating with the person making/producing/funding the animation/game/product you are being hired to work on. You need to look at the following elements...
How long is the script?
Is your role major? Or minor?
Is it a series?
Do you like the project and animator?
Is just being in this thing going to open higher paying jobs?
Always be thinking, young padawan. These factors and even more will help you in determining where to start when you’re negotiating pay.
Rules of thumb. Short projects = per line rates. the shorter it is, the higher you can charge per line. Never go above 7 dollars per line, even if it is a 2 line project. Unless you’re worth more than 7 dollars a line, of course. However, if that was the case, why do you have 2 lines?
Long projects are best to charge a flat rate. However, you should work with the creator to figure out your cost. you can do this in two ways:
Let the project dictate cost: You can use the size of a project to your advantage when finding a rate. Creators know their script is 40+ pages of dialogue for you. So you better use that to get a good flat rate out of them. Look up some standard rates for that kind of project, and add/subtract from it based on what the project’s size/length is. Make your offer, and don’t be afraid if it is a little high. Always be willing to negotiate down, IF they want to. However, don’t tell them you are, or they’ll ride you like a pony until you’re making a lot less than you’re worth. Don’t be afraid to defend your asset...it will work out well for you in the long run. However, be flexible. This is the flexible method, remember? It will take practice to find the balance, and remember this saying: “Don’t ask. Don’t get.” - Wise Man. If you don’t ask for that higher price, you’ll never get paid it.
The second way is to do everything they ask for, and have them name the price based on how much they feel your work is worth. Do not do this with someone who you haven’t worked with before unless you are okay with them taking advantage of your status, or possibly getting paid nothing for a LOT of work. There is always risk to it, but I have found people out there who are reliable enough to pay you a good sum, and it’s what they think you’re worth. You can also learn a little bit about how good/bad your performance was in their eyes. Remember to always be thinking and learning. It can only make you stronger later if you learn from it now.
Revenue/Royalties: Now this is where things can get a little bit complicated... In general, think of revenue as “residuals”, like money trickling in based on the number of times the media has been played. “Trickling in” being key words, since it’s no joke that a lot of things pay in pennies on the Internet. Those ads on web pages, before or during the movies, shows, and games you’re enjoying? And largely for FREE? Those are where the creators are making their income beyond their sponsors paying them. It sounds pitiful until you consider that “trickling” can easily become “flooding” based on the popularity of the media, especially if the project is REALLY popular. And it keeps going as long as there’s an audience.
To put a little perspective on this, this is like the opposite of being paid up front: You’re getting paid as the money is being made, not out of the budget itself. Sometimes, projects earn a lot more than the budget that made it possible, so you can see how getting a piece of the income pie can be profitable. Want some of that continuous income? Have a lot of patience? And is there a way to get paid up front AND through revenue? You will need to have some good work to show for this kind of demand. You probably shouldn't even need to ask for this if you’re in the proper place professionally to acquire this kind of payment.
I find that there are some people who will pay you a fee, then give you ad rev via NG, or whatever other company you wanna use to keep track of how much money you get. Out of all the sites where you can collect revenue, though...NG is the easiest, and my most preferred of the choices. When it comes to youtube videos, I usually tack on some extra cash to their fee simply because I can’t collect revenue very easily through there without being partnered myself, and even then it is a huge headache. You will find that not many gigs professionally will net you much in the royalty department as a voice actor unless you’re way up there in the ladder. Why? Because of a thing called, “work for hire.”
Work for Hire is a kind of contract stipulation that is implied when you do anything for someone else. Like voice a character they created. Cut the sound effects/backgrounds for a short/movie/toon, mix a song for an artist, etc. and you do not own the rights to your contribution. The people who created the original do. Because of this stipulation, you do not get royalties, and do not own the copyright to the tracks you send to them upon e-mailing/giving the various takes/tracks you have sent. So you can’t sue them for royalties unless they agreed to give you some in writing, and didn’t.
The best thing to do to make money is to have a level head, know what you want to charge for the project, and fight to get it. Find your happy medium between pushing to get more, and stopping at a good compromise. They don’t call them business relationships for nothing.
That’s the basics, friends. Now, get out there and start making a name for yourselves so you can afford to buy your own toys~!
Joined: Mar 2011 Gender: Male Posts: 537 Location: Canada
Re: What Am I Worth? « Reply #5 on Oct 23, 2011, 11:03pm »
Awesome guide . . . and thanks for taking the time and energy to put this all together for us. It's a great eye-opener.
My experience: Most of the paid online projects I do usually have a set budget or amount. Either X amount per line or one lump amount per character or for the entire project. Easy peasy.
The auditions which ASK for rates is where I struggle. If they're willing to pay, I never submit an audition with the offer to do it free for the experience. I'm not sure if others do, but it seems kinda . . . desperate (and unprofessional). So, I'll usually base a requested rate on something I was paid for previously if a similar amount of work is required.
I'm proud of the audio quality I can deliver and like to think I have that end covered rather well, but with no plans to do this full-time outside of a hobby, it's difficult for me to judge what I might be worth as more paid opportunities become available.
Anyway . . . there's my random thoughts on it.
« Last Edit: Oct 23, 2011, 11:04pm by scottstoked »
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