Voice Over Artist | Lindsay Abbott

Posts Tagged ‘X Factor’

Only recently, I was speaking to someone in business, and they made an assumption that using a voice over artist is an expensive matter. This perception had never crossed my mind before, so I thought it worth setting the record straight, as it may be more cost-effective than you think!

Of course, if you’re a celebrity voice, or one of those well-known voices you’ve heard before but rarely see (such as Peter Dickson aka The X-Factor), then you’ll be paying a lot more!

Back to reality… The rest of us usually charge an hourly rate which is generally based on our expertise and experience. As an Equity member I do use their rates as a guideline but I tailor it to suit the type of service (and its intended usage) I’m asked to provide.

Cost-benefit in time saving and added credibility!

Cost is usually dependent upon the number of words, and how much time it is likely to record and edit the piece. The more experienced we are, the less time the voice over is likely to take, so there is great cost-benefit to be had by using a good voice over artist who is experienced in providing voice overs for companies.

As an aside, on more than one occasion I’ve been asked to step in and record a professional voice over following an attempt on behalf of the company concerned to do it ‘in house’. In those instances, by not using a professional they have wasted valuable time, possibly lost some business and, worse, credibility if the product or service has gone ‘live’.

Example: Costs for web video voice overs

For example, voicing a short web video on behalf of a company, whether a sole trader, SME , or large blue-chip corporate can be done at relatively low cost, from as little as £40 to about £250. My corporate showreel will give you some examples of voice overs I have provided in this area. These are all extracts from real voice overs I have done, not made up!

Own studio reduces client cost still further

With the benefit of having my own studio facilities, rather than using a separate studio, this can help to reduce client costs still further. As voice overs, we liaise directly with your video service provider.

Why sing in American when you have an English accent?

One of my pet hates is native English accented singers singing with American accents . In my opinion it’s fake. Why can’t they be original, be themselves?! Even Leona Lewis , who is an amazing singer, finds it necessary to do so. One might argue that, now she’s an international artist, she needs to be accessible to the massive American market which she has conquered, but the fact is that she was singing in an American accent during the competition!

Using the X-Factor  for a moment, what I don’t understand is that, with all the vocal tuition that the finalists receive, why don’t their voice coaches  correct them?

When I’m singing with my jazz and swing band, I make a point of not singing with an American accent. The only exceptions are where the rhyming of the words are based on the American pronunciation/inflection. For example, in Moondance, by Van Morrison  :

‘Can I just have one more moondance with …my love’
‘Can I just make some more romance with you…my love’

If you were to say  ‘moondarnss‘ and  ’romarnss‘ with an English accent, you’d sound like a prize pillock! 

Of course, most of the jazz standards  and swing  standards were written by American writers, just look at the Great American Songbook for example,  or one of the real Jazz standards music books, but in most cases you don’t need to use a fake American drawl. The other challenge is when American colloquialisms  are used, such as in Mack The Knife  ’On the sidewalk, on a Sunday morning don’t you know..’.  Clearly, this would sound a bit strange if you sang it in the style of Mary Poppins !

The style of the genre does lend itself to a more relaxed and laid back style of presentation and, if you can get that relaxed, laid-back sound, losing the fake twang, and without sounding like Mary Poppins, you’ve achieved the style and won’t sound ridiculous!