Voiceover 101: how to hire, direct and format scripts to get the most out of your talent in the studio.(Managing Your Business)

MOST SEASONED PRODUCERS know that there's more to a successful voiceover session than just sticking the talent in front of a mic and slapping the result on a timeline. The process starts with the initial selection of the voice talent for a particular project. The first words of advice here are to start early and try not to scrimp on the budget for the talent. You want a voice that will be able to get the right read in the shortest amount of time. If you have questions about what to budget for talent for a particular project, make a few phone calls (to another producer, to talent you respect or, best yet, to a talent agent) and see what the going rate should be. You can always find someone to do the job for practically nothing, but very often what you end up paying in extra studio time to get mediocre results will more than offset the cost of hiring a professional at a fair rate.

Before you actually start listening to talent demos, reflect on your audience and your concept. In some cases you may already have an idea that you want a very young sounding hip male voice with an edgy attitude. Or a warm and friendly, yet knowledgeable mature female voice. On the other hand, you may not have any idea and you'll just know it when you hear it. In any case, here are a few tips to help you zero in on how to find the right …