Dear voice agencies! You have an important role to play between the voiceover talents and end-clients – the interpreter.
As a vital bridge between the client’s vision and the voice talent’s execution, it’s a delicate balance of advocating for the voice artist’s creativity and serving as a liaison for the client’s expectations.
More Than Just Passing Messages
When a voice artist turns to you with a concern, please don’t just play ‘pass the parcel’ with inquiries. Instead invest the time to comprehend the question first yourself, review the relevant materials, and be prepared to explain it in the client’s language if necessary.
Sort out any uncertainties with the voice artist, before approaching the client. This prevents frustrating back-and-forths and saves valuable time. (Drawing from my own recent experience on the voice artist’s side, which may or may not have irked me ever so slightly…)
Now, having navigated the voiceover industry for quite some time as an “interpreter” myself, I understand the intricacies of this role. As a voice talent, a client, a casting agent, a director, a producer and an editor I’ve walked in the shoes of all parties involved. And I believe that gives me an advantage in my profession.
Though I consider my company more of an audio production business than a traditional voice agency, a significant slice of my daily duties involve casting.
Being a good casting agent is about more than just matching voices with scripts. You must be an advocate for the voice talents when faced with unreasonable client demands, all while striving to educate clients respectfully and constructively. Yet ensuring customer satisfaction remains a top priority.
Ideally, it’s about knowing the nuances of every talent on your roster. I like to create genuine connections with the voice talents in our roster, gaining insights into their communication styles, strengths, audio quality, and workflow. This knowledge allows me to recommend a carefully curated shortlist to the client, perfectly aligned with their project needs.
Decoding the Client’s Brief
Understanding the client’s brief is essential. Clients don’t always speak “voiceover.” Sometimes they give vague direction, contradict themselves, or expect magic. I need to translate their expectations into practical, actionable guidance for the voice talent.
In some cases, clients trust my vision and direction entirely, providing a very minimal brief. In that case I provide instructions to the talents based on how I envision the client envisioning the script – if that makes sense.
My role extends to ensuring that the performance aligns with the client’s expectations. Occasionally I may request revisions before the client even hears the work, but for minor adjustments, I typically prefer to fine-tune the audio in post-production rather than bug the talent for retakes.
This fine-tuning can involve anything from syllable swaps to adjusting gaps, replacing the s’s or t’s from another word, or any other refinements needed to achieve the optimal flow and clarity.
With our exceptionally low revision rate, it seems we’re collectively delivering high-quality work, so yay us and yay all of you lovely artists who we have a pleasure of working together with.
And of course, negotiating budgets and fees is part of my responsibility too. Striking a balance where all parties are content is a delicate but crucial aspect of this role.
So as you can see, interpreting in the voiceover industry is a multifaceted role. I may delve deeper into these topics in the future.
In the meantime, I’m all ears – fellow voice artists, what are your general wishes or insights for voice agencies?
