Voiceovers And Retakes – GKN Weekly Update 10.25.10

Last week I had to do some retakes. It doesn’t happen very often but it can happen for a variety of reasons. The most common ones are script changes due to content or length, technical problems with the sound file, or someone higher up the ladder just didn’t like it. Sometimes it’s more than one of those reasons. The client was listening in this time and gave me direction. It turned out very well! We banged out two 30-second spots in less than half an hour and everyone was happy. Whew!

TIP OF THE WEEK #1

Retake sessions are a pain in the, waitaminit, they’re great! What a perfect opportunity to make a good impression with a client. You’re happy to schedule a second recording session and it doesn’t matter why. It’s a pleasure to work with everybody again. You’ll schedule it at your earliest convenience and you’re looking forward to the exciting and interesting changes to the script. Get it?

TIP OF THE WEEK #2

This is the question that popped up in every VO talent’s head when they read this: how much do I charge for a retake session, if anything? Great question. The answer is: it depends.

If it’s a very minor adjustment that needs to be made, like one or two lines of a corporate gig, or if I need to change the stress of one word in a commercial and I can record it at my convenience, I don’t charge anything. If the whole thing needs to be done again or a second recording session needs to be scheduled, then I bill them again. How much? Once again, it depends. I have charged anywhere between 25% and 100% of the original invoice. For example, if it’s a 30-second spot I recorded on my own and they changed some lines but the whole thing needs to be done again and I can re-record it myself in a few minutes, I’ll charge 25-50%. If it’s the same spot and I was perfect and the sound file is perfect but they we-wrote the whole thing and want a new session scheduled. I’ll charge upwards of 75-100%. Even then, there are exceptions.

Remember, the goal is to make EVERYONE happy, not just your bank account…