Voiceover News for December 2011

Here is what our Voiceover and Audio Production team got up to in December 2010:


Jacky was a contestant on BBC1's Winter Wipeout - she spent six days filming in Argentina and that resulted in a meagre 30" on the air!

Chris M and Chris H both recorded adverts for Mood FM in Jordan, Michel recorded a voiceover in French for Bowers and Wilkins, Elliott voiced promotions for Motorvision for the OSN TV station, Alec has recorded a video for Erwinaze - a drug that treats leukemia, Andy voiced an internet viral advert for Adidas and Ricky recorded voiceovers for two commercials for the Best Western Royal Hotel being shown on Channel TV and a corporate video for Centrica's Killingholme Power Station

Sally was the voice of a video for Halstead Preparatory School in Woking and Yana has voiced an E-Learning voiceover for the Cambian Group. The voiceover talents of Steffan, Steph and Mark W were used by Nat West

We did audio dubbing for several TV programmes: removing the German narration and replacing it with an English narration. Katy Dartford joined our Voice-over Directory. We have made a Voiceover Showreel for actor and voiceover artist Tony Hemmings and finally we welcomed Estonian Voiceover Artist Prit and Dutch Voiceover Artist Saskia.

Ricky
http://www.bigfishmedia.co.uk/

Voiceover and Audio Production News November 2011

Here is what the BigFish Media team of voiceover artists and audio producers have been up to in November:


We broke one of our own records: within one week of us taking on Jules she was booked for a voiceover for the Mondi Diamond Awards. The other female voiceovers which we recorded included Sue for Sealed Air's I-Mold system, Rita for a mobile phone app for Urban Paddle, Jill for the College of Social Work, Natalie for three Eurocamp web videos and Andrea recorded a voiceover for Euro PM International Congress

Amongst our international voiceover artists we secured work for Joana to voice an animation for Sanofi, Chris M recorded a voiceover for Gamestop, Paul recorded an advert for Mood FM in Jordan and Gabriela also voiced for Urban Paddle, a mobile phone app

The UK male voiceover talent for which we found were Steffan for another web video for SAB Miller, Mark W for a video for Syncapse, Malcolm for a video for the Tork 420 wipers and Paul S for a web video for Brown Dog Creative

Ricky Salmon was the "Voice of God" at the live Butcher Shop of the Year Awards ceremony in London alongside comedian Alistair Barrie. He also voiced two commercials for M R Emmanuel for Channel TV, an internal video for NHS employees and a video for the IBM z Enterprise system

We also made a Voiceover Showreel for actor Geoffrey Morgan and made audio production elements for podcasts by DJ Danny Howard featuring James K and Lynsey.

We welcomed young Voiceover Artist David W and London Voiceover Artist Andy.

And finally Matt Wiewel joined our Voice-over Directory

Voiceover News October 2011

Here is what our team of voiceover artists were up to in the very busy month of October:

Congratulations to Steph who has been confirmed as the new Continuity Announcer on ITV1.

We carried out audio production on an audio mailer for doctors about the drug Remicade to treat arthritis featuring the voice talent of Penny Charlotte and Graeme

A voiceover by Ricky was featured on the new Channel 4 comedy drama series "Fresh Meat". If you missed it, catch it on 4OD or you can see a clip here. Ricky also recorded voiceovers for a video for Ecare Solutions and voiceovers for two videos for Shell

Michel, Max and Ruben S all recorded voiceovers for Actemra in French, Italian and Spanish. Our studio was hired by a production company to record a voiceover for Time Out magazine.

Alexandra has recorded a voiceover for a video for telephone conferencing software Loop Up, Luis voiced for Surestream Petroleum, Christoph voiced in German for Actemra and Michelle recorded on-hold voice-overs for Pest UK

And finally Marie Kopan and Catherine Whale joined our Voice-over Directory and we welcomed Northern Irish Voiceover Artist David G.

Voice-over News September 2011

Here is what our team of voiceover artists have been up to in September, which has been our busiest month ever. Our extended production office can now accommodate up to five people and will soon include "voice to picture" facilites:


You will be able to hear Ricky as a Newsreader on the new Channel 4 teen comedy drama series "Fresh Meat" showing Wednesdays at 10pm (his episode is on Wednesday 19th October). Ricky was the live Voice of God at the Baking Industry Awards in London alongside Richard Madeley and at the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards in London alongside Mark Durden-Smith. Ricky also recorded a voice-over for a conference video for Honeywell.

For the rest of the boys: James K recorded voiceovers for another eight videos on golfingbreaks.com, Michel voiced for Surestream Petroleum, Joseph recorded and produced on-hold voice-overs for Island Trader, Nathan voiced a video for Greenwich College, Steffan recorded a web video for SAB Miller and Luis lent his dulcet Spanish tones to Reflex Instore Radio

We welcome German Voiceover Artist Christoph, American Voiceover Artist Dave C, Romanian Voiceover Artist Marius and Polish Voiceover Artist Aneta; Paul Nixon joined our Voice-over Directory

For the girls: Hannah recorded a voice-over for Red Funnel's Red Jet 5 safety video, Josey voiced for an animation for Sony DABC Ebridge Arc, Sarah G recorded a voice-over for Simponi and Alexandra voiced for IbidItrade.com. And finally Steph, Natalie and Steve auditioned for ITV Continuity work

Ricky
http://www.bigfishmedia.co.uk/

Where will I have heard your Voice-overs?

One of the questions which I am asked most often - apart from "Why can't you read the Radio 2 news from your voice-over booth?" (and how do you maintain your youthful good looks!) is where will I have heard your voiceovers?


Normally I just say that you probably won't have heard me. As I haven't recorded voiceovers for any national TV advertising campaigns, it is unlikely I will have been heard by most people. However I am the voice of on-hold for e2save and the various insurance groups owned by Hastings Direct.

There is also my regular on-hold voiceover work which you can hear if you phone up companies like Mercedez Benz, Kwikfit,Vodafone, Parceline or the Carphone Warehouse. While you are on-hold you will hear me reading news, weather sport etc while you wait for a real live person to speak to you.

Recently I recorded my first ADR session in a Soho studio - again as a Newsreader (not being typecast by anyone am I?) and you will be able to hear me on Channel 4's new teen comedy drama "Fresh Meat" which is showing at 10pm on Wednesdays. I am featured in Episode 5 which is due to be shown on Wednesday 19th October.

So at last - after ten years in the business - I will be able to say that yes you will probably have heard me on TV.   

Ricky
www.bigfishmedia.co.uk

How not to get a Voiceover recorded

Here at BigFish Media Towers we received this - no doubt well-meant - enquiry about voiceovers this week:

Hi my name is **** I need a voice over for a similar to Rooney (Scouser)impression. If you can do a good impression then perhaps we can meet up or send me file over internet I am from Rossendale (Lancashire). I have a budget of around £60, 50% deposit up front and the rest on completion it shouldn't take longer than 20-30 Minutes in total very short 1 or 2 line sentences, less than 35 lines. I will need a receipt with your signature by you. Please contact me on ******** or email me to ring you on your number and leave your contact details. If you decide yes then I just want a one or two line tester over the phone thanks. Please contact me either way.

So my first thought: Scouser voiceover - sure. We have lots of talented voiceover artists who could do a good Liverpudlian accent. No problem.

perhaps we can meet up.  Sorry? Why? How far can you drive on £60 of petrol? It's not even a tank-full these days and certainly wouldn't get one of our Voiceover Artists to Lancashire.

Budget of £60. Ah. We really have a problem. I need a new PC but I only have a budget of £100. Will the computer shop say ok go on then?

Half now, half later. No. If we agreed to this it would be 100 per cent up front from an individual (as opposed to a Ltd Company) on an untraceable gmail/hotmail account.

it shouldn't take longer than 20-30 Minutes in total. How would he know? Is he the Voiceover Expert? That's just what I do when I phone a plumber isnt it? I know how long it will take them to fix my shower. And I tell them what I want to pay them.

I just want a one or two line tester over the phone thanks And he wants an audition too! Isn't that what voiceover showreels on the website are for?
Sometimes I despair. Anyway we are moving on to more sensible clients now...

Ricky
http://www.bigfishmedia.co.uk/

Voiceover man in defence of BT. Sort of.

On Monday this week our ISDN line - used a lot for recording voiceover artists - failed. As that day was just another of our 12 hour working days, I let it be. The day after I got cosy under one of the office desks and checked all the wires; we had just laid carpet and I thought a cable might have come loose. Anyway, all seemed fine, so I reported it to BT.

BT did all their checks on the line and confirmed that there was a fault on the line and they would investigate and have the line working by the end of Wednesday.

Well on Wednesday afternoon I had to go into London to to a Voice of God voiceover session for the Baking Industry Awards with Richard Madeley (how showbiz!) He told some good jokes (and some bad ones) with an especially funny one about his time working for the TV station Watch, where no one did.

Anyway I digress.

On my way to this voiceover gig I missed BT's call as I was on the tube. When I surfaced I got a message saying that BT would call me back at 4.30pm. Unfortunately this was due to be in the middle of rehearsals so I tried to call them back but couldn't find a number that would work from my mobile. Frustrating!

So half-way through the voiceover rehearsals, my phone went and I had to apologise to a room full of people that I really, really REALLY had to take this call. We booked an appointment for Thursday morning as woman-on-phone said the fault was very close to the ISDN socket and could be inside.(What a joy as I got home at 1am).

Bleary-eyed I opened the door in my pyjamas (old joke!) and cheery BT man greeted me with a "oh well if I had known I would have come later". Arrgh. But when you are dealing with these people on the phone, you only get the option of morning or afternoon. Maybe it was his idea of a joke.

After  BT man fiddled about a bit under the desk, he declared the fault was not inside and was - in fact - some distance away; probably at or near the exchange.

While I am very grateful to BT for fixing the fault very quickly, they are extremely frustrating to deal with. And it was the last thing I needed during a whole week of 12 or 14 hour working days trying to run my voice-over business.

Next week will be easier. But then I have said that before.
            
Ricky
http://www.bigfishmedia.co.uk/