Double Dutch

It’s time to tackle one of the most frustrating issues in the voice-over business.

It’s particularly frustrating because in all the years that I have been a VO-pro, I have seen little or no change. Voice-seekers are just not getting it and voice talents are putting up with it like meek sheep.

Before I tell you what the issue is, imagine for a moment, being lead into a pitch dark room. In this room -so you are told- you will find a dart board, but it could be anywhere.

You are given no more than one dart and one instruction: you must hit the bull’s eye. If you don’t, you won’t be given a second chance and all your time and energy is wasted. Questions are out of the question. You are on your own.

Let me ask you this:

How great do you think your chances are to hit that bull’s eye?

Pretty slim, don’t you think?

And yet, day in day out, hundreds of people audition for voiceover jobs of which they have just as little information as someone playing darts in the dark. It’s a risky undertaking. Someone might get hurt. But no one seems to care.

OUR BEST SHOT
How are we expected to give it our best shot if we have little or no clue where the target is and what it looks like? Without a clear destination and a detailed map, it’s almost inevitable to get lost.

And by the way, do you know who the worst offenders are? The people looking for international voices!

Take your typical voice-over job listing. With a little bit of luck it will tell you what it’s for: a video, eLearning, a commercial. If you’re even luckier, it will ask for a specific gender and age range. Now comes the tricky part: language.

For the sake of the argument I will focus on English, but what I have to say also applies to Spanish, Arabic and many other languages.

What goes through your mind when you see that a voice-seeker only lists “English”?

Could they be looking for a talent from Calcutta or for a voice-over from down-under? Should I send an English demo with a touch of Dutch, or would they prefer her Majesty’s English?

And here’s the latest trend: “Neutral English.”

What the heck is “Neutral English”? Where is it spoken? Is there a Rosetta Stone training I could take?

ASK MR. BODALGO
I asked Armin Hierstetter to weigh in on the issue. He’s the boss at Bodalgo, an online voice-over casting site. He’s actually a funny man… for a German, that is. He said jokingly:

“Neutral English” is spoken in “Neutristan,”

and he continued:

“Seriously: Many times clients do not care from where exactly the English is coming from (US, UK, South Africa, Australia). Still, they want a native speaker who – in an ideal world – makes it difficult to judge where exactly she/he is coming from. That’s what a client means by Neutral English.

A casting labeled “Neutral English” will go out to all matching talents that have one of the following as one of their mother tongues: American English, British English, Australian English, South African English etcetera.”

Although I understand what Armin is trying to say, I still don’t get it. To me, it sounds like a contradiction in terms to -on one hand- ask for a native speaker, but to request that one shouldn’t be able to tell exactly where he/she is coming from.

First off, an accent is nothing but a way of pronouncing a language. Accent specialist Pamela Vanderway defines it as: ‘Characteristic Pronunciation‘. It is therefore impossible to speak without an accent. No one is neutral.

Secondly, from a marketing and branding perspective, why would someone want ‘neutral’? Neutral is like cooking without salt and spices; it’s like painting without colors or the equivalent of annoying Muzak in the elevator. Neutral is boring.

THE MESSAGE AND THE MESSENGER
An accent can have a huge impact on how a message is perceived. The choice of voice can be just as important as a company logo or the look of an on-camera actor. It can dramatically increase sales and improve conversion rates. That’s why car companies hire A-list actors such as Jeff Bridges and Robert Downey Jr. to do their voice-overs.

It’s not up to me to teach advertisers or communication managers how to do their job, but to have no voice or accent preference seems to be counter-intuitive.

Third, by opening an audition up to ALL English speakers, the voice-seekers are creating more work for themselves. Theoretically, they are opening the door to auditions from Mumbai, Sidney, Houston, Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Glasgow, Dublin etcetera. Is that really what they want?

Wouldn’t it be much easier and more efficient to specifically describe the voice type, the accent and the read they need? It’s like giving voice actors a map to reach their destination. Why not switch on the light? Otherwise, we’ll end up taking shots in the dark, hoping for the best.

So, here’s the 64 thousand dollar question:

How do you approach an audition for a Neutral English speaker?

In the ideal world, you’d talk to your client and find out what they really want. That’s business 101. Never assume. Always ask. Here are a few “double-nots”:

• Don’t assume that they don’t want an American accent if the commercial is released in the UK;
• Don’t assume that you should not use your British accent if the video is for the U.S. market. Most Americans love British accents. Some even think it makes you sound smarter;
• Don’t assume that making assumptions is going to lead to anything.

If you’re in a position to have a real conversation with your client (what a concept!), ask what it is that they’ll be listening for. Get specifics.

Sometimes clients will tell you: “I really like the voice of Ricky Gervais or John Cleese or David Attenborough. Could you try to get close to that?”

Unfortunately, online voice casting sites explicitly forbid you to contact a voice-seeker directly. So, here are three audition strategies that might just work for you if you’re not sure which way to go with neutral English:

1. MORE = MORE: Record multiple versions of the script using different accents and send it as one file. Give yourself a second chance to make a first impression!

2. ALL OR NOTHING: Make a bold choice, rather than focusing on neutralizing your accent. Make your demo absolutely unforgettable. Clients don’t always know what they want until they hear it. That’s how I shop for clothes. I have no idea what I’m looking for until I see exactly what I want.

3. BLEND IN: Create your own version of ‘neutral’ by blending various accents in your merry voice-over mixer. Rather than giving your clients tulips, you hand them a bouquet of different flowers. I sometimes call my particular accent “Northern European English”.

I can already hear some of you saying: “That’s great advice but does it really work?”

Of course it works, and most of the time it doesn’t.

I once auditioned for a job that -surprise, surprise- came with very detailed instructions. In other words: I knew exactly what to aim for, and my always brutally honest agent said I’d “nailed neutral”.

However, in spite of my intergalactic talent, the client didn’t pick me. A month later I actually heard the commercial I had auditioned for and my jaw dropped to the floor.

The voice they had chosen didn’t sound like the voice they had asked for at all. It couldn’t be more different. The colleague that was chosen for this very lucrative ad had tried the ALL OR NOTHING approach and ended up a winner.

Life is unfair.

Then I remembered the wise words of Internet Voice Coach David Rosenthal. He said:

“It’s not about rejection. It’s all about selection.”

That’s typical David. He always knows how to make me feel better about not feeling very good.

Here’s the thing: sometimes ‘neutral’ leads to nothing. So, take a risk. Get out of your comfort zone. Do something that is embarrassingly silly. Who cares? It’s between you and your mic.

Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy and Mike Meyers make millions doing voice-overs. Would they be where they are today, had they gone for ‘neutral’? I don’t even think they could pull that off. I wouldn’t pay ten bucks to hear them be boring and bland. That’s like going to a fancy bar and ordering tap water. It defeats the purpose.

So, if you happen to hire voices, I have a message for you:

We can read your script but we can’t read your mind.

Please be clear about what you want. Otherwise you’ll end up listening to 100 plus auditions that miss the mark and you have not only wasted your time, but the time of all those hard-working hopefuls that poured their hearts and souls into that audition.

If you’re a voice talent, do yourself a favor. Even if the script calls for ‘neutral,’ add some pizzazz to your demo. Kick it up a notch. Use some garlic and red pepper. Sprinkle it with emotion. Layer it with devotion. Record a few versions and send them all into the universe.

If it comes back to you, it’s yours.

If it doesn’t…

… respond to it as neutrally as you can.

Paul Strikwerda ©2011
www.nethervoice.com

PS Click here for more on so-called “Neutral English Accents”

PPS this story first appeared on Internet Voice Coach, the best online academy for those who use their voice professionally

Technorati Tags: Armin Hierstetter, Bodalgo, darts in the dark, David Attenborough, David Rosenthal, Eddie Murphy, Internet Voice Coach, Jeff Bridges, John Cleese, Mike Myers, Nethervoice, Neutral English, Neutral English accent, Pamela Vanderway, Paul Strikwerda, Ricky Gervais, Robert Downey Jr., Robin Williams, Rosetta Stone, voice-over, voiceover, voiceovers

“Voice-seekers are idiots. Well… some of them”, said one of my colleagues, known for her strong opinions.  “Why is that?” I asked.  “Because they ask for the impossible, especially when it comes to accents.” Her argument went like this…

Take your typical voice-over job listing:

Project: Short Video
Language: English
Gender: Both
Age: Middle Aged
Budget: Embarrassingly low (but it’s great experience!)

Here’s the 64,000 dollar question: based on this description, should you take a few moments of your valuable time to record a demo? If the answer is YES, what’s going to be your approach? How do you know what the client will be listening for? What exactly does she need to hear to hire you?

Here’s the honest answer: YOU HAVE NO CLUE!

It’s the story of a man walking into a bar asking for “a drink”. The bartender randomly selects a bottle and pours a trendy macaroon-infused vodka. After one disgusting sip the man turns to the barman and says: “That’s not what I wanted!” The bartender responds: “How was I supposed to know? You could have been a bit more specific!”

The barman has a point. So, let’s see if we can be more precise in our imaginary job description by adding one word:

Language: English (British)

That’s a big help, isn’t it? The voice-seeker simply wants a UK-accent.

But not too fast…is there such a thing as a “British accent”?

As you know, the United Kingdom consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Even though there’s a great degree of uniformity when it comes to written British English within the UK, when a Scotsman from Aberdeen and a Cockney from London open their mouths, they sound like they’re from a different planet. Some might argue they actually are. Bottom line: a uniform “British accent” is as real as the Loch Ness Monster.

BBC
To get a better idea of the variety of British inflections, the BBC captured 1,200 voices of the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, and made them available online.

All you have to do is click on a dot on the map, and it will take you to an audio clip of a regional speaker. Here’s a subtle hint. Some of the clips had to be subtitled. Even seasoned BBC listeners couldn’t always understand some of their fellow countrymen and women.

HER MAJESTY
But what about RP, you might ask. RP or Received Pronunciation is sometimes called “The Queen’s English” or BBC English. It is estimated that only 2 percent of UK citizens speak a pure form of RP.

Recordings show that even Queen Elizabeth has changed her accent over the past 50 years, and the BBC has long abandoned the policy of only hiring people for their posh pronunciation. Instead, you’ll find a wide range of accents at the Beeb, and these days, a mock 1950′s BBC accent is only used in comedy.

Voice-seekers wake up! BBC English died a long time ago. You probably aren’t even looking for a British accent, but for a stereotype. A cliché. And if that’s not what you want, you need to be much more specific. John Cleese, Ricky Gervais, Russel Brand and Sir Ian McKellen all have UK accents. But do they sound the same? To quote Monty Python: “Say no more!”

THE NEW WORLD
An estimated two thirds of all native English speakers live in the United States. The English spoken on the streets of Miami is remarkably different from the accents you’ll hear in the Deep South or in Vancouver.

Many of the nation’s newscasters tend to speak GA (General American) or ABE (American Broadcast English). Television journalist Linda Ellerbee, who worked hard to eliminate a Texas accent, said: “in television you are not supposed to sound like you’re from anywhere”.

So, is that what voice-seekers want when they ask for a North American accent?  Shall we pretend that we came out of nowhere and sound as neutral as the taste of tap water?

Should we, like Linda Ellerbee, lose our Southern twang and work hard to sound just like the Cronkites, the Lauers and the Courics? Will that land us the job? Or should we look at our accent as an asset; something that distinguishes us from the rest of the pack?

Here’s the thing: why sound like everyone else? Why not bring some color to the grey masses? Geico’s gecko doesn’t speak ABE. And what about that “fabulous” Orbit chewing gum girl? These actors didn’t get the gig because they went for “neutral”.

Voice-seekers: you don’t want to have to weed through hours of auditions. But you have to help us out here: tell us what you want in as much detail as possible. If you want me to sing it, you need to bring it. If you don’t give us a clear idea of the destination, how are we ever supposed to get there?

Here’s by far the worst thing you could ever throw at us:

Language: English (neutral)

Who came up with that brilliant idea? What does “neutral” sound like? It’s like asking Bobby Flay to cook a flavorless meal. Can you imagine a casting director asking Philip Seymour Hoffman who is auditioning for a role, to play the part without personality? Would snowboarder Shaun White enjoy such worldwide appeal, had he chosen to stay Mr. Plain and boring?

It boils down to this. An accent is a way of pronouncing a language. It is therefore impossible to speak without an accent. No one is neutral. And I’ll tell you something else: voice seekers are starting to realize that their voice of choice could have a dramatic impact on the conversion rate of their website. Here’s where it gets really interesting for people like you and me…

Ginger software makes a contextual grammar and spelling checker that enables writers to produce error-free texts. It’s geared toward people for whom English is a second language. Ginger asked video optimization firm EyeView to develop an introductory video for their homepage to increase the conversion of this page for visitors.

The conversion goal for the page was for visitors to click the Free Download button. EyeView had a choice to make. Would they go with a British narrator or with an American talent? Would it even make a difference? What do you think?

THE EXPERIMENT
EyeView decided to run a test:  50% of the global audience saw the video with a British voice-over, and 50% saw it with the voice-over performed with an American accent. The result: globally, the British voice-over was 4% more effective at converting visitors into downloaders. The Catholic Church would be thrilled with this rate of conversion! But wait… there’s more! EyeView:

“For US audiences, the conversion rate for the British accent was 5.5% higher than the American one – above the global average. In Canada, the British accent still outperformed the American, but by a mere 1.5%.

Irish viewers watching the British version converted 12% more often than those hearing an American voice while the response of the Australians was even more extreme. Viewers “down under” converted 32% more often when pitched with Pommy tones than with an American twang.”

Only in the UK and India, the American voice-over outperformed her British counterpart. So much for “neutral”. And so far, Ginger has seen a 15% increase in the number of people downloading their software.

The next time you wonder whether or not you should do that voice-over job for $125, think of the tremendous impact your voice can have on the sales of a business. In these times of economic woes, an increase of 15% is a CEO’s dream. That’s surely worth more than a symbolic fee.

THE EISENBERG PRINCIPLE
NYTimes bestselling author Bryan Eisenberg is an authority and pioneer in online marketing and improving online conversion rates. He was the key note speaker at the Search Engine Strategies Expo in London on February 17th. His address was called: “21 Secrets of Top Converting Websites”. In his speech, the EyeView experiment was on the top of his list.

And when people ask me about my personal voice-over ‘secret’, this is what I tell them: even though it’s fun to do all kinds of accents and characters; 9 out of 10 times clients hire me because I sound like me, and not like somebody else.

That signature sound is a combination of my upbringing, my education, my travels, and my love for music and languages. My accent is the result of time spent living and working in The Netherlands, England, Israel and the United States. It’s a blend of my biology and my biography. I can honestly say that I do my best work as soon as I stop pretending to be someone I’m not.

Allow me to accentuate one last thing. Being me has one big advantage:

I have very little competition.

Paul Strikwerda © 2010
www.nethervoice.com

PS The more auditions you do, the greater your chances of landing a job, right? Or not? Read Bursting the Audition Bubble!

PPS are you receiving RSS Double Dutch updates yet?

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