As the demand on multimedia grows, so does the amount of new jobs. the creation of jobs in any field is always a good thing. It is a sign of a healthy industry. The respect throughout many industry peers is tremendous as everyone tries to lend a helping hand to another whenever possible.
Voice Over Talents and narrators have much to rejoice about. One mustest forget however, that price is not the driving factor when it comes to hiring a voice talent. The reason it is called a Talent is...fairly self explanatory.
If everyone and anyone without proper training was to improvise themselves as a Voice over talent, many secenarios would come to light in a negative way.
The industry has established pricing that is fair for the work and reflection of each project with its due complexities and intricacies. In order to deliver the right tone and convey the message the way it was meant to be ( either urgent, hard sell, diplomatic, funny, eager, professional, stuck up etc...) it takes TALENT!
That being said, make sure you measure the capabilities of the individual when choosing your voice talent, whether union or non-union.
Make sure that the project is clearly identifed and explained to the talent to bring out his/her best for the project.
If they feel unconfortable with a certain scenario..make sure they let you know.
As no one person can be everything to everyone, each individual (in all walks of life) has their forte. It is often not true to think that a high end carpenter can build the frame work for a speed boat, yet would showcase incredible results with the entire of a sail boat.. (hum ...food for thought)
So make sure that you know what you are looking for and that the person selected has that very vivid picture in mind when conveying your words. (let them be creative, it's not necessarily about specific words, but more ..the tone and feel of the words that drives the message home !
Happy talent scouting!
Claudio Napoleoni
Bilingual Voice Over Talent & Narrator
CN Voiceovers
http://www.cnvoiceovers.ca/