The Art of Voice Acting: the art and business of performing for voice over (49 page)

Now that your booking is confirmed with a signed agreement, you’re ready to get down to work. You’ve already got a good idea of what you need to do, you’ve got a general idea of what will be involved to complete the project and deliver it to your client, and best of all, you are confident that you will be compensated for your work. However, Murphy’s Law will inevitably come in to play as some time or another. Anything that can possibly go wrong… will! And it will happen at the least opportune time.

You need to be prepared for Mr. Murphy and one way to do this is to document the time and details of your work through the use of a Work Order or Session Booking Form (see
Figure 21-2
: Example of a Session Booking Form).

Figure 21-2
:
Example of a Session Booking Form or Work Order. This form can be used to document recording time and other expenses of a booked project which can then be summarized in your invoice for services. This form and the Booking Agreement should be kept on file for future reference.

You can call the form whatever you like: Work Order, Session Booking Form, Time Sheet, or a name of your own creation. The purpose of the form remains the same, and that is to document the time and processes that comprise the project you have been hired to complete. Virtually every service business uses some sort of documentation for the work they do. As a voice actor, and a good business person, you should do no less.

Everything you note on your Session Booking Form should be directly related to an aspect of the project you are working on, most of which should be part of your chargeable fees. Of course, you can choose to not charge for certain things or bundle items for a single fee, but the idea is that this form will give you a way to keep track of what you did for any given booking.

On the surface, this may seem like extra work or may even appear as completely unnecessary. However, when you document your sessions you will have a reliable negotiating tool for future bookings. For example, you may have contracted for a specific fee, but during the course of recording the project you discover that it actually requires considerably more time to complete, or there were some things that you neglected to include in your negotiations. By documenting the session you will be in a position to discuss those issues with your client when they book you in the future, and you will be better armed to discuss the realistic production requirements with other clients who might wish to book you for similar projects.

Some of the things to keep track of on your Session Booking Form are:

• Rehearsal time
  
• Copy editing or creative writing (if applicable)
  
• Consultation calls with your client
  
• Time spent to research pronunciation
  
• Time spent casting other voice talent (if applicable)
  
• Talent fees for other voice talent (if applicable)
  
• Studio time used for voice track recording
  
• Studio time used for editing
  
• Studio time required for file conversion, burning to a CD, or uploading to an FTP site
  
• Studio time required for pick-ups and subsequent delivery
  
• Time spent researching music and sound effects (if applicable)
  
• Music licensing fees (if applicable)
  
• Postproduction editing and mixing (if applicable)
  
• Other related items that may come to mind
  

As you can see, a Session Booking Form can be a very useful tool that can ultimately help you to identify ways to work more efficiently and even help you increase your revenues through a better understanding of exactly what it takes to do what you do. The form in
Figure 21-2
is a simplified design based on the Work Order we use at VoiceActing, LLC. Our session work order has been refined and honed over more than three decades to a point where it perfectly fits with the way we handle our recording sessions.

Figure 21-3
: Sample expense report for documenting business travel and other expenses relating to your voiceover business.

As an independent businessperson, whether you have an agent or not, you need to keep complete and accurate records of income and business-related expenses well beyond just what you do for a particular session. This is not just for your tax records, but also so you have a way of tracking your career as a professional voiceover performer. Consult a tax advisor as to the best way to set up your record-keeping or refer to some of the many books or computer software on the subject.

You will want to keep records of clients you have worked for, what you did for them, and when you did it. When you get called by a producer you worked for last year, you can avoid undercharging by checking your files to see what your fee was last time. You can also use these records for future promotion and reminder mailings. A simple scheduling book can serve the purpose nicely, or you can even set up a database on your computer. Personal money management computer programs are another excellent way to keep records. Prices range from under $50 to several hundred dollars.

Under the current tax code, just about any expense you have that directly relates to your business can be deducted as a business expense. Even if you work another full-time job, you can still deduct expenses that directly relate to your voiceover business, providing you are operating under standard business guidelines and not doing voiceover as a hobby.

Depending on your situation, you may want to obtain a business license in your city, and eventually may want to incorporate. Setting up a legitimate business entity may have certain tax advantages. A tax advisor can help you with these decisions. In
Chapter 22
, “Shedding Light on the Dark Side of Voiceover,” Robert Sciglimpaglia, a voice actor and practicing attorney, provides a detailed look at the legal aspects of working in voiceover

The following are some of the things you should keep records of:

• Income
  —Keep separate account categories for income from all sources of income received.
  
• Expenses
  —The costs of doing business.
  
  • Taxes and deductions
    : Document anything deducted from your pay, including income taxes, social security taxes, Medicare taxes, state disability taxes, union fees, and any other deductions from a paycheck.
    
  • Demo production
    : Keep track of payments for studio time, costs and materials, duplication, printing, letterhead, business cards, envelopes, postcards, résumés, and CD labels.
    
  • Telephone
    : Keep track of phone calls made to prospects or your agent, especially any long-distance charges. You might consider a separate phone line to use exclusively for your business. If you have a cell phone or pager, these costs may be deductible as well.
    
  • Website
    : The costs of registering your URL (domain name), website hosting, and website design are all deductible expenses.
    
  • Internet access
    : The portion of your telephone bill, cable bill, or DSL bill that applies to Internet usage may be a deductible expense.
    
  • Transportation
    : Keep a log book in your car and note the mileage for all travel to and from auditions, sessions, and client meetings. Include parking fees. (See
    Figure 21-3
    : Voice Acting Expense Report.)
    
  • Other business expenses
    : Keep track of postage, office supplies, office equipment, computer equipment, and other supplies. The IRS tends to view computers as personal equipment, rather than business equipment, unless the use is well-documented. Identifying your computer as an “audio workstation” may be a more accurate business description of how your computer is used.
    
  • Classes, workshops, and books
    : Classes, workshops, and books may be deductible as expenses for continued education and training in your chosen field.
    
  • In-home office
    : Deducting a portion of your mortgage or rent, and utilities for an in-home office, although legal, may trigger an audit by the IRS. Consult a tax advisor before taking this deduction.
    

Two excellent resources for software to manage your voiceover business are Performer Track (
www.performertrack.com
) and Pro Talent Performer (
www.protalentsoftware.com
). Both are popular with both on-camera and voiceover actors. An Internet search for “contact management software” will reveal many other options worthy of consideration.

You may want to set up a separate checking account for your voiceover business and perhaps use accounting or money management software on your computer. This can help to keep all the financial aspects of your business in one place and simplify your tax preparation. The bottom line is that, as a professional voice actor, you are in business for yourself whether you work another job or not. As a business person it is important that you keep accurate records of your business-related income and expenses.

As with business management software, there are numerous options for financial management. Quicken (
www.quicken.com
) and QuickBooks (
www.quickbooks.com
) are among the most popular. Quicken is designed for managing personal finances, while QuickBooks has much greater flexibility and is intended for managing business finances.

One of the least understood areas of voiceover lies in the shadows of the legal world. Yes, lots and lots of laws directly apply to our work as voice actors. Understanding how these laws might affect our work is very important. And, as with most laws, ignorance is not an acceptable excuse.

Now, I have extensive experience with legal matters, and I’ve been told that I can write “legalese” with the best, but I’m not a lawyer. However, I did once play the role of an attorney in a voiceover project. So, as accurate and well-intentioned that any legal advice I provide in this book may be, the fact remains that I cannot be considered an authoritative source.

So, I asked voice actor and attorney, Robert Sciglimpaglia, if he would be willing to discuss the legal side of voiceover and dispel some of the many myths that surround our business. Robert’s knowledge of the law and his legal expertise far exceed mine, and the fact that he is a practicing attorney means that the information contained in the pages that follow may be considered as accurate legal advice. However, as with anything legal, a review and confirmation from your own attorney would be wise.

Because this chapter deals with legal issues, the tone may appear to be somewhat negative. Please keep in mind that laws are generally intended to protect an injured party, and will usually provide some sort of penalty to the offending party and compensation to the injured party. On the surface, this can appear negative, but the reality is that laws are what they are.

I’ll admit this chapter will not be the easiest to read and it may take a few times through to comprehend all that is here. However, the information contained within these pages is critical if you are going to be successful in voiceover. Take your time with this one, and if your brain starts to hurt, just take a short break. Or, maybe read a good book… out loud, of course.

Robert J. Sciglimpaglia, Jr. is a practicing attorney, as well as voiceover artist and on-camera actor in the New York City area. He is the owner of All in One Voice, LLC (
www.allinonevoice.com
), a company that helps voiceover artists and actors with business and legal issues.

Robert has appeared in numerous national voiceover projects, including commercials, promos, and narrations, plus on-camera appearances for television and feature films. For more about Robert, visit his website at
www.robertpaglia.com
and his Internet Movie Database listing at
www.imdb.com
. Although the recommendations and advice in this chapter are based on Robert’s knowledge of the law and experience as a practicing attorney, it is highly recommended that you consult your own attorney or qualified tax professional with any questions you might have regarding legal, business, or taxation questions.