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Agency Policies Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with some of our policies. We make every effort in making sure you are 100% satisfied with your voice & audio production.
* Pronunciations To help expedite the process and to be assured your voice & audio production is turned around to you promptly and within the set deadline... please include phonetics to any city, street, or word that we may not be familiar with. Deadlines may be delayed if we are not provided with correct pronunciations and have to contact you. If we do not connect after attempting to contact you and have pronunciation questions, we will wait for your return call. This may delay any deadlines. Feel free to send an mp3 or call us as well. If you should send us a bad phonetic or pronunciation and then need to have the project re-voiced or produced again new billing will apply. We will not adjust invoices if a deadline is delayed due to pronunciation questions. * Script Please do not abbreviate words unless you want it read as you write your copy. For example "in Msn, WI" should all be spelled out as "in Madison Wisconsin". Additional billing may be applied if we need to re-read any abbreviated words.
* Suggested Copy Length (Commercials) Below is a guide that is recognized by several agencies and media outlets. While all voice talents are different, this guide will help you time out your copy with a comfortable read pace. 05 seconds = approximately 12 words 10 seconds = approximately 23 words 15 seconds = approximately 35 words 30 seconds = approximately 90 words 60 seconds = approximately 190 words Phone #s 1 digit = 1 word * Revisions As hard as we try to exceed your expectations, sometimes things just happen and we need to re-cut the voice / audio production application. Depending on the situation, we will gladly re-cut the exact same copy and deliver it to you ASAP without additional charges. Situations that will always receive additional billing (but not limited to) include copy change, talent change, read style change, or specific directions if description wasn't included in original booking. Please note after 10 days of receiving the project, any revisions of the exact same copy will be subject to full rate billing. Fully produced projects and narrative reads subject to full rates for any revisions. * Additional Reads The first read for commercials is based off of the rate on our rate card. There is a $10.00 talent fee for each additional requested read for commercials up to :35 seconds and $15.00 for commercials :36 to :65 seconds (based on each talent for each commercial). * Billing No matter which talent you select, they are all the exact same price for standard reads (character reads & bilingual reads additional - see rate card). Each commercial is billed out based on # of talents selected, length, how it's aired (local, regional, national), and voice only or fully produced. If you book two talents for a dry :30 locally... you are invoiced for two talents. Unless a prior arrangement is set up, all invoices are net 30. A 25% late charge is applied to all past due balances after 60 days and will accrue each month. All invoices with a balance of $100.00 or more and past due is subject to service interuption until all past due invoices are paid in full. There is a $50.00 charge on all returned checks and a $25.00 charge for each declined credit card. Please note that World-Class Talents work off of a different rate card than the Spot Tracks Talents. * Audio Duration We will keep your audio posted on your private ftp download page for a minimum of 14 days. We suggest you save your audio immediately to your hard drive as we do not back up dry v/o's and will be billed again if we need to do a re-read. Right Click the file and save target to your computer, Mac Users hold down the "Option" Key and click for download. Fully produced audio is automatically backed up and available at no additional charge if needed in the future.
F.A.Q. Q: May I send an mp3 with the proper pronunciations?
A: Absolutely! We encourage you to mp3 us any words we may not be familiar with. This will avoid any deadline delays and allow us to say it exactly the way you need it. We do not charge for mp3 pronunciations forwarded to our talents. Q: May I get more than one read for my commercial bookings?
A: Yes! At the time of booking, please let us know how many reads you would like the talent to provide. There is only a $10.00 talent fee for each additional read for up to :35 seconds or $15.00 talent fee for each additional read between :36 and :65 seconds. Q: What is the best way to have the voice talent interpret copy?
A: You must of really liked something specifically in the voice talents demo to have picked them for your booking. Please tell us what you heard in his or her demo so they can give you the read style you are seeking. Feel free to send us a scratch track mp3 with a sample read. We will gladly pass that along to our talents at no additional charge. We want you to be happy! Q: Is there a limit to where and how long I can use the audio or voice overs?
A: No. Our commercials are a complete buy out. Use it as often as you wish. Only media retainers that expire will have 60 days to cease and desist use of the imaging voice in your market. Q: Can I get a phone-patch with your voice talent or talk to your talent in person?
A: No, sorry. In order to keep costs to a minimum, we do not offer phone patches or phone calls directly to talents. We will be happy to pass along all of the information you deem necessary to each talent in order to get you the high quality audio you expect. Q: What’s the difference between your World-Class talents and Spot Tracks talents?
A: Our World-Class talents are available for full production, narrative projects, and media imaging. Also most of our World-Class talents can turn-around dry commercials within a matter of hours. Finally our World-Class talents are all very seasoned professionals. Infact many of them are nationally recognized and have prestigous awards. Spot Tracks talents are designed for dry commercials only (up to :60 seconds) and need up to 48 hours on turn-around. Usually a Spot Track talent can turn around within 24 hours or so. Q: I need my v/o immediately. What is the best way to expedite the process?
A: Naturally we do our best to turn-around all projects as quickly as possible. We average about 3 hours on our same day World Class talents for turn-around. However, if you need something within a matter of minutes, please e-mail us the copy and information and then follow up with a phone call. Q: How can I check to see if the talent I want to use is available?
A: Just mouse over the “availability” link in front of the talents name on our World Class talent page. This will instantly display on your screen the talents turn around or if they are out and when they will return. This feature is updates instantly when we are notified of a schedule change from our talent(s). Q: What are the specifications of the mp3’s we receive?
A: Our talents are required to send everything in a stereo mp3 at a minimum of 224kbps. The audio may take a extra few seconds to download but you will be assured a very high quality audio. Q: Sometimes when I call I end up in voicemail, is there a better way to reach you?
A: We suggest you send the copy and information via e-mail first and then call. If you end up in voicemail please leave a detailed message. It simply means we’re on the other line or in a session. All calls are returned as soon as possible. The average wait time on a return call is less than 15 minutes. Q: I need to get approval on the v/o from the client, how long do I have to ask for a free revision?
A: Our policy is 10 business days. Anything after 10 business days is subject to full billing. Please note the information above under "Revisions". Q: Why can’t I send you two :15 second tags and just get billed for one :30 second commercial?
A: Time. When we receive a booking and put it on one of our internal production orders for our talents and for record keeping purposes, it takes time. Like an attorney, auto mechanic, or just about any other profession… you are paying for time and the service. It is also how we contract our voice talents. Plus every audio project from our World Class talents goes through a post audio edit session before we send you the final version. Q: One of your talents cut a spot for me, but I'm not crazy about his/her voice for this particular script. Can another talent cut the spot at no additional cost to me?
A: Sorry, we can have the original talent re-cut it for you if you find your instructions were not followed. It's important to listen carefully to the talent demos. Each demo contains a variety of read styles in order for you to make a selection based on your individual needs. Keep in mind all of our talents shine bright with certain read styles. Asking one of our soft sell older talents to do a hard sell will takem them out of their comfort zone and may result in a read you are not crazy about. We feature over 100 professionals and have all of the basis covered on read types. Quick Tips
> Think twice about adding multiple phone numbers, e-mail or web addresses to your copy. Chances are, the audience will not remember this information and it takes away valuable seconds from your commercial. People will remember your business name and your creative message.
> Spanish reads is longer than English reads. Use the copy length above as a guide but you may want to subtract 5 to 10 words for a good fit.
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Phacoemulsification. Did you say that right when you first read it? We didn't either. Its always best to give us a phonetic pronunciation on people, places, and things that may be local and obvious to you, but completely foreign to us. For instance, the above word would be pronounced like this - (FAY'-koh-ee-MUL'-sih-fuh-KAY'-shin).
Try to use everyday words in your pronunciation. For instance, the city of Ocala contains "oh", "cal" as in California, and "uh", and is pronounced (oh-KAL'-uh). Also, don't forget to let us know which syllable is stressed. Additionally, most dictionaries have a fairly helpful pronunciation guide included in them. Phonetics can be extremely tricky, so don't hesitate to call us or send us an mp3 to confirm a word.
> Proper Punctuation is a must. Leaving out periods, commas, and other grammatical marks will inevitably confuse the talent, and may result in a finished product that isn't quite what you were looking for. It can also be helpful to bold and underline words that you wish to have punched or emphasized.
> It's important that you always include your name, phone number, and company you represent whenever you send us a script. If you're going to be away, a cell phone or pager number can also help us. This way, we can immediately alert you with any questions, problems, or concerns.
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