Unions, Rates, and other mysterious topics
Yesterday, I had a private session with my voice over coach. I told her about the new gigs I've landed lately (ok, shameless self promotion, but hey, it is my blog, right? Check out my web site www.CarynClark.net to watch the tv commercials of my latest gigs).
The conversation morphed into rates and unions. I can't wait for the day I can join SAG and AFTRA. Well, I could join AFTRA now, but I'm not going to yet. Anyway, my perception is that the unions offer so many value-added benefits, including a standard rate scale, they manage your payments (so you're not chasing down the people who don't pay you), pension and health insurance, that who wouldn't want to join the union?
Then there's Fi-Core. Interesting thing I learned about Fi-Core. It was created for the coal miners' union, way back when. Why? Because when union mines dried up, that meant that those miners would have to move, sometimes far far away, to work in another union mine. Not always easy to just pick up and move back in the day, Fi-Core was created to allow them to work in non-union mines but still be paid a fair union wage. So, Fi-Core was created because of proximity to work. In this digital age, that's not really the issue though.
Now in the world of freelance, coupled with the digital age, it's a whole different ball o' wax. So many people are taking a stab at voice over and work for much less than union scale, and many producers are willing (or my guess is, in some cases, they have to) to use such talent b/c of budgetary constraints, as well as the fact that perhaps the piece they're producing simply doesn't require a high caliber talent as the union provides.
The online voice over marketplaces have definitely played a huge role in taking freelance voice over to a different level. They've made it possible for anyone with some computer knowledge to take a stab at this career. And I think that's great! Why shouldn't someone be able to dabble, and see if this is the career for them? Hey, that's what I did.... ok, well, not exactly... I did have coaching years prior to my actually working in vo, and had coaching prior to deciding to "dabble" in vo... but the online voice over marketplaces were where I was able to get myself out there and gain some experience. I will say though, that I took it all seriously and did research, etc. before jumping in the pool. I had a demo... a one minute demo. I must admit, I do get terribly frustrated by the folks who join the online vo marketplaces, and then post questions about the most basic things they really should already know. But I digress...
So, that all said, it appears that the freelance world is getting bigger and stronger by the minute. And, what's the problem with this?
As freelance voice artists, we are not only the actor, but the CEO, Marketing VP, and CFO of our own company. We have to chase down the people who don't pay us, we need to be disciplined enough to set aside money for health insurance and retirement on our own. I suppose we can do that.
So, that leaves the question of a rate scale, and being paid fairly for our work. There is no standard or scale for freelance artists. There are folks who are willing to do a :60 radio commercial for $25. And hey, I've done similar work myself, for friends who are producers who needed a voice b/c they were in a bind. But those that make a habit of it are banking on quantity of jobs. I have to say, I don't believe it works that way.
I have a rate sheet that I use as my guideline when quoting jobs. Have I lost jobs because of it? Yup. Just did this morning, as a matter of fact. But that's ok. I'd say 90% of the time, the producers are ok with the rate I quote, even if it is above their stated budget, and pay it without even trying to negotiate with me.
So, I guess the moral of the story here is... have a rate sheet for yourself that's based on type of spot (radio; television; narration, etc.) the locale in which it will air (local; regional; national; non-broadcast; web) and the length of spot (:15; :30; :60; and for me, I have by the page). Don't sell yourself short, be confident in your talent in order to stand by your rates. While I think you should also be flexible (let's face it, we all have bills to pay), don't completely undercut the market. Focus your energy on working to gain the talent you need to be a first rate voice over artist, and you'll be paid accordingly.
The conversation morphed into rates and unions. I can't wait for the day I can join SAG and AFTRA. Well, I could join AFTRA now, but I'm not going to yet. Anyway, my perception is that the unions offer so many value-added benefits, including a standard rate scale, they manage your payments (so you're not chasing down the people who don't pay you), pension and health insurance, that who wouldn't want to join the union?
Then there's Fi-Core. Interesting thing I learned about Fi-Core. It was created for the coal miners' union, way back when. Why? Because when union mines dried up, that meant that those miners would have to move, sometimes far far away, to work in another union mine. Not always easy to just pick up and move back in the day, Fi-Core was created to allow them to work in non-union mines but still be paid a fair union wage. So, Fi-Core was created because of proximity to work. In this digital age, that's not really the issue though.
Now in the world of freelance, coupled with the digital age, it's a whole different ball o' wax. So many people are taking a stab at voice over and work for much less than union scale, and many producers are willing (or my guess is, in some cases, they have to) to use such talent b/c of budgetary constraints, as well as the fact that perhaps the piece they're producing simply doesn't require a high caliber talent as the union provides.
The online voice over marketplaces have definitely played a huge role in taking freelance voice over to a different level. They've made it possible for anyone with some computer knowledge to take a stab at this career. And I think that's great! Why shouldn't someone be able to dabble, and see if this is the career for them? Hey, that's what I did.... ok, well, not exactly... I did have coaching years prior to my actually working in vo, and had coaching prior to deciding to "dabble" in vo... but the online voice over marketplaces were where I was able to get myself out there and gain some experience. I will say though, that I took it all seriously and did research, etc. before jumping in the pool. I had a demo... a one minute demo. I must admit, I do get terribly frustrated by the folks who join the online vo marketplaces, and then post questions about the most basic things they really should already know. But I digress...
So, that all said, it appears that the freelance world is getting bigger and stronger by the minute. And, what's the problem with this?
As freelance voice artists, we are not only the actor, but the CEO, Marketing VP, and CFO of our own company. We have to chase down the people who don't pay us, we need to be disciplined enough to set aside money for health insurance and retirement on our own. I suppose we can do that.
So, that leaves the question of a rate scale, and being paid fairly for our work. There is no standard or scale for freelance artists. There are folks who are willing to do a :60 radio commercial for $25. And hey, I've done similar work myself, for friends who are producers who needed a voice b/c they were in a bind. But those that make a habit of it are banking on quantity of jobs. I have to say, I don't believe it works that way.
I have a rate sheet that I use as my guideline when quoting jobs. Have I lost jobs because of it? Yup. Just did this morning, as a matter of fact. But that's ok. I'd say 90% of the time, the producers are ok with the rate I quote, even if it is above their stated budget, and pay it without even trying to negotiate with me.
So, I guess the moral of the story here is... have a rate sheet for yourself that's based on type of spot (radio; television; narration, etc.) the locale in which it will air (local; regional; national; non-broadcast; web) and the length of spot (:15; :30; :60; and for me, I have by the page). Don't sell yourself short, be confident in your talent in order to stand by your rates. While I think you should also be flexible (let's face it, we all have bills to pay), don't completely undercut the market. Focus your energy on working to gain the talent you need to be a first rate voice over artist, and you'll be paid accordingly.
Hi Caryn -
While the sentiment has been stated before, it cannot be said enough. Hopefully those with talent will stick to a rate card so the :60 for $25 will get what they paid for.
James
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