Why do Voiceover Aritsts need to know about Copyright?

Copyright falls under intellectual property rights. For information on that please see here. Copyright is very important to any creator but especially to voiceover artists.  As a voiceover artist it is not legally possible to sign away your copyright. So you will always own the copyright to the material you recorded. Therefore your voiceover audio is only ever licenced for use on agreed platforms. You can find further information here. Intellectual Property Office

The laws have a framework so that people can see how work can be used. Responsibilities of people, as well as the rights of the owner are set out. What can you do with your work? Well you could copy, change, sell it, share it online, rent it or prevent other people from doing those things to it. When someone hears your voice played out whether it be online or downloaded to a device then they are interacting with copyright. The piece of work should be either original or tangible.

So for a work to be original you must have produced it yourself i.e. spoken it. Tangible means that the idea would have to be expressed in some sort of physical form so when you speak a phrase then it is only protected the moment you record it. Once recorded, it is protected.

But how do I protect my work?

As soon as your work is created or in voiceover world as soon as you have recorded it in audio form. There is no need to register this work unlike a patent or a trademark.

How long will your work be protected for?

A short answer is that it depends on factors such as the type of work created and when it was made. Generally the shortest length of time for protection is 50 years. But it could be 70 or more.

With the potential European relationship process underway, updates to legislation and copyrighted works will continue to be protected as there are other international treaties covering this. Examples of these treaties include the The Berne Convention and the TRIPS agreements.

Note that copyright may not cover all forms of creative work so Intellectual property may be more suitable. But do remember that it is illegal under UK law for a voiceover artist to sign away their copyright.

Why do Voiceover Artists need to be aware of Performers Rights?

How many voiceover artists don’t just merely speak the works on a script but actually perform? You all perform, we know you do. We watch and hear you deliver your copy lines and we know that you are performing. And with performances comes rights. Right got that?

There are a few and they include the following: reproduction right, distribution right, rental and lending right, making available right and the right to equitable remuneration. Now yes that is a lot all right but let’s continue. 

We will discuss equitable remuneration shortly here but let’s stick to this list first. The reason many of these rights were introduced was the advancement of technology. What now? Yes, as technology got nifty, smaller and easier to carry people started recording performances at cinemas and theatres and other places where people performed. These people then sold those unauthorised recordings. Oh crumbs – well that isn’t nice is it? Also the quality would be awful so again crumbs.

Rightly so, the government decided to introduce new rights. These are here:  Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (the CDPA as it is snappily known as). Look at the section 182. It covers the right of the artist to authorise a making of a recording of their performance. Then they can seek royalties for the usage of recordings of their performance. Yes we know, we know!

Then we find that as well as those other rights we have moral rights. But what exactly is this? Simply, this is the right to protection of the integrity of the performance against derogatory treatment. Yep so that recording of fishy singing cannot be taken and chopped up and made into a rude song to rival Baby Shark for example. These rights last for a while, 50 years from the end of the year in which the performance takes place.

But if then a recording of that performance is released publicly then the duration is extended for another 50 years from the year end of that year when it was released. Fishy, we will be hearing you decades from now. What a treat.

Show me the money! No, literally show me the actual remuneration rights please. And what are remuneration rights?  These are rights to ensure that performers get receive equitable revenues from the owner of the copyright in the sound recording or the film capturing their performance.

Equitable is the key word here. It is a little like how long is that piece of string so always ask what equitable means to the client. It also means that there are measures such as the “20% fund” which requires record producers and companies to pay organisations representing performing artists 20% of the gross revenue generated by the commercialisation of sound recordings performances during the additional 20 years of protection. Phew fishy, this is getting complicated. Well yes indeed it is and that is why we work hard to ensure our voices get heard (we know right? The irony) and more importantly paid equitably.

So now you are thinking, well what exactly is a performance? Yes immediately we will think of Fishy on stage in a dance or a music act (I am thinking of Fishy wearing fishnets and shaking some shells on the sea shore) but it also includes reading or reciting a literary work or any performance of a variety act or similar presentation.

Now if it is for consumption by the public of a script for any sound recording you make then surely that is a performance? It can be complicated so it depends if the performance falls within the definition. It also depends on what the performer brought creatively to the table.

 Fishy and our voices are all unique which means they bring their experiences and creativity to the table. Not one person shares the same voice so we feel it would fall into this definition. Now then, I know what you are all going to ask. What exactly is a performance then? 

Is Fishy recording away thoughts and feelings and copy an actual performance. And that is where we first started. When we talk about performances in a sound recording then things change in terms of period of usage. There is an additional protection period following release to the public which is 70 years rather than 50 years. So in effect, they are granted an additional protection of 20 years in comparison to other recording types.

A note on a doubling up of roles. The same artist may be able to have both copyright and performers rights in their contribution to a creative piece of work. So Fishy who is acing in a piece as well as directing it or producing it means they get to enjoy the copyright of the text as well as the performers rights when Fishy records the voiceover of the text.

Why do Voiceover Artists need to know about Intellectual Property Rights?

Today we are going to take a look at rights and here at BigFish Media our voiceovers and their audio productions are our top priority. Ok let’s move right along – see what we did there?

What is intellectual property and why should voiceovers know about it?

In the UK there are different forms of intellectual property rights. They are all individual and have different duration periods. They are all there to help you protect yourself against other people duplicating or stealing your work. The work could be the names of your products or brands, your inventions, the design or look of your products, the things you write, make or produce.  Amongst these is trademark, copyright and what we discuss in a subsequent post will be copyright.

What exactly is intellectual property?

An idea by itself is not intellectual property. What is though, is what you do with it. So for example, it is something unique you create physically. An idea for a film is not intellectual property but writing the screenplay is. I have this idea for a plucky little fish that finds their voice and when I get around to putting pen to paper then it will be intellectual property.

So, who owns what?

There are three areas where IP rights can be owned. Specifically, you own it if you created it (and it meets the requirements for copyright, a patent or a design), you bought the IP rights from the creator or a previous owner, you have a brand that could be a trade mark. So I could have bought the rights to my Fish Story from someone else who either wrote it down or someone who had the rights themselves.

Also note that intellectual property can have more than one owner, belong to people or to businesses and can be sold or transferred.  For example, my Little Fish Story could be owned by me and my fishy friend who collaborated on it, or a team who I wanted involved in it and should events happen that I find myself selling the story then I could decide that a business could own it.

If you are self-employed like all of our voiceover artists are then you usually own the intellectual property rights even if the work was commissioned by someone else.

However, if you sign a contract, then that can change. This is why it really is important to read that fine print. We always check all contracts and NDAs so that you always retain ownership of your audio and we won’t sign our voice talent up to things if they are asking you to give up that particular IP right.

Now, for those non self-employed workers. If you happen to create something as part of your work while you were employed by someone else then you do not hold the intellectual property rights. In our next blog we will talk about copyright for voiceover artists which is an intellectual property right.

How do I deal with embarrassing sounds in a Voiceover Session?

Oh now, hand on heart and cover Fishy’s ears (do they even have ears?) we’ve all let rip and not just in a vocal way in a voiceover booth. At times our own bodies can come to play and decide to pipe up at the most inconvenient of moments. Depending on the client and the situation it can feel mortifyingly embarrassing or actually a funny story to tell down the pub. In either case, let’s go through a few scenarios so should it ever happen to you then you will be fine.

1.       Letting Rip vocally – sometimes we can open our mouths and either nothing comes out or we make a funny sound such as a squeak or a growl. What can you do about it? Nothing, our bodies and especially when we speak things honk or squawk which is why the engineer is likely to ask for a second take. Not for any other reason than to get a second take without a nose whistle.

2.       Letting Rip from the belly – drinking water, gulping for air can lead to that tell-tale gurgle drain sound. Does the mic pick it up? Yes it can do. What can you do? Nothing and it is fine, we know this happens and are happy to wait until it bubbles down again.

3.       Letting Rip from the botty – well this one for some reason is always a little harder to cover up but it does happen. There can be many approaches to it but honestly, we’ve all heard it and it is fine. Either smile and laugh it away and do a second take.

4.       Letting Rip from the bones – well maybe it is actually your ligaments. Knees click, backs creak, neck bones crunch. Yep we’ve all heard them and we know about it. Sometimes the mic won’t pick it up and sometimes they will. In any case again a second take will be asked for.

5.       Letting Rip from the room – ok now sometimes the room, chair, desk you may have in the studio makes a sound. Either from weight shifting, building work in other buildings, traffic or even rain etc. Again the engineer will take note and if necessary will ask for a second take.

Bodies pop, gurgle, bubble and snap. That is totally normal and we’ve all heard it, all seen it and we are totally ok with it. Our voiceovers are all professional and know that it is part and parcel of life so embrace it. You can always do a second take. 

How do I work as a Voiceover Artist?

Here at the BigFish Media HQ we love anything audio at any time (ok enough alliteration Fishy. Ed.). And so, do our voiceover artists. And we would love to book all of our voices either a lot of work all the time or one off huge well-paid jobs. However, it can take years and years to get picked (oh yes, it’s a little like being picked at sports at school) and you many never score that huge commercial. (In any case the way advertising is going, a global buyout for you to pay off our Aquarium mortgage is unlikely). So how do you as a voiceover actor keep yourself afloat when waiting of juicy voiceover jobs to come in after fishing around for them?

The simple answer is that you get a job. Yes. There is absolutely no shame in doing so. All of us have jobs, all of us have to have jobs (Fishy likes to eat us out of house and home and we have bills, bobs and brendas to pay). Recently there have been some reports about an actor from the well known and long running TV show Eastenders being papped working as a security guard. Well now, there seems to be a rule for big fishes and little ones and so we repeat again that we all have jobs. Some of us even two or three other jobs to keep us going. 

Here is a list of jobs that we Fishes are do either at HQ or freelance;

1.     Sound Engineer

2.     Copywriter

3.     Producer

4.     Director

5.     Social Media curator

6.     Role Player

7.     Sound Designer

8.     Trainer

9.     Coach

10.Consultant

The list goes on and on. We are proud of being slashers and having one/two/three jobs or more. Its what we enjoy, what we do and who we are. We actually revel in the constant flux and flow of our lives. Yes we all voice but yes we do so many other things that we would chat your ear off at dinner parties when you ask that “So what do you do?” question.

You may be asking yourself why would you have to work all these jobs – and the answer is that unless you are a well-known personality or celebrity or acclaimed actor then chances are that you won’t be voicing all day and all night all the time. (Though if you do narrate audiobooks then you probably are and we applaud you, as that is a long slog). The reality is also that your voice will voice what it can. So Fishy won’t be able to voice Cat or Dog (well Fishy can try but let’s face it Fishy can’t). And Cat and Dog won’t be able to voice Fishy. It means that your voice won’t be on trend all of the time.

Also working means that you gain insight and experience of real people which is incredibly important as a performer. When you get cast in any role, you can think about experiences that may have been similar and then get into character more easily and get it more.

However, if you happen to book a regular equitably-remunerated voiceover gig then yep give up the day job (well if you want to – I mean it might be quite fun right Fishy?!). Many voiceover artists work real jobs because they need the income, they might need to because of their life situation or they might not need to because of their life situation and voicing is their only income. The point is that we are all different fishes swimming in the sea and we all need to pay the bills and there is nowt wrong with that. It means you are a grown-up who knows that this is what it means to be a working professional voiceover artist.

How often should a Voiceover Artist record a new showreel?

If you are inexperienced or if you’re on your first or second voiceover showreel, wait until you’ve done a few paying jobs. 

That extra experience will help, because with voiceovers, there is a very steep learning curve in the beginning. 

Your next voiceover showreel will already be much smoother and your skills will be improved even after such a short time.

I’ve worked with many voiceovers who are still new to the game, and after a few rounds in studio, it’s like they’re a different voiceover. 

More confident, better and really starting to find their own style.

Once you’ve had a certain amount of experience, the learning curve isn’t as steep anymore. Now you just have to make sure your voiceover showreel is “acting your age”. You don’t need to re-record your showreel every year.

You can refresh your existing showreel every couple of years or so. Do some simple editing, adding new voiceovers you’ve done and take out some of the older work.

Then, completely re-record a new voiceover showreel every four years. Too often I’ve heard people sound really young on their demo, and then when you get them in studio, they sound nothing like they do on their showreel.

If your voiceover showreel is letting you down, if you recorded a showreel that you were never really happy with or if you aren't getting booked any more, do it now!

How do Voiceover Artists unwind?

Being a Voiceover Artist is the greatest job in the world (ok, ok we are all totally biased). And we could do this day in and day out and night and weekends as well. But actually, steady on. As much as we love to voice, record the voices, edit and direct our huge aquarium of voices we actually also love to sleep, eat, chill, love, watch films, read books, listen to podcasts and a whole lot more.

Despite loving our voices and voiceovers with a passion we also realise that we need to take a step back and have a break. Here at BigFish Media each of us and our voices have different ways to relax and recharge. It is really important to take a break. It is a great way to get out of your head – which is all the more important if you are a character voice actor where you play different roles and emotional states.

Some of the activities we do to relax and change our perspectives are archery, trampolining, going to the cinema, making music, going to the theatre, going for long walks in the woods, dancing, reading, writing, shoe shopping and sometimes having long naps with the dog. And these are all fantastically wonderful hobbies to have and practice. The reason we all need a break and/or a hobby is to have a break and a change. The change in perspective is great for then coming back to work as you can fresh new insight and experiences that will benefit your work.

What sort of hobbies do you have? We love chilling out and it helps us to better producers, directors, engineers and voiceover artists. When we watch films, we take in new worlds and how the film was made that can help directing. When we play music, it helps us with timing and musicality. When we dance, it helps us with breath work. And well when we have a snooze with our pup it really helps us totally unwind so we can wake up all bright eyed and scaly tailed.

Voiceovers are our passion but we also ensure that it doesn’t become a stressor in our lives. We work hard to ensure voices don’t get stressed either. We ask for scripts and copy to be sent in at least 24 hours before hand and we try and ensure the voice knows what the clients want so they can deliver their needs. Come and listen to our Voiceovers, all sustainably sourced and chilled.