Play Episode 7

Episode 7 of my podcasts is now released. This month we’re talking to Paul Dean from Crimson leaf, about the importance and the many applications of good copywriting. Also discussing the latest Apple announcements, the controversy surrounding Autotuning-gate, and could the popular iPhone (and now Android) game Angry Birds be coming to a cinema near you?

It’s 6 days to go until the iPhone 4 will be in my hands. I’ve been thinking today about how it will change my existing user experience, new features that I will start to use, how it will change or enhance the functions I already enjoy using the iPhone for. Just how different is it likely to be?

I suppose really, the first question would be, when are you getting yours? I’ve seen today that o2 have stated that only existing o2 customers will be able to buy the new iPhone 4 at launch, as they have priority, with new customers coming to o2 not being able to purchase until at least the end of July. That’s great news for me, as I’m an existing customer; hopefully it means that they WILL have some handsets in my local o2 store next Thursday, so I can walk away a very happy customer!

With all the new features that Apple have crammed into this new unit, what do you think you will use the most? Has it really enhanced what you already use it for? I know I for one am looking forward to the built in HD camcorder, with the ability to publish immediately to youtube; instant video blogging! It doesn’t get much more powerful than that in my opinion!

Taking photos on my existing iPhone has always been a drag, with there only being a 2MP camera on the 3G unit. Pics are ok, but any movement, or anything less than bright sunshine and they look hideous. a 5MP camera is a very welcome addition for me.

Facetime, the video calling functionality between iPhone 4-iPhone 4 calls, is an absolute revolution. The picture quality seems much higher than anything I’ve seen with other 3G phones offering similar functionality. Of course, this is only enabled via a wifi network, but I’m sure as the carriers progress, we’ll be able to see it appear on 3G signals in the future. (Eventually). Of course, this isn’t anything that I’m expecting to utilise all the time, just a nice feature for when the need/want arrives.

The battery. Oh….the battery. Yes I’ve had some very long love affairs with my power cable of recent. I’ve been using it quite a bit, so have often had to top it up whilst I’ve been working at my Mac. I’m told by a friend of mine who has a 3GS currently, that the battery was significantly better in that unit – plus now in the new iPhone 4, allegedly 40% increase in battery storage, I should have a very nice surprise by the time I come to get mine! Hopefully I won’t have to spend as much time plugged in as I have been so far. The phone, that is.

So what about you? How will this change things for you? Bring on your specifics!

Richard Heathcote, Voice Over Artist

Whilst surfing a few of the interwebs having a break yesterday, I stumbled across this. Very very cool optical illusion that looks fab!

It’s the kind of thing I’d love on one of my walls!

Richard Heathcote, Voice Over Artist

Hopefully destined for a Sky TV channel, this is a TV promo that I recently voiced.

Richard Heathcote, Voice Over Artist

Recently I watched the BBC series “The Virtual Revolution”. Being a bit of a techie geek on the quiet, it’s stuff that very much interests me, all things internet, social media and beyond.

I have to say, it was an absolutely fantastic series that explored the origins of the internet and how it’s changed our lives whether we want it to or not, and the revolution of how it’s affected business globally too. For many of us who are small businesses, (and big businesses for that matter), the uses within the internet today for marketing ourselves is just inspiring; something we could never have imagined 20, 15, 10 or even 5 years ago. The revolution in social media networking for personal and business, blogging, video and audio multimedia on our websites and social networks, viral videos through YouTube – there really is no limit to what we can achieve. If you set your mind to it, and target it in the right way, your message can reach hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands or even potentially millions, for very little effort or money.

This, to me, is just staggering, and gives me so many ideas of what I can do to further market myself online, as currently, I don’t pay for any advertising whatsoever. I just don’t think it works at all well in my industry; all of my clients come through the web and word of mouth recommendation – and I know this is the case for many people I’ve been speaking to of recent.

So, to get your brain thinking about the virtual revolution, I suggest you check out their page on the BBC site, and look out for a repeat!

And, if you hadn’t guessed what my opinion is – the revolution is definitely GOOD!

Richard Heathcote, Voice Over Artist

Is It Worth Paying For A Voice Over Artist?

This may be a question that you’ve asked yourself before, or for a lot of you, it probably wouldn’t have even crossed your mind. But there is certainly a proportion of society that own businesses, or are in charge of high profile brands that must at times ask themselves this question. Is it worth paying for a professional voice over artist to promote their brand/company?

The simplest answer is of course, you get what you pay for. If you have a guy in the office who ‘has a pretty good speaking voice’, who you think should be the voice of your podcasts, or online/media/TV related promotional material, then fair play to you. Have you ever heard that person’s recorded material before? Do you trust them to be ‘the voice’ of the company/brand? Are you ok with the fact that when people hear that voice they’ll associate it with your company? These aren’t all negative points, far from. This counts as for better or indeed for worse. If they are for better, then excellent, give it a chance!

However, if they sound like a totally different person, which is actually more often the case, then you really should think about bringing in a professional; someone that is used to performing in front of a microphone. The thing is, when you put a regular person in a studio environment, in front of a professional studio microphone, it’s like sticking a big lens of a camera in someone’s face; it can be extremely off-putting. Some people tend to freeze, not know what to do or say, change the pattern of their speech, their tone, timbre, level, pitch, or worse, be completely monotone.

If this happens, you could have wasted time in the studio and need to rebook when the person has composed themself, or wait for a professional to take over!

The good thing with hiring a voice artist, is that we’re completely used to all this; We know how to handle a microphone, and chances are, we know exactly how to lift your script by performing the words that are on the page, rather than just simply ‘reading’ them. (A quality you don’t often get when audio tracks are home-made).

So, the next time you have a requirement for a voice track, be it a TV advert, a podcast, corporate video, web audio of any sort, the question you need to ask yourself is, in the long term, is it worth paying for a professional voice over artist? The answer is up to you.

Want more information? Check out my main website: www.richardheathcote.co.uk

Richard Heathcote, Voice Over Artist

I just thought I’d share with you one my latest projects – a national UK television advert for Autosport International. The advert is being broadcast currently, through Nov/Dec 09 up until middle of Jan 2010 on:

You can either catch it on those channels, or if you’d like to see it right away, you can view it below )

Wherever you are in the world, whenever you watch the news nowadays, you’ll very rarely find an article that is uplifting, or just something that makes you think ‘whoah, that’s quite impressive’. Well, certainly I don’t anyway. That’s why generally speaking, I try not to watch the news that much anymore; it’s just far too depressing.

Not that I spend my entire life living on YouTube either, but more often than not, on there I regularly find some incredible videos of great human achievement, perseverance, and effort, that you just know a lot of work has gone into getting them where they were when they filmed it. So, on that note, here’s a small selection for now of videos I just like, for various reasons, of people with great talents and achievements.

I’ll be bringing more of these sorts of videos on a regular basis, as and when I find them, as I think even if they just simply bring a smile to your face, it’s done it’s job.

So, no matter where you are in the world, find something that uplifts you, and pass it on.

As a Voice Artist, it’s obviously of utmost importance that I look after my voice as best I possibly can. Technically of course, my voice should be insured, but I kind of haven’t got round to that yet. Ho hum.

Like with any business, you have tools of the trade; computers, phones, stationery; we all need them. My main tool happens to be my voice, and it’s the thing that gets used most often. Just like your favourite laptop, it needs some TLC every so often. The thing you may not realise is that your own voice is just as much an important part of your business life as well.

I make money from using my voice. But you know what? So do you. Maybe you’re a business owner, self employed, one-man-band – you’re the only person that can sell your business. If your voice is out of action, it’s just the same as when your computer fails; it needs to be looked after and treated with care. Your voice is your best asset in selling yourself. Just using email alone for the most part just won’t have the same effect.

On a day to day basis, I try and avoid situations that are going to overly tax my voice, like trying to talk in loud places for other people to try and hear, I don’t go karaoke’ing (!), and I try not to be in any situation that requires me to shout. When I’m working on voice projects, I always try and record material (not always possible due to client deadlines) in the afternoons/evenings, as it’s when my voice is warmed up properly.

Quite often, now I think  about it, my voice is often at it’s optimal late at night – I’ve always been a night owl, and if I was ever to do a movie trailer, that’s when I’d much prefer to do it! Bring on the ‘Don LaFontaine‘ voice!

If you’re the type of person who has to regularly speak and present in front of other businesses, maybe in a networking environment, then you really should be looking after your voice on a daily basis, by following the advice above, and also to make sure you keep your throat well hydrated. Drink plenty of water, get a good night’s sleep, and when you don’t need to use your voice, don’t use it – relaxation periods for it are just as important as exercising it. Just like a sportsperson, you should always warm up and cool down when using your voice; you wouldn’t get up in the morning and suddenly run a marathon (I know I wouldn’t, but for very different reasons!).

Now I’ve been following my own advice for about a year or so, (since I’ve become a voice artist), I’ve certainly found my voice is better off for it, and I think you will too. Even if you’re not someone who presents or speaks in public regularly, it’s still worth taking care of your voice, no matter what you do for a living.

I’ve been pondering about things today. One thing that suddenly appeared in my consciousness was VOing movies….

Don LaFontaine, a God to many voice artists around the globe. A man you probably wouldn’t recognise in the street, but listen to him for a split second and you’d know instantly.

He was the man, who, on virtually every movie trailer ever made in the last 2 or 3 decades, was the gravelly voice behind them. The ultimate in narration jobs! He died early on in 2008, but to many people, his voice will always live on. If you’ve never seen him do his stuff, then you should take a look at this.