More and more, the audiobook industry is heading in the direction of using narrators who have their own home studio. This trend is simply a reaction to the economy of scale that has come with the explosion of books being produced every year. The need to increase the number of titles produced, the streamlining of the recording process and, of course, staying within a company’s budget have all combined to make the individual narrator the preferred choice for many if not most audiobook projects.
But for the actor trying to break into the industry, or even an established narrator trying to make the switch to working from home, this new reality is at once an unfamiliar circumstance and a high stakes game that demands quick mastery with little room for error. This new work environment means that the narrator must be aware of multiple aspects of the project at once. They become the actor, the engineer, the director and the producer every time they step into their booth; it’s as if they are wearing four hats at once.
The Actor
Though this is the most familiar role that the narrator has, it can present several unique challenges. Of course, getting used to working in the booth, or “The Box” as it’s sometimes called, for hours on end while staying totally focused on the material is a must; claustrophobics need not apply. But also there are the issues of voice production, diction, posture, breathing and learning to work with the microphone; not to mention performing without an audience for feedback. Each one of these things on its own can present problems that may take some time to overcome and then master.
The Engineer
Going from the most to the least familiar, the job of being a sound engineer has stymied many an actor. What equipment to buy, the right microphone placement, the proper arrangement of all the gear inside the booth, dealing with the issues of noise outside the booth and learning how to record and edit are just a few of the myriad things that must be dealt with. Was there a “pop” on the microphone during that last take? Was that edit clean or did it cut off the end of that last sentence? Let’s do that take again…there was a jet flying over as well as too much “mouth noise.” Of all the hats to wear, this one by far is the hardest to make fit.
The Director
Not to belabor the obvious, but every book is its own unique project and presents its own distinctive challenges. What is the author’s style and voice? Is this book part of a series? How will you play a scene that has five German men of the same approximate age? Where can you find the pronunciations for all these obscure Hungarian towns and Russian character names? Should these charts and tables be incorporated into the narration, and if so, then how? What is the tempo of Part One and how is it different from Parts Two and Three? When are the best times to narrate, so the actor is fresh and focused? All these questions must be dealt with before the record button gets pressed.
The Producer
Finally, standing at a distance from the project is the producer. Scheduling is the secret to making your deadline. It’s like that old joke, “How do you eat an elephant? One forkful at a time.” If it takes the actor six hours of work a day to produce two hours of finished material and this book looks to be twelve hours long, then it will be done by…Friday; the deadline gets met and everyone’s happy. The producer then fields a call for a rush job that pays double the normal rate but falls smack in the middle of another audio project. Doing the math, he realizes that to make both deadlines means recording an extra two hours a day for 11 days straight. Can the actor’s voice hold out? Are these deadlines firm? What happens if there’s a problem? Does this client pay on time? Calculations, bargaining and planning are the key to this complex puzzle.
Lastly, there’s the pressure to wear all these hats at the same time; thinking, performing, managing, preparing and listening. Throw in the challenge of having to be your own boss and motivate yourself to get back in the Box, day after day, and it’s no wonder why being a home based audio narrator is a job only a few actors ever truly master.
Sean Pratt - A 25 year veteran, I teach actors about the business of the Biz; holding workshops, writing articles, posting videos & career coaching. ...
