Q It Up: How do you know what to charge for your freelance work?
Q It Up: If you're not a union talent and don't have a talent agent, how do you know what to charge for your freelance work – voiceover, copywriting, and/or production? And if you're an independent producer/talent doing this fulltime, same question. How did you come up with your rates? Do you think your rates are low, high, or pretty much in line with the average rates? Do you have to negotiate low rates to get new business and hold on to existing clients? Or do you find that clients are willing to pay more for better work and service? If you are a member of SAG/AFTRA and/or have a talent agency setting your rates, what are your thoughts on the rates you charge? Do you think non-union talents have any impact on union rates?
Production 212: Number One? At What, Exactly?
by Dave Foxx
It's time to slim down. Fall is upon us and with it comes a LOT less cover. The flab we've been working on since before the Summer began, needs to go... and no, I don't mean fat! I'm talking about all those sweepers that are crispy-fried critters, lurking in the system, played out beyond anything that could be called reasonable. Oh, come on. We all do it. We produce a bunch of sweepers that everybody loves and then don't think about them again until a few months later as we drive home and hear one. Oops.
Radio Hed: Whole Brain Radio
by Jeffrey Hedquist
Much of the radio advertising we experience today doesn't engage any part of our brain, nervous system, heart, lungs or other internal organs. There's no story, no conflict, no reality, no interest, no connection, no results. I call it no-brain radio, which is a shame since there are brains waiting to be engaged. We're all familiar with the Left Brain: logical, sequential, rational, analytical, objective; looks at parts. And Right Brain: intuitive, holistic, synthesizing, subjective, looks at the whole. But it's the Middle Brain – the seat of emotions and feelings, and the Old Brain – home of the decision-making process where we as advertising experts can work our magic.
Test Drive: Compassion and EQuality from DMG Audio
by Steve Cunningham
No, this is not about world peace. It's about DSP, because Dave Gamble has been writing DSP code for years, for companies including Focusrite, Sonalksis, and my current favorite specialty plug company, Brainworx. While helping these companies develop sophisticated DSP-based audio products, Dave decided to strike out on his own. In early 2009, Dave founded DMG Audio to develop and market his own software processors. His latest efforts include a compressor and a couple of equalizers, all of which sport features that illustrate Dave's penchant for thinking well outside the box. This month we'll have a look at two of them: EQuality is an equalizer, while Compassion is a compressor.
...And Make It Real Creative: One of Those Days
by Trent Rentsch
So, it's been one of those days. Woke up late, forgot breakfast, spilled my first cup of coffee on my shirt, computer crashed, spilled second cup of coffee on my pants during re-boot, cat got out when I went home for lunch, burned the roof of my mouth ON lunch, cat got out again as I was heading back to work, computer crashed again, spilled my 14th cup of coffee all over my shirt and pants... Hot! Hot! Hot!! And then there was work. Oh yes, it lived up to its name today. Or perhaps I didn't live up to my potential. At this point, the blame is less important than the struggle. Hours searching for the "perfect" music bed that never appeared, words that refused to shuffle together to make a decent piece of copy (or 5), revisions of work I was actually fairly happy with, mixes that just, well, didn't... oh, and don't get me started on voice-over today! Whine! Whine! Whine!!
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