MCM Voices Newsletter
Volume II No. 2 - February 2008 |
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Voice-over Rates. After writing about "perceived value" in last month's newsletter, I wrote several essays about setting rates and further developed my thoughts on perceived value - specifically as these apply to voice-over but the same principals may apply to any business. These essays are particularly relevant to small business owners who must set their own fees.
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MCM News
a few highlights...
New Year Kick-off. Although my month has not been quite as spectacular as Sunday night's game it got off to a good start, with a nice mix of real estate tours, commercials for January sales, and corporate narrations. January can be a slow time for business, but if your client "garden" includes a good blend of annuals and perennials, a variety of colors, and both slow-and fast-growing "plants", your company should always be a busy place. |
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Ach carramba! The course I took in Medical Spanish at the local college last month was very useful and I learned a lot of vocabulary. I'm now taking a semester-long course in Spanish Contemporary Culture. But after receiving more German narration work in January, I figured I should brush up on German as well. I've survived the first week of the semester! These classes are wonderful. I'm greatly looking forward to the German Department's May Festival, at which all of us are invited to perform- to sing, dance, or tell German jokes! |
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Avian Bloopers.
MCM Voices' never-ending quest to
get the right bird sounds into the
soundtracks of the world
This column has highlighted mistakes sound designers make in creating the sound tracks for films and commercials. Last month's Avian Bloopers was about the mistakes birds sometimes make, as when a White Pelican ended up in western Massachusetts in January. This month I wanted to point out what might seem like a blooper but is actually an annual event, and a cheering sight for those of us a bit worn out from the winter weather: the return of Red-winged Blackbirds to their northern haunts for the summer. In April, you say? On the contrary: at the end of February!! Actually, some red-wings are year-round residents, just as large populations of American Robins can be seen all year even in the northern parts of North America. So, why not start taking daily walks to the local marsh in about 2 weeks and let me know when you see or hear the first one. The males arrive first to try to claim the best real estate, and they're very vocal.
If you need help avoiding avian bloopers of the human-origin variety, just ask!
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Male Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus |
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That's all for this month.
Keep moving forward -
Mary C. McKitrick
Drop me a line!
413-320-1181
© Mary C. McKitrick, 2008. All rights reserved. |
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