VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[mythwoman]

Hi All,

The link below is to a sample page my designer came up with. I told him that I'd like to have my resume and Bio page up since I've gotten work.
http://www.justsaymary.com/resume/resume.html

It's not complete, he just put something together and asked for my opinion.

Now I'd REALLY like yours.

Take care,
Mary

[richvoice]

Hi Mary,

I like your name graphic.

The one thing that looks weird to me is 2-5 years of experience. Either you have five years of experience or you don't. I'm not sure if I'd put that in, but if you do, just put the right number of years.

And on-going is hyphenated.

Cheers,
Rich

[mythwoman]

Actually, the Bio itself was lifted from my Voices.com page. I forgot all about that. You see, I wouldn't notice these things without you guys!

Yeah, I should probabky get rid of that. There are some sentences I want to change in there too, but the over all look was my biggest concern.

Thanks Rich!
Mary

[Frank F]

I am not a big fan of putting a bio on a website. This is especially so when it does not specifically apply to VO work as a whole.

Reasoning: Bio's date the person. Bio's inform of ones limitations as well as one's accomplishments. Bio's typecast. Bio's involved with VO can keep a VO artist from getting a gig with a competing company or business if the artist has created gigs for their competition. Bio's look to the past, not to the future. Bio's limit growth by showing on what an artist HAS accomplished, not what you can/will accomplish.

O.K., now the other side of the coin. With a bio an artist shows he/she is a real person with real drives and motivations. An artists bio also reveals interests and desires (although in the past tense). Bio's can accomplish a sense of immediate camaraderie, or sense of quasi kinsmenship between two parties - maybe the artist and the producer have some common interests...

From experience, a web site should move forward, not back. A VA's website should (1) develop in the viewer a sense of movement, (2) a sense of skill held - by the presentation of the demo's, and finally (3) a need to contact the Voice Artist - immediately for the Producers next project.

If an artist believes the Bio will help accomplish an instant esprit de corps with a person who may hire him/her AND the three items listed above, then by all means add the biography page.

Hope that helps in your decision and choices.

Toodles

F2
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Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com

[bransom]

Hi, Mary,

So I waited to make my first post here until something came up that I actually know something about. My real job is as an art director and creative director so I figured this one I could answer...

Anyhow, my complaint on your bio page has to do with typography: The page is visually very dense. The type size is a bit large and the leading (the spacing between lines) is too tight, giving the page a full, grey feel. I suggest taking the font size down a couple points ... not tiny, by any means, but a little smaller. Then increase the leading slightly. This should open the page up, making it feel lighter and giving the impression that there's not as much information as there actually is.. Also, section headlines would help visitors scan the page quickly for information while also helping break up the denseness of the type.

Hope this helps!

Bob

[mythwoman]

Bob and Frank,

Thanks for your time and input. I'll tell my designer for certain. I'm starting to wonder if a Bio page is even necessary now. A resume page should be okay though right?

I don't have a huge client list because the majority of my work has been animation. I've been doing voices for two anime companies and then some separate cartoons on the side. It's not the same as having a client list/page that says things like American Airlines, Radioshack, Maybelline and so on.

I hope that having an agent may change that.

Take care!
Mary

[mcm]

Mary, if you want to focus on animation, you might consider replacing the bio with pictures of the characters you've done so far. If you intend to branch out, then perhaps just one page, with your demos, is all the "bio" you want right now.

[mythwoman]

Hi MCM,

It's a great idea but the anime shows I've done in the last two months are in the super long phase of development to DVD. I did a character for the next Case Closed Movie at Funimation three weeks ago. I don't think it'll be out till 2009. One project is still in animation mode since my voice was recorded first. My hope is for 2009 too. And then there's ANOTHER cartoon project I recorded in May and it too is in heavy stage of animation, destined for 2009 I guess.

And then there's the whole permission/copywrite drama.
Not long ago I put a link up on youtube to show folks here a video of work I did on a cartoon show. Now even though I didn't put the video up, the client who produced the series wasn't happy that I was sharing the link with everybody. So not only was the video taken down on youtube, I was asked to go to every voiceover board and delete ALL my messages with the link. It was a totally weird situation but in the end, this makes me afraid of putting images on my website of characters.
I've only found a few pictures from about two anime show characters I've voiced out of twenty shows I've done so far.

It's a very good idea but pictures may have to wait.

Thanks MCM!
Mary

[Frank F]

Mary,

I have sent you some thoughts via PM.

You have good ideas and I wish you luck,

Toodles

FF
_________________
Be thankful for the bad things in life. They opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before. email: thevoice@usa.com