We want to work with you to make sure your project is a success. We also want you to be able to save time and money wherever possible.

How We Work Together

Here are some ways we can work together more effectively and efficiently.

• Send us your script in advance so our voice talent can pre-read it prior to the recording session. They co this at no charge before the session rather than being "on the clock" when they're handed the cold script at recording time.
  
  
• A phone patch is available to listen/direct during the recording session should you be unavailable to travel to Sedona. Call for current pricing.
  
  
• All of our voice talent and employees sign a Confidentiality Agreement. If your script contains proprietary, confidential or business-sensitive information, you can rest assured it will not be disclosed.
  
• We also need to sign a Contract with you to protect us both. Please print and complete the contact, then then mail or fax it to us.

Production Guidelines & Tips

Scriptwriting for Voice-Over

If you follow these guidelines, we'll save time during recording...which saves you money!

• Avoid typing your script in all capital letters. The eye sees words in ALL CAPS as blocks or rectangles. The brain distinguishes between words by seeing the shapes letters make in upper and lower case.
  
  
• Double space your script, or at the very least, use one and a half line spacing.
  
  
• Don't break a sentence over two pages or you risk getting the dreaded "paper shuffling noise" that will ruin the take.
  
  
• Use dashes, and sometimes even words, to indicate how you want a number read. For example, the number 409 could be read one of three ways, depending on how it's shown in the script.
  
  • 409 would be read "four hundred nine"
    
    
  • 4-zero-9 would be read "four zero nine", while 4-oh-9 would be read "four oh nine".
    
    
• Some people like phone numbers read with the numbers grouped, while others want each number read separately. The number 204-1693 could be read:
  
  
  
  • "two zero four sixteen ninety three" if written 2-zero-4-16-93, or
    
    
  • "two zero four one six nine three" if written 2-zero-4-1-6-9-3.
    
    
• Also use dashes to indicate how letters are to be read, as in an acronym. The Arizona Department of Transportation's acronym, for example, could be read either: "A dot" (A-DOT), or "ADOT" (A-D-O-T).
  
  
• Use parentheses only to explain something in a script. Voice talent will not read aloud anything in parentheses. You can use parentheses to give pronunciation guides, such as how to pronounce our city's name in a script. "The beautiful red rocks of Sedona (suh-doe-nuh) will take your breath away.
  
  
• If you use an outline or numbered list in your script, the voice talent will read the letters or numbers before the sentence. This is not user-friendly to the ears, even if there is an accompanying on-screen graphic, and should be avoided. Instead, just let the voice talent read the sentence and let your graphic show it's a numbered list or outline.
  
  
• For a comfortable, non-hurried read, keep these guidelines in mind:
  
  • 75 words = 30 seconds
    
  • 150 words = 60 seconds
    
    
• When counting words, remember to count numbers the way they'll be read. For example, the phone number 282-6709, if written 2-8-2-6-7-zero-9 would count as seven words. And remember to deduct words for any music or sound effects.
  
  
• Even though we're in Sedona, we're not psychic. Making your script as clear as possible helps everyone. If you have specific questions while writing your script, give us a call, we're glad to help.
  

Select Your Production Music

Except for the engineering required, there is no additional fee for you to use music from our library. If you are interested in reducing engineering fees, you can select your music in advance on the web. That way, the only billable time we have is actually placing it into your production.

We use the complete music library from Narrator Tracks, so to audition music in advance, go to www.narratortracks.com. Once there, go to their "Samples" page. Each volume they've produced is on that page, accompanied by a description of the type of music on that particular volume. You can then go into any volume and listen to the different cuts available.