Is there an exact name for this?

[RobMacki]

I was scheduled for an afternoon to record a VO insert and build a template from an OMF for a series of monthly spots for a regional health care group. In the middle of our VO session, this yahoo knocks on the door. (my studio control room has side entrance and is an addition on my house) I'm clueless as to what he wants as he proceeds into the control room. "Are you lost?"
The director from the production co jumps up and greets him and ushers him to the other room to wait.
The Agency was called by the marketing dir to have this guy do a demo (to replace?) the talent that we were tracking at the time.
I look at her (professional actor from S. Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and said "I have no idea". We finish tracking and then proceed with this demo session that was not on the schedule. I still needed to build the template, and deliver the series of spots which I had to finish the next morning and blew my 1st half of the next day.
And for giggles, the production co is out over 80 days to the total of over 2k.

Q: is this normal?
Q: is there an exact name for this?
Q: would you bill double?
Q: would you smile and take it?

Thanks

[Tim Halligan]

Ahhh...agency politics. What a tangled web this is. This happens all of the time, but perhaps not as bluntly as having the "new" voice turn up to the session where the "old" voice is still reading...usually the agency/production company schedule better than this. This sounds like somebody at the client's end is nervous...and given how late the project is running, they are trying to either 1) re-arrange the deckchairs on the Titanic, or 2) show to their bosses that they are doing something useful...by causing pain and stress to the poor button pusher at the end of the line - you! Don't worry, this will have caused big ripples further upstream than you...you're not alone. At the end of all of these shenanigans, somebody will have been (hopefully) fired (hopefully not you!).
So, to your questions:
1. Yes. Somebody will always second-guess somebody else's decision, and want to try it another way.
2. Yes. Stupidity/politics/client input/agency ass-covering...etc
3. Maybe...charge for all of the time you spent on the production...the production company sure will. I'm assuming that you are charging by the hour.
4.Yes. If they are paying for your time, smile and think of the money.

Invoice the production company regularly - like weekly/fortnightly - and keep on their back about payment. Re-reading your initial post, this has all the hallmarks of a potential clusterf**k. 2k/80days...


Cheers,
Tim

[alphajerk]

felching.

[Inky Goddess]

grudge alpha, that is so very nasty. and not the "good" nasty, either.