July 2003 RAP
July 2003 Highlights
Feature: Something Different: Theme Park Sound Design
By Sean Bell
Having worked in the radio and TV production industry for around 10
years, when I first visited the Disney and Universal theme parks in Florida
back in 1999, I was totally blown away though I must confess I probably
spent as much time trying to see "behind the scenes" as I did looking ahead
of me. The trip certainly planted the seeds of an idea, and having only
established NYPD (New Yorkshire Production Department) a few months earlier
specializing in commercial production - I decided that I wanted to diversify
into bigger sound design projects too. So on my return to the UK, I made a
call to the nearest park, Pleasure Island, which is only around 30 miles
from my home.
Interview: Rob Frazier, KLSX-FM, Los Angeles, California
By Jerry Vigil
In this era of post-consolidation, its hard to find a Production Director
working for just one station. Well, not only did we find a one-station
operation, but they have THREE full-time production people on staff. Rob
Frazier is the Commercial Production Director at Infinity's KLSX-FM in Los
Angeles, and this month we get the inside scoop on this dream gig. Its
another infrequent case of management realizing the importance of a solid
creative production team and following through by providing their sales
department with the support they need to truly succeed.
Test Drive: SFX Machine RT from The Sound City Guy, Inc.
By Steve Cunningham
Left to my own devices for this months product review, I found myself
compelled to look at a software plug-in whose sole purpose is to twist,
mangle and otherwise brutalize audio. While this plug includes some of the
usual EQ, compression, and reverb functions that one might expect in an
effects processor, its definitely not for the pristine-audio-quality crowd.
Nope, this plug-in is decidedly lo-fi, and can be just the thing when your
CD collection of promo ear-candy whooshes, sweeps, filters and zaps is
sounding tired.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - Working With
Inexperienced Voice Talent - Part 2
Q It Up: What things do you do to improve the read you
get from inexperienced voice talent such as children, interns, salespeople
that happen to be handy, and those wonderful clients who want to be on their
commercials?
Radio Hed: Listener As Hero
By Jeffrey Hedquist
We've all heard the advertising phrase "product as hero." For decades,
advertisers have endowed their products or services with powers to help us
overcome obstacles in our daily lives and bring us happiness. Advertising
stories were about consumers obtaining these things outside themselves to
bolster their own weaknesses and failings.
Feature: Inspiring Inspiration
By Ed Thompson
The empty page challenges me like a white glove slapped across my face to
mark the beginning of the duel. Writing can be like that. Armed with only
two bullet points from a rookie Account Executive and the phrase, "the
client wants something creative," we are bound by honor to take ten paces,
turn and create! As they say in New Ulm, Minnesota, "Oofta!"
So before the writers block starts building itself into a wall, I remember
the advice of one professional writer: "You're a writer. So write." I pause
for a moment. I clear my head. Then I say a short prayer and go.
...And Make It Real Creative:
By Trent Rentsch
A word of advice before you let your client rip-off every TV-land cliché.
It doesn't take copyright infringement to grab a listener by the memories
they share with every other listener. Nearly every event in your life, even
the most ridiculous, insane, "couldn't have happened to anyone else," has.
That's why building Creative around something silly like a kid wearing a
towel cape and jumping off a garage roof, or an obsessive Mother who
organizes her spice rack alphabetically and her shoes by color, will work.
Somewhere, sometime, your listeners knew these people or maybe they were/are
one of these people.
Feature: How To Write A Really Crappy Commercial The
Client Will Love; or 60 Seconds of Brilliance from 10 Seconds of Bullshit;
or How to Just Get It Off Your Desk
By Nic Natarella
We've all encountered the AE that turns in a business name, address,
phone number, and product category and asked for a commercial or a spec for
tomorrow. We've dealt with 2" by 2" newspaper ads stapled to production
orders with the instructions, "Just Be Creative" in the comments section.
We've seen a dark photocopy from the yellow pages with the business circled
and "Starts at 11:00am" scrawled in the margins. Hopefully, you've learned
getting mad and asking the GM or GSM to instruct the salespeople to do their
job, has no effect. Here are a few sure-fire ways of coming up with an
award-winning commercial* that will put a smile on the clients face, spots
on the stations log, tons of money in the AEs pocket, and mounds of revenue
in the company's coffers.
The Monday Morning Memo: One Two Three Four; A Few
Scribbled Notes Found Written in the Margins of the Wizard's Mind
By Roy W. Williams
ONE - In the language of human persuasion, verbs are more powerful than
nouns. Why is this important?
TWO - The eyes and the ears are separate organs, and the processing,
storage, and retrieval of sight and sound are accomplished in completely
unrelated parts of the brain. Why do you need to know this?
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