Production 212: I Are A Radio Producer
by Dave Foxx
...I have to say that the Internet has done one huge disservice to humanity. The one thing that has been relegated to the junkyard of history for many is grammar. As a voiceover actor, I've been directed to curse (so they can bleep it), use goofy accents and even sing, which is usually a really bad idea, but I do them all without any hesitation. What usually stops a recording session and often generates a phone call or email, is bad grammar. What is it about commas that people don't get? Why are colons and semicolons only used as part of emoticons? Why don't people know that its and it's mean entirely different things? Why do people think it's OK to switch from first person to third person and back again, all in the same sentence?
Q It Up: "How do I get started in Voiceovers?"
Q It Up: "How do I get started in Voiceovers?" This is probably one of the most common questions people in radio production are asked, whether it's by your neighbor, the jock down the hall, the sales guy down the other hall, or the interns that come and go. How do you answer the question? What advice do you offer? If you're doing professional VO work, whether it's on the side or full-time, how did you get into doing voiceovers? What has been key to your success?
Technology: Online Marketing For VO 2012
by Steve Cunningham
For those of us in radio and voiceover who are responsible for our own online marketing, or for marketing others via websites and social media, the old Confucian curse "may you live in interesting times" has never been more apt. Just about the time we all got used to "Web 2.0" and Facebook it all changed on us. What's more, the rate of change has continued to accelerate for the past couple of years (despite a vicious and tenacious recession), and it continues apace. This month we'll be diving into deep online territories, some of which used to be inhabited by sketchy internet marketers, in an effort to maximize our visibility online in 2012.
Radio Hed: One Voice Dialogue Can Save Your Commercial
by Jeffrey Hedquist
You've written a dialogue spot but you don't have available or affordable talent who can make it work. Don't compromise its effectiveness with non-actors. But don't kill that concept yet. Get one voice to do both parts. It can work better than an unnatural conversation between a salesperson and traffic director trying to act, and it might just be different enough to stand out. Rewrite your dialogue commercial as if it were part of an audiobook. You'll have to trim the script to fit in the transitional "he said, she replied, he mumbled" phrases, but now it can work.
Feature: When the Client Wants To "Voice His Own Commercial"
By Deborah Hopkins
It's a writer worst nightmare. That's the moment when the General Manager of your radio station leans forward and says to the client, "Would you like to voice your own commercial?" Suppressing the urge to run from the meeting screaming "NOOOO..." you hold your breath, hoping the advertiser will decline, leaving you a free creative hand to pursue writing concepts that only a professional voice talent can successfully pull off. This of course is not to say that you can't create highly effective, even memorable radio commercials voiced by the client. Clearly The Boss has every confidence that you can do just that, as in the case of some amazing spots I heard recently that were created for a tile company. The client was a master craftsman, a veritable tiling artist, who personally had a hand in every project his company took on. He also had a huge passion for his work, and he had a charming Italian accent.
"...And Make It Real Creative!": A New Toolbox
by Trent Rentcsh
I'm often accused by certain members of my family (ok, and by some friends too) of being a bit of a Gearhead. Perhaps they have a point. As I write this, I seem to be surrounded by a, uhm, small bit of audio equipment. While it's true that, yes, much of it hasn't been powered up in some months (yet not nearly enough months to use the word "years"), I know I will use it at some point... perhaps. For instance, those power amps each have one good channel... I might use them both to create a stereo feed for my monitors... you know, as a backup? Oh, and that box of MIDI cables (there must be, I don't know, 12? 47?) will REALLY come in handy if I... ah... ever use a keyboard again that doesn't have a USB port (yeah, that's it)!
The Monday Morning Memo: Gold Laughs at Stocks and Bonds - A Look at Personification and Brandable Chunks
by Roy H. Williams
Gold, for thousands of years, has been the world's only truly secure investment. The economy ebbs and flows, like the tide. It always has. It always will. But gold is like the Rock of Gibraltar. Safe. Secure. Indestructible. If all the gold in the world were melted into a single cube, that cube would be only 22 yards per side. Gold is astoundingly rare. As an investment, gold is liquid. Its value and desirability are international. Gold laughs at stocks and bonds. Gold is beautiful. Gold, in all its forms, is the thing to own. Come and meet your gold at Austin Rare Coins & Bullion.
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