Unfiltered Thoughts

2023.01.05 – 0735 – Voiceovers For Political Ads Political adsThese are most common in the US and can be divided into these categories: [1], [2]·        Positive – promoting the attributes of the candidate with an uplifting, aspirational and honest message and tone·        Negative (or ‘comparative’ or ‘attack’ ads) – promoting a candidate by highlighting the perceived mistakes of their opponent, in a voice that can cut through in a critical or concerned, fed-up or bewildered tone. At their most tough and plain speaking, they are called ‘attack ads’. ·        The ‘Introduction to the Candidate’ Ad – explains the basic background and ‘qualifications’ of the candidate (businesswoman, ex-cop, headteacher family man, youthful renegade and so on). ·        PAC and ‘single issue’ ads - Political ads don’t just represent candidates of political parties. Political Action Committee ads are from special interest groups, lobbyists and concerned residents who highlight concerns – say, pollution, education, gun or birth rights - to support or defeat certain candidates.
[1] An archive of US political commercials: http://politicaladarchive.org/ [2] Adapted from https://www.bluewavevoiceover.com/types-of-political-ads/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.01.04 – 0734 – Movie Trailers VoiceoversMovie trailersThe ‘god’ of these was the iconic voice of Don LaFontaine who recorded more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers. At the height of his career, he was voicing 60 trailers a week. He became identified with the phrase "In a world...", used in so many movie trailers that it became a cliché.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGNqI6RYBrQ
But since his death, styles in this area as in many others have changed to one which is more informal.
Podcasts and RadioThe key skills for an announcer are: “…the ability to communicate with one person and the ability to grasp the technical side so you can forget it all and concentrate on the primary focus which is the listener. When I started announcing I was told to imagine I was talking to a little old lady in Fulham, south London. The reason was to bear in mind that I was talking to a person that may not necessarily be an avid listener to Radio 4 so I have to tempt them in to get them to listen more carefully. I’ve got to be clear in my delivery as she may be a little hard of hearing and I’ve got to grab her attention.Two of the prerequisites of an announcer’s equipment are your two ears. It’s easy to get beguiled by the equipment around you, but this is what your listeners are using and what you should be using: your perception of how the sound is, properly balanced, to check monitoring …”Chris Aldridge, presenter BBC Radio 4, “Radio: Getting Your Voice on Air” podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.01.03 – 0733 – Medical Narration SkillsMedical VOsThese can be quite content-rich and may be for professional medical education or maybe for drug or equipment reps, and will likely have pharmaceutical and physiological terminology.
Some of the information may be ‘patient facing’, for example explaining a situation for someone undergoing treatment. That will be made clear in your direction.
Your voice needs to have clear, intelligent warmth to transform what could be dense and dry scripts into inviting and reassuring explanations.  Your presentation needs to be clear and precise with the correct pronunciation of complex and multi-syllabic words and terms. Invest in a respected pharmaceutical dictionary or an online service and tell your client which one you are using. If two pronunciations are given, use the first (most common) one, and have the client agree to this or suggest any other preference. This will give you fewer pickups or retakes. For drug names contact the company directly or see if they have a pronunciation on their website or on a trusted YouTube video.
What you say will be of high interest and value to the highly educated and time-poor target audience which will be very familiar with what you’re talking about. You have to get the content, pitch and tone right too, with a sense of trust and understanding. You don’t need to be slow in your speaking speed (which could be considered patronising), but you have to be highly accurate: poor diction can give the impression that you lack confidence or knowledge about what you are reading. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.01.02 – 0732 – The 4 P’s of Speaking Outdoors VOICE BOXSpeaking outdoors ‘Public speaking’ at out-door events, garden parties, open-air weddings, theatres and so on can put an added strain on your voice, but some tips are the same as indoor work: warming up (even though the weather may be warm, you need to prepare your voice for what is to come), and hydration (again, the warmer weather may cause you to need more fluid both before and during your open-air speaking engagement[1]).
The Four PsPosture – As you will be outside, you will likely be standing and giving your presentation. Relax, don’t lock your knees but have a bit of ‘give’ in them, stand on the balls of your feet rather than the heels and have them shoulder-width apart. Relax and drop your shoulders. You may be tempted to help your voice ‘reach’ the audience by jutting your chin forward, but this not only looks odd but it can cause a strain on your neck.
Power – As we saw before when we spoke about resonance, you don’t always need to shout to make yourself heard. Power can be the combination of breath control and the use of your resonance chambers (the chest, throat, mouth and so on) to give the illusion of a greater sound, but without causing the strain that comes from sheer volume. Put simply, resonance provides the most output for the least vocal effort.
Plosives – Your enunciation will also help you cut through outside sounds: the buzz of the audience, the breeze in the trees, traffic, and birds…. So, speak clearly and put energy into plosives and the hard consonants.
PAs – using a public address system needs careful use too: don’t be too close to the mic; don’t drop your voice too much at the end of sentences; don’t speak too fast as there may be a delay in the relay of your voice from outlying speakers and some of what you say may be repeated in an echo-effect or taken by the wind.
[1] Indeed, as we will see in our section on vocal health, some medication such as for hay fever can dry out your vocal folds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.01.01 – 0731 – Sport Stadium Announcing
In this category could also come ‘announcers’ such as those as sports events. Bob Sheppard was the long-time public address announcer for more than 4,500 Yankees baseball games over 56 years. He was also the in-house voice for New York Giants football games for more than a half-century. Wikipedia says “Sheppard's smooth, distinctive baritone and precise, consistent elocution became iconic aural symbols of both the old Yankee Stadium and Giants Stadium”.Player Carl Yastrzemski once said, "You're not in the big leagues until Bob Sheppard announces your name". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n2zN9H4mb0
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.31 – 0730 – Skilling Up To Be GodlikeAdditional skills·        You need to be able to ask questions, use initiative and take direction when presenting in this situation. You need to be diplomatic: who are you taking direction from? The sound engineer, the stage manager, the MD of the company, the hotel manager…? ·        You need to work well under pressure, being script-accurate, possibly while hearing in-ear directions from a stage director.·        You must be able to recover after a stumble and able to adlib, perhaps when a ‘golden envelope’ goes missing or when you are asked to make an announcement and there’s no time to write it down and you have to compose it in your head and say it fluently. Maybe someone has pulled out from attending. You can rehearse a few ‘skeleton scripts’ (the kind of thing you would say, obviously not every single scenario) in your mind for emergencies such as an evacuation, a sudden death of a guest and so on.·        Concentration is a key skill: being ‘in the moment’ and ‘on page’, not just watching what is happening on stage and off, but taking it in and being ready in case you are ‘thrown to’.·        You need to have the patience to read a script for several hours and maintain energy.
You may be live at the event or you may be asked to pre-record the announcements. With ‘live’ you can be more involved, play to the energy of the audience and react to anything that happens. With recorded there’s the reassurance of correct pronunciations, fewer nerves and an edited and so faultless presentation, and the sound engineer at the event can press ‘play’ exactly when the next announcement is required.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.30 – 0729 – Your Godlike PresentationYour presentation·        Don’t talk too fast or information may be missed. There may be a busy room with hubbub and people mid-way through a conversation. In a large warehouse-like conference centre your voice may echo slightly and so a slower read-rate may be best. Think about how the audience is receiving the message.·        Be aware that you may need a gear change in your presentation: there may be a tribute to a colleague who’s died or a family member who can’t be there and so a change of tone is required after which you may need to be able to thoughtfully move on and raise the room again.·        You may be able to see the large audience, hear them, or at least know how many people are there[1]. Learn how to control your adrenaline and use it to your advantage, not for your nerves to throw off your performance. It comes down to some big steady deep breaths to control your voice, so it stays measured and supported. You need to appear calm and in control.·        Sips of water or apple juice will keep your mouth lubricated. But remember ‘what goes in must come out’ and you won’t be able to leave the podium to dash to the toilet. Don’t even think of having alcohol.
[1] For many big televised events such as The Oscars, the voice-over, although live, is not actually in the venue at all, least of all just off the stage. They are more likely watching a feed in a room far-off backstage, in a broadcast truck or back at a studio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.29 – 0728 – Your Bow Tie And Ball Gown Prep·        Seeing a script in advance will let you prep any unusual terminology. Perhaps it’s a sports event and you may need to give a score or a result. You may be expected to lead some kind of audience participation and explain a voting procedure or how to use a piece of tech. Even explaining where the buffet or toilets are will sound more authoritative if you know the route to the room yourself. If it’s a regular gig, be across the industry, so you are already aware and familiar with the names.·        At an awards event you will need to rehearse to get a flow of when you announce the winner for example, which can be different at every event (when the video stops, when the music starts, when an envelope is opened…). You need to have good timing and judge the length of a script to hit a beat in the walk-up music at a ceremony. You may want to ‘dress the part’ to feel part of the performance: even if you are not seen, wearing a ‘posh frock or dicky bow’ may put you in the zone for the event. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.28 – 0727 – Prepping For ‘Voice of God’ Announcements
Preparation·        Ensure you get the script well in advance so you can read and rehearse. There may be words, places, people’s names and technical terms (a trade show for medical equipment, a conference for engineers…) that you are not familiar with. At awards ceremonies, some of the categories-and-sponsor-credit names can be quite a mouthful. They may also have been written by someone who doesn’t ‘write for the ear’, with long sentences, awkward phraseology, repetitions “and the next award is for…”, “and the next award is for…”, “and the next award is for…”Take the pronunciation of names very seriously. At an awards ceremony, it is a winner’s special moment, being celebrated and honoured. They may be in front of friends, family and business associates, and their walk to the stage may be videoed for posterity, so really care to get their name correct. Don’t assume how a name might be pronounced. Speak to the organiser or the winner’s department head (or, if the winner knows they have won, to them themselves) well in advance to check out tricky names, which you can then write out phonetically and practice. Consider recording that other person giving you the pronunciation so there’s no doubt about how to say it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.12.27 – 0726 – Your ‘Voice of God’ VoiceYour voice·        In this position you are often the face, or rather the voice of the event: the conductor. Assess the brand of the events and the type of content you are reading. Is it a corporate gig or a relaxed and younger audience? Your voice needs to be representative of the client, and fit with the brand and vibe of the event. For example, if you are announcing winners at the “Scaffolder of the Year” award on a weekday lunchtime, it may be a different tone, age and style than that of the “Young Hairdresser of the Year” Award on a Friday night. If it’s a black-tie business event for lawyers, the tone may be different again. If it’s a trade show event for women’s fashion, then a female voice may be the best fit for the announcements. ·        Your voice needs to be friendly but authoritative, a style that will make people listen and act. Your voice needs to be likeable, and perhaps ‘vanilla’: it’s good to cut through but not jar. You need the attendees to understand and act on what you are saying but not notice its qualities.Don’t worry about sounding towards the ‘announcer’ side of the scale. You usually need clean enunciation, clarity of voice, and a measured voice that cuts through, but is still warm and inviting – usually said with a smile and not with a shout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.