Unfiltered Thoughts

2022.10.17 – 0655 – Why We Get Studio Giggles
These are signs of nervousness and panic. Such laughter is seldom sparked off by genuine humour; it is the psyche’s safety valve blowing to release a build up of tension. Anything incongruous or slightly amusing can trigger it[1]. The audience doesn’t always see the joke, especially when the laughter erupts through a serious or tragic news item.
Self-inflicted pain is a reasonable second line defence. Some presenters bring their mirth under control by resorting to personal torture, such as digging their nails into the palms of their hands or grinding the toes of one foot with the heel of the other. A less painful way to prevent corpsing is to not permit yourself to be panicked and pressurised in the first place.
Finally, the weather forecast. Many areas will be dry and warm with some sunshine … It actually says ‘shoeshine’ on my script, so with any luck, you might get a nice light tan.BBC radio
Don't worry about fluffing your lines when performing a voice over. Everyone does it at some time or other. In this clip Richard Burton is recording his narration for “War Of The Worlds”. https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxcfBx_Xh1Yx6Ga0u-wk9nChtvdEnstxv3
[1] https://twitter.com/LashleyNicola/status/1536727759757922304 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.10.16 – 0654 – Dead Good Advice On Studio Corpsing Corpsing (that is, laughing uncontrollably)  ‘There’s one hazard that no amount of preparation can avoid: the collapse into inappropriate laughter. The Today programme website still treasures the moment when Charlotte Green kept a cool head while reading a news item about a Mr Twatt. And she would have sailed through it too, if it wasn’t for the next story — about a plucky sperm whale’[1] The smallest reference to something odd may start you laughing, or it may just be because you’re in ‘one of those moods’. Obviously, there’s room for humour on air, and many listeners can forgive the occasional mistake. That’s as long as it is not too often and they can understand what’s happened. Otherwise, they’ll be more bemused than amused and feel excluded.
If you get a fit of the giggles, look away from their cause, think sad thoughts (“I could lose my job because of this”) and dig your fingernails into your arm to give your mind something else to concentrate on.
It’s often best not to try to contain the laughter, but instead go to another pre-recorded item (preferably a song) and literally laugh-off the moment. Have a good guffaw, walk into another room, have a drink of water and try to re-establish yourself in time for the next link.
There are few threats greater to a newsreader’s credibility than that of corpsing on air. It means to dry up, grind to a halt or, worse, burst out laughing.
[1] Roland White, The Sunday Times, 30 October 2005. Here that clip here: http://tinyurl.com/mw5hyu and another similar one here: http://tinyurl.com/cst9sv Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.10.15 – 0653 – When your Insert Goes DownIn a radio or podcast studio, confusing the audience with technical jargon can compound the problem, like: “I’m sorry, but that insert seems to have gone down”. Or, “We don’t seem to have that package”.’ A package to most people is what they get from Amazon. Practise what you are going to say when something goes wrong until it becomes almost a reflex action.[1]
When that report does eventually arrive, the audience will have forgotten what it is about and the presenter should re-introduce it by re-reading or paraphrasing the cue.
Where you stumble over a word or phrase, you should judge quickly whether to repeat it. If the sense of the item has been lost, by saying, for instance, “Beecham pleaded guilty to the murder”, when he pleaded not guilty, then the sentence should be said again, correctly. Avoid the cliché, “I’m sorry, I’ll read that again”– “I’m sorry” will do. If the mistake is a minor one, let it go. Chances are the audience will quickly forget it, whereas drawing attention to it with an apology might only make it worse. Think what you can do so you not get in the situation again:·        Preparation and double-checking scripts and tech·        Rehearse the words·        Be comfortable with the read and the room, the script and the studio·        Relaxation and breathing exercises to calm you down so you can think clearly in a live studio situation.
[1] In 2017 a technical fault temporarily halted the BBC News at Ten, leaving presenter Huw Edwards sitting in silence in the studio but live on air for four minutes: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40350006 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.10.14 – 0652 – Classic Voice-Over Cock Ups

“Police are finding it difficult to come up with a solution to the murders … the commissioner says the victims are unwilling to co-operate.” (US Radio)“Well, the blaze is still fierce in many places, and as a result of this fire, two factories have been gutted and one homily left famless.” (Australian Radio)“Following the warning by the Basque Separatist organisation ETA that it’s preparing a bombing campaign in Spanish holiday resorts, British terrorists have been warned to keep on their guard … I’m sorry (chuckle) that should be British tourists …” (UK Radio)“The … company is recalling a total of 14,000 cans of suspect salmon and fish cutlets. It’s believed they’re contaminated by poisonous orgasms.” (Australian Radio)“The President is alive and well and kicking tonight, one day after the assassination attempt, just two and a half months into his pregnancy …” (US TV)“And now here’s the latest on the Middle East crisis … crisis … Lesbian forces today attacked Israel. I beg your pardon, that should be Lesbanese … Lebanese.” (Laughter) (Anon.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.10.13 – 0651 – When To Expect Verbal Trips and SlipsMany fluffs occur when you are expecting trouble, like a difficult foreign name, or when you have already fluffed and their mind is side-tracked. The irony is that the difficult name is usually pronounced flawlessly, but actually stumbles over the simple words before and behind it in the sentence. The art of the accomplished recovery is to prepare for every contingency. The worst mistake any presenter can make is to swear on air – don’t even think it; otherwise you will probably say it. The commonest problem is the recorded report that fails to appear. The introduction has been read, the presenter is waiting, and – nothing. Next to swearing, the broadcaster’s second deadliest sin is dead air. Silent airspace is worst on radio. On TV, viewers can watch the embarrassed expression on the presenter’s face. If an item fails to appear the radio presenter should apologise and move smartly on to the next. In TV, presenters will usually be directed what to do by the control room. Up to three seconds of silence is the most that should pass before the newsreader cuts in. Be honest with the audience and try not to cover up obvious mistakes. Today’s audience is quite sophisticated about how video works, and that technical aspects can go awry, and will be understanding if they are not misled about hitches and glitched… in fact they often rather enjoy them! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.10.12 – 0650 – Verbal Trips and SlipsTrips and slips‘Things’ happen. Verbal and technical slips and trips. Mouths and machines can stop working. The wrong bit of audio can come out of either of them! [1] At the same time, it is also the case that given how well equipped and familiar news people are with the demands of the job, there really should not be flaws in most news programmes. A high level of professionalism is really the expectation of everyone no matter if they are in front of the camera or behind the scenes. But when things do go wrong, the anchor or newsreader is expected to stay cool and professional. Whatever the ferment beneath the surface, no cracks must appear in the calm exterior. (The coolest recovery on record was probably that of a wartime BBC announcer who pressed on with his script after a bomb fell on Broadcasting House: https://www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/100-voices/ww2/bh-bombs) The answer is to immediately and completely dismiss the mistake from your mind and focus your total concentration on the rest of the bulletin.
[1] In this video montage – *viewer discretion advised* - a collection of presenters have verbal trip-ups resulting in them saying ‘the c-word’: https://twitter.com/jondharvey/status/1534171104629121026 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.10.11 – 0649 – Practicing Talking To Time Practice Talking To TimeAs we saw in episode 427Take some copy which has a required duration indicated on it, and read it aloud like you might in a demo, and with a stopwatch to hand. How many words did you read in 30 seconds? Or how many seconds were you over? Keep practicing until you can sensibly get the copy in the seconds required, several times in a row. Then take another script and repeat the exercise before return to the first script and seeing if the rate and the rhythm are still there. Then go back to the second script. Then take a third one, of a different style and duration and word-count, and try it all again. A further exercise would be to take your 30 second script and elongate it so it when you read it, it lasts 40 seconds, or shorten it to 25: all of these are skills that will come in useful in the recording studio. You are often presented with a script that is just too ‘word-rich’ and yes, every single one is vital. It is up to you to ‘fit the words into the seconds’ in a clear and interesting way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.10.10 – 0648 – Talking To Time Talking to time Developing a sense of time is hugely important for most people speaking ‘on mic’.

• As a voice artist you may need to record a script to the half-second accuracy. For example, a director may ask you to record a three-word tag-line “just very slightly faster”, or dub an actor’s voice or deliver a commentary over pictures in just the time the corresponding video sequence has available.
• Music presenters often need to have a sense of time to get to the end of a sentence, just as the vocals starts on a piece of music
• A radio or tv show that has opted away from a network, will have presenters who can similarly talk to time until control of their transmitters is taken back by HQ.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.10.09 – 0647 – Why We Hit Script-Reading Speed Bumps Why We Hit Speed Bumps·        Not being prepped-up, to rev-up – if your engine of articulation is not properly warmed up then it could seize up! On TV dance shows, neither the pros or the celebs go straight onto the floor and perform. Athletes don’t just put on shorts and sprint. You have to gear your speaking gear, into gear. See our section on exercises to go through, various humms and glides and your equivalent of a practice lap. Oh, and did I mention to top up with oil? Oh, sorry, water…·        Being unfamiliar with the road ahead – do you think racing car drivers’ first knowledge of the circuit is the first lap? They study it before they arrive, watch performance of other drivers on that course, and take the car for a few spins around so they can feel the bends, chicanes and cambers. Similarly, you need to know the script: take it for a drive through a few times so you know the route it’s taking and the mouth manoeuvres you will have to make at speed. Know the tricky pronunciatory turns, and where the pit stops are where you can take a breath. ·        Being sleepy at the wheel – like any good driver, especially one against the clock, you need to concentrate on what you’re doing. Get in the race zone and focus on the job at hand.·        Punctuation potholes – watch out for these; they could be littered throughout the route ahead. It may be that, even though you are the main driver of the message, you will have to fill them in yourself, so you know where to lift and subdue words, where to pause, alter your tone or even change gear. ·        Not ‘reading the road’ – you need to be scanning ahead so you can drive to the conditions, seeing the upcoming words and phrases that may cause trouble, the ones that may leap out and force you to slow down. If you see them in advance, you can mentally muster your mouth movements, preparing for your pronunciatory prosody. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2022.10.08 – 0646 – Speed-Reading Speed readingWith commercial reads especially, you have to be able to talk to time, and that may mean talking faster than you may usually do. But this can often lead to getting tongue-tied, and the almost inevitable slips and trips, and the subsequent loss of confidence … and increased time in the studio as you record take after take. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.