VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[JBarrett]

I recently started working with a production company that sends me regular auditions for the jobs they're doing. I've completed one job already, and another was just awarded today. Through this work, I'm beginning to notice a pattern of subtle sloppiness in their writing: small grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, repeated phrases, etc. I've called out some of the bigger issues to them prior to recording, and the suggestions have been well-received so far. However, there are many smaller suggestions to clean things up that I hold back because I'm not sure how to best present them (if I should present them at all).

Is there some way that I can offer to run a fine-toothed comb through their copy prior to recording, and do so without damaging the relationship? I feel that I genuinely want to help them create a better product for their clients, but I'm afraid that if I continue to point out flaws in their scripts, they'll drop me from their list.
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Justin S. Barrett
http://www.justinsbarrett.com/

[Dan-O]

This may sound flippant, but, it's not: Smile. Read the copy. Thank them.

They will most often hear the mistake when you read it and make the correction on the fly. If they ask for your opinion; be polite and offer a small suggestion. If it's an audition and the mistake is an obvious typo, correct it and play dumb.

The only times I make a suggestion is when working with clients whom I have a strong relationship with and they are cutting copy for time and need efficient ways of wording a phrase. Creative copy is their job.

[bobsouer]

Justin,

What Dan said. Just had one of those the other day. Left the grammar error in, smiled and read the copy as written.
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Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
Source Connect, phone patch, pony express

[Deirdre]

After the greetings and before the actual recording begins, I'll say something like "May I ask a question about the copy? In Paragraph 3 it says 'ABCDE'. When I read that it made me think we mean 'ABDEC'. Can we also try reading it 'ABDEC'?
"I also had a question about paragraph 13: where is says [indistinct pronoun] do we mean [subject] or [object]?"
The client will say what the copy means and then I'll offer a simple re-wording to make the copy make sense.

In my experience, the client is invariably thankful that I've been so thorough about going over the script in advance. Some things might stay the same, but the client is still grateful.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Jeffrey Kafer]

I have a client that makes mistakes in EVERY bit of copy and I've never had a problem either just fixing it on the fly, or asking very politely. Now, I've been working with this client for over a year, so we have a fun, jovial relationship.

If mistakes are glaringly obvious, fix them on the fly and play dumb. Reading a really stupid mistake is belligerent obedience:

"You told me to use bleach in the laundry, and I know you meant soap. But since you *said* to use bleach, I did. And now the clothes are ruined. Your fault!"
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Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com

[Bill Campbell]

I usually just give them my "alternate" read of the sentence on the file next to theirs.
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www.asapaudio.com

[Bruce]

Yeah, if it's simple and you know you're right I'd say just go ahead and correct it as you go. I doubt they'll come back and say, "please read it the wrong way". If you're on your own and encounter bigger errors that you think you can fix I also vote for a verbal comment ahead of the problem and explain that you'll read the original plus your suggested revision. It shows you care, and if you save their bacon they'll love you all the more.


B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[JBarrett]

Thank you all for the wonderful tips! Great ideas all around.

I love this place.
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Justin S. Barrett
http://www.justinsbarrett.com/

[Lee Gordon]

I will sometimes suggest a correction but will usually present it as "I may be wrong about this, but ..." even when I know I'm right. Then I offer to do it their way and also my way as an alternative "just in case."
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice

[bransom]

Or you could try Ernie Anderson's method:

"Jesus CHRIST! What f***ing moron wrote this s**t?!??!??"
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Bob Ransom
"I really need a pithy quote here."

[Mike Sommer]

Of course Ernie would have never left the "uck" or "hi" out of f***ing or s**t.
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The Blog:
http://voiceoveraudio.blogspot.com/

Acoustics are counter-intuitive. If one thing is certain about acoustics, it is that if anything seems obvious it is probably wrong.