| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
JimRon
Club 300
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 369
Location: Rockland Cty, NY
|
 Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:52 am Post subject: Bad copy... |
 |
|
What's worse... a copywriter who can't spell? A copywriter who can write a good sentence, or a copywriter who has no idea how to use punctuation? If i see one more piece of copy with a '...' used for a period or a comma i'm going to go crazy!
Anyone else have issues with copywriters? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
louzucaro
The Gates of Troy
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 1915
Location: Chicago area
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
I'm sorry, what was the question? 
_________________
Lou Zucaro
http://www.voicehero.com
"Well, yeah, there's my favorite leaf!" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jeffrey Kafer
Assistant Zookeeper
Joined: 09 Dec 2006
Posts: 4931
Location: Location, Location!
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 11:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
the copy writer who can't write a good sentence. Why? Bad spelling and punctuation don't come through in the performance. Or at least can be corrected by the performer. But there's no way to get around bad copy.
On the other hand, when they realize it's bad copy and want a re-read, you can charge them again. 
_________________
Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DaveChristi
King's Row
Joined: 03 Aug 2006
Posts: 1033
Location: Bend, OR
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:59 pm Post subject: Re: Bad copy... |
|
|
| JimRon wrote: | What's worse... a copywriter who can't spell? A copywriter who can write a good sentence, or a copywriter who has no idea how to use punctuation? If i see one more piece of copy with a '...' used for a period or a comma i'm going to go crazy!
Anyone else have issues with copywriters? |
I'm a habitual "..." user. I use it in place of commas (not periods). That's the way I was trained. Sorry.
On another note, JIM! Welcome to the VO-BB. I feel like we're already old friends!
_________________
Dave "Christi" Felton
The Character Voice Actor |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ConnieTerwilliger
Triple G
Joined: 07 Dec 2004
Posts: 3381
Location: San Diego - serving the world
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:01 pm Post subject: Re: Bad copy... |
|
|
| JimRon wrote: | What's worse... a copywriter who can't spell? A copywriter who can write a good sentence, or a copywriter who has no idea how to use punctuation? If i see one more piece of copy with a '...' used for a period or a comma i'm going to go crazy!
Anyone else have issues with copywriters? |
JimRon - please don't go crazy - the writer is trying to tell you something using the elipses - it may not be grammatically correct for print, but for voice over scripts it is a visual clue that the writer is hearing something - they want you to DO something with that phrase - probably pause, but perhaps something else. You need to figure out what that is and determine if the punctuation works for you and your interpretation. It is a good idea to throw ALL the punctuation out and re-punctuate according to your delivery.
Whether you do that mentally or by actually marking the script, that's up to you, but there is a HUGE difference between scripts for the eye and scripts for the ear.
I have several scripts that I use in my classes that demonstrate this - you can find three of them posted on my website in the area that I use for my students. I think the third one is the one that addresses this. There is also a script in Elaine Clark's "There's Money Where Your Mouth Is" that uses the elipses in this way - Peruvian Blend - I think it is in the Announcer or Spokes chapter.
http://www.voiceover-talent.com/Three%20Reads.doc
_________________
Playing for a living...
www.voiceover-talent.com
YouTube Channel: http://youtube.com/connieterwilliger |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
louzucaro
The Gates of Troy
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 1915
Location: Chicago area
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:10 pm Post subject: Re: Bad copy... |
|
|
| DaveChristi wrote: | | I'm a habitual "..." user. I use it in place of commas (not periods). |
Me too, but usually if I'm writing something were a comic pause is intended. Elipses are funny stuff.
_________________
Lou Zucaro
http://www.voicehero.com
"Well, yeah, there's my favorite leaf!" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bobbinbeamo
M&M
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Posts: 2468
Location: Wherever I happen to be
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:28 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Welcome Jim. You'll see "..." a lot in v/o scripts. It means Pause...,. Many times "..." will go with a laundry list of bullet points, and many times the pauses are needed to synch up to some image sequence that's alread been shot and edited prior to the v/o recording.
_________________
Bobbin Beam
www.bobbinbeam.com
blog.bobbinbeam.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
billelder
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I mark every script...most of them electronically. Everyone has a different style of writing. For one show I can get a script from one of three writers. Long sentences with no punctuation need the most help. What can look OK written down can be a disaster read out loud. One thing I will do is correct grammatical errors. I've never had a complaint from doing that.
Somehow it works! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chriswagner
Contributor IV
Joined: 02 Apr 2007
Posts: 114
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The sentences the length of a mid-sized paragraph, going on and on, almost nattering in a way, kept alive by the use of a comma, here and there, that normally just sends me off the deep end, especially when the Vente sized sentence contains technical terminology or highly technical concepts that the writer wants you to get across in a natural, friendly manner.
Other than that, my big issue is a writter that comes to the session and is constantly re-writing the copy, cutting, adding... it's maddening! What's worse, having a number of people direct your delivery on a piece of bad copy or having that same number of people directing you with copy that changes nearly everytime you deliver it?
I LOVE MY WORK! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JimRon
Club 300
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 369
Location: Rockland Cty, NY
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 5:41 pm Post subject: Re: Bad copy... |
|
|
hey dave!!! glad to see you're here too.
replacing a comma is one thing, but a period? i just voiced copy where nearly every punctuation was a "...". makes it difficult to read and know where the sentence ends, though i can usually figure it out.
| DaveChristi wrote: | | JimRon wrote: | What's worse... a copywriter who can't spell? A copywriter who can write a good sentence, or a copywriter who has no idea how to use punctuation? If i see one more piece of copy with a '...' used for a period or a comma i'm going to go crazy!
Anyone else have issues with copywriters? |
I'm a habitual "..." user. I use it in place of commas (not periods). That's the way I was trained. Sorry.
On another note, JIM! Welcome to the VO-BB. I feel like we're already old friends! |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JimRon
Club 300
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 369
Location: Rockland Cty, NY
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 5:43 pm Post subject: Re: Bad copy... |
|
|
Hey Connie.
i know what the "..." means, what i meant was some copywriters use it constantly, and in the wrong places.
i typically ignore all punctuation too, except a period here and there, but it's just annoying to see them all over the place. that's all i'm saying. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Lizden
A Zillion
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 8864
Location: The dark recesses of my mind
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 7:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
SOMEone needs a "quotes" lesson DB!
Hey Jim!
Welcome to the Board...yep, as a reformed copywriter I understand your frustration...but isn't that the fun of this job!
...don't let the small dots get ya down! 
Personally the spelling is what gets me!...................oops.....sorry.........MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!
Liz
_________________
Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
louzucaro
The Gates of Troy
Joined: 13 Jul 2006
Posts: 1915
Location: Chicago area
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Their was definetly some copyrighters who cant spell to good and make allot of typo's. I've red quite a few scrips that had mispled words in them and let me tell you it was so anoying that I could of killed the guy's that wrote it!
_________________
Lou Zucaro
http://www.voicehero.com
"Well, yeah, there's my favorite leaf!" |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Lizden
A Zillion
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 8864
Location: The dark recesses of my mind
|
| Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Liz
_________________
Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
JimRon
Club 300
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 369
Location: Rockland Cty, NY
|
| Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
Hiya Lizden!
I'm too am a copywriter as well as a VO artist, and it's frustrating that as a copywriter I see other copywriters either unaware of or ignoring simple grammatical and punctuation rules. I work at a radio station as a Production Director, and I used to have a "Wall of Shame" where I posted horribly written scripts (either by an agency or by the account rep). It got pretty full pretty quickly before I was asked to take it down because it embarassed people.
I think people forget that someone actually has to read the copy and try to decifer it.
But yes... it does make the job more fun... and more interesting...
jimron...
| Lizden wrote: | SOMEone needs a "quotes" lesson DB!
Hey Jim!
Welcome to the Board...yep, as a reformed copywriter I understand your frustration...but isn't that the fun of this job!
...don't let the small dots get ya down!
Personally the spelling is what gets me!...................oops.....sorry.........MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!
Liz |
_________________
Jim Feldman
www.jimfeldman.us
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimfeldman
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JimFeldmanVoiceovers |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
