VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Bruce]

If you've been in this business for a while, do you find it annoying when producers give you line readings before you've even started? How about this...I've got a gentleman who charmed me into working at my lowest possible rate a while back, and he has this habit...no, make that penchant...for reading the entire commercial to me before my first read. He then critiques a phrase or two and then re-reads the commercial all the way through again before I do a second take! He did that for four out of five takes. I don't have the heart to tell this guy off, but I gotta say something. I definitely have to raise my rate with him.

Producers to be, if I may, please give your experienced talent the minimum of direction such as:

-Could you emphasize this word or phrase?

-Try showing a little more emotion...you really admire your father.

-A little peppier please...we're about 2 seconds over.

Now, if I'm being a dunderhead today and can't get it in three or four tries, then please show me what you want. But until then, trust me just a little, eh?

Rant over, and out.

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. .

[Deirdre]

Oh, boy, I hate that.

I lose the will to live about 4 seconds into the "director"s read.

I had a recent session where the clients gave a line reading every take.
Some of these boneheads are new to advertising, but because they have a few bucks they think they can add a feather to their cap by "directing".

Make it big. Pull it back. Emphasize "the".

It's like letting a kid drive a fire truck.
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DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

[Moe Egan]

I've got a few "pre-readers" too Bruce...I always figured they deep down wanted to be actors, or voice actors and this was the only chance they get behind a mic. At least that's my theory, plus it makes the penchant easier to deal with But I have had the prima donna agency reps giving line reads....no, make that word by word reads....takes great restraint some days!
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Moe Egan
i want to be the voice in your head.
~~~~~

[JBarrett]

When sending them a "thank you" note for hiring you, toss a PS on the bottom and say, "I found this funny audio clip recently. Thought you might get a kick out of it". The link would be to the Shatner line-reading session...
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Justin S. Barrett
http://www.justinsbarrett.com/

[louzucaro]

I feel lucky to say I haven't had that happen yet. The few example reads I've been given were pretty brief, and mostly I've gotten exactly the kind of direction you're suggesting.

Whew!

Maybe next time it happens, stop him after a few lines and ask "Do you want to trade places until you're done?"


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Lou Zucaro
http://www.voicehero.com

"Well, yeah, there's my favorite leaf!"

[Philip Banks]

I was sat in the voice over booth. Pete the dubbing mixer and Clive the director were in the control room one floor above me. Because we were doing something to picture it would be easy to fit the bits Clive liked and "drop in" for the re-takes. No! It was TAKE - COMMENTS - RETAKE and by retake I mean from top to bottom. No constructive comments or direction from Clive, just chicken-clucking. I lost count of the number of retakes.

"Great, Philip" said Clive eventually "I loved it. Now if we can have just one more please!

In a phone conversation the following day with Pete our dubbing mixer he shared his innermost thoughts.

"When Clive said great and then asked for one more, according to the clock on the edit controller you were silent for 32 seconds and 9 frames then you calmly said ...............Right ......................I honestly thought you were on your way upstairs to punch him".

Producers and directors, we pro voices are able to tell when you don't know what you're doing!

My favourite response to lengthy directors notes and the obligatory "Did you get all that?"

"No. But I'll pretend I did if it'll speed things up". In my career repeat business is the stuff of dreams. Never been able to work out why.

[Don G.]

Worse yet is when they give you a line reading and it SUC...er...stinks! They think they hear it in their head the right way, but it comes out of their mouth all wrong. I'll usually do it their way, then give them a "Let me try something here..."

As we've all discovered, sometimes the hardest part of this business is the diplomacy factor.

[Gp]

You can always phrase anything that you can make a statement out of into a question. e.g. I wish you would stop reading the script to me. I find it annoying. into....What do you think it would be like if you just let me take the script and run with it? Would you be willing to give that a try? Something to that effect... Now you've made it his idea....try it out.

[ConnieTerwilliger]

[robert jadah]

It's like mosquitos to the fisherman. Or gusts to the juggler.
We persevere.Ten days ago, a production house in France had me voice an intro for an American rock band. The client was in the house.
Take One came back with instructions that I pause between the build-up and the band name. "Like this". In a heavy Gallic accent that sounded like Jacques Clouseau..underwater....on Quaaludes, the client had recorded his take for my guidance.
No prob. Take two.
Minutes later, it comes back with the direction that I strike the venue name harder, like a WWF announcer.
"Like this." Again, the client had recorded his vision.
Done.
Sent.
Much time passes.
Eventually, I receive word that the client wants me to repeat Take Two, but this time "with the same accent as his."
How we laughed. But OK. What the heck.
I send a Take Three which is my very best Sam Elliott/Inspector Clouseau/Don Pardo hybrid.

The next day, the production house informs me that they went with Take Two. "Sometimes," they wrote, "We deal with clients who have too many cooks (or kooks) in the kitchen. You are now a legend with us."

The point is that it could be worse. In the real world, we'd be redoing the Corbett report on pork belly commodities for the third quarter.