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Deirdre
Czarina Emeritus
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 13023
Location: Camp Cooper
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 Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:25 pm Post subject: Dear Client |
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Dear Client:
We had a session at 11:30.
You sent the script at 11:27 as a  F with colored text on a grey field. The ad exec reformatted it as a Word doc and sent that at 11:35.
I was on the ISDN at 11:30, you got there at 11:41.
The two-character script was, shockingly, too long. So you began to edit. You pulled the one-word reply "really?" as a time-saver. So we tried again for you, and at 11:56 you decided some severe edits were necessary. at 12:05 you had pulled some fluff, combined lines and told us to speed it up.
A couple more takes, another line pulled. Finally "within the ballpark", you said. "Now just speed it up about 10% and have fun with it."
Session ended at 12:25.
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bobsouer
Frequent Flyer
Joined: 15 Jul 2006
Posts: 9883
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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Wow! 
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Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
Source Connect, phone patch, pony express |
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Gp
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:46 pm Post subject: Re: Dear Client |
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Oh and we want a discount because you weren't as prepared as we needed you to be resulting in much longer than the short 10 min time slot we had alloted for this project
I have to agree with bob on this one. WOW! |
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Mike Harrison
M&M
Joined: 03 Nov 2007
Posts: 2029
Location: Equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia, along the NJ Shore
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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Sounds like Deirdre is working for one of my clients.
I had exactly the same experience not long ago: the client was late to the ISDN session, the script was far too long (and they were completely surprised, so clearly, they hadn't timed it), and then expecting dramatic time-savings after removing only the shortest words, the script was still too long. Absolutely clueless.
Ask your doctor if Valium is right for you.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.
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Diane Maggipinto
Spreading Snark Worldwide
Joined: 03 Mar 2006
Posts: 6679
Location: saul lay seetee youtee
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:51 pm Post subject: |
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sounds like just another day with the usual antics, actually. doesn't it ?? !
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Lizden
A Zillion
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 8864
Location: The dark recesses of my mind
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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Yep! 
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Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
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Bruce
Boardmeister
Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 7977
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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I can't tell you how many clients, "experienced" clients, I've had to tell how many words you can cram into a :60. You want a relaxed, intimate read? Don't give me 200 words...150 to 160 will do it. High energy read? Hey buddy, the Word Limit here is 200, not 240.
"But I read it in a minute when I wrote it!"
"Yeah, in your HEAD, not out of your mouth", I wish I could say.
Sheesh,
B
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I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. . |
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Mike Harrison
M&M
Joined: 03 Nov 2007
Posts: 2029
Location: Equidistant from New York City and Philadelphia, along the NJ Shore
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Bruce wrote: | "But I read it in a minute when I wrote it!"
"Yeah, in your HEAD, not out of your mouth", I wish I could say. |
As Production Director of a radio station five years ago, I went back to the Sales department one afternoon. The Copywriter's desk faces away from the door, and as I approached from behind, I could hear her mumbling. Her phone receiver was on-hook, so that wasn't it. When I got closer I could see a commercial script on her computer screen and the stopwatch in her hand. I said, "You'll be wanting me to read the script that way when I record it, right?"
At a lot of stations, exceeding 60 seconds may not be a problem. But when the station runs syndicated network programming, the spots have to be :60 or the last one in the stopset will get cut off when the switcher goes back to the network.
I tried countless times to convince the Sales staff and the Copywriter that if a client provides more material than will fit comfortably in a single spot, we should write TWO spots and rotate them equally on the air. Resounding cries of, "Oh, that's a great idea!" never resulted in it actually happening.
Ask your doctor if a slap upside the head is right for you.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.
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Bill Campbell
DC
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
Posts: 621
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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Voicing a spot. If it was EASY, anybody could do it. It's not, and they can't.
Good copywriting takes even more skill than voice-over. Sounds like your client needs a copywriter.
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Drew
King's Row
Joined: 27 Sep 2005
Posts: 1118
Location: Tumbleweed Junction, The Republic of North Texas
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Diane Maggipinto wrote: | | sounds like just another day with the usual antics, actually. doesn't it ?? ! |
Double yep. That is a cute lookin' kid, too.
Working with a client now on what was supposed to be a simple medical read. The terminology, no problem. The writing, okay. One teeny weeny problem. The animation vid I'm linking this to is 5:30. Even at a fast read I'm timing out at 6:19:22. Now these people have PhD's in Molecular Biology. Yud think they wuz ejacashunable. Nope! "Well, you can just stretch the video, correct?" I ended up re-rendering their original at 87% original speed. But that takes us to another thread regarding shit.
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Skype: andrew.hadwal1
Although I have a full head of hair, I'm quite ribald. |
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Lee Gordon
A Zillion
Joined: 25 Jul 2008
Posts: 6864
Location: West Hartford, CT
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 4:41 pm Post subject: Re: Dear Client |
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| Deirdre wrote: | | So you began to edit. You pulled the one-word reply "really?" as a time-saver. |
Let me guess: the person representing the client at the session was the account executive.
Ask your doctor if electro-shock therapy is right for you.
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Lee Gordon, O.A.V.
Voice President of the United States
www.leegordonproductions.com
Twitter: @LeeGordonVoice
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Don G.
King's Row
Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 1071
Location: MA
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Deirdre
Czarina Emeritus
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 13023
Location: Camp Cooper
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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Perhaps! But part of my beef was the near absolute waste of my time.
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imaginator
The Thirteenth Floor
Joined: 10 Nov 2004
Posts: 1348
Location: raleigh, nc
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:18 pm Post subject: |
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all you have to do is print the script out again in a smaller font.
it works in print, doesn't it?
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rowell gormon
www.voices2go.com
"Mr. Warm & Friendly Voice...with Character!"
Rowell Gormon's Clogged Blog - http://voices2go.com/blog |
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Bruce
Boardmeister
Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 7977
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 5:45 am Post subject: |
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| Deirdre wrote: | | Perhaps! But part of my beef was the near absolute waste of my time. |
Oh that's not really a problem is it? They're paying you big bucks to sit around and listen to them think and reconstruct and kvetch for an hour, turning a 10 minute session into 60 minutes of psychic pain. It sure seems fair to them. 
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. . |
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