VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

Deirdre · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 2:29 pm Post subject: Today's session

Engineer: OK-- there's a 9-second tag, so we've got about 50 seconds for the copy.

Me: Super!

Engineer: Rolling--- take one.

Me as WOMAN: Hey, can you hear me? I’m up here! On top of an
awesome, magic number! See it? It’s $1,435! Know why it’s so magical?
It’s big because it’s small. Beazer Homes Lincoln Village is offering you a
big deal at one of the most sought after places to live in Sacramento.
It allows you to make big changes because all you have to pay is a very
small mortgage payment of $1,435 per month! It’s the most amazing
number in all of Lincoln. They had to make this number this big because
nobody could believe you’d get so much for so little.
It’s true — breathtaking two-story, single-family homes –
floorplans up to 1400 square feet — in an astounding community –
it’s almost too good to be true! But it’s real. $1,435 worth of real!
$1,435 per month! From this vantage point, looks like everybody’s loving
Lincoln Village by Beazer Homes. $1,435. Big lifestyle changes.
For a small amount. How’s that for magic?
Does have a way of attracting crowds. Now, how am I going to get down from here…?

Client: Oh! That was WONDERFUL! Just perfect!

Engineer: That was 72 seconds.
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dhouston67 · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 2:35 pm Post subject:

Memo to all clients regarding length of your copy: Time and Space are RELATED. See, there was this guy named Einstein, and he ---

Um...never mind that. To sum up: YOUR COPY IS TOO LONG. Thank you.

To any potential clients: just teasing, put the tomatoes down.
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Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 3:25 pm Post subject:

Bwah ha ha ha ha. Those clients are just precious!
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Deirdre · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:56 pm Post subject:

Here's how we finally made it work:

Lincoln Village
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BenWils · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 6:39 pm Post subject:

Well done.
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Ben

"To be really good at voiceover, you need to improve your footwork and hip snap."

Don G. · King's Row Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 1071 Location: MA

So many clients just look at the size of the characters on a page and tend to forget that certain things (like numbers) take a tad longer to say. Smile

That's another problem with those pre-formatted copy sheets.

It may look like only five characters, but it reads like a half a line of copy:
$1435
one thousand four hundred thirty-five dollars
fourteen hundred thirty-five dollars
fourteen thirty-five

Hart · Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 6:12 am Post subject:

yeah, dollar amounts and phone numbers.

Great read DB!
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Brian Hart Productions

audio'connell · Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 7:00 pm Post subject:

Nice read...how much copy was cut out on that edit, mid-spot?
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audioconnell Voice Over Talent
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Deirdre · Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2006 8:13 pm Post subject:

Good heavens-- we just kept lining stuff out.
If you listen while trying to follow along with the text you'll see just how much was excised.
3 or 4 sentences at least-- and we made the decision to say "14-35" instead of "One thousand, four hundred, thirty-five" in quite a few spots.
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audio'connell · Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 4:01 am Post subject:

I been there.

Well you did a masterful job and I have no doubt the client was thrilled....and now also has a little bit better perspective on copy length. Hey, we all have to learn sometime!
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- Peter
audioconnell Voice Over Talent
Your friendly, neighborhood voice over talent

Brian in Charlotte · Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:39 pm Post subject: Boy, do I know what you mean...

I have a client who is one of the satellite radio services and they ALWAYS give me so much copy you would need the "jaws of life" to get the spot open afterwards, example:

Listen up Football fans -

Over the past few years, you’ve heard that StubHub is the best place to buy & sell tickets. So why should you use StubHub?

Here’s one reason – You’re a sports fan. You have season tickets. You have extra season tickets. So you go to StubHub.com, sell your extras, and get cash. Here’s another reason – You’re a sports fan and you want good seats for the game. You go to StubHub, find the tickets you want, and get them delivered to your doorstep.

See, you can BUY and SELL sports tickets, concert tickets, and theater tickets on StubHub. And best of all, StubHub also offers a one-hundred percent Guarantee….So you will ALWAYS get the tickets you want, in time for the game, concert, or show. Guaranteed.

StubHub Ticket Update:

Football fans are already gearing up for the season on the grid iron and they can pick up NFL and NCAA tickets on StubHub – right now. StubHub’s inventory comes from season ticket holders who sell their extra seats when they can’t make a game – Why do season ticket holders choose StubHub? Because StubHub’s selling process is fast and easy – and best of all – No listing fees! And its all one-hundred percent guaranteed.

To sell your sports, concert, and theatre tickets today, visit StubHub.com or call one-eight-six-six-StubHub. StubHub, Where Fans Buy & Sell Tickets!

NOW...this has to be done in :59.5 seconds. Average person reads approx. 175 words per minute or so...this is 241 words...after very complex mathmatical anaylsis and consulting with others, I still had to read 241 words in :59.5 seconds!
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dhouston67 · Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:56 pm Post subject:

Brian,

Definitely a mouthful. It can be done, but one has to be well atop their game, Kudos for being dependable enough to get those gigs.
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http://davidhoustonvoice.com
Do That Voice! - The DHV Blog

Brian in Charlotte · Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:59 pm Post subject:

Hart · Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2006 7:16 pm Post subject:

Different strokes and all that, but I did some promo stuff for one of the satellite radio channels a while back and they didn't care about length, just the quality of the work. It was an interesting approach, and somewhat novel to me since I'm just a traditional terrestrial kind of guy.
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Bruce · Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2006 5:40 am Post subject:

I do spot work for one of the satellite services too, but the copy I get is frequently too short(!) and they want it wall to wall. It's almost as much a challenge for me as cramming in too many words.

Part of the problem is they spell out the phone numbers, as in the above exampe, and which drives me nuts (I have to write down the numbers), and those words are a lot shorter than your average word.

Oh this work can be sooooo difficult sometimes...I think I may faint dear Mama. Mercy me.

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