Category Archives: Commercials

Precise Goals = Disappointment

March 29, 2016Commercials, Generalaudio production, Commercial, commercials, creative radio, music beds, production music, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio spots, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, voice over artists, voice talentOvernight Radio

To get anywhere, you need a goal.

When you are young, goals can be very precise ” ‘i want to be a race car driver in nascar”.

As you get older and see more of the world, your goals tend to broaden: ‘i want to be a race car driver”.

And then go even broader: “i want to work with race cars”…and finally, ‘i want to work with cars’.

The last one is a cup half full/half empty situation. Some people would see it as a loss (no longer heading to nascar) and others as a gain (you have so much more opportunity to find your true self with a wide net).

The same is true when it comes to radio commercial scripting and production. When you have an idea in your head for a client…it sounds and feels a certain way. The proper way of course – (like the nascar dream).

Then when you see it in script form, you realize that there are barriers to your idea, timing, length, word restrictions, all things that whittle down the idea.

After you get through all that, your idea is finally on the page and although it’s not as good as the one in your head, it’s still pretty good (you are still a race car driver) and it looks like a winner.

Now, comes the production. You of course had a voice in mind, and are there for the session to make sure it goes exactly like you planned on the script. Of course, the voice over artist says things a bit differently than you do, or the cadence that is natural for them doesn’t quite match the initial feeling of the script. So you change it up a bit to match the talents strengths, and the parts that didn’t change, sound different from how you voiced it in your head…but it’s still a great spot.

Then it’s off to production, where the music choices just don’t have the perfect beat, the bass line, or feel you were looking for, but they open your mind to adding a sound effect that perfectly compliments the script addition you made for the voice talent earlier.

The spot you have created is an A-1 commercial, ready to air and garner results for your client. This is the part where you realize your nascar dream, turned into a real goal of working with cars.

Instead of being disappointed that it’s not the same sound as inside your head, you realize that nothing stays the same from birth…including people…i certainly don’t look the same as i did when i was a baby, and to expect your creative idea to be exactly the same as in your head as when it is finally finished, is to put unrealistic expectations on your baby/idea.

Going into the process knowing your idea will grow and change will help you realize your goal. The goal is to be a success, whether it’s to work with cars, a baby, or your script.

Know that being in the world changes things, and usually for the better. Because it’s only in the real world, that results can happen.

Broaden your expectations for your creations…you can’t get results from a dream.

Pronouncing Brands

January 13, 2016Commercials, General, Musicannouncers, audio production, Commercial, creative radio, production music, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio spots, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, voice over artists, voice talentOvernight Radio

Talking to a car salesman who doesn’t know how to say Laredo is jarring. It gives you the sense that they do not know what they are doing. And when someone is involved with taking your money for something…like a car…it puts you in financial danger. As in, they could be selling you a lemon, because clearly they don’t know anything about it, not even how to pronounce the name.

It’s the same with voice overs.

If you are in the voice over industry and you don’t know how to pronounce Mercedes, Laredo, Impala, Mitsubishi or Hyundai, you need to do your homework.

For me, I don’t guess on pronunciations. I hear them once and store them away in my mind for future use. And if i don’t know, I look it up. Because I know how bad it looks to be in the advertising business and not know how to pronounce a brand name. It looks really bad. And it shakes peoples confidence in you.

I am not saying you can’t make a mistake, I am saying, be knowledgeable about the brands you may have to say in the future.

Now I realize there are territory issues as well. Americans say Sportage as “SPORR-tigg” (soft ‘g’ as in porridge) and Canadians say “sporr-TAWGG” (like garage). But even that piece of knowledge should be known by a voice over artist in either country.

But even within ones own country, the knowledge of at least the large brands should be a prerequisite. Everyone is voicing things on every corner of the continent these days, so it shows you’ve been around the block, took note and have more knowledge because of it.

A working voice talent should know that in Ontario, Fiat is pronounced FEE-yit. But say in Colorado, it’s pronounced FEE-yawt. You know that Porsche is pronounced ‘porsh’ in most small markets in the United States, but ‘por-SHAH’ in large markets. And Volkswagen is pronounced as “FOAKS-va-gun” in Germany instead of “VOAKS-wagon” in America…and anyone of a particular age should know that Renault is pronounced as ruh-NOH and not ‘ruh-NALT’.

Knowing your brands shows you care about what you do, it puts others at ease when their futures are in your hands, whether you are selling the car to them, or selling it on the radio FOR them.

Although I have focused on car brands, this advice obviously extends to all brand names too of course…because knowing that ‘Nike’ does not rhyme with ‘Mike’ and “Versace’ is not vur-SAW-kee will keep you working long after the others have driven home in their chev-roh-LETT.

Why so many voices?

January 13, 2016Commercials, Generalannouncers, audio production, Commercial, commercials, creative radio, production music, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertisingOvernight Radio

Radio spots are like cooking…too many ingredients…and you spoil the meal.

So when you received a script to produce with multiple voices in it…99 percent of the time, it could have and SHOULD have been done with one voice or two. The radio is already chalk full of voices already, asking the audience to do way too much in the way of paying attention to their spots.

Multiple voices, (more than one or two) for the most part, equal clutter.

So when you have your own 30 second spot packed with voices, asking the audience to discern between female 1 and female 4 in a fast paced frenzy, you are literally asking too much. In my opinion, you are asking the audience to tune out.

Usually it’s one of 2 issues:

1) Neophytes: It’s easy to see why you would add so many voices when you first start out, as with anything, you just throw it at the wall and hope it sticks. But, once you become good at script writing, you realize that the less ingredients the better, because it shows how much more you can do with what’s perceived to be so little.

2) Client interference: I’ll admit, there is not much you can do about this…BUT it really is the same issue as #1…as the client is a business person, not a creative person…and certainly not in a position to see their shop from a potential clients point of view. Having the client involved is akin to having a beginner work on your script.

The only way to avoid the first one, is time…you will get better, you will find more tools in your arsenal than just more voices. You will find spacing, nuance, interesting conversational words, and hopefully, a voice or team of voices that can translate your beautiful script into a beautiful piece of audio that helps get the client more sales or puts them at top of mind for potential customers.

Number 2, client involvement, has only a couple of possible fixes, but even those are hit or miss. First, (and this is my choice)…you need to do more work. Ie: create their spot as best you can. AND create a BETTER spot with less clutter to present to them as a value added bonus. It seems like a lot of work to do, but in my experience, if you don’t do this, the only other way around it is…

Teaching the client: Some people are great at this. More power to them. I am not. But if i were, I am sure i would have been able to avoid producing multiple cuts of the same spot. Guiding a client through the process and teaching them the in’s and out’s of airing a commercial on broadcast or satellite radio is a tedious gig, and sometimes it doesn’t pay off at all.

Which brings me back to my first fix – provide multiple versions. It could be one extra version, or three. Whatever you think it takes to show the client that their over-crowded spot would be much clearer, much more to the point and probably much more classy as a one voice (or even bring it down to 2 voices) production. If you are a creative director, this means writing an extra script. If you are a producer, this means producing another spot.

Even if you think it might not reach the client after the account exec gets a hold of it, it’s still a weapon for the sales team to use in case it’s needed.

To be clear, I am not saying ALL multi-voice spots are clutter…i am arguing that a lot of them are…but for reasons beyond anyone’s control, they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Moreover, providing an extra mix or script really goes a long way for your team AND you.

It could be for so many other reasons beyond voice numbers. The spot could be too long (even with one voice)…or the music the client chose is copyrighted, maybe they voiced it themselves and they need to hear something in comparison before they waste their money…whatever the case, it’s worth it to provide the extra work.

Because if worse comes to worse and corporate cuts your stations budget – who would want to get rid of the producer that actually helps out the sales team? Who would want to cut the writer whose extra script saved the sale that one day because they KNEW that the 4 voiced spot was just too cluttered to make any dent in sales.

Not me…i would fight for their survival…I would voice my opposition to corporate on their behalf. With one voice of course. Anything more is just clutter.

Original Music Beds

September 8, 2015Commercials, General, Musiccommercials, jingle, music beds, original music beds, production music, radio, radio production, radio spots, televisionOvernight Radio

Music. What could be more important?
Ok, lots of things…like oxygen, water, food, family, friends etc.
But beyond those 5 base ingredients for life, you must add flavor…and music tastes fantastic, in all it’s forms.

In advertising, music plays a major role – everyone is aware how important it is across any active media. The music we use, provides a reflection of the soundtrack to our lives, either currently, or nostalgically. The message is king of course, but with the addition of the right music, the message is enhanced exponentially.

Picking the right music is an art form itself. While producing a spot, you can start to hear the music you will need in your head as you put the voices/sound effects together. You already know how it should sound, unconsciously if not consciously. You might know which styles to avoid, but not which to look for. Sometimes it’s like a carving…you whittle away the parts you don’t need to find the statue inside.

Other times you know the exact style/tempo/genre you want and you know where to find it. Those are miraculous times if not few and far between.

Then, there’s the time you can’t find anything that suits. Nothing. BUT you can hear it in your head.

That’s when original music creation comes in.

This is such a specialized talent, that when someone does emerge with it, they are coveted almost immediately…as there is a never ending amount of need for new and original music in the advertising world.

I graduated from the Music Industry Arts program at Fanshawe College in Ontario with a group of amazing musicians, producers and audio engineers. After graduation, some of us went directly into bands, some into producing bands, others into audio for video, and some into radio commercial production (like yours truly). Very few however, went into creating original music for television and/or radio commercials. But the ones that did, are some of the most successful, with their music being broadcast in commercials all over north america and the world.

Creating original broadcast ready music is not easy. It takes years of first, knowing the basic process of recording, playing multiple instruments, creating great sounds from said instruments, mixing audio (totally different from recording), editing, treating and finally, the social skills to put that music into the world of advertising.

When we create jingles, we use an original music creator from a studio called “Hard Left Productions” http://www.hardleftproductions.net/ that is able to adapt to all genres without prejudice, create them in a very timely manner, and on top of that, able to add vocals when needed with the proper rhythm and cadence the client wants. Sometimes the process is long (a week) other times, fast (a couple days). But in all cases, a piece of beautiful and more importantly, USABLE music emerges.

This is not small. I have worked in radio production for 17 years now, and this is the first time we have had a stable flow of original music to work with.

Knowing your gear and your work flow greatly enhances your chance of making a living at creating original music. But what really helps, is experience. Write, record, mix, write, record, mix…repeat until death. It’s the only way to get to a place where your music will be accepted as you have done it.

I have been asked for advice by younger people just starting out in the industry on how to get something going, and the answer is always the same.

DO.

Just do it…start recording, making music. Even if no one is asking for it. ESPECIALLY if no one is asking for it. This will give you the chance to build up your library of music. You need this library to be big. In order for it to be good, you need to do a lot. And people can tell right away if your stuff is broadcast ready or not immediately. So create your massive library of music beds. Even if you work for someone else in a totally different field.

IF YOU DO SOMETHING, YOU ARE SOMETHING.

In other words, if you create music, you are a musician. Eventually, by the time you get great, someone will have found you and will pay you for your skills, and they will be happy to do it.

Hobbyists hours, hobbyists product.

June 15, 2015Commercialsannouncers, audio production, Commercial, creative radio, jingles, radio, radio account executives, radio production, radio sales, radio scripts, radio stations, script writing, scripts, targeted advertising, voice over artists, voice talentOvernight Radio

“Show me a hobbyists hours, and I’ll show you a hobbyists product…” a friend in the business said to me the other day.

It really struck a chord.

In my experience in the world of radio commercial production in the last 15 years, i have met many people who work for themselves. There was always two kinds…ones that worked all the time, and ones that did not, but expected the same result. But i could never word it in such a ‘to the point’ way.

To me, it says exactly what it takes to be a success at what you do, be it radio or otherwise.

The people that never let up, that work into the night, that work holidays, work weekends, work from the road, on their phone, at their cousins birthday party, are all people who know that working for yourself, means never taking your eye off the ball.

When you work for a corporation, and your hours are structured, most, if not all of the other issues that need to be in place are being taken care of your bosses. Things like payroll, I-T problems, client meetings, accountants, office equipment repair/replacement, bookkeeping, completing credit card payments, invoicing, following up on invoicing, monthly budgets, etc etc.

This allows you time to keep creating the awesome product you were hired for.

But when you work for yourself, you of course need to take on all those roles…none of those things are taken care of. The most important part, your product, needs the most time. It is what you should be working on as much as you can. The other stuff, is a means to an end…something you HAVE to do in order to keep creating your product. It’s all one big cycle. Without a great product, there is no need for payroll, I-T etc. But with a great product, all of these things come down the line.

And until that business pays enough to cover more people to handle those other jobs, it’s up to you. YOU are the boss, YOU must do this all, and you MUST keep on producing your product.

This seems obvious when talking about it, but when it comes down to it, a lot of people are what my friend calls a ‘hobbyist’.

There is nothing wrong with being a hobbyist. I am a hobbyist in some things. I used to be a full time musician, but now, I don’t have the time to be a professional musician, I only have time to be a hobbyist. Which is great! You should always have a hobby.

But if I were to think that playing the guitar part time should land me a number one single, then there is a disconnect…that of course happens with the hobbyist.

This is where it’s easy to find people you want to work and surround yourself with. You divide them up into 2 groups: Pros and Hobbyists.

You are able to tell the pros NOT by their equipment, not by their contacts and not by the description of what they do. You can ONLY tell a pro by their product…in our case: radio (either your stations sound, the voice over artists you use or producers in your employ).

You know a great product when you hear one. When you hear how a voice over artist conveys a script with the proper cadence and emphasis or how a producer spaces out a spot to get the right pause in the right place, with just the right piece of music…these are the things that pro’s do.

A hobbyist does not. They do not have the experience to consistently do the Pro’s job…and it comes across in poorly read scripts, or production that isn’t fit to broadcast.

A hobbyist CAN become a pro…but it requires a tonne of time and practice…which most hobbyist’s are not willing to do.

Don’t let yourself get fooled by a flashy demo or website. It was probably created by pros for the hobbyist.

There’s a million hobbyists out there in all professions. But if you are a pro, you will of course already know, that you are who you surround yourself with. Protect yourself AND your product with professionals…they are the only ones who put the hours in.