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October 22, 2011

Kinney Drugs "Caregiver/Ready Scripts" :30 TV

When you get a rather boilerplate, generic-sounding piece of copy like this spot, look for moments where you can inject your personal opinion and point-of-view. This will make or break your read! Those first FOUR sentences of this spot are four platitudes, all in a row. Platitudes are sentiments that nobody in the audience should disagree with – which is great, because you always want your listener to say "yes" – but the platitude has no power if it's delivered as anything but an an authentic, honest opinion. A line like "With my busy life, it can be hard taking care of everyone" absolutely MUST be delivered as an honest admission, or the audience will be saying "Give me a break!" Heather delivers an excellent read starting at 7:44. Compare this to her first couple of reads, and hear how much more convincing she is, when she doesn't sound like she's trying to convince anyone.
My mom's always been there, to take care of me. She's never let me down. When her health started changing, I wanted to make sure she always had her medications. With my busy life, it can be hard taking care of everyone. So I enrolled Mom in ReadyScripts, from Kinney Drugs. Our Kinney pharmacist refills her prescriptions automatically, so she doesn't forget, or have to wait. Kinney will even deliver them for free. Now, I take care of Mom, And Kinney takes care of us both. Kinney Drugs.

Wolf Brand Chili :30 TV

Because the vast majority of voiceover work out there doesn't require character voices, I typically avoid training my students on any spot that calls for a dialect or accent. I'll make an exception for Wolf Brand Chili. Although I did applaud Mike's choice to do not an out-and-out caricature Texan, but a voice that was really just a slight twist on the Mike we know and love. Mike's reads felt a bit rushed as he tried to shoehorn all this imagery-heavy copy into 30 seconds, but 4:07 he delivered a read that was at a much better pace. This led to my discussion at 4:45 about how never to deliver an audition that sounds rushed, unless the agent specifically tells you that it needs to come in under :30 or :60. Script-wise, this copy is about as formulaic as they come. You've gotta love the non sequitur when we go from talking about broad concepts of "work is work" and "play is play" to something as mundane as a mass-manufactured can of chili. On this spot, we "shot out" the MKH 416T shotgun microphone, vs. the Neumann U87ai large-diaphragm condenser. Both sound excellent...which do you prefer? The U87 sounds more natural and less colored to my ear, but the 416 is wonderfully punchy. Love it!
Deep in the heart of Texas, everything's real. Our work is work. Our play is play. And every night, the stars come out. Especially on Fridays. So it stands to reason that chili's gotta be real too. That's Wolf Brand Chili. A Lone Star favorite since 1895. Bold, fiesty, seasoned up like it was born with spurs on. So whether's it's mixed in, heaped on, or straight up, you're getting the genuine article. Wolf Brand Chili. Open up a big old can of Texas.

Disney Parks :30 TV Campaign

There are two announcer VOs on this campaign. The female (AVO 1) gets most of the imagery to play with, while the male (AVO 2) is doing most of the heavy lifting on the escalation in the second beat.
Disney Parks "Something for Everyone" :30 TV AVO 1: What will your Disney memory be? Will it be squeals and giggles, or screams and shouts? Evil queens, or mischievous grandpas? A moment you'll always remember, or a vacation you'll never forget? AVO 2: You can make your Disney memories happen right now At a price that's right for you. Like 7-day vacations starting as low as $68 dollars a day per person, for a family of four. AVO 1: So let the memories begin At the place where dreams come true.
Heather tried the second spot, and got a little tripped up on the last line. When you get stuck on your tenth take of a line, step back and ask yourself, What am I talking about? Picture something...there's obviously plenty to choose from, imagery-wise, when your topic is Disney World, of all things. And Heather scores a nice little breakthrough at the end when she figures this out.
Disney Parks "No Worries" :30 TV AVO 1: What will your Disney memory be? Will it be smiles that magically appear...or bags that magically appear? Meeting an enchanted princess, or being treated like one? Doing it all? Or doing absolutely nothing? AVO 2: You can make your Disney memories happen right now With room, ticket, and a dining plan that saves you money All for as low as $93 dollars a day per person, for 7 days. AVO 1: So let the memories begin At the place where dreams come true.

Home Depot "Small Project Inspiration" :30 TV

The top beat of this script, with its three questions, throws a bit of an acting curveball. You need to sound impressed and genuinely curious without sliding over into the realm of incredulity. The subtext needs to be "Wow, that's cool" as opposed to "What the F are you trying to do?" Your task here is to make it sound like you think it's a positive thing! This is a great exercise. How many different ways can you deliver those opening lines? Come up with a mental image for whatever that "idea" is. I imagined my neighbors painting a mural on the side of their garage. The real spot shows up plenty of projects, but when you're auditioning to do the VO on this spot, you won't have that TV screen to help you...so come up with some impressive creative projects on your own mental TV screen.
Where'd you get that idea? How'd you learn to do that? What'd you use? Every project we finish comes with a story built in. It's how our rough ideas become . . . "You did that yourself?" So when we can save more on the projects that let us fix, make, and do more, that just makes the stories even better. More saving. More doing. That's the power of the Home Depot.

October 8, 2011

Kraft Mac and Cheese :30 TV

Can't have a VO class without at least one "DUH read," as I like to call it. I actually chose this spot because the VO's timbre on the "real" spot reminded me of our own Shana's voice quite a bit. The real VO's voice is a bit lower than Shana's...or maybe it just seems that way because her low end is emphasized in processing. I really think it's on purpose, so the range of the VO doesn't compete with the kids singing "Put a smile on your faaaace" in the background in their high kids' register . . . Watch the "real" spot on YouTube and tell me what you think: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECZTIHEDMu4
VO: Want more smiles for your dollar? With Kraft Mac and Cheese, you get 3 bowls for about a dollar. And that's a lot to smile about. Kraft Mac and Cheese. It's the cheesiest. For online savings, and to help donate a million boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese to FeedingAmerica, visit ShareALittleComfort dot com.

Valspar Paint :30 TV

"Her voice makes PAINT sound SEXY!" - Mike J, describing Susan G...
VO: There are theories that color holds power over us. Well, those theories . . . are now fact. Connect to the truest, richest paint we’ve ever created. Color at its most electric. Valspar Hi-Def Advanced Color System. Connect to the power in color. Valspar. (The time to paint with Valspar is now.)

AARP :60 TV ...and SPECS Discussion!

How much attention should you pay to specs, on auditions your agent sends you? Listen to our discussion at 12 minutes in to find out.
VO: At this point in the game, you've worked hard. You've accomplished a lot. You're an expert at doing what you love. But when it comes to making healthcare choices, you might need a little help. That's where AARP Health Care Options comes in. Designed by experts to keep you covered, so you can do what you want to do, now and in the future. For nearly 50 years, AARP has brought premier health insurance options to its members, selecting from the nation's leading health care providers. You'll get one-on-one customer service geared to help you choose just the right plan. Everything from dental and health insurance, To discounts on prescription drugs as well as eyewear. Learn more now. You don't have to be a member to call or click. You're the expert at living your life. For your health care needs, trust the experts in life after 50.

BareMinerals "Be A Force of Beauty" TV campaign

Let's look at two spots in this BareMinerals campaign. The eyeshadow spot has a difficult line in its opening beat, so as you listen to the podcast, you'll hear us start with the foundation and work upwards. You know, just like you put on makeup in real life.) Here are YouTube links and the scripts for both spots: Spot #1: BareMinerals Eyeshadow :30 TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW3i4EvC1a8
VO: With just one look, You can silence a room. But why on earth would you want to do that? New BareMinerals READY Eye shadow. Solid mineral technology delivers vibrant, blendable, lasting color. BareMinerals. Be a force of beauty.
Spot #2: BareMinerals Foundation :30 TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMdV2l78piE
VO: They'll notice you, Not your makeup. Get flawless coverage with a natural look and feel with BareMinerals foundation. BareMinerals. Be a force of beauty.
Listen in for our great discussion of how to picture a tagline like "Be a force of beauty." This is going to be something different for every listener. Figure out what it is for you in order to deliver this line convincingly.

Clorox GreenWorks :30 TV

VO: From nature, comes Greenworks. Natural plant-based cleaners without harsh chemical fumes or residue. Since Greenworks products are made by Clorox, they clean with the power you’d expect. And they’re made from natural ingredients. Now there’s new Greenworks natural dishwashing liquid. It removes grease and baked-on food, leaving your dishes clean and shiny. Greenworks. Naturally.

October 1, 2011

Big G Kids Cereals "Grow Up Strong" :30 TV

• This is a spot where the imagery is more interesting than the copy. As a VO, your job is to give energy to boring copy. • The PLATITUDE OPENING that nobody can disagree with... "To do well, kids need to eat well." No need to convince the audience of this...it's an obvious yes. • The Long Awkward Unrealistic Line with lots of information crammed into it ("Did you know it's the only leading line of kids' cereals . . . " To make it less awkward, make it more spontaneous, like thought. • In this read, you're addressing someone one-on-one at arm's length, putting the performance out in front of you, BEYOND THE MIC. Your read can sound spontaneous and "like thought" and conspiratorial across-the-fence-to-your-neighbor....without being INSIDE YOUR HEAD on something as fun/light/casual as a kids' cereal spot. • "Did you know" means you're talking to ONE PERSON. Listen to Mike's pickups at 14:56 and 15:16. Just a little turn of the dial to make it less announcerish and more matter-of-fact makes it a better and more believable read.
VO: To do well, kids need to eat well. And eating well means getting enough whole grain and calcium. And General Mills Big G kids cereals can help. Did you know it's the only leading line of kids cereals with at least 8 grams of whole grain and a good source of calcium? Cereals they already love, like Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Give your kids more of what they need to be their best. Grow up strong with Big G kids cereals.

Rubbermaid Reveal Spray Mop :30 TV

• Comment On The Action. You're always responding to something on-screen. You're never just existing as a disembodied head in a vacuum...you always have an opinion and point-of-view on the situation. You are reacting to it in real time. We don't get to SEE you in VO, so we have to HEAR your opinion and point-of-view. Go TOO far . . . we'd rather pull you back. Give me the COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST on "the LEADING spray mop." • You can "shrug" without actually walking your pitch up every time . . . that can get a little too singsongy when EVERY line in the spot is a shrug (The REAL VO on this spot falls down that trap.) • "Hairpin turns" or "U-turns" in the copy often happen in the first beat, or transition from first to second beat, when we go from Problem to Solution, and hear the product for the first time. The product/solution line is often a non sequitur...something pretty darn random and unrelated. Instead of being fed that Solution off a teleprompter, let's hear you think of it for yourself. (If you need to pause for a beat, think and PICTURE IT, I can always shorten the pause later in editing...that's what's great about VO. You're not playing to a metronome click, you can go at your own pace.) Give yourself time to think of the product/solution. You can't choreograph it ahead of time--it's got to sound like spontaneous thought. "Come to think of it...this idea just occurred to me..." is always so much more compelling than someone reading a pre-determined script.
Put another way: Who's more interesting, A) the guy in the bar who feeds you the same pick-up line you've heard 10 times or B) a guy who makes a wry observation that just popped into his head? Probably B! Now with voiceover, you don't have to be a writer and come up with wry observations on your own...but you get to breathe life and energy into a flat-on-the-page script. Make it your own by making it spontaneous.
VO:
Every time you clean with the leading spray mop, it costs you. So try Reveal from Rubbermaid. The bottle's refillable – you use whatever cleaner you like. The reuseable microfiber pad cleans deeply – then just toss it in your regular wash. So why waste money on costly refills? Reveal saves you $50 dollars per year. Try Reveal. Only from Rubbermaid.

Subway "That's A Lot" :30 TV

• When giving a list of related ideas that build on each other, you can give each idea its own space. When that Lexus car commercial says "Escape convention, escape definition, escape compromise," those ideas build upon each other, but they all deserve to be treated as their own separate thing. We don't want to hear that you're rattling off a list . . . we'd rather hear each idea as it comes to you. We don't know what's coming next! Same goes for something as ridiculous as kiddie pools full of grease, water coolers full of grease, and bird baths full of grease. You can consider each one separately as the image comes to mind. (Eww, gross.)
VO: In one year, U.S. restaurants can produce up to 1.4 million pounds of grease. Enough to fill 3300 kiddie pools, over 33,000 water coolers, or 111,000 bird baths. [Over a burger on-screen] Of course, a lot of it ends up right here. Skip the grease. Go for the breakthrough taste of the new Subway Oven Crisp Chicken. Always baked, never fried. Merely 7 grams of fat, and the newest part of a Subway Fresh Fit Meal. Subway. Eat Fresh.

Head and Shoulders Hair Endurance :30 TV

Another great example of a COMMENT ON THE ACTION spot.
VO: Hairstyles come, And hairstyles go. But to get the most our of every style, you've gotta have hair. Hair that's full and thick. Excess buildup on your scalp can leave your hair looking thin. New Head and Shoulders Hair Endurance for men has a hydrating formula designed to remove buildup and help restore your scalp to health, Leaving you 100% flake-free hair that's fuller and thicker-looking, guaranteed. New Head and Shoulders Hair Endurance Respect the scalp. Get the hair.