LEAP OF FAITH RADIO PRODUCTION with Bobby Ocean
It seems that radio has been in my destiny.
Of all the media blaring across America at the time of my mid-teens —
magazines & books, movies, music recordings, and I was enamoured
of them all — it was radio that most tweaked my imagination and inspired
my motivation. This was the only choice that offered me the infinite treat
of playing within another person’s limitless imagination.
You could see shortcomings accepted by film makers because of budget
restrictions on the TV and in movies. If the script said, “…a man is
sitting under a tree when the guy in the white hat walks by…”, the
film maker needed a budget. The video must be able to project a tree,
two guys, a white hat, enough apace for one of the guys to walk by. So
they need to come up with enough money to purchase or rent that.
Further, the more money spent, the more likely to create dissatisfaction
and boredom. Though it might not be the kind of tree everyone might
agree on, the crew has to have one so there it is. What’s more, if the
producer spent a lot of money on the set, the camera would often be
required to dwell there too long.
Then, film makers have to decide which ambiance to show, even though
it may not have been mentioned; what time of day, weather, mood, etc.
More budget. More limitations.
Ah, but not so for radio!
For that sound in your head that instantly dances with Creation, radio, the
narrator simply reads the script. All the ingredients and actors in the scene,
and the money they would cost, are supplied by the listener (talk about cost-
cutting!) at the instant the words reach their brain. No budget restrictions,
no imagination cost-cuts, no one left unsatisfied. Ooh, baby.
But the big pay off for me wasn’t the money saved during production, it
was the “unlimited expense account” of the listeners’ endlessly
creative minds. If I wanted dinosaurs in my promo (and this was before
CGI, which is still expensive today) I could have them. For free, or a
simple sound effect. If I wanted time travel, Weapons with titanium
trim, diamond-studded epaulets on a character’s shirt — no problem,
cost is not an obstacle.
In my early days of radio, I found and recognized these as miraculous
tools with which to demonstrate complete and total mastery of the
universe, and think they still are. Conveniently tucked right inside.
Today, In our lives we constantly seek some sort of control, so that we
won’t have to do without, or suffer. I found out something important
about that, too. Where to look.
Throughout life, as in radio from top to bottom, the answers are NOT
“out there” (the X-Files held only QUESTIONS). We must look just INSIDE,
and right before imagination takes hold.
It takes commitment and a little more practice but isn’t that the fun?
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Bobby says “simply read it” regarding the script or copy as The Listener adds the imagination..and though he may not have intended to sound as though the “jock” or “airtalent” does not Just Read it and sound readee..now in the day of voice overtalent saturation compared to The Day when no one called them voice over..”simply read” is a slam..or he figures it doesn’t matter and any hack can do it or it is a given . Because sure the listener may activate his imagination but only when he feels safe. If the spots stinks maybe he just wants it to end after all every commercial is an Interruption!
Well said, Bobby. The ‘theater of the mind’ has the largest stage in the world. In my opinion, the reason national advertisers use ‘name’ actors’ voices isn’t because of implied endorsement, it’s because they know how to read ‘a well turned phrase.’
A broadcast talent needs to constantly be ‘stretching’ him or her self to ‘breathe life’ into the copy they are presented. Make those marks on a page become sounds that captures the listener’s imagination.
There is an intrinsic satisfaction to doing the job well. It is a craft.
Of course not everyone will be as good at it as Bobby Ocean, but one will come much closer if you make a commitment to try.
The problem is, the broadcast radio production producer really doesn’t have the time to truly create a “Theater of the Mind” all too often. That’s one of the things that frustrated me the most in that role. salp it together and get it on the air.
But when you do have the time to do it, that’s when the fun begins.
These days, i’m on to other things, so radio (the medium) is primarily a hobby, but this time with professional experience. I have my own podcast type 1/2 hr show, and I take my zoom digital recorder on the road and do my own ambiance tracks as much as I can. Stuck on a crowded bus recently, an opportunity to record. Want to create a very effective earthquake? Mic a industrial air conditioner, and pitch it down 50 octaves. I was surprised how well this came out.
You’re the sound designer, you can do virtually anything. The Sound Effects Bible by Ric Viers is a fantastic resource to start. While using stock effects is certainly useful, there’s a certainly satisfaction of using your own, especially if you have control and can direct the fx being created.
Theater of the mind is really untapped resource that commerical radio should rely on more to create intimacy with the audience. It’s all to often abused, due to lack of time, or inability to know how to sound design to create a picture in the listeners mind.