Why is there no Monday Radio Commercial Smackdown?
Because the server that hosts this blog was been “down” from Sunday until just a couple of minutes ago, and I was unable to upload the Thrilling Commercial Critique.
And by now, it’s almost of the end of the workday for any Loyal Readers and if I published it now you wouldn’t see it until tomorrow.
But even then you wouldn’t see it, because tomorrow’s posting will be there at the top of this page. I have no idea what I’ll be writing about tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure it will be nowhere as great as the Monday Radio Commercial Smackdown you’re not reading right now.
Too bad. It would’ve been incredible.
As a consolation, here’s America’s greatest songwriter talking a little about his craft.
I think Gary’s sending in his Second Life avatar to audition for him — eons before Second Life had even been invented — was brilliant. God forbid the actual Mr. Busey deigned to enter a lowly foam filled cubicle and — gasp! — take direction.
I did, however, find the foreshadowing of the future hit, FOREST GUMP, intriguing. With his vitrolic, “This is stupid, man…” he proved long before the phrase became mainstream that — as mama always said —Stupid is as Stupid does. Well done, Gar’.
It is intriguing how actors used to have a pecking order — theatre or film at the top, followed by TV, radio and then lowest of the low: commercials. One day they all discovered the pyramid was reversed. That was the day the journeyman and women voice actors took it up the….Well, you get the point.
If you are a celebrity, when a you get called in for an audition, there’s
probably something about your natural core brand voice that is why they called in YOU and not the celebrity alphabetically above or below you on their celebrity roster.
They’re not calling in Ian McKellen to do truck reads; they’re calling in YOU, because something about your brand is already right for the quality of genetic flavor (pitch/rasp) and there’s something about your general disposition/demeanor that your agent and the casting folks think is already close to the attitude necessary in the script.
Relax, dig in for the writer’s intent and ascertain a clear understanding of the story you and your words are telling. Consider, as the narrator, the technical elements you need to control given the context in which you are telling it (those factors govern your choices on volume and pacing)
Actually, it’s funny how NOT arrogant many celebrities are. It’s not always the case that they feel they’re too good to be doing commercials but sometimes (and I can’t say for sure here) they feel a great respect for the various areas of performance that are out there and knowing they might not have proper training for this area of performance, they sometimes fall into the same insecurity traps that beginning VO talent succumb to when they are nervous. Different folks manifest nerves in different ways, that’s for sure.
This posting is for people who listened (either live or on the subsequent recording) to Wednesday night’s “How To Book More Voiceover Auditions” with Nancy Wolfson.
I thought it was great. But if you were there, what did you think?
As usual, the kind that no one’s ever heard of happening before.
I spent all Thursday night trying to save files.
I’ll be up early Friday, waiting for my pal Steve Cunningham to see if he can save my iMac before I rush to the airport.
So instead of a chatty Friday blog posting about my past travels, here’s a marvelous opportunity for you to help me forget my troubles by downloading your copy of Nancy Wolfson’s just-released (for 5 days only) How To Book More Voiceover Auditions audio seminar.
Don’t do it for me. Do it for the children….
Okay, not for the children. Do it for your voiceover career.
It’s Monday.
