Over-written scripts: How to somehow make time seem slower
Voiceovers are Time Lords. We're given scripts to read that have to fit into a fixed period of time - usually 10, 20, 30 or 40 seconds. But copywriters rarely actually write scripts that will fit into (for instance) 30 seconds without a helluva squeeze. This can be due to…
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“I want to hear the sexy.” The joy of giving direction to a professional voiceover.
I love it when clients are passionate about what they do. I love it when clients give me direction. I ask them to imagine I'm the audio equivalent of plasticine; I want them to shape me into whatever form they prefer. Many clients take giving direction to a…
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A selection of Christmas characters
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. In the world of the pro voiceover, it's Christmas all year round to be honest. I did my first Christmas ad for 2016 in the first week of January. It's always Christmas in commercial-land. I was asked…
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Have a listen to my brand new showreel
It dawned on me last week that I haven't done a new showreel for...well, let's just say quite some time. Getcha ears around this one. It's a mashup of some of the voices I've been asked to do lately. All lovingly produced by the brilliant…
[Read more]Essential listening: The importance of accurate, responsible radio advertising
Nobody wants to hear rubbish on their radio, do they? Well, I don't. And radio commercials need to uphold the values and standards that customers expect. When we broadcast a radio ad, consumers must trust the content. For broadcasters, fair and accurate commercial production…
[Read more]Scripts I really can’t voice
Sometimes I'm asked to voice things I just can't voice. Or at least, I can't voice them straight off. Mainly because I'm an emotional ball of teary snot. I really struggled with these commercials. They're very hard-hitting (they have to be) and they're gut-wrenching. The scenarios they describe are terrible.…
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