Interview: Langley Gerrard, Head of Commercial Production, UKRD, Bristol, UK
Langley Gerrard has submitted several items for the R.A.P. CD, and back in June, his “Power of Sound” piece picked up the R.A.P. Editor’s Choice Award. (You can hear it here: http://bit.ly/1tSii7h or go to the Forum page at rapmag.com.) When the super creative work kept coming in from Langley, it was clearly time to find out what makes this out-of-the-box producer tick. With a resume of unlikely stops, including antique restoration, petrochemical engineering, opera and work on a farm, somehow he managed to land at UKRD, where creative talent is in no short supply. Just a year into his gig as Head of Commercial Production, we take a peek at the mind behind the commercial side of this great group of stations. Your ears will enjoy the audio from Langley on this month’s R.A.P. CD.
The Production Rat's Guide to Lipsync - Using Your Audio Skills for TV and Film Tracks
by Jay Rose
I’ve always loved radio. Since I’m not great air talent, I found my niche producing radio spots for ad agencies. Computer editing let me do sound for their TV spots as well, which was fun… and led to longer sales films, training videos, and some simple TV shows. Then an agency producer asked me to supervise the track for a film he’d written—an actual movie, starring Sally Field and distributed by MGM. Talk about a learning experience! A 100-minute film is way bigger than a hundred radio spots, and not just because it has pictures. Expectations are higher, everything is more exacting, but there’s a chance to really move people. And there’s more money.
Production 212: And The Winner Is… (Produce Dave Foxx 2 Results)
by Dave Foxx
I have been the judge of many production showcase contests. Obviously, this one was a bit more personal, seeing as I was the VO for all entries, but I think that is precisely why the competition was so fierce. It broke everything down to absolute skills, both musical and sound design. As these came in to us, I commented to Jerry that the quality level was really outstanding this time. Once I sat down and spent some time with each entry, I realized this was going to be very difficult to judge. And so it has been.
Q It Up: Do you mic and process female VOs differently than male VOs? - Part 2
Fourteen more producers weigh in on this Q It Up: Do you mic and process female VOs differently than male VOs? Do you have them work the mic differently? Are your EQ settings different? Compressor/processor settings? What do you do to key into the warmth of the female voice without compromising her own natural flavors, tones and frequency windows? Do you use a different mic for female VO? What works for you?
Radio Hed: Go Another Way With That Commercial
by Jeffrey Hedquist
You get a creative brief, a production order; maybe you actually meet with the client. You collect the “who, what, where, how and why” – and your first reaction may be to take a normal direction, the obvious direction. It’s clear, it leaps out at you – “Of course,” you say to yourself. Stop. The audience is used to the normal, the expected, and they’re used to ignoring it. If your first reaction is to jump onto the 4-lane superhighway, think about taking that gravel road off to the right – the one that winds its way past the little village with the old brick house that’s now a pottery workshop.
...and more!
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