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Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Feedback. Test and Rehearsals 2


Feedback!  Somebody actually read the blog!

Of course, they disagreed with what I had written.  Which is good – because you (I, at least) never get anything quite right the first time.

One thing I did not mention is that I charge overtime if I have to stay in the studio longer than the allotted time.  So, if the client and the production and the translator have problems they have to pay me extra – just like they have to pay the studio extra too.  Time is money.

Now, it is commonplace to reserve 2 hours for a 15 minute video.  However, if the script has been done properly I have done a 15 minute video in as little 20 minutes!  In all these cases I either wrote the script myself -- or one of Tokyo’s (very few) actually professional writers had done it -- making sure of exact sync between images and text –and getting client approval in advance.   If I have written the script myself – or read it carefully in advance – I just don’t need a rehearsal – and I don’t make mistakes. I get it right the first time.
For a professional voice person,  as the feedback pointed out, all you need to do is a simple voice check at the beginning, say the first 30 seconds or a bit more , if you want to establish “mood”.    If you make a mistake or want to change phrasing or emphasis you just stop and do it again. 

This is the way it should be done – in the best of all possible worlds.

My point in my previous post, however, was that Tokyo is not the” best of all possible worlds” for English language PR work. So – inevitably compromises have to be made.

Now, savvy companies recognize that they can save time, trouble and money – while producing a better product by careful scripting, which I call “un-translation” (which I will deal with in another post), good client management, and meticulous preparation in advance of a recording.    But this requires a.) a certain skill set  b.) an understanding by the client of what is involved in the process.

Also--before I forget – it has been mentioned that white text on black is pretty awful.  I agree.  And I have changed that.

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