Sometimes there is no substitute for a sound in it’s element. And though our booths provide a well-controlled, exacting environment for capturing voices and foley, on occasion there’s good reason to hit the road in order to get the sounds we need. Whether it be for a truly authentic sound that can’t be captured in [...]
2012 AdFed “The Show”
We’re very happy to have worked on these campaigns that received awards at this year’s AdFed “The Show.” Television Ad: Low Budget – Single Hunt Adkins Minnesota Timberwolves “Pegasus” Television Ad: Low Budget – Single Hunt Adkins Minnesota Timberwolves “Cop and Cowboy” Television Ad: Low Budget – Single Hunt Adkins Minnesota Timberwolves “Futuristic Adelman” Television [...]
ADR session deluge
“Thank goodness for poor-quality production sound!” You won’t hear this out of our mouths very often, but bookings for replacing that audio are an exception. In recent weeks we’ve had the pleasure of hosting… Danielle Barnum for TNT’s “Leverage” Great performer as well as photographer. Find her work at www.dbinspiredarts.com. Laura Innes for “Warehouse [...]
Creative. Clinic.
About a month ago we had a fun Marshfield Clinic radio project brought in by Lee Schmidt of Lindsay, Stone and Briggs. It was unique because the main talent in each spot had to act as both singer and voiceover performer – which are very different disciplines. Timing and tempo were essential - without having [...]
“It looked like Bangladesh in there” – Studio B goes wire-less.
“Change is good”. Indeed. Not a bad phrase. In fact, the words “wise” and “necessary” come to mind when considering swapping out one’s Oil or Underwear. And, in reference to the latter, we’d like to add the word “polite” – if only for public benefit. However, sometimes, certain things change that aren’t necessarily “good” or [...]
Absurdity works (as absurd as that sounds)
Grocery shopping is rarely an exciting task. Surprise, yes? Like reading your aunt’s Facebook status; its a pleasant if tedious necessity that serves to keep everyone happy at home thank-you-very-much. Truth is, even if you enjoy mooning over the fresh produce section every now and again, you’re likely gonna grab some shampoo and frozen peas before you swipe your card at the check-out.
Ho-hum.
Well, if you’re a grocery chain and you’re smart, you’re in touch with this experience and do what you can to acknowledge it and elevate it all with a playful, knowing wink.
Enter, absurdity.
Preston Kelly, the Ad Agency who handles Roundy’s, has done exactly that with the latest batch of brand radio they’ve been recording with us here at Babble-On. Called, fittingly enough, “Great Moments In Food-dom”, the spots regale the radio listener to peek into the lives of some everyday heroes and their day-saving moments of brilliance.
Voicing. An Opinion. What it’s like from inside the VO booth.
It would be fair to say that this article has been many years in the making and probably long overdue in the sharing. The goal of it is to facilitate an even better understanding between two communities: the artists who ply their trade in the booth, and those of us who must write, produce and/or edit those 30 second messages that keep us all employed.
All three of the engineers here at Babble-On can attest to a few sessions over the years where, for whatever reason, a writer/producer could not stay in sync with a voice-over talent regarding direction, timing, phrasing, etc. The resulting frustration and fallout was palpable. Unintended miscommunication got in the way of everyone’s ultimate goal – creating a really great radio or TV spot.
Pressing Concern – How a non-profit publisher gets sales
magine you’re a small, independent, Midwestern publisher. In the past decade you’ve seen the writing on the wall; the final chapters of the neighborhood bookseller are furiously getting inked, while the New Giants – Amazon and Barnes and Noble, seemingly have no end to the reach of their tendrils.
Oh yes, and add to that mix a few little innovations like The Kindle and the iPad. One gets a rumpled dust jacket just thinking about it.
Yet, somehow, miraculously – sales ain’t so bad, Earl. How so?
The Green Zone – Doing what we can to recycle old gear
he Green Zone, that infamous site in Baghdad that was meant to be a safe haven from the perils of uncertainty, is a fitting metaphor for those of us in the Media Creation biz whom must adapt to the ever changing digital sensibilities of our time.
Like The Green Zone, we’ve tried to preserve a seamless “everyday normal life” here at Babble-On; critically picking over the onslaught of new and unproven technologies that might well bomb on us, while embracing those ideas that seem helpful to the writers, producers and ad agencies who zip past our front desk check point – so astutely monitored by Becky Carlson.
Now, to be completely fair, we know we’re at no risk of getting maimed (and we aren’t implying that) – but, equally so, there are plenty of businesses in the past few years who have paid dearly, lost the battle, and who will fully relate to this particular analogy. They’ve lost more than just their shirt shall we say. We empathize with them. Some good friends and colleagues are now gone.
Having Our Cake – (and eating lot’s, too). André’s a year older.
Y’know, just to clear things up – we really don’t just fabricate birthdays around here in order to have a cheap excuse to nibble at local bakery fare. Though, given the number of Birthday entries on our Babble-Blog of late, (Greg Geitzenauer and Carol Bergeron each ticked another off their meters) – you’d think we [...]
