Newsletter

March 2010 · Newsletter Archive

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."
- Mark Twain




Hollywood and All That Glitters

I have to admit I absolutely LOVE Hollywood this time of year. It’s beautiful--everything’s blooming. Most days it’s 75 degrees and when it cools down at night, the evening air smells of jasmine. A hummingbird actually peered into our recording session this afternoon, hung there outside the window and watched us. Not bad. It’s a far cry from winter cabin fever, and I’m not taking it for granted.
This place can be otherworldly. And often is to me.
The town’s alive with Oscar buzz—it’s a blast to find so many folks in one place that love the movies as much as I do. Yet I still maintain throwing an Oscar party, at $5 a ballot, makes a much more entertaining way to watch an ordinarily long evening of awards. And in true Chicago tradition—I encourage you to vote here and vote often! Besides it’s a great way to stave off the last throws of winter, especially if it’s been particularly rough.
We recently moved our studio from our original Hollywood address kitty-corner Paramount Studios to Studio City, a mere five minutes up the 101 Freeway, directly across the street from Universal Studios. I will say I do miss our old doorbell—the ‘phantom’ doorbell, as it were—because it routinely rang on it’s own. It was of the cheap Home Depot variety, but we decided the ghost of Irving Thalberg was paying a visit. Thalberg is buried nearby at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary, across the street. Naturally, Irving (or perhaps one of his friends Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks, Cecil B. DeMille or Joey Ramone) was just stopping by to wish us luck or honor us with some insights into the industry. You may not know who Irving Thalberg was, or understand the mad genius of Cecil B. DeMille, or how cool Joey Ramone really was. Or, maybe it’s just been years since you’ve watched the Oscars. But it’s all part of the Hollywood folklore, and that continues to offer some real magic for me.
These are the things dreams truly are made of.
Anyway, these days… at our new location, when the doorbell rings, someone’s actually there. So that’s an improvement. Hopefully, someday soon… it will be YOU!
Cheers!
To learn more about this years’ Oscars, and to find a proper ballot to vote for your favorites or whoever you think might win, check out: www.oscar.go.com.
To learn more about the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, ‘cuz it’s rich with story and truly is a sight to see, check out: www.hollywoodforever.com.
And to learn more about who Irving Thalberg was and why he matters to the movies and entertainment as a whole, check out: www.oscars.org.


Who’s the Client?

A few weeks ago I received an email from one of my agents. She asked me if I offer “free ISDN to my clients”. Being that we have more than one company under one roof (as both BIG HOUSE CASTING & AUDIO and SOUND ADVICE), and I wear a variety of hats—I foolishly responded from the point of view of a producer as I was mid-production and fully immersed in that mind-set. I said, no we don’t.
What came of this conversation was the ever-loving and often continual clarification: Who’s the client?
The fact is the client to both talent and talent agents alike is any producer or director who may hire us. Commercially, this means producers, copywriters, assistant producers or Production Business Managers (PBMs), as the case may be— all otherwise known as the ad agency “Creatives”.
That said, the client is also the corporate decision maker, because they are the client to the Creatives who have hired us and they will ultimately approve or disapprove of the job. When my agent emailed me, I was thinking she was asking how much we charged our voice-over clients to book ISDN sessions for some reason.
Well, I should have known better, because she was asking me as a voice talent—not as a producer or casting director or even as a coach. I’m simply a talent to her and she was inquiring whether I offer folks who hired me as a voice-over free ISDN.
You see, if you happen to have your own ISDN at home, as many seasoned-journeyman do, and the rate the client is paying you warrants offering this option, it’s not completely out of place these days to offer ISDN gratis. (My how things have changed in recent years.) But your pay really needs to warrant absorbing as much as $200 or more out of pocket from you.
By no means am I endorsing you install ISDN in your home, if you don’t already have it and thoroughly know how to use it. First of all, the cost is far too great to have it installed. Besides, AT&T may only one have guy left in their employ who actually know the technology well enough to service you, and that’s in the most heavily populated locales. And, it may not even be available in your area depending on where you live. It’s now considered rather antiquated technology reserved solely for this incredibly esoteric industry known as voice-over.
Instead, you’re better off forwarding your clients directly to your nearest (albeit smaller) recording studio that can accommodate you and who already has ISDN. Their trained engineers that can handle the technical end of things so you can keep your attention on your performance.
Only agree to cover the cost of having access to a studio with ISDN if the job pays enough to make it worth your while.
So, long story short: the next time your agent asks you: do you offer free ISDN to your clients… tell them, “Sure!” Provided you’d make at least two-thirds more than what you might be out of pocket. Minimally.
This happens infrequently, but it does come up from time to time.
So, best advice: accommodate your clients as much as you can, whether your client is the owner of a small company, a producer at an ad agency or a freelance copywriter. As voice-overs, we do our best to remain accessible to the work and sometimes that means knowing in advance which studios closest to you are available with ISDN (digital patch) and what that might run you, should the need arise. So do your homework in advance. Saves last minute footwork. Besides you can’t be too informed.

Just Another Day

Beware the Ides of March!
Julius Caesar was said to have been assassinated on March the 15th in 44 B.C. by followers of Cassius and Brutus.
In Shakespeare's play, Caesar, betrayed by his friend, dies with the words, "Et tu, Brute? Et tu?!" Meaning ‘You, too, Brutus? You, too?’ In other words, with friends like Brutus, who needs enemies?
The Ides falls on the 15th day of March, May, July and October; in the rest of the months, it is the 13th. ‘Ides’ means half division, or mid-month.
Food for thought. If it ever comes up.

"Old Print Ads"... or "No Shortage of Bad Advice

from Years Past"

A friend sent me these. So, naturally, I had to throw my own two-cents in on each.
The irony is one day the ads we see every day, that we take for granted, might very well create much the same effect: they’ll either prove to be flat out hilarious or serve to completely appall—or BOTH!
Regardless, they are incredibly entertaining and offer a little insight into who we were and how we got where we are.
With that here’s some hilariously bad advice. Please think twice before trying any of this at home…



Yeah, that’s right… save money. Great idea.
“Hey, fellas, c’mon over for a little poker on Friday… And bring soap!”




What gets me is her expression. What is that? Contentment? Sex appeal? Did her cigarette fall out of her mouth when he stepped on her head and it rolled out of the shot? What?




I want a bicycle, a Barbie and a pack of Lucky’s for Christmas, Santa!
Gosh, you’re the greatest! (cough, cough.)
Oh, and an iron lung for Momma.




I never actually noticed how phallic Love’s Baby Soft’s packaging was… until now. Wow. Creepy.
(But GREAT hair, you must admit. I mean… for a baby.)




“I never toss any more—not since I’ve had my eye implants and thanks to regular dosings of THORAZINE!” (Good GOD! This is horrifying. I’m not quite sure what societal woe is attempting to be solved here—but I pray those days are far behind us and never return.)




Just a little on the gums and a tall, cold one at every mealtime and that little guy will grow up and become a star quarterback, run the nearby bank and marry above his station! GUARANTEED! ‘Cuz the Soda Pop Board sez so. (You know them, they’re an offshoot of the Lullaby League.)




Well, if he sez so—how bad can they be?!




More bad advice. Yet somehow it explains a few things, doesn’t it? (“Easy, Junior. Save some for Momma. It’s got some of her ‘medicine’ in it.”)




Here it is: Why I never married. I just never found daily beatings to be fun and playful. It’s just me I guess.




Okay, I just flat out don’t understand this one at all. Maybe it’s too close to me. He’s Ernie Kovacs, right?




This is just a ridiculous idea, don’t you think? I mean, really. That said, I wonder how many guys actually tried this and ended up getting their face slapped. Thousands, to be sure. I mean, if there was even the slightest chance for a guy to score points or even get the girl—they gave it a go.




Hmmm. I’ll take one of these… and one of those… Oooooh, how about a new fangled TOASTER?! Thanks, Daddy! What’s that…? No?! Waaaaah! But, Ricky…! (Hey, wait a minute--I’ve got a great idea for a TV show!)




The new HP computer… from Stepford. (Again, her expression. What is that? Happiness? Confusion? Frustration? "My paper’s stuck… don’t tell anybody—that makes a whole ream I’ve lost to this thing just this morning.")




Okay. Now I’m pissed. Just kidding. I mean, the guy’s a hand puppet, right?
Besides, I get HER emotion. She’s always wanted to be a ventriloquist. THAT’S what makes her happy! Simple.