100 words? 30 seconds? Are you mad???

[davidnagel]

Hi peeps, hope this finds you all very well

Just a query... at the moment I am voicing three 30 second radio ads for broadcast in Alabama somewhere. Now each ad has around 100-115 words each, including numbers... can this be done in 30 seconds?

With digital help including speeding up breath sections and cutting as many gaps as possible (before it sounds odd) I am still 10 seconds over running. (By the way, I am also doing post for the ad)

Does anyone have any tips that doesn't mean ditching some of the copy?

Also, should I be making an advisory for my client for any future radio ads that they limit the words to 80-85 words to fit the 30 seconds criteria?

Or am I talking nonsense and as a voice over should be able to do this many words in this amount of time?

I look forward to any expert input

[Mike Sommer]

My advice, start earlier on the read.

I just did a :60 second spot last week, where I had to come in at :45 on my part, with a tag that was :15.
My :45 had 203 words and the :15 had 45 (the tag was rater thick too). I was coming out at :44.5 most
of the time, and this spot required a lot of emotional changes. I did the first 50 words (which was a mono
tone delivery) in one breath.

And that's what it's all about breath control, or "breath release." Gauging and releasing
the right amount of air, for the lines that you are delivering.

You should be able to pop out 120 to 130 words on a :30 second spot with no problem. Oh and you need
to come in at :29.5 not :30.

What I do on spots like this is:
First, understand the copy and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
Then I start reading for time. if I know I have to come in at :30, I do everything I can to come in at :25 or
less. If I can do that, then everything else is a pice of cake, because now I have room to play with it. If I'm
struggling then there is a problem, the script may need to be pruned a little. You'll know this because
you're reading so fast that one can't understand what's being said.

While you are doing this start marking the copy for your breaks or beats with a "/", these are places where you can sneak a breath.

It's also a mental hurdle, so if you can get in in under the time, you then know coming is "on-time" is easy, and the read comes out more relaxed, and conversational.

Here is a nice little breath control exercise. Recite this poem with clear, clean and crisp articulation, projecting in a full voice, in one breath:

My eyes are fully open to my awful situation.
I shall go at once to Robert and make him an oration.
I shall tell him I’ve recovered my forgotten moral senses,
And I don’t give a hoot for any consequences.
Now I do not want to perish by the sword or by the dagger,
But a martyr may indulge a little pardonable swagger,
And a word or two of compliment my vanity would flatter,
But I’ve got to die tomorrow, so it really doesn’t matter!

Good luck.

[Scott Pollak]

I'm not a hard-sell or speed voicing guy. My typical range for :30 is around 80-90 words. When I DO get those that are next to impossible, I do two things:

I record it at a reasonable speed, sending the client the piece which runs long, and I also do an ultra-fast read, digitally speeding it up if necessary, having it come in on time. That way the client can hear how awful it sounds with too much verbiage, side by side with one read at the appropriate speed. I make a gentle note about the typical word count and how it was impossible for me to fit that much info into the allotted time without some manipulation. Almost ALWAYS they'll cut some words out of the script.

[Lee Gordon]

I do what Scott does. In addition, depending upon the client, I may also edit the script myself and record it along with the other two versions.

[Jon Morss]

David - I have a client that sends me :30 spots to read on a regular basis which run around 100 words but must be kept real. Its a challenge, but once I find the rhythm of the spot, it seems to flow nicely, although to me at least its a bit rushed. I had another spot recently where I had to read 60 words in under :20. Again a bit rushed but the end result wasn't too bad. Talking fast is sort of a habit for me so most of the time I'm asked to slow down on a read.

My suggestion to you would be to practice as many tongue twisters you can find and just gradually try to increase the speed. Watch the articulation though.

Mike - I'd like to hear that 203 words in :45. You must have been hauling major behind. Nice tips.

[Paul Plack]

In radio, 100 words in 30 seconds is pretty typical, especially for car dealers. It hurts comprehension and retention by the listener, but many radio clients think of ad copy as a contest to see how many words-per-dollar they can get.

When you master the art, you can moonlight as an auctioneer.

[Mike Sommer]

I'm not saying it's easy buy any means, but it is a necessary skill set for a voice actor to have in their back pocket, because not everything we read is meant to be a casual stroll in the park. The above mentioned spot was to be read as a "stream of consciousness thought." Yeah it moved along at a nice pace, but because I was comfortable with it, it came off as intended.

For me it's being a reliable and versatile voice actor, capable of adding layers and depth to a performance, not just in voice, but in pacing and delivery. All it takes is practice, getting out of your comfort zone and stretching your limits.

[Allen Brown]

I give my client a nasty, pointed lecture about attempting to violate the laws of physics. Just kidding - I often do what Scott does (if I have time and the client seems worth nurturing.) If not, I simply send the script back and tell them it's too long and suggest how many words need to be cut. I also have some pre-written material about how to properly time a script that I'll sometimes send along if they seem like they need some help and would be receptive to learning.

[Mike Sommer]

So what happens when you get a corprate spot that's gone through rewrite after rewrite, lawyers and god knows want all, and it's set in stone? Do you just say, I can't do it?

Seems like one needs to be prepared for the unexpected.

Like with this little :60 gem from Pacific bell (note the idiotic direction).
197 words that will need to come in at :59

Let's have fun.

[Scott Pollak]

I think it's easier to do 197 words in :59 than 100 in :30. You can artificially digitally compress it over :59 more so without any noticeable problems than you can with a :30.

Most of my NPR underwriting liner spots MUST come in at 15.5 seconds or less. For the few :30's that run, they MUST be 30.5 or less.

Fortunately the salespeople are WELL trainied and use a template. They know about word count, including the critically important aspect of spelling out phone numbers to get a true word count. When it just won't fit, I ask them to consider cutting a few words out and they're always very willing to do so. What a great group to work with.