VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[ballenberg]

The problem: Sloppy copywriting, bad grammar, sentences and phrases that just plain don't work. Bad copy comes across all of our copy stands more often than ever.

What's your solution? Do you just let it go and read what's on the page? Do you speak up and pleasantly offer your suggestions, while silenting hoping the client/producer/writer won't get annoyed at the audacity of a talent telling them how to do their job? Or do you have another plan you'd like to share?

I'll go first. Usually, in spite of myself, I say something.

When the word is just plain wrong, or there's a singular verb with a plural noun for example, I'll kind if say as tactfully as possible, "Would you like me to say such and such?" Or sometimes, I'll just go ahead and read it correctly, as if it were that way on the page, saying nothing about it at all. Usually, that flies right past them and they're happy. Other times I'll read it their way and just stop and seem confused and ask for their help understanding what I'm saying. My friend Cyndi Vicino mentioned that technique. It's great, because you're asking for their help.

[Deirdre]

So much of what I do for WBZ is so goddamned hideous, that we just laugh or sigh.

We do a fair amount of editing because nearly every piece of copy we get is TOO DAMNED LONG. I have written a plaintive letter (phone calls don't work-- too confrontational) to the PD telling him that the "template" sales is using for the contruction of spots is inacurate.
Actually, come to think of it-- e-mail doesn't work either.

We get nowhere with suggestions, so we continue to produce crap.

On the rare occasion the AE hasn't tried to cram the page with words, we actually make magic.

With agency stuff, I will make grammatical "suggestions" if there is an error. I have been very lucky recently to work with people who are willing to cut their own copy, or pay me to brainstorm changes with them.
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DBCooperVO.com

[Mike]

Most of what I do gets translated from an original Japanese script. If I'm lucky, it's been done by a professional translator/rewriter and we're set for a nice smooth session. However, in these times of shrinking budgets clients increasingly seem to think that they'll save money by having the new kid in the office who speaks Engrish do the translation and then have the talent sort out any problems in the studio.

I had a nasty little script just the other day from Japan's national broadcaster of all people. I spent two hours of the night before correcting what I could and then the first hour of the two hour gig sorting out the rest.

Here are some snippets of the original.

"With a handheld receiver, you can enjoy clear images or
sounds of TV programs while you are on the way to
somewhere...."


"Here are some of NHK STRL's researches from a
perspective of human sciences, especially on how visual
contents may impact viewers or how viewers recognize
what is spoken in contents....."


You guys get the minor language violations. The stuff we get deserves jail time.:x


To further your education I present;

http://www.engrish.com

http://www.audioatrocities.com

Enjoy.

Maiku.
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www.michaelrhys.com

"If grass could run, cows would look like tigers."
Murray Wiggle

[mcm]

A lot of the stuff I do gets thrown at me late in the day for some reason, and after I read the script there's nobody around to consult. If I come across something weird that I think somebody will eventually notice, I read it their way and the way I like to think they would want it if they noticed it, and just mention in my email that I read it a couple of different ways to give them a choice. Almost everybody I work with is wonderful that way and they don't mind suggestions at all. One needs to develop a sense of who has an open mind and who doesn't, and use different approaches in the crusade to remove language abuse from the world.

[Bruce]

Maiku,

Great websites! Especially Engrish. Laughed my proverbial ass off!

Many thanks,

Bruce

[Edo]

All too familiar! I've had my share of clients from hell but I always seem to manage. I never do anything that's against my logic or common sense. I even refused to do a session because of poor grammar... and I was already in the studio. You guessed it... I left. About half an hour later the phone rang... "please come back, we agree that there's been a major f*ckup in the script.. let's do it the way YOU suggested. We'll compensate you for your extra time and effort".

Nobody had to wake me up, it was no dream. Makes you still have faith in people after all.

(still waiting for such a situation to go bad by the way...) :lol:

[lisaloo]

If it's a minor grammatical thing, I'll just read it as it should be read. Nine times out of ten, they'll say, "Thanks for catching that." Very rarely does anyone fight to retain poor grammar - and sometimes they only recognize the error as the script is read aloud for the first time.

If it's a really major thing, I'll usually just plunge in and read what's on the page and hope that once they hear it, they'll see that it needs to be changed.

As for suggesting changes, that varies gig to gig. I find it pays to evaluate the wisdom of that choice in each unique situation as opposed to adopting a standing practice or policy. I can usually tell who's cool with that and who's not.

Lisa

[Guest]

[Mike]

Ooops. That's me above.
_________________
www.michaelrhys.com

"If grass could run, cows would look like tigers."
Murray Wiggle

[mikemckenzie]

As long as corporate radio stays on it's ever-consolidating track, we will be forever cursed with lousy copy.

How many stations, or even entire market clusters for that matter, have a full-time continuity person, full-time producer or creative guy?

Nope, the sales people write their own copy now and will from here on out.

You'd think with Clear Channel's "less is more" thing that the importance of effective copy is greater now. Not that sales people can write effective 60's. But, they think they're gonna get results with 30's, written by the same sales people?

More and more advertisers are starting to figure in what they call R-O-I...Return On Investment. Therefore good, effective, results oriented ads are imperitive for this to work.

That's why, I reserve the right to edit, and sometimes re-write andy lousy copy that comes across desk. The way I look at it, it's my batting average, too. If the production isn't effective, then it's also a refelction on me and my skills.