Last night I did something I've never done...I shot a TV commercial in the middle of the night! My co-stars? A lovely lady named Greer and some animatronic swine.
I can't give too many details about the project just yet, but I thought I'd at least tell the story of my late night adventure.
It started at 8:45pm. That's when I got in my car to make the 30 minute drive to a town west of Charlotte. Remnants of Fay are providing some much needed rain to our area, and my rain gauge says my backyard alone has seen around 5 inches in the last few days. I drove slowly to my destination through tropical-like downpours.
I arrived just before 9:30pm, my call time. The reason for the overnight shoot was because we were filming in a restaurant during their off hours. One of the assistants helped me with my bags of clothes as we dodged giant rain puddles and a nice breeze that blew the water right into my face (despite an umbrella).
At 10pm, the make-up artist began trying to undo what Fay had done...and he had his work cut out for him! Once my co-star was made-up and ready (Greer, not the animatronic little beast), we began shooting. Since Greer and I are in every scene, we spent the next several hours repeating our lines as the camera caught us from every possible angle.
Now, I've shot more than a few commercials in my time, and this was the first time something horrible happened to me...the later it got- I simply could not remember my lines!! After the 2am hour struck, my brain shut off. Fortunately, I wasn't alone- the late night sleepies got Greer as well. I would mess up, and we'd start over...she'd mess up, and we'd start over. This happened for about 8 takes. Finally, we stood up- shook it off- and nailed the take they needed.
At about 3am, we broke for 'lunch'. Because the commercial takes place during the day, large spotlights had been set up outside to create the illusion of a sunny day. Sheets of paper were added to the windows to hide the massive amounts of rain falling outside. My body was completely confused. I'd been awake for 19 hours, yet it was sunny!
The shoot wrapped earlier than expected, and we were all on our way at about 4am. I called my husband as I drove home, knowing he would just have arrived at work. He kept me alert long enough to get me home safely, and I was sound asleep by 5am.
I've filmed desert scenes in 31 degree temps, I've stood in a huddle for 4 hours straight...but this was a shoot I will never forget! Despite extreme fatigue, we pulled it together and made it work (to quote Tim Gunn). The client was very happy, and we all can't wait to see the finished product!
As a funny side note...I'll let you in on a little secret about me. I am terrified of puppets, people in costumes, and things that move when they shouldn't. It's not something I'm proud of...but the Hamburgler at McDonald's seriously freaks me out! All that to say, this was my first experience acting with animatronics. I have no idea what my expressions will look like in the finished spot, but I sincerely hope my terror doesn't show! Keeping a smile on my face as a pile of silicone blinked, shed, and wrinkled it's nose may go down as one of my hardest assignments yet! I never told a soul on set about my little fear, lest it cause any unnecessary stress, but I guess it's ok to admit it now that we're done :)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
The Adventure Continues
It's been 12 days since I returned home from LA, and I can only think of 2 words to describe those days...
Whirl. Wind.
OK, technically that would be one word, but it feels more appropriate to give each syllable it's due attention.
As I mentioned in my previous blog, my husband and I have made the decision to relocate from Charlotte, NC to Tampa, FL. Things have moved at a lightning fast pace, and we are well on our way to making the transition!
After having our house repainted, and making a few upgrades here and there- we put the house on the market this past Tuesday. It had its first showing Wednesday, and its first offer Wednesday night. Seriously. We always knew it was a great house, and had a feeling it might go quickly- but...WOW! Of course, we've heard all the warnings and horror stories of 'today's market' so we are prepared for whatever may happen next. We are hopeful everything goes smoothly, and we will be able to take the next step- looking for our new home in Tampa!
Since this is a blog about all things voice over, I want to be sure I write about my experiences of trying to relocate a home studio while maintaining the same quality of service I've always provided.
Let me tell ya, it ain't easy. (Sorry, but this was a moment for a little west Texas lingo)
Throughout the past week, I have tried to call as many of my regular clients as possible to let them know about the move and what they can expect from me in the coming months. The wonderful thing about having a home studio, is that my work can truly go anywhere- so none of my clients had any concerns.
I did discover that it is impossible to work with a house full of painters, so that did put me 2 days behind. Not only are they noisy, but the paint fumes get into your throat and literally make it impossible to properly use your voice. Once the fumes cleared out, it was back to work. Only, the next step was staging and getting the house ready to go on the market. I managed to complete a couple of smaller jobs between packing keepsakes and pictures and moving furniture around- but it would be a lie to say I wasn't relieved that a larger project had been put on hold because the client took a vacation! I don't know how I would have completed it otherwise.
On Thursday I received a big audition from one of my agents, and was thankful for a few quiet hours that morning to record it. Now, keep in mind...I pride myself on always giving 100% to everything I do...but this time I really fell flat. After sending in the audition, I received an e-mail from the agent. The e-mail asked me if I could record it again, because I sounded sleepy! Oh no! That has never happened to me before, and after listening back to my audition- I completely agreed. Embarrassed, I re-did the audition and sent a thank you note for allowing me a second shot. It was a wake-up call that I can't let what is happening around me affect my work. Period.
On Friday, between taking calls from my realtor and waiting for an estimate from a moving company- I received a call asking if I could record some tags for a TV spot. Fortunately, I had a quiet house at that moment, and just enough time to make it happen. The client was happy with the finished product, which let me know I had officially beaten the 'sleepies'!
Now that the initial craziness of putting the house on the market is behind us, I finally have a week ahead of me devoted completely to getting lots of work done. I plan to spend today catching up on paperwork and uploading files to my ftp, and getting a solid night's rest tonight.
I'm also in the process of memorizing a script for an on-camera job I have Tuesday night (my call time is 9:30pm and we plan to finish around 6am- yikes!). It should be a blast to film. The next 2 weeks will be interesting as things progress with the move, as we are hoping to make the big transition sometime in the first week of October. I guess we'll see!
I'll be sure to keep you posted as things progress :)
Whirl. Wind.
OK, technically that would be one word, but it feels more appropriate to give each syllable it's due attention.
As I mentioned in my previous blog, my husband and I have made the decision to relocate from Charlotte, NC to Tampa, FL. Things have moved at a lightning fast pace, and we are well on our way to making the transition!
After having our house repainted, and making a few upgrades here and there- we put the house on the market this past Tuesday. It had its first showing Wednesday, and its first offer Wednesday night. Seriously. We always knew it was a great house, and had a feeling it might go quickly- but...WOW! Of course, we've heard all the warnings and horror stories of 'today's market' so we are prepared for whatever may happen next. We are hopeful everything goes smoothly, and we will be able to take the next step- looking for our new home in Tampa!
Since this is a blog about all things voice over, I want to be sure I write about my experiences of trying to relocate a home studio while maintaining the same quality of service I've always provided.
Let me tell ya, it ain't easy. (Sorry, but this was a moment for a little west Texas lingo)
Throughout the past week, I have tried to call as many of my regular clients as possible to let them know about the move and what they can expect from me in the coming months. The wonderful thing about having a home studio, is that my work can truly go anywhere- so none of my clients had any concerns.
I did discover that it is impossible to work with a house full of painters, so that did put me 2 days behind. Not only are they noisy, but the paint fumes get into your throat and literally make it impossible to properly use your voice. Once the fumes cleared out, it was back to work. Only, the next step was staging and getting the house ready to go on the market. I managed to complete a couple of smaller jobs between packing keepsakes and pictures and moving furniture around- but it would be a lie to say I wasn't relieved that a larger project had been put on hold because the client took a vacation! I don't know how I would have completed it otherwise.
On Thursday I received a big audition from one of my agents, and was thankful for a few quiet hours that morning to record it. Now, keep in mind...I pride myself on always giving 100% to everything I do...but this time I really fell flat. After sending in the audition, I received an e-mail from the agent. The e-mail asked me if I could record it again, because I sounded sleepy! Oh no! That has never happened to me before, and after listening back to my audition- I completely agreed. Embarrassed, I re-did the audition and sent a thank you note for allowing me a second shot. It was a wake-up call that I can't let what is happening around me affect my work. Period.
On Friday, between taking calls from my realtor and waiting for an estimate from a moving company- I received a call asking if I could record some tags for a TV spot. Fortunately, I had a quiet house at that moment, and just enough time to make it happen. The client was happy with the finished product, which let me know I had officially beaten the 'sleepies'!
Now that the initial craziness of putting the house on the market is behind us, I finally have a week ahead of me devoted completely to getting lots of work done. I plan to spend today catching up on paperwork and uploading files to my ftp, and getting a solid night's rest tonight.
I'm also in the process of memorizing a script for an on-camera job I have Tuesday night (my call time is 9:30pm and we plan to finish around 6am- yikes!). It should be a blast to film. The next 2 weeks will be interesting as things progress with the move, as we are hoping to make the big transition sometime in the first week of October. I guess we'll see!
I'll be sure to keep you posted as things progress :)
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Next Adventure...
Before heading to LA and VOICE, I alluded in my blog to something 'big' going on at my house...
While many of you already know the 'news', I wanted to make it official on my blog as well. In the next month or two, my husband and I will be leaving our beloved state of North Carolina and heading south to Tampa, FL!
My husband, Chris Suchan, will be the new morning and noon meteorologist for Tampa Bay's 10 (CBS)! We are very excited about the move, and I know Chris is looking forward to his new role in Tampa. He will be heading down soon, and will likely have his first live show in early September. I will stay behind to fulfill a few work commitments and oversee the sale of our home (please send good thoughts for a fast sale!).
This will be the first time that I have had to pack up and move an entire studio, and I am hoping to make it as seamless as possible! Of course, I will blog about my experiences along the way, should they help someone else in their own move someday.
We are very sad to be leaving our dear friends in Charlotte, but are looking forward to making new friends and embarking on many new adventures!
Since returning from VOICE at 2am Wednesday morning, I have been doing my best to get back into the swing of things. I've hit a bump or two...actually six...painters that is! I was awaken Wednesday morning at 8am by six painters coming in to get the house ready to be put on the market. Trying to work through the commotion and paint fumes proved impossible, so I am glad that they were finished in a record 2 days! Tomorrow will be a catch up day for me, so I can free up the weekend for packing and cleaning out closets.
OK- onto other things!
I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to the Charlotte Observer and Vanessa Willis for an incredible article written about me and my VO business in Sunday's paper. Because I was in LA, I didn't get to see the article until I finally had a moment to sit down and read it while waiting for my plane at LAX. It is such a well-written piece, and is incredibly flattering. They even included a few photos of my home studio while I recorded! The timing is ironic with the new knowledge that I will be leaving Charlotte, but it just shows how great the VO business is...I can take it with me! Thank you once again to Vanessa, Robert, and everyone at the Charlotte Observer. You have been very good to me over the last 7 years.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/276/story/114530.html
On another note, if you are looking to buy a home in the Carolinas, I can help! No, not by selling you my own house (though- let me know if you are interested- hah!), but by guiding you through the Prudential Carolinas Realty website! Just go to www.prucarolinas.com and click on 'Tour Our Site' in the 'One Search' navigation bar. I will then pop up and explain the site! There are a total of 10 videos, and my feelings will be forever hurt if you don't sit through all 10. OK, not really :)
Finally, I wanted to take a moment and say thank you to James and Penny, the creators of VOICE. It was an incredible week filled with incredible connections, and new life-long friends. Thank you for keeping us inspired!
While many of you already know the 'news', I wanted to make it official on my blog as well. In the next month or two, my husband and I will be leaving our beloved state of North Carolina and heading south to Tampa, FL!
My husband, Chris Suchan, will be the new morning and noon meteorologist for Tampa Bay's 10 (CBS)! We are very excited about the move, and I know Chris is looking forward to his new role in Tampa. He will be heading down soon, and will likely have his first live show in early September. I will stay behind to fulfill a few work commitments and oversee the sale of our home (please send good thoughts for a fast sale!).
This will be the first time that I have had to pack up and move an entire studio, and I am hoping to make it as seamless as possible! Of course, I will blog about my experiences along the way, should they help someone else in their own move someday.
We are very sad to be leaving our dear friends in Charlotte, but are looking forward to making new friends and embarking on many new adventures!
Since returning from VOICE at 2am Wednesday morning, I have been doing my best to get back into the swing of things. I've hit a bump or two...actually six...painters that is! I was awaken Wednesday morning at 8am by six painters coming in to get the house ready to be put on the market. Trying to work through the commotion and paint fumes proved impossible, so I am glad that they were finished in a record 2 days! Tomorrow will be a catch up day for me, so I can free up the weekend for packing and cleaning out closets.
OK- onto other things!
I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to the Charlotte Observer and Vanessa Willis for an incredible article written about me and my VO business in Sunday's paper. Because I was in LA, I didn't get to see the article until I finally had a moment to sit down and read it while waiting for my plane at LAX. It is such a well-written piece, and is incredibly flattering. They even included a few photos of my home studio while I recorded! The timing is ironic with the new knowledge that I will be leaving Charlotte, but it just shows how great the VO business is...I can take it with me! Thank you once again to Vanessa, Robert, and everyone at the Charlotte Observer. You have been very good to me over the last 7 years.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/276/story/114530.html
On another note, if you are looking to buy a home in the Carolinas, I can help! No, not by selling you my own house (though- let me know if you are interested- hah!), but by guiding you through the Prudential Carolinas Realty website! Just go to www.prucarolinas.com and click on 'Tour Our Site' in the 'One Search' navigation bar. I will then pop up and explain the site! There are a total of 10 videos, and my feelings will be forever hurt if you don't sit through all 10. OK, not really :)
Finally, I wanted to take a moment and say thank you to James and Penny, the creators of VOICE. It was an incredible week filled with incredible connections, and new life-long friends. Thank you for keeping us inspired!
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