Author Topic: Announcers calling host's names (Read 5914 times)

cmjb13 · « **on:** November 10, 2003, 07:26:17 AM »

Any particular reason why some game show hosts names are announced normally (Sajak) as opposed to stretching it out (Barker)?

Is that a corporate or an announcer's individual decision?

ClockGameJohn · « **Reply #1 on:** November 10, 2003, 07:57:05 AM »

I can't in any way imagine that it would be a "corporate" decision. Johnny-O seemed to annunciate "Bob" more than "Barker," whereas Rod was the opposite. I would tend to say that it would be an announcers decision.

It is possible that the Producers of certain shows decide what 'mood' they wish the announcers to be in.

I would DEFINATELY say the great Mr. West would be perfect for this question.

DrBear · « **Reply #2 on:** November 10, 2003, 08:02:08 AM »

I'm sure the atmosphere the producers want for the show has something to do with it - Wheel is a calmer game than Price, of course, so the intro should be calmer as well. That goes over to the personality of the host as well. Barker, who is still top-notch at working a crowd, against the low-key, slightly sardonic Sajak, matches the style.

Speaking of Rod, he also emphasized Peter To-MAR-ken's last name on PYL...

cmjb13 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 10, 2003, 09:32:14 AM »

[quote name=\'ClockGameJohn\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 07:57 AM\'] I can't in any way imagine that it would be a "corporate" decision. Johnny-O seemed to annunciate "Bob" more than "Barker," [/quote]
I actually meant the Person, not the name.

ClockGameJohn · « **Reply #4 on:** November 10, 2003, 09:43:17 AM »

Understood. My example was to show that the host has stayed the same, the announcers have changed, and so has the type of introductions.

tvrandywest · « **Reply #5 on:** November 10, 2003, 10:30:18 AM »

Quickly... we tape 2 today:

Without making it sound like brain surgery, I've always made these personal choices the way an actor makes similar decisions about characterizations. It's part of the training that is behind all interpretation... voice-over included:

"Who am I? What am I doing? What's my relationship to the other(s) in this scene?", etc.. There are many of these questions anyone doing any kind of professional performance asks himself based upon the clues in the script. And they include the all-important, now cliched "What's my motivation?"

So almost all of the answers are the copy: "This is backstage and our contestants for today are completing their word associations..." vs "Here it comes, television's most exciting hour of fantastic prizes, the fabulous...".

Now factor in the way the host enters, his energy, and the energy expected from the audience. The last little bit is about your own sensibilities and style as they relate to what you're saying. For example. a brisk, sharp name like "Wink" with a hard consonant ending seems to me to demand a staccatto, crisp reading that will contrast with the lengthy "Martindale". Wink loved it and told me everyone else always wanted to do the "Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiink" thing. Finally, you gotta keep in mind what precedent you want to set for yourself that you can recreate on the 7th show that tapes on the same day. "Price" is so copy intensive that by this Thursday when we tape the 8th show in as many days it's unreasonable to expect myself to do the vocal gymnastics I can on most Monday mornings ;-)

Of course on an exisiting hit show like "Price" there's already decades of success and listener expectation to use as a general guide. There are reasons I deliver Bob's name the way that I do; nothing is accidental. I've received a surprising amount of mail pro and con about such nuances. But then there is a like amount of discussion on the net about similar fine points such as set colors, camera angles and like.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #6 on:** November 10, 2003, 11:53:05 AM »

A question for our esteemed professional announcer guy:

To what degree do you get advice -- or for that matter, direct orders -- from the powers-that-be? You used the great analogy of approaching it like an actor, but do you very often get "direction" (if not necessarily from the "director") about how to approach a particular call, or do they not bother so much with that sort of micro-management and let the professional do his thing?

tvrandywest · « **Reply #7 on:** November 10, 2003, 11:58:01 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Nov 10 2003, 11:53 AM\']To what degree do you get advice -- or for that matter, direct orders -- from the powers-that-be? You used the great analogy of approaching it like an actor, but do you very often get "direction" (if not necessarily from the "director") about how to approach a particular call, or do they not bother so much with that sort of micro-management and let the professional do his thing?[/quote]
I've NEVER received a "line read" (suggested delivery of a specific piece of copy) on a game show. The only thing close is being directed for timing of a specific hunk of copy, as it sometimes must match a pre-built video piece. The simplest example of that would be replacing fee plugs on "Price" re-runs. The timing must match.

In commercial and promo work, line reads are considered an insult by the hearty, old-line professionals, but it happens occasionally. Hell, I think it's great - if the session producer is married to a specific read as he hears it in his head, let's do it and move on!

Direction on game shows has always been far more general in my experience...
"More/Less excited", "More conversational", "More dramatic", etc.. You wouldn't have gotten the job if they didn't care for your general interpretation. That's where the kind of thinking described above is vital - developing a style of delivery you see as appropriate for each show, using the copy as your guide.

Randy
tvrandywest.com

chris319 · « **Reply #8 on:** November 11, 2003, 02:33:24 AM »

On our show Gene Wood used to get two directions with regard to reading copy: FAST and FASTER.

tvrandywest · « **Reply #9 on:** November 11, 2003, 09:28:37 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Nov 11 2003, 02:33 AM\'] On our show Gene Wood used to get two directions with regard to reading copy: FAST and FASTER. [/quote]
Ooooooooh yes! Nobody wants to edit, so the burden was placed on the announcer in those long closing rattles of multiple fee plugs (in the days when they were read live) to make up for the time an episode ran over.

I just had something similar today, racing through a couple of promo consid fee plugs that will replace a previous similar read on a "Price" rerun airing (iirc) the day after Thanksgiving. Lord only knows what was there before, but the Juiceman Juicer copy was a freakin' miniseries by comparison!

Randy
tvrandywest.com

Casey · « **Reply #10 on:** November 11, 2003, 10:40:46 PM »

Randy,

I've got to ask this, so pardon my sick sense of humor.

Zim's Crack Creme has to be one of the most uniquely named products I've seen on The Price is Right in a long time. I know that you are a consumate professional, but had I been asked to read a description for something named Crack Creme, I don't think I possibly could without laughing just a little bit.

On your stint with TPIR, have you had any bloopers in prize copy or fee plugs come up that we've yet to see? Or are these edited out any more? (I'm reminded of Rod's "A Barbecue and a New Car" as an item up for bid).

tvrandywest · « **Reply #11 on:** November 11, 2003, 11:31:30 PM »

[quote name=\'isucgv\' date=\'Nov 11 2003, 10:40 PM\'] Randy,

I've got to ask this, so pardon my sick sense of humor.

Zim's Crack Creme has to be one of the most uniquely named products I've seen on The Price is Right in a long time. I know that you are a consumate professional, but had I been asked to read a description for something named Crack Creme, I don't think I possibly could without laughing just a little bit.

On your stint with TPIR, have you had any bloopers in prize copy or fee plugs come up that we've yet to see? Or are these edited out any more? (I'm reminded of Rod's "A Barbecue and a New Car" as an item up for bid). [/quote]
OMG - a Crack Creme website!

To be honest, I and most of the crew had a great laugh when I first said "Crack Creme" in rehearsal. I ran around for the next day or two asking around the set if I could borrow peoples' Crack Creme, as well as other Junior High School style jokes. While it's incumbent upon me to give paying sponsors' their full due, that doesn't stop the folks in the booth from laughing in my ear.

While I aced the last bunch of shows we just wrapped, there is an occasional pick-up from time to time that gets edited in to replace a stumble. The last I remember was a tounguetwister "Peter Parker" riff for the "Spiderman" DVD. But I've yet to have any kind of major screw up that would be fun to hear. I'd enjoy a good laugh at myself!

Randy
tvrandywest.com

Starkman · « **Reply #12 on:** November 12, 2003, 08:24:37 AM »

I always it should fit the mood of the show, a stiff show should have a big brooding voice while a lighter show should have a lighter tone. However this doesnt mean that there arent exception, my big example of course is Johnny Gilbert's calling of J! ALEX Tre-BEK! which of course goes very well with his famous title call. As for Charlie O on WOF I always thought the accent was on the title of the show because there were two hosts to into, in the old days when they came out sepreatly they didnt wanna steal vanna's thunder from overintroing pat, and now 2 names is alot to draw out.

I think a bigger question would be where does stuff like that impact the show, for example STYD should have a real drawn out intro with the type of show it is, but they are always plain in introing pat. While Shadoe on Davidson Squares often would detract from the celebs by having such a drawn out and exaggrated (think chicago bulls) intro of JOOOOOOOOHHHHHHNNNNNNNNN DAVIDSOOOONNN not to mention when he became a square in the later seasons he would often grandstand himself (And me im SHADOE STEVENS). He has reformed on the current version (shocked they hired him, thought theyd try to eliminate all memory of the davidson version even though I liked its zanyness cuz im zany) although on the whoopi version tom's intro was an after thought (starring whoopi and host tom bergeron and here is tom bergeron)

The point here is does it fit with the show, then it works, if you are just saying "and here he is now" like dee baker's rocky alter ego olmec did while the host swings across the set on a rope! you may need some tuning but the same if your hosting a hard quizzer and are going nuts like your the chicago bulls or something.

clemon79 · « **Reply #13 on:** November 12, 2003, 11:51:30 AM »

Ya know, I don't read these posts, and at the same time I don't feel like I'm missing anything, when the first thing that jumps out at me is a full-line drawn-out spelling of John Davidson's name.

chris319 · « **Reply #14 on:** November 12, 2003, 01:24:30 PM »

Cream your crack with Zim's.

Author Topic: Announcers calling host's names (Read 5914 times)

Starkman