0376 - The Script’s Too Long Or The Time’s Too Short

2022.01.11 – S2011 – 0376 - The Script’s Too Long Or The Time’s Too ShortIn a commercial voice-over situation, the duration of the piece is of the essence. If the spot has to be a certain length (to fit with the pictures, or because that’s the duration that has been bought, or it’s the duration of all commercials on that network so all breaks are balanced on different transmitters), then that is the length it has to be. This can cause some problems:·        The script writer might have tried to cram too much information into the copy to be able to read it comfortably within the time allowed.·        You may start reading the copy at one speed and then, sensing that you are running out of time, gradually start to speed up. Or vice versa, when a nervous presenter may start fast and then, slow down with relief when they sense the end of the script. Arguably we have more sense of time and durations than at any other time in human evolution: we always have a watch or phone on us, we are used to seeing split-second timings in sports events, the countdown at a basketball match, we see progress bars on short-form videos. But we rarely need to know how long it’ll take to read something out loud!  And, in a studio the ‘sense’ of time can change, and that may lead you to talk too fast (usually) or too slowly (less common). Here’s how you can help train yourself get a better sense of time with a script. A ‘standard read’ duration is three-words a second. So get yourself some copy (nothing that needs to be read slowly or fast – so not a script for a luxury chocolatier, or a used car sale!), set your stopwatch and read it naturally. Then, afterwards (not during) see how long you took.Try and get to your calculated 3-words-per-second rate by a subtle speed alteration. Then, read it again and aim for a shorter overall duration: if the standard rate was say, 30 seconds, aim for 25, then 20. And then see if you can slow it down to 35- and 40-seconds duration.The idea is to get a better sense of time, and how you can lengthen words and pauses (or slightly shorten them) to alter your read-rate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.