Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #29 – The Emotional fuels the Technical

Posted on December 11, 2013 by tommykramer

The great actor Dustin Hoffman talked on Inside the Actors Studio about a key moment in the movie Midnight Cowboy. In the scene, his character “Ratzo” Rizzo is talking with Jon Voigt’s character on a New York street when a traffic light changes. As they step off the curb, a taxi almost hits Ratzo.

This was a “stolen” scene, shot on a real street in New York with real people all around, using a hidden camera. Hoffman says they had to try it several different times to get the timing right, and obviously the cab almost hitting him was NOT in the screenplay. So in reacting to almost being pulverized, he pounded on the taxi’s hood, and what he WANTED to say was “Hey, we’re working here! We’re shooting here!” But being totally devoted to staying in character, he said “Hey! I’m walkin’ here! I’m walkin’ here!”—a defining moment for Ratzo’s aggressive attitude toward the world around him, and one of the most memorable scenes of Hoffman’s career.

The Emotion of the scene fueled the technical side of what he did—banging on the hood and shouting that line to the idiot driver.

If you really want to become something special on the air, instead of just a disc jockey or analytical Talk host, embrace the thought that while technical and organizational skills are a great foundation, sometimes what you FEEL should guide what you say.

If you have trouble with this, maybe you need a coach. I know one you could call.

– – – – – – – – –
Tommy Kramer
Radio Talent Coach
214-632-3090 (iPhone)
e-mail: coachtommykramer@gmail.com
Member, Texas Radio Hall of Fame
© 2013 by Tommy Kramer. All rights reserved.

Tommy Kramer Tip #25 – The Low Volume Test

Posted on November 14, 2013 by tommykramer

Hopefully, you listen to your show regularly, so you can hear yourself more like the Listener hears you. So take a tip from how a lot of great Production Talents work—listen at a fairly low level, often through a small cue speaker. (Same thing with many recording engineers and Producers.) They may mix at “blast,” but then they’ll play it back at “background” level.

There are good reasons for the Low Volume Test:
• You can really hear the levels, to tell if background music for a break you’re doing—or a spot or a promo—is too loud or too soft. (Or whether it fits the mood and cradles the subject, or it’s just thumpy-thumpy noise.)
• You get a much truer read on whether you sound natural and real, or you’re just another booming, “announcing” radio guy, over-inflecting and “selling” too much.
• You get feedback more at the visceral level about pace and momentum.
• You not only can, but DO instantly decide, subconsciously or even UNconsciously, whether the person you’re hearing is interested in what he’s saying, or is having any FUN.

You want to listen at about half the level most disc jockeys usually listen at. So YOU can feel the momentum, interest level, and fun factors, instead of putting every little thing under a magnifying glass all the time, but not really learning anything about the Voice Acting part of your craft.

Once you hear yourself this way, you’ll never hear the show the same way again.

It’s like being in a room, with a movie playing on the TV in the next room. A bad actor reads lines. A great actor IS that character he’s playing.

Tommy Kramer Coaching Tip #4 – The 4 Requirements of a great Air Talent

Posted on June 19, 2013 by tommykramer

TK Tip 4 – The 4 Requirements of a great Air Talent (click to hear mp3 version)

There are four fundamental requirements of a truly good air talent:

(1) Be a good ambassador of the format. Each format has its unique qualities. Country is different from Album Rock. Contemporary Christian is different from Smooth Jazz. HOW they’re different is part of what you’re here to show. Consider the difference between Classic Rock and Oldies. They’re NOT the same.

(2) Be a good “tour guide” for the station—its features, artist pool, website stuff, Promotions, Contests…all that it has to offer.

(3) Be a good deejay (in music formats). That means [A] being patient, not trying to cram too much in, or doing more than one main subject in each break; [B] “riding the wave” of the music by matching each song’s tempo and emotional vibe; and [C] fitting each song, which means not trying to do ultra-serious Content over a “happy” song, or sounding like the music doesn’t matter to you, or like you’ve just been waiting impatiently for the song to end, so you can talk.

(4) I have to learn something about you, and not just what you think. I also want to know how you FEEL; what’s in your heart.

Now ask yourself if you’re doing these things every day. If you’re not, maybe you need some help.