There’s a lot of stuff that I think too much about. And there’s a lot more stuff that I don’t think much about at all. I don’t have a TV as I have an addiction gene when it comes to moving pictures and volume-controlled sound. I can’t abide channel surfing and would prefer to sit through the ads than to flick around looking for something else to watch for two minutes.
I’ve done enough voice-overs to know what goes into making an audio recording. I know that my stammered m’s and w’s can be erased in one keystroke. I know that movement doesn’t matter unless it’s audible (and then it’s bad) and that facial expression is pretty redundant unless I want a smile in my voice.
In my portfolio career world, I never quite know what I’ll be doing next. Last week I was in sound booth recording text for a language school, trying my damnedest to sound Oirish. The soft t’s that had been elocutioned out of me at great expense had to pulled back from distant memory. I didn’t recognise myself on the playback.
This week, I was in a different sort of studio, with a make-up gal, a director, a producer, a cameraman or two, a sound guy, a light specialist, and the star of the show. I was there to advise on the script, comment on pronunciation, and quickly knock out any extra text that was needed. It took nearly three hours to get ninety-seconds of film. I have a whole new respect for what these creatives do.
I’ve finally figured out that csendes means quiet in Hungarian. I’ve seen patience epitomised. And I’ve developed a whole new respect for what goes on behind the scenes.
Those who reckon that Hungarians don’t have a sense of humour, aren’t creative, and don’t like to work need go no further than umbrella.tv. The introductory trailer speaks of innovation and self-assurance and the importance of enjoying what you do. The sales pitch underneath is equally clever, even if the American-accented voice-over doesn’t sound like any Hungarian I’ve ever met. But the note on the end still has me smiling.
If, however, you were uninspired, perhaps you’d feel more comfortable here: http://www.grumpycats.com
Getting out of the lift as I was leaving, I literally ran into the next star attraction. Thankfully, I’d been warned. If work for everyone was this much fun, more people might be gainfully employed.
Thanks, lads.
2 Responses
“Those who reckon that Hungarians don’t have a sense of humour, aren’t creative, and don’t like to work need go no further than….”
Hungarian literature.
Dezső Kosztolányi. Margit Kaffka, Sándor Márai, Géza Gárdonyi, and many others greats of Hungarian literature, with honorable mention to Jenő Rejtő (pen name P. Howard) or Jenő Heltai (e.g. novel Jaguar) for comedy.
And anyone who has done it can tell you writing a novel is a lot of work.
Too true. Yet seeing it in the workplace, in a group setting, is even better