- Hello, I'm Heather, the Video Promotions Manager
at PBS Wisconsin.
In the Video Promotions department,
we create a series of different promos
for our on-air PBS Wisconsin channels.
A promo is a short video we produce
to promote upcoming programs or content
for on-air, social media, and our website.
We promote anything from our station events
to our PBS Wisconsin documentaries
to PBS national programs.
The promo is the best way
for us to get the message out to the viewer,
and let the audience know
about this exciting new show
that's coming from PBS Wisconsin.
- Narrator: Wisconsin Scenic Treasures: Southern Vistas.
[regal music]
- Heather: And today, we're in the PBS Wisconsin audio recording booth.
This is where we record all of our voiceover tracks.
We have a couple unique things
that really make the sound sound excellent!
First of all, we have our foam walls,
which we use acoustic foam
that doesn't block the sound,
but it absorbs sound
so that way it cancels out
any extra sound from the outside, echoes.
Sound is just like light,
where it can pour through any small hole.
So, in order to make that voiceover sound really dynamic,
you don't want that background sound.
Then, we have our high-tech mic here
where you speak into.
This microphone has a pop filter or pop screen
that helps eliminate outside sounds in the booth
and filter out popping noises.
When the person comes in to voiceover,
they usually stand right here at the microphone,
and then, one of our producers stands across in this other room
and helps guide them through the script.
We have a lot of exceptional voiceover talent
here at PBS Wisconsin.
People from in the building
we just bring down
to record audio right here.
We also have outside talent
that comes in to record
some of our promos, documentaries, and local shows.
One little tip we tell people
is to over-exaggerate
because even though in your head,
you know you're over-exaggerating,
it doesn't come off that way
either on camera or in the voiceover booth.
- Inga Witscher: That's next time on Around The Farm Table!
- Heather: So, while working with the talent,
you really want to make sure to get the best lines.
Sometimes it can take ten takes; sometimes it can take one.
But it's important to keep doing it until you get the right take
so you can have the best piece of audio
to take back to the editing room with you.
So, once we have our audio track finished,
the producer will generally hand that off to an editor
or edit the piece themselves.
So we'll take that into one of our editing programs
and mirror it with the video.
- Angela Fitzgerald: On the next all-new Wisconsin Life...
- I've worked with tremendously talented voiceover talent
throughout the years.
It's such a fun experience because every day is different.
One day you're working on a really happy, fun promo
where the voiceover talent
might get to use a fun character voice.
The next day, maybe it's a more neutral or somber promo
where you can have
some different cadence and tone there as well.
It's really a great opportunity
to get to do something new and different every day.