Production Roles

1.     Production roles: creative producer; recording engineer; copywriter; voiceover artists, eg voice actors, celebrities; session vocalists

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I  In commercial radio there are many different production jobs that need to be done in order to create a radio commercial. I will be covering many jobs including creative producer; recording engineer; copywriter; voiceover artists, eg voice actors, celebrities; session vocalists. 

A Creative producer has the job of creating radio advertising and producing promotions for that radio station. The job/work requires a combination of high level of radio production skills due to the job being quite demanding and having a lot to remember. The job also requires a good understanding of the creative potential of radio and audio content which is used to sell the product to the target audience.

Commercial producers can work for a single station or part of a national or regional team depending how big their radio station is. Smaller stations the role may require the responsibility of one of the stations presenters or work may be contracted out to an external/bigger company.  On the BBC radio there is no commercial advertising due to the fact local stations or national stations employ radio producers or broadcast journalists who are then responsible for each of the stations programme trails and promotions.

Commercial producers have specific responsibilities which may vary depending on the station, however the majority of commercial producers are part of a small team although some work for a regional or a national team. All commercial producers are based in offices and recording studio’s but may also work on location.   

Commercial producers work with a radio stations commercial clients by interpreting client briefs to create an effective radio advertising scheme. Some producers may be expected to manage client briefings, generate ideas, create pitch ideas, write scripts and work with the writers. The job requires a lot patience and idea generations which requires you to have a creative mind. After all the ideas are collected and the advertisement has begun taking place, commercial producers are then expected to edit the audio or media they have collected. Trailers may alsp be required to promote the client which the commercial producer also needs to come up with a create, which requires a lot of thinking due to this promoting the clients work of the actual radio station.

They are also expected to know how to evaluate and use relevant information sources and in some cases some image sources. The producers must also know how to source music or audio material but also how to ensure the necessary licences or clearances are obtained.

 In radio advertising they need a copywriter whose job is to write scripts for radio commercials which also requires a creative side. The copywriting job requires a deep understanding about how people listen and respond to radio programming.  The radio copywriter needs to write a script which he knows will keep the audience’s attention.  It requires an ear for what makes a good script and an attention grabbing radio advertisement.  A lot of good radio copywriters are expected to have a background in radio production which widens their knowledge in what they think will grab people’s attention.  They frequently serve both writer and producer overseeing voice talent, studio production, and distribution of radio ads.  Radio copywriting is a high specialised niche for freelancers and most radio ad scripts are written by employees of production studios.

voiceover artists are known for producing voice overs which is a production technique where a voice which isn’t non-diegeticlly used is put other productions for radio or other media outlets. The voice over may be spoken by someone who is a trained or specialist voice actor. The voice actors have to make sure they are précises and clear so that the audience understand what they are saying. They also need to put emotion into their voice making sure they connect to the audience keeping them involved. It is pre recorded and placed over the top of a film or news reports.

Voice overs have also been used in commercial radio broadcasting since the very beginning which was started before effective sound recording and mixing was introduced.  Due to the rapid growth the ability to record a high sound voice over became even easier and was the used a lot more in radio.

A sound engineer or recording engineer is usually based in the recording studio and make high quality recordings of music, speech or sound effects. The job requires you to have a good sense of hearing and you also need to understand musical pitch, timing and rhythm.  Many sound engineers start their learning of commerical radio in college or university that specialised in the sound for radio. Some others apply to be a runner at a recording studio which allows them to gain experience and then work their way up to become a studio sound engineer. The job requires you to use a handful of electronic equipment for many different reasons including

commercial music recordings

radio, TV, film and commercials

corporate videos

websites

computer games and other types of interactive media.

The job can include many different activities and many different jobs requiring people to have many different abilities. The job can include:

planning recording sessions with producers and artists

setting up microphones and equipment in the studio

making sure the volume and recording levels are set correctly

operating recording equipment and adding effects

recording each instrument or item onto a separate track

mixing tracks to produce a final ‘master’ track

logging tapes and other details of the session in the studio archive.

With experience, you might also act as studio manager.