People want to be entertained. By their friends. By their family. By their cats. And by their favorite brands.
That’s why more and more of them are answering the call of hungry consumers by creating entertaining video content — in the form of anything from TV spots to user-generated videos — and putting it “out there” to be gobbled up. No news there.
But with the proliferation of video, there is also a proliferation of people who can create them, many of whom can do a bang-up job. Hell, even my 15-year-old niece films and edits videos that will blow your mind.
(As a proud auntie, I couldn’t refrain from posting her commercial; if all TV spots from small businesses were this good, watching breaks during local news would be a much more enjoyable experience.)* But I digress.
While it’s exciting that so many people can create entertaining or educational videos, the unfortunate consequence is that many video production companies think they can claim expertise in audio as well. Sure, there are a handful of producers and editors who can put together a solid sound bed for videos. I know some who can even coach voiceover talent pretty well. But audio recording studios and production houses — you know, the ones who have specialized in sound design for decades — are often forgotten in the process. And that’s a damn shame.
Because when you have a good sound engineer — a really good one — it’s like magic.
I came to that realization for the umpteenth time at Tapeworks in Hartford, CT two weeks ago, where I was working on radio and TV audio for a long-standing client. Every year, for the past nine years I’ve worked here at Mascola, I have been amazed at the intricacy and beauty of perfect sound design. Those little nuances that the untrained ear can’t pick up on, but when you hear the change, you just know it’s right.
Here is an example of a fun video, which, without the expert sound design, simply wouldn’t be as entertaining:
When you work with a studio that creates custom music for you and you see the backup singers perform over and over again until they get it perfect… When you hear voiceover talent coached until they nail it even better than you had imagined when you wrote the script… When you see a sound engineer listening for the precise spot where the sound effects should go, then watch him re-mix the whole thing because something is slightly off… There is nothing quite like the end result.
High audio quality in video, at the very least, gives you an edge over your competitors. And if you’re a luxury brand, it is imperative to have quality audio because your audience places such a high value on experience.
I hope more and more Creative Directors, AEs, and Marketing Directors push for better audio. After all, music and voice appeal to the emotions of the consumer just as much as what appears on the screen. They are like yin and yang. Not only do they need to be in balance at all times; one cannot exist without the other.
*By the way, if you like my niece’s commercial and happen to be on Facebook, give it a vote, why dontcha?