Voiceover

I spent most of the day thinking about fabric. How to shift characters. What do I have in my wardrobe?

I ended up finding a bolt of red cloth from Christmas Carol and realising that it’s good enough to use as cummerbund/sash, but too red. So I’ve ordered two metres of blue cloth on Amazon. It’ll arrive tomorrow. I guess that convenience is what we get in exchange for Bezos and all the richest people paying next to no taxes in the UK. Hooray for quick food-bank fabric. I’ll bring in the red stuff in the meantime, but hopefully I’ve found the solution even though it’ll probably involve some sewing with the fucking magnets and I can’t sew yet. Time past time to learn. It wasn’t considered a useful skill for young Al. Oh I wish I had it. Hitching up Scrooge’s nightie. Making and adjusting costumes. There’s always work to be done and I’d love to be able to do it myself. I’m getting better at widening my focus, and yes of course it would be lovely to get one of those jobs like Newquay where you come and get looked after and don’t have to bring or make your own stuff. But dear gods I love theatre and theatre is often makeshift.

Four more days of rehearsal and then I fly. The start of this job is the start of Brian’s Wolf of Wall Street. Our household is a household with no thinking time whatsover. I’ve started paying for a cleaning lady and it’s the best thing in the world. Maria is amazing. She will sort things out if she has to. But if she can spend time doing laundry and washing up she will do so because they need doing.

It’s a lesson. Do the things that come easy to you, and she will do surprising and amazing things that nobody would think of. She has organised our kitchen draws. She is pairing my socks. I always have clean pants and I know where they are. It’s almost like witchcraft.

Tristan came over this evening to use my home studio. He was recording towards a potential consideration for a well known character in a string of adverts. I got him set up in my home studio and realised voice recording is not a familiar idiom for him. So I’ve lent him the home studio. I’m off for months anyway and I’ve got a very serviceable portable studio. He might as well have my soundproofing and my nice Rode mic. I’ve got an iPad studio which is sexy as fuck with a few towels well placed and that’s what I’ll take to America. I’ve done books in hotel rooms before. I’ll be fine. It was noticeable how Tristan didn’t quite get the game yet. If he experiments with the kit I’ve lent him he’ll likely be able to monetise his ability. You don’t need much for a start (this is not the configuration I record in btw, oh experts).

The well known character had already been cast of course, in spite of our work. We didn’t know it until we had sent a couple of testers. So be it. When I get back from America I might well turn a specific little cupboard I have in my flat into a functioning dead room. Because everyone needs voices. And the tighter I can get my dead sound the better. And I’m very good at this work.

Author: albarclay

This blog is a work of creative writing. Do not mistake it for truth. All opinions are mine and not that of my numerous employers. View all posts by albarclay