919-779-1476

ROWELL GORMON

V O I C E O V E R S

919-779-1476

Knowing When (Not) To Say “No”.

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If there’s anything better than being invited back for another creative animated tv spot by a great creative team:  it’s being asked to add a little something that wasn’t in the original script…and watching it take off!

In a spot recorded this summer and readied for air in the fall, the folks at Lawrence & Schiller    continued their Telly Award and Addy Award winning media campaign for Taco John’s.  My old coot farmer, who raises all the exotic-flavored chickens featured in those Baja Boneless Wings, has been coerced into being a retro DJ for his flock, who want to do…what else(?)…the Chicken Dance.

“I hate the Chicken Dance…” – used with permission

Originally, my character was just in the one TV spot, a treat in itself.  But after the demo tracks were done, I got the question:  “If we did some funny lyrics for the Chicken Dance, could the farmer sing them?”

I can’t read music, and can only carry a tune if the bucket’s big enough.  But rather than be all humble and shy and say “no”, I figured what the heck.

It actually worked out great.  My audition track had the creative team giggling (for all the right reasons).  On the day of recording the actual spots I was told they’d decided to go beyond the Radio :60 the lyrics were originally intended for…and use the character bit as a singing tag in all the spots in the campaign:  Radio and TV!  What a rush!  (…and what it did for the session fee wasn’t bad either!)

I haven’t heard the full sing radio version, but you can sample the fun of the tv spot in the video above.  Thanks to the Creative Coop at the agency, and for my Family Flock at Sunspots for putting us together in the first place.

…remember this the next time you’re tempted to tell a client you can’t do something.

— over and out —

Back on the Farm Team

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If there is a downside to doing the voice for an animation project, it’s the seemingly interminable interval before you can actually see the final result. But more often than not…it’s worth the wait.
That’s been the experience with these terrific and funny TV spots for Taco John’s, created by Lawrence and Schiller (used by permission).
I’m the old coot who runs the farm where these very special flavors of chicken are raised (note the horns on the Buffalo Wings bird). This is the spot that ran during football playoffs…and it has one of my favorite lines ever.

— over and out —

New Dog…Old Trick

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Animating a moving mouth over live-action animal footage is nothing new. There was a popular series of theatrical shorts in the 30s based on the concept. It’s still fun, though!
My thanks to Rod and Nancy Rich at MonkeyBravo for thinking of me when it came time to record the voices (and for including my friend Wendy Zier as the other pooch).
After the “dog-eat-dog” drama of recent weeks, I thought it might be good to lighten the mood!

— over and out —

Do You Know Where You Came From? No, I Don’t Mean That Way…

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I consider myself pretty knowledgable in things involving voice recording over the years…especially in Radio, film and animation.

But voice talent Scott Reynes just boosted my knowledge by leaps and bounds with a chart he created, which chronicles the history of the voiceover.

You’ll find it at http://scottreyns.com/history-of-voice-over.php   Once you get there, click on the thumbnail that looks like the picture here, and you’ll get the full-size graphic.

Thanks, too, to the BillyBlog over at http://www.billyvoice.com/blog/.  If I hadn’t seen it mentioned there, I might have missed it.

— over and out —

…That Little Chicken Ranch I’ve Been Dreaming Of.

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I finally got a look at my Ranch.

Last summer I did the voice of a crusty old farmer who raises the different “flavors” of chicken for Taco John’s.  Since the restaraunt chain has no locations my home territory (yet), I’ve been scouring the internet for a look at the final animated TV spots.

Here’s the first one.  Let me know if you spot any of the others.

TacoJohnsTV

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Well I’ll Be A Monkey’s Uncle…oh, wait…

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It’s not too difficult to make a monkey out of me.  But never has it been done so creatively.

https://youtu.be/H66ny2TmRQc

Tom Morse and the crew at SAS in Cary, NC came up with some clever ways to liven up the product demo to their new data management software.  I don’t pretend to understand what it does, but that doesn’t matter.  SAS only needed me to provide some voices, which they then put into animation.  The style is akin to the Jib-Jab folks…or as my friend and webmaster Lou Dalmaso pointed out, even more like the Terry Gilliam animations for Monty Python.  I play both the super-intelligent chimp here (Dr. Peabody, aka Bobo), and the not-so-bright reporter.  See if you can guess which looks more like the real RG.

Here’s a second “interview” with the starship’s computer.

https://youtu.be/LwXhHYGMyXg

Many thanks to Tom (and SAS) for permission to share.

“Uncle” Sam…I am.

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https://youtube/zGrD1tTi4ec

I’ve done voices for animated projects before, but have never been featured to this degree.  Thanks to animator/creator/voice talent Josh Faure-Brac for fitting me out in Red, White, and Blue as his “Uncle Sam” in this segment of his “SuperNews” for CurrentTV!  It’s also my first booking through voices.com…so double the celebration at the ol’ home studio.  Pray for sequels!  (CurrentTV LLC copyright 2008 – Used with permission.)

— over and out —