Nick Angell – Audio Producer
We had the great fortune of working with Nick on several projects starting with one for Heart Research UK. Not only was it clear from the start that Nick had enormous experience behind him but also the passion and abundance of creative solutions to bring to the table regarding audio production. Extremely professional and an overall lovely person it was a pleasure when he agreed for us to speak to him about his approach and opinions within the industry. Enjoy the reading…
How did you get started in audio production and what inspired your journey?
My dad was a documentary filmmaker and his office was originally at Shepperton Studios, so as a young lad I would, from time to time, go with him to Shepperton and look round the various sets and stages that were active at the time. Although I have fond memories of those times, it wasn’t until I was sixteen years old when I accompanied him to a music recording session to record a score for some opening and closing titles of a film he had made that my eyes were truly opened. Not only was I totally absorbed by the whole process, but I immediately felt at home and got the overwhelming sense this was something I eventually wanted to do. After leaving school at eighteen, I wrote to numerous studios seeking a starter opportunity. My goal was to work at the iconic Olympic Studios in Barnes, as their reputation for recording some of the biggest bands in the world, including the Who who was my favourite band of that time, was second to none. As it was, I was called for an interview at a company called Molinare who were on Broadwick Street back then. Established in 1972 by two Australian guys who came from a world of radio commercial recording and production, it essentially was the go to company for advertising agencies to create their radio campaigns. It was a world I had no idea even existed, but I was offered a job and so my journey started. Commercial radio in the UK, having also started in 1972, was a rapidly growing industry, so not only did I feel that everyone was learning as they went, but the pace of growth was such that it provided great opportunity. I was thrown into the traffic department almost from the get-go and it wasn’t long before I was given the opportunity to learn how to operate a studio. Of course, back then it was an analogue world, so I cut my teeth editing quarter-inch tape with razor blades and sourcing sound effects from BBC vinyl discs. Although I really didn’t have much of a clue of what I was doing, I was lucky enough to work with the brilliant Peter Sellers on a radio campaign for Camping Gaz in 1977, written by Iain Dunn and Mark Reddy, that won tons of awards, so that put my name out there. In 1979, I opened Angell Sound, which I successfully ran until closing the doors in 2019. In the many years, I have been involved with the advertising industry as a whole, I have worked with so many brilliant Creative Directors, creatives, producers and actors that I have learnt so much from and who have helped inspire my journey and this remains the case to this day. I don’t think I will ever lose the buzz of being in a studio, working with amazing talent and hearing a production come together. How lucky I am.
In what ways is AI impacting Actors and VO artists and do you incorporate it into your work?
AI is impacting our lives in so many ways. It is constantly evolving, so anything I write now could well by out of date imminently, but here goes. The industry I have spent my entire working life in has evolved pretty well out of all recognition. From my early days of analogue recording and editing, digital technology has provided us with an incredibly sophisticated platform of operation that allows detailed experimentation and audio tools that are unlimited, but reflecting on all the great work I’ve had the privilege to work on there has always been one core element; and that is a brilliant idea. In the context of AI, it is my genuine belief and hope that it could never replace the human resources to create that idea. Of course, the technology we have at our disposal can bring that great idea to life, but no amount of tricks and toys can make a crap idea better. With most advertising campaigns, there will be a voice actor, so more specifically what impact is AI having on this art? From what I’ve heard so far, it is a little clunky/wooden, but there’s no doubt that for a simple narrative reading or a basic presentation, there will be something suitable, which isn’t what many actors will want to hear. However, for everything I do I want to direct an actor to squeeze every possible nuance, emphasis, timing and overall performance from them to suit the script and product. This can only be done with a real person and, as far as I’m concerned, that will always be the case. Animation is a great example of what an actor’s performance can bring to a character. The late and very brilliant Robin Williams exuded pure vocal brilliance as the Genie in Walt Disney’s Aladdin. Not in a month of Sundays could this be achieved using AI. To summarise, I generally don’t incorporate AI into the work I do and will remain a strong and vocal advocate for the real thing!
When casting voice actors, what key factors do you prioritise?
It is amazing to think that up to the early nineties, most voiceovers were directed to deliver a ‘received pronunciation’ performance. This was the ‘BBC’ world we lived in. The use of accents or dialects was certainly less so and when they were needed it was often the case that a versatile actor was cast to adopt a dialect, as opposed to typecasting. Through the nineties, there was, thank goodness, a shift towards more colloquial writing, a one-to-one performance, so talking to the audience as opposed to at them, and proper type casting when a dialect was needed. In fact, dialects from around the UK became much more the norm, as they offered a real sense of engagement, believability and trust. The writing helped this. So when casting these days, it absolutely goes without saying that if you need someone from Yorkshire, for example, you cast someone from Yorkshire. Obvious. We are so lucky to have the amazing resource of acting talent to tap into, so I have to say I find it quite difficult trawling through voice reels when casting, as there are so many tricks adopted to produce a great sounding reel, plus there are so many artists out there now, but I try and tune in to the resting quality of someone’s voice, their vocal tone and personality. If these basic attributes are ticking the box, I’m always confident I can direct the artist to get exactly the performance that’s needed.
How do you usually direct voice actors during a session, and are there any specific vocal exercises or warm-ups you recommend beforehand?
Over the years, I have heard actors do every sort of weird and wonderful vocal exercise! I tend not to suggest what someone should do beyond making sure they don’t have a frog in the throat and instead focus on what we’re trying to achieve and how we should have our artist set up in the studio to achieve this. If, for example, it’s an energetic character piece, then standing up, using movement with physical actions and generally finding the right position on the mic is really going to help, whereas a considered ‘voice over’ focussed script is absolutely fine comfortably sitting behind the mic. My direction will always be tailored to finding the performance that works, so there is nothing specific in this regard, but, and I know this might sound very obvious, it is essential that your actor completely understands the sense of the script. Without sounding too ridiculous, smart actors really get under the skin of what they’re delivering, which will help drive the attitude, inflexions and tonality. It is surprising how many times I have laboured with an actor to deliver a part of a script in a certain way to discover their interpretation is not what was intended. Once they capture the sense I was looking for, hey presto, the inflexion hits the mark. On the whole, I try and offer concise, intelligent notes that any actor can respond to and, in short, act on.
What are the most important factors to consider when selecting or creating audio for commercials?
In pretty well all cases and certainly often at the point of my involvement, the creative idea has been conceived and a script written, so this is my starting point. For me, it is absolutely essential to have a conversation with the creatives to fully understand the ambition and end goal, as this helps me to start imagining what needs to be done to fulfil the audio production ambition. Radio production can be more challenging, as you’re starting from ground zero, so factors to consider are placement of character actors and how they might sit into an audio landscape, what is that landscape and how can it be convincing, are there any unusual sound effects needed and do they need specifically creating, is there a more abstract soundscape needed and what form should that take, will there be an original music composition or library music needed and if so, how can it be tailored to suit the timing of the ad, if there’s a voice-over how does that sit with the rest of the shape of the ad and, of course, how is the overall timing looking of the script in the context of how the sound needs to be executed? The bottom line is if the final sound is successful, it shouldn’t really be questioned. This is particularly the case with TV, as believability and engagement should be a natural thing.
What current projects are you working on, and how do they challenge you creatively?
I can’t really talk about current projects, but I have recently worked on the sound design for a short film, two words that usually strike fear into everyone, as there’s never any budget and always big ambitions. However, I was very drawn to the film, entitled ‘Bag for Life’, as it’s not only very relevant but really well directed and made. I hope that it will be available for viewing very soon. The challenge for me was the simple fact that there was very little location sound, so usually, simple outdoor scenes featuring atmos and movement had to be re-created, including my favourite, footsteps! Gawd. There were also moments of high, intense drama driven by sound, so that was a challenge, plus there isn’t any dialogue, so the story is carried by radio news broadcasts that needed crafting. Although going back a little while now, I’m still very proud of directing the UK cast of an animated film called The Unbeatables. Our lead actor was Rupert Grint of Harry Potter fame. Do check it out if you can.
What does the collaborative process typically look like between you and a client?
I am someone who very much enjoys the collaborative process of any production I do. There are times when an agency wants to keep their client away from a session, but I personally never mind, as I feel I have the experience to engage them whilst keeping control of the creative direction I and the creatives are trying to achieve. Of course, leading up to the session collaboration with the agency account team to understand the ambitions of their client and the creatives is vital to ensure the outcome that everyone wants. More than ever, clients have strong views and opinions that need to be respected whilst hopefully allowing us to explore and push the creative boundaries. Summary The world of audio production and post-production across the media industry as a whole has given me a career I still reap a lot of joy and reward from. As it’s very singular in what it offers, radio, in particular, challenges me to find the audio execution that helps to make an ad stand out from the crowd and that is something that’s hugely enjoyable. Long may it continue…
