Imperfections and Bobbles

I've been recording and cleaning up podcasts recently. They're more like phone interviews than an official podcast, but whatever.

Inevitably, someone makes a mistake, fumbles a word, or says something that isn't quite right. So, I always encourage people when they make a mistake to pause, and go back and start that thought over.

Cool.

"I'd like to say um... that Luke has the ah-lest-best brog... blog in the world."

How to cut that down?

Frist, drop the "um". Easy enough. Plenty of space around it to just lift it out of the recording.

"I'd like to say that Luke has the ah-lest-best brog... blog in the world."

Second, let's get rid of the "brog" and tighten up the pacing there.

"I'd like to say that Luke has the ah-lest-best blog in the world."

Now for the hard part. Because the person corrected from "lest" to "best" quickly, the natural frustration and emphasis on "best" comes across as harsh. If you just cut out the "ah-lest" then it sounds odd: "Luke has the BEst blog..." Who emphasizes like that? No one. Totally unnatural.

So, instead, leave the "ah" in and drop the "lest". Now, while not perfect, the sentence works:

"I'd like to say that Luke has the ah-BEst blog in the world."

And, in fact, leaving in a few bobbles can make recordings sound better; more personable. Not that you want to make commercials that way, but interviews and "heart to hearts" need a taste of human frailty.

~Luke Holzmann
Your Media Production Mentor