Recording at Red Car: Film at 11(ish)

Wow.

Being the HP Insider really is the gift that just keeps on giving. Already, the whole experience had been so much more than I asked for, than I ever could have imagined. But somehow, it just keeps getting better. And better.

Take today, for example. I had been asked to record the voice narration for an in-house promotional video about the HP Insider program. I arrived shortly before 10am (thanks, Kathleen, for remembering I am not an early morning person!) at Red Car studio in Dallas, totally unsure of what to expect. I had the script and had looked over and even practiced reading it several times, but still couldn't shake my nervous stomach. I even skipped breakfast for fear it might "revisit" me if my nerves got too shot.

But everyone I met at Red Car was so friendly. The atmosphere there was so relaxed and laidback it was hard not to feel at ease. Once everyone arrived, we headed back towards the recording studio and mixing room. Blindly following those in front of me, I was the last to file into the mixing room -- until one of the guys kindly redirected me to the studio, where the actual recording would take place. You know, the little room with the microphone. Woops, my bad!

Gabriel, a handsome man with a lovely Spanish accent (he is actually FROM Spain!), walked in behind me and snapped a few pictures, which, dressed in my Mavs T-shirt and jeans with my freshly showered wet hair thrown up in a clip, I had totally NOT been expecting. But, hey, at least I was still showing my true blue Mavs' spirit! Collier, who I think was the producer (and had performed with Starship on “We Built This City” many moons ago) walked me through everything that would happen and told me not to worry about nerves or being perfect, to just have fun with it. As I put the big headphones over my ears, he walked out, shutting the glass door behind him and leaving me all alone in the recording room.

Shortly thereafter, I heard his voice in the headphones telling me we were about to start, and to begin with, they would like me to read through the entire script nonstop once to get more comfortable and familiar with it.

“Let’s call this Take One,“ he said, and sucking in a deep breath, I began reading the script. I was so nervous I could hear the shakiness in my own voice, and I was nearly breathless by the time I finished the last line.

“Good job,” came Collier’s voice through the headset, mostly humoring me, I think. Because the voice inside my head said, What the heck was THAT?!? Too fast, too shaky, too blecch. “How do you feel?” asked the voice in the headset.

“I don’t know why but I’m still so nervous,” I said, wringing my hands and staring absentmindedly at the script on the podium before me. “I can hear my voice shaking,” I sighed.
“Just relax a little, nothing to be nervous about,” he said. “Let’s do this: let’s take it a little section at a time, and go from there.”

So I bounced around, trying to shake off nervous energy, grabbed a drink of water, and started again. I thought this time was a little better than the last, and the voice in the headset agreed, before offering a few pointers and suggestions as to words I should emphasize. So we tried again, and again, there were minor adjustments, but improvement nonetheless. Not bad for a beginner, I thought to myself.

And so it went, for approximately 30 takes and two bottles of water. When we got to the point in the script where I talked about being the HP Insider, I couldn’t seem to bring the enthusiasm into my voice. Although my face was smiling, I was concentrating so hard on saying the words right that my focus was blocking my emotion.

“Is that how you felt when you won?” asked the voice in my headset. “Were you excited when you found out?” he teased.

“Excited? You have no idea,” I retorted. “I was so happy I literally had tears in my eyes. It was the best week of my life, hands down!”

“Bring that excitement with you,” he advised, “and let us hear the smile in your voice!” So we tried it again, and this time, when they played it back so I could hear it, I finally got it right! Two more total read-throughs, and, in just over an hour, we were done. Or so I thought.

Just as I was about to step out of the solitude of the studio and into the mixing room, Gabriel and John, another of the guys I was working with, came in and started snapping pictures. Of me. Again. Then John even videotaped me reading through the whole thing before leading me to the mixing room, where the other guys, as well as Kathleen and my friend Jay were waiting. We took several more group pictures and just when I thought we were through, John and Gabriel led me to another room, so they could videotape me reciting the opening and closing lines of the video a few times. Maybe they would use the footage, maybe they wouldn’t, but they wanted to have it just in case. All I could think the whole time was, Geez, I hope my hair doesn’t look like I forgot to brush it!

Once we wrapped up at Red Car, Jay, Kathleen and I went out for lunch. We walked over to Baker Bros. deli, where we just managed to beat the lunch rush. Over two salads and a sandwich, we talked about everything from playoff basketball to cat allergies to our favorite movies. It was a wonderful lunch and, as expected, I had a great time just catching up and hanging out with Jay and Kathleen. (Thanks for lunch, Jay!)

As we said our goodbyes and I walked to my car, I couldn’t help but think how this had been such an awesome ending to the amazing experience that was being the HP Insider. Every time I think this roller coaster ride of a lifetime is over, we reach another turn and the track just keeps on going. As I looked in my rearview mirror, I grinned slyly at my reflection, wondering, was this really the end?

Somehow, I kinda doubt it…