Hey Reader,
Last week, I paid $13 for a drive thru burger and fries.
I remember the lunch impulse: “I’ll just grab a burger real quick.” I got into the car all excited and kinda happy about it. Then more than thirty minutes later, I arrived back. Of course the drive thru wasn't even fast. And dammit, I forgot to ask for the fries to be well done, which is a new thing for me.
Two bites in, I knew that familiar disappointment. Not exactly “bad” feeling -- just like a neutral “nah, this isn’t what I really wanted” mediocrity.
I finished it anyway, I’m not a monster, but with a lot less excitement for the taste. I looked at the receipt and sighed a little like Eeyore.
The rest of the afternoon was this weird limbo feeling of not really hungry, definitely not satisfied. It wasn’t what I actually needed.
And that $13 of real money ended up being something I'd forgotten by dinner (until I started typing this email).
I've had the other version too. The fancy restaurant sit down meal where "still or sparkling?" sets the scene, and time slows down in a more wonderful way with people I love. The appetizers arrive and I’m relishing it and there's gratitude.
I love those meals. I also don't need them all the time. It takes some planning, scheduling, coordinating, saying no to other really cool plans, and the extra chunks of cash flying away on whims (funny - those appetizers and that burger are likely the same cost).
I still drive thru and I still fancy it up. And what’s changed now is a more deliberate cooking at home. Fresh healthy and yummy food. There’s temperature heat, and some spicy heat, actual ingredients for the full meal, no additives nor preservatives. It's SO not glamorous, not really quick, but totally satisfying.
And I love sharing. Friends, family, and more - come on over! I’m not trying to open a 5 star restaurant here. It’s more like a journey, like I might need to take this out earlier next time, or try a different seasoning, little nudges here and there. I feel like “hey, great idea, thanks!” And there’s no feeling horrible about myself.
That kind of adjustment, repeated, becomes something I can continue to grow.
I've been sitting with that difference between consuming my meals. That fast food for ease or efficiency (usually I get neither). The fancy restaurant for elegance and adult pampering (that buzz diminishes, and sometimes I get a little glitch when the check comes). The home cookin’ for health and basic goodness (the habit grows something really good in time).
Whether my meals are extraordinary expensive experiences or not, the last one, the home cooking becomes a reliable repetition that becomes instinct. Days later, I know my body, and my checkbook, is most thankful for that.
The Audio Description Performance Video Series is the kitchen.
Four videos, on your timing; some different approaches to cooking this, and building a kind of repetition that sticks.
learnwithroy.com/sp/ad-performance-series
And I have a few $30 off coupons (almost 3 burgers and fries!) left for people who've been here a while. Reply back and I'll share (lounge members get an extra special discount).
If you know someone who snarfs burgers like I do, send this their way.
One more thing -- if you missed the free webinar this week, I just added a free PDF pulled from the webinar material. It's a good place to start if you want something you can read through at your own pace. Grab it at the button Free Guided Exercise below.
-Roy
PS The most common note I give in coaching Audio Description Performance is this: use context to perform the moment with intent.
The words on the script describe what's happening visually. Your job is to bring the words off the page, and deliver what's happening emotionally (it's not "do it happy" "do it sad" or other emotions). How you perform underneath the image, inside the scene, between the characters, is what makes this come alive.
When all those things align, the audience stops hearing Audio Description, and starts experiencing the story.
That's the whole job, really, that immersive experience.