Announcer
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
| Revision as of 18:19, 18 August 2008 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Current revision Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | '''Max Headroom''' is the name of a fictional British [[artificial intelligence]], known for his [[Surrealism|surreal]] [[wit]] and stuttering, distorted, electronically [[Sampling (music)|sampled]] voice. The character was created by George Stone, [[Annabel Jankel]] and [[Rocky Morton]] and portrayed by [[Matt Frewer]]. Max Headroom was featured in a [[music video]] programme, a [[20 Minutes into the Future|feature film]], a [[Max Headroom (TV series)|dramatic television series]] and television commercials. | + | :''[[presenter]]'' |
| + | An '''announcer''' is a [[voice actor]] who works in [[television]], [[radio]] or [[film]], usually providing [[narration]]s, [[news]] updates, [[station identification]], or an introduction of a product in [[television commercial]]s or a guest on a [[talk show]]. | ||
| - | The Max Headroom character originated in 1985-86 as an [[announcer]] for a [[music video]] programme on the [[United Kingdom|British]] television channel, [[Channel 4]], called ''[[Max Headroom (TV series)|The Max Headroom Show]]''. The intent was to portray a futuristic computer-generated character. Max Headroom appeared as a stylized head on TV against harsh primary color rotating-line backgrounds, and he became well known for his jerky techno-stuttering speech, [[wit|wisecracks]], and [[pun]]s ("Like they say when you're buying suppositories, 'With friends like that, who needs [[enema]]s?'"). ''The Original Max Talking Headroom Show'' was made by Cinemax in 1987. | + | Announcers usually read prepared scripts, but in some cases, they have to [[ad-lib]] commentary on the air when presenting news, sports, [[Weather report|weather]], time, and [[Advertising|commercial]]s. Occasionally, announcers are also involved in writing the [[screenplay|script]] when one is required. Sometimes announcers also [[interview]] guests and moderate [[panel]]s or discussions. Some provide commentary for the audience during sporting events, [[parade]]s, and other events. |
| - | ==Analog== | + | The term also applies to [[public address]] announcers, usually at sporting venues. Such announcers will give the spectators information about a player, score (such as a goal or touchdown), infraction, or the results of the event. These announcers may be specialized according to sport; for instance, an [[horse race]] announcer provides a rapid-fire second-by-second account of the race (as well as introducing the entries before the race), while a [[baseball]] announcer may simply introduce the next batter or recap the previous half-[[inning]]. Public address announcers may be notable due to their longevity, or tenure with a popular team or venue. Some, particularly in horse racing, may also be known for television or radio work. |
| - | Notwithstanding the publicity for the character, the real image of Max was not computer generated. 3-D rendering and computing technology in the mid-1980s was not sufficiently advanced for a full-motion, voice-synched human head to be practical for a television series. Max's image was actually that of actor [[Matt Frewer]] in latex and foam rubber prosthetic makeup with a [[fiberglass]] suit, superimposed over a moving geometric background. Even the background was not actual computer graphics at first; it was hand-drawn [[Traditional animation|cel animation]] like the "computer-generated" animations in the ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (television series)|Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'' TV series. Later in the U.S. version they were actually generated by a [[Commodore International|Commodore]] [[Amiga]] computer. But when these things were combined with clever editing, the appearance of a computer-generated human head was convincing to many. | + | |
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Current revision
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
An announcer is a voice actor who works in television, radio or film, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in television commercials or a guest on a talk show.
Announcers usually read prepared scripts, but in some cases, they have to ad-lib commentary on the air when presenting news, sports, weather, time, and commercials. Occasionally, announcers are also involved in writing the script when one is required. Sometimes announcers also interview guests and moderate panels or discussions. Some provide commentary for the audience during sporting events, parades, and other events.
The term also applies to public address announcers, usually at sporting venues. Such announcers will give the spectators information about a player, score (such as a goal or touchdown), infraction, or the results of the event. These announcers may be specialized according to sport; for instance, an horse race announcer provides a rapid-fire second-by-second account of the race (as well as introducing the entries before the race), while a baseball announcer may simply introduce the next batter or recap the previous half-inning. Public address announcers may be notable due to their longevity, or tenure with a popular team or venue. Some, particularly in horse racing, may also be known for television or radio work.
