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New Orleans VoiceOvers

Notes On Recording Annie’s Quvenzhane Wallis At Airlift Productions

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“Annie’s” Quvenzhane Wallis records VoiceOvers for Chrysler-Maserati at Airlift Productions … from Hushpuppy to Annie

So, what DOES a ten year old do in between starring in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (for which she earns the Best Actress Academy Award nomination) and helping all of America re-boot the Little Orphan Annie franchise?

Well, she heads to Airlift Productions in New Orleans to pick up a part-time job recording national television & radio work for Chrysler & Maserati with Airlift Mike, that’s what!

Hired by a Los Angeles-based ad agency that found my website, I vacuumed-up the Airlift red carpet in February to welcome little Quvenzhane, her stage mom and brother to come play in my sandbox for a day.  And what a day.

Although, I must confess that I was caught a bit off guard when the agency declined the phone patch offer … and told me that yours truly could coach and direct her through the reads.   Really?

The youngest Academy Award Best Actress Nominee Ever records VoiceOver at Airlift Productions
The youngest Academy Award Best Actress Nominee Ever records VoiceOver at Airlift Productions

OK, so let me see if I’ve got this straight …. I’ve been tasked to record – and direct – the Academy Award’s Youngest Best Actress Nominee in it’s history through an entire VoiceOver session?

Oh, it went fine.  The ads were a follow-up to her Superbowl 2014 spot for Chrysler-Maserati, wherein they’ve got a ten year old girl “manning-up” to pitch their automobiles! I kid you not.

LISTEN to just some of our session together – out takes included, her ‘back-cracking’, watery eyed sneezes… and just plain being a sweet, and often overwhelmed, ten year old little girl in this never-before-heard exclusive audio clip —-

 “Annie” & “Beasts of the Southern Wild” star Quvenzhane Wallis cozies up to the Airlift Studio mics for Chrysler-Maserati, Feb 2014

Honestly, this little Houma, Louisiana born cutie is the real deal.

In “Beasts of the Southern Wild” her grit, character, gumption, and tenacity were showcased, and all of America is about to be charmed by her grace & style when “Annie” hits  theaters across the USA for Christmas next month. 

In the meantime, should you catch any of her work in the advertising realm, now you know the rest of the story … sincerity & searing honesty from the mouths of babes, courtesy Airlift Productions.

And should I happen to catch you around the mall cineplex for “Annie” next month, the first tub of overpriced popcorn & a soda are on me. Cheers!

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Quvenzhane & Micheal Ziants spending some time together at Airlift Productions, February 2014

Airlift Productions ~ Audio Alchemy from New Orleans since 1984

New Orleans VoiceOvers

It’s An Airlift to LA ~ With A Dash of Pepper!

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Actress Pepper Binkley Records VoiceOvers for Amazon At Airlift Productions, New Orleans

Or maybe we should make that Red Pepper.

Perhaps you’ve caught Pepper Binkley on-screen with Robert De Niro in “Stone”, or on TV as Nurse Bridget on the long-running soap “All My Children”, or helping throw steam from the flat screen on the Showtime series “Masters of Sex”.

In any event, Pepper and entourage were in the house yesterday at the Airlift Studios to record VoiceOvers on behalf of the CyberiaMedia krewe in Santa Monica … tracks destined for an ‘amazonian’ crowd, to tout and promote Amazon Web Services.

We phone-patched from Airlift to California, and David & Richard, in-house at CyberiaMedia helped steer the entire session, as Ms. Pepper mystified and amazed us with her masterful microphone maneuvers.  Really.

Crank-up your speakers on your digital device and give a listen …

~ Pepper Binkley wows the Amazon crowd … with a little help from Airlift Productions ~ 

In New Orleans ~ Hollywood South ~ to film “A Night Without Armor”, Pepper was in need of a studio to help ‘connect the dots’ and Airlift & I were only too happy to oblige.

Trained in London, Pepper has a spot-on British accent, which she can turn on & off like the flick of a switch.  But in this case, it was full-on American neutral … in pursuit of a crowd of very technologically inclined millennials.

Pepper Binkley's autographed Amazon V/O copy, Airlift Productions - November 2014
Pepper Binkley’s autographed Amazon V/O copy, Airlift Productions – November 2014

And when “A Night Without Armor” opens-up down at the cineplex, I’ll be the one with the milk duds & popcorn in the front row.  See you there.

Airlift Productions ~ Audio Alchemy from New Orleans since 1984