Thought folks may be interested in my new satire just posted on Youtube:

"Nicholas Smith" - Emissions Trading Scheme & Climate Change

I found a new trick with this one which I think improves the flow...

Thanks Guy. You're right. I've been aware of this from my very first satire, and have put up with it, rather than make any attempt to solve it. I've used the slightly more shadowy (almost reverse) lighting on the interviewer as an attempt to make as big a difference between the two roles as possible. The excessive shadow right at the start is a result of this. Next time I'll have a look at a reflector to fill light that position.  The problem is I am wanting the shadow when I turn to address the interviewee.

One other issue I had this time was that I used one of my Lowel prolights with a snoot on as a fill light. It worked, only in the interviewer position there was a small circle of light from it that played around on the back side of my left glasses len's, and was very very distracting. I normally do about four takes of every line, then pick the one that is best for my purposes, but this time I had to discard about half of them because of this moving light spot. This was even though in all other respects the take was better. If the light had been a few inches more to the front I wouldn't have got it!  You can just see it in a couple of bits but it's nothing you would notice.

I wouldn't be able to read my script!!!

I've found another way to make a differentiation between roles in my satires.

I sent a link to the latest one to all the major Radio talkback hosts in the country last night...but that began me thinking that it wouldn't work on Radio because there is no distinction between voices...which then got me thinking about way to change the voices.

I went onto an audio group this morning and asked if anyone had any ideas for changing the sound of voices, and a guy suggested changing the pitch.

So I found the feature in Vegas at lunch time - Pitch Shift - and have just tried it on the interview. Raised the guest pitch by 1 semitone, and dropped the interviewer pitch by two semitones and the difference is quite marked.

Doing it will have to wait for the next satire.

By the way, I just had an email back from Nick Smith's secretary who said : "Very good. Thank you."