Session stills · 004
On set.
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On set · Verizon holiday campaign, 2023
2023 Holiday Campaign · On-Set Vocal Coach · Carol of the Bells / Deck the Halls
"They hire people just based on what they look like and then hope that they'll sound good together as a group. And then it's my job to make it sound perfect."
— Charissa
Six actors, cast for the picture. One couldn't sing — Charissa called the lip-sync and coached the rest into a group that reads as carolers on camera.
Rehearsals at Prettybird in Culver City. A week of overnight filming at Disney's Golden Oak Ranch, feeding pitches and cueing entrances from just off camera.
The take that airs is the one she signed off on.
Most people see a 30-second holiday commercial. I see about three months of vocal prep.
For Verizon's 2023 holiday campaign, my husband and I spent weeks recording demo vocals as the ad agency continually refined and updated the lyrics for classics like Carol of the Bells and Deck the Halls. Every lyric change meant new demos. And there were a lot of lyric changes.
Then came rehearsals at Prettybird in Culver City, followed by a week of overnight filming at Disney's Golden Oak Ranch. As the on-set vocal coach, I was just off camera feeding pitches, cueing entrances, dialing in timing, and helping six actors sing their way through take after take after take.
Most viewers remember the holiday carolers. I'll always remember the countless hours that happened before the cameras rolled.
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On set · Verizon holiday campaign, 2023