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Assignment: Talking Barbeque Grill
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 DDB copywriter Don Dunbar called Michael Coyle with an interesting assignment for Safeway Grocery stores: a commercial that called for a talking barbeque grill.
Don didn't want a voice over to simply say he was a grill, the character had to sound as if the physical grill was moving and talking!
After a few minutes of panic, Michael had the idea to route actor Andre Sogliuzzo's voice through an actual grill, using the metal container like an old-school reverb chamber.
After purchasing a grill at Sears, Paul and Michael sawed a hole in the bottom where a speaker was placed. A microphone on top captured the tubby sound of the grill and the vibrations of the metalwork. During his read, Andre held onto the occasional sibilant sound which was later mixed with a real grill sizzle to complete the effect.
Listen to Safeway "Gus"
Coincidentally, the next day Michael recorded voice tracks for a Froot Loops commercial that called for Toucan Sam to swim underwater wearing a diving suit. The same barbeque grill, with the lid closed, also sounded great as Toucan's diving helmet! Is that cheating?
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