INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Taking a shower every day can help remove oil and impurities that cause back acne. If you cannot reach your back, buy a special tool that is made for cleansing your back. Some have handles for that hard-to-reach middle back while others are made to spread across your back.They come with heads made of soft cloth, natural bristles, or sponge. Apply the cleanser directly to the back-washer. If you prefer baths, cleaning your back could still benefit from a soft-tipped back-washer. Use an exfoliating body wash or one that contains sulfur,  salicylic acid, glycolic acid or benzoyl peroxide.  Make sure to use a new washcloth each day. Bacteria can grow and remain on a washcloth after your shower. Make sure to wash after exercising. Sweat build up can cause acne. While you may think scrubbing will help get rid of the acne, scrubbing can cause more acne. Scrubbing irritates and damages the skin. Instead, wash your back gently. Also use gentle cleansing products that are non-comedogenic — they should be labeled as such. Products that are non-comedogenic are Neutrogena, Aveeno, Cetaphil, and Olay. You can also use acne cleansers marketed for your face on your back. These cleansers contain benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or alpha hydroxy acids. There are also many spray-on acne treatment products that contain similar ingredients as acne creams. These products, including Glytone spray and Murad spray, are often effective, easier options, as they can be applied to the back or chest by the person with the body acne. If the home treatments have not worked, you should see a dermatologist. If you have large pimples, the size of a pea or larger, you should also see a dermatologist. This may be too severe to treat at home.  Your dermatologist will likely prescribe stronger medication than can be purchased over-the-counter. Depending on the severity of your acne, the medication you are given may vary from skin treatments to oral pills. It can take months to years to clear up your acne completely, even with prescription treatments, so be patient.  Women may want to take oral contraceptives, which can effectively treat acne. These can help regulate hormones that may contribute to acne.

SUMMARY: Shower daily. Try not to scrub your back. Use a medicated body spray. See a dermatologist.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you are reading over a pre-shot video, make sure you can see the video from your recording area. You may also record the voice-over without the video, simplifying your job and allowing you to focus on speaking. However, if you need to react to the video then it is best to read with the video in the background. Whenever possible hit play on the video and microphone recorder at the same time. Then, when you start recording, you'll be perfectly synced up to the video. Standing opens up your chest cavity, allowing you to speak with a clear, unencumbered voice. It also allows you to be more animated, acting out some events so that you sink deeply into the character. You want to be 8-10 inches from the mic. Roughly the distance between your thumb and pinky if they are both extended out. If you do not have a sound-proofed room or recording booth you can still make one for yourself. The echoing sound will appear in your recording and keep your voice from sounding clear if you don't take the time to soundproof. Many amateurs have found that recording in a closet is easy: your clothes will naturally dampen the sound and you can put a towel or blanket on the floor and door to fully close it off.  The main goal is to get rid of or cover any hard surfaces, which reflect sound back to the microphone. If your mic has a "hyper-cardioid pattern," use it. This means that the sound is moving through the microphone and out the back instead of echoing around inside. You need to be able to hear your voice as you record, and quickly play back your audio to listen for any mistakes. Try and invest in good headphones, preferably over ear, that will provide the best playback of your voice over. " This sweet spot is tough to find, but it is the basis of all good voice-overs. Your voice tends to lose some character in a recording, so overemphasizing emotions and enunciation brings back the natural energy of your voice. To test this, try out 3-4 lines in the beginning of recording at various levels of energy. Play them back and adjust your voice accordingly, finding the one that sounds best in the recording, not when you are saying it out loud. You do not need to worry about speaking loudly into the microphone, just being clear and emotive. Inflection is the rhythm and tone of your speech. Many beginners like to start with all their sentences ending in "up" tones, like they are asking questions. Good inflection, however, is about varying your voice to sound natural and dynamic. A lot of this comes from "Acting out" your parts as you speak. For example, audiences can actually "hear" smiles, as it changes your tone of voice slightly into a happier register. These words only have a place in the voice-over if your script asks for them. "Uhm," "ahh," and "uhhhh" are all missed in everyday conversation, but they will be glaringly apparent in a recording, when the audience is only focusing on your voice. Focus on reading the script and nothing else. If you need to pause, just stay silent. This takes practice, but listening to your own recordings over and over again will help out.

SUMMARY: Set the footage you're reading over up on a computer screen. Stand while delivering your lines. Make sure your recording room is silent and free of echo. Wear headphones. Speak a bit "larger than life. Focus on strong, varied inflection. Never say "uhm" or other filler noises.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you are leveling a small area and it is mostly level, you probably will not need to remove the grass. However, if you have a large area and a lot of leveling to do, removing the grass will be much easier. A simple shovel is all that's necessary for a reasonable amount of space. Depending on how much ground you have to cover and what will be going on the ground afterwards, you'll need to level your land with differing mixtures of soil, sand, and compost/manure fertilizer. If you want to grow grass in this area, the cover will need to be nutrient rich. If you want to level for a pool or shed, soil and sand will do just fine. Use a garden rake to spread the material evenly, checking using your level and a measuring tape to make sure it's staying level. If you have a large area to cover, there are small versions of ground moving equipment that you can rent from your local hardware store. They will be able to advise you on what will work best for your property. If you are leveling a small area, you can tamp the soil using your foot and the bottom of your rake. If you are leveling a large area, or it is especially important to keep the ground level (such as if you are building a structure), get a tamper or plate compactor to compact the soil. Give the soil plenty of time to settle. It needs at least 48 hours, if not several days or weeks to settle properly. Mist the area with water if your area does not get rainfall during that time.

SUMMARY:
Remove the grass if necessary. Add your ground cover. Spread the topsoil. Tamp the soil. Let it settle.