VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

[torikamal]

I get most of my video game VA gigs through Voice123. However, I often get very minimal input as to who the character I'm to VA is, how he fits into the game story, or what his demeanor should be in the situations he is in. I feel lucky if I get an image, and a little bit beyond the audition text title.

What tips/tools/techniques do you use to get into character with little or no information, and with essentially a "we need these lines right now" kind of turnaround?

[Deirdre]

Hey There!
The best thing you can have is gameplay experience, any platform.
If you DON'T play games yourself, you can look at game play vids at YouTube.

A videogame audition should have information about gender, age, occupation, and general attitude in the game as well as any accent or vocal style they're looking for.

[Bruce]

Pardon the basic acting tips to start, but hopefully this will end up being a help.

I have legions, armies, of characters and character moments in my head and will tap into those. Of course I've been doing this for quite a while. I'm a sponge when it comes to characters I see and hear. I still talk back to these characters right after I hear them, mimicking them. It makes for interesting moments with family, friends, and strangers.

But I also rarely mimic exactly for an audition or session. I synthesize a voice/character that is original(ish). I use all the actor tricks, creating a history for the character, where are we, what's the environment like, what were we just doing before now, what is my purpose in life, what is my purpose at this moment?

Multi-million dollar movie stars will spend weeks riding in police cars before playing a cop on screen, and might spend weeks researching and thinking about character traits, and will get many rehearsals with the director before shooting, but you're right, us voice actors often get just minutes.

When you get minimal info up front it is up to you to fill in the rest. Even if you get a detailed description like the one above, let your imagination run (reasonably) wild. Create the "reality" to the best of your ability in your head and run with it.

A last tip: find ways to show depth to your character in an audition. Even horrible beasts can have a more reflective moment. Directors prefer people who can present a range of emotions. In the end your character may just scream, yell, and die loudly, but at least you and the director will know you have more than that in you.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[torikamal]

Thank you for the tips and advice! I've finally found a great community to call home!

[Deirdre]

Also—Play the games!!

That's real the most important thing.
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[torikamal]

That's a great point, Deirdre!

I've actually started asking for a digital copy of the games as part of the contract terms now. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't, but I've found it really useful to be able to see my performances in-game.

Luckily for me, I'm also a game developer, so I totally geek out for games, but I'm glad you brought up the point of playing them, because I think that step often gets overlooked.

[Yonie]

Not just yours. Play them for ideas as well.

[jsgilbert]

Playing games or watching others play games or going on youtube and watching various game reviews, previews, etc. is certainly a good idea. I will argue however that playing games will not prepare you for acting in games, just as watching movies is not preparation for acting in a movie.

One of the issues I have with many of today's games is that there is a tendency to use individuals who are more "gamers", than they are actors. This creates a "sameness" to many of the games, at least as one might rank them by genre. Much of the work is highly stereotyped and rather one dimensional.

Interestingly enough, as we have seen game music grow by leaps and bounds over the past few years; to the point where a Grammy is now awarded in the category of game music, I haven't seen this growth happening with regards t game dialog. Yes, Some, like 2K games and Lucas, get huge budgets for their dialog and whether they spend it wisely, their work does seem to rise above much of the other dialog wok out there.

In casual games, Telltale, with "Walking Dead", "Sam and Max" and several other titles tend to lead the way.

I consider myself rather lucky. While I may not carry the same sort of "cache" as many of today's game actors, I was one of the first 25 or so actors to have his voice on a video game and 25 years later, I'm still doing game voices. (Although the pay for ding them hasn't gone up much in 25 years. Fancy that.)

I suggest being the best actor you can be. Act as well as Dustin Hoffman or Johnny Depp. The trick is to make strong choices on the audition. If the line is "What are you doing here?" and you can't tell if you are speaking to a long lost love, or a new found enemy, make a choice, and if appropriate deliver the line 2 or 3 different ways to show your acting range. The big problem is delivering the lines "nice". As for the rest of it, get physical; be in the moment.

An exercise might be to stage some wrestling or even just some vigorous workout and record it. DO some punching and kicking and screaming and so forth. The goal being to learn how to replicate this while staying on microphone. "Strong" choices made stronger gets you booked.

If you get booked and will not be directed, make sure you have the context of the line, or at least a clear intent, emotion, etc.
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j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

[jsgilbert]

I just now saw the line about you being a game developer. Many of the directors I've had over the past 10 years are still directors, but almost all take every opportunity to do as many of the voices in their projects as they can. Many of the other characters being voiced by folks in the CG department, coders, friends and family of the developers.

It's not much different at many production houses; Pixar, of course being a great example of rationalizing using multi-million dollar talent on their projects, alongside the kids of the producer, voices provided by the graphic designers, audio engineers, and other rather untrained individuals doing voice over. (conundrum X 7)

So, that said, if you work for a game developer, you'll have a much, much better chance of doing v.o. for games, even if you may not be that adept as a voice talent.
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j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

[torikamal]

Well, I do consider myself a game developer, but I don't know if I would fit the role of what many would consider a "traditional" game developer. A lot of people see that as being synonymous with only programmers, or designers, but I'm trying to push the idea that anybody that plays a role in moving a game forward is a game developer. I generally do voice acting/sound design/music for games, and I feel like those areas play a very large role in games. Especially since stinky performances in any of those areas can really leave their mark. And I guess honestly, audio is doing it's job best when you don't notice. It just feels right and draws you into the game--great acting, or a good score.

I think I've started to babble here, but essentially, I feel like anybody that has a role in making/shaping/promoting/creating a game is a game developer.

(pardon my lack of transition here)
Also, I definitely like your idea of throwing down with some wrestling, or some crazy activity, and then trying to bring it to the mic as seamless as possible.

[Yonie]

I agree with J.S. regarding the stereotypical characterizations of video game characters, as well as the diversity in the more dialogue-heavy games (with the exclusion of dubbed Japanese games). With that said; keep an eye out for Bioshock Infinite.

Valve seems to do well with their quirky and sometimes hilarious dialogue writing.

[jsgilbert]

As a sound designer, musician in gaming, You should definitely look into GDC and the IGDA, if you haven't already done so. Also, GANG (game Audio Network Guild) is an excellent organization.

I'm on the GVAC (GANG Voice Actors Committee) at GANG, where we are trying to work with the Union, agents, developers and talent to improve conditions and work in education. We just did a monthly call, where a number of questions were put before Randy Coppinger, who offered his expert opinions. This will be available as a podcast through GANG. And we hope there will be many more.

In the early 90's I got tapped to cast and direct talent for a number of games. Often I would go into the record booth and have the talent jump on me or play off me to help get more natural exertion sounds. Over the years, I've figured out some tricks to help me and also to be able to do some yells and screams without losing my voice.

When I was directing talent for WebZen a few years ago, they filmed me for E3 and I thought it might be fun to show my technique, especially given the recording booth was 15, 18'. I stood by two live microphones and instructed the talent to do a war cry and jump into me. I'm 6' 2" and didn't think there would be any problems, but he grabbed my shirt to steady himself and tore it right from my back. The clients didn't laugh and I had to spend an hour without a shirt until somebody could rustle one up for me.

I got a chance to see DB's presentation at last years GDC and found her tips to be quite brilliant, in terms of coaxing strong exertion sounds.

She used a series of weights and stretch bands and other devices and had others work with them too. Amazing differences could be heard from her volunteers.

If there is any video of it, I'd say it's a must see. If not, try talking her into making some. For auditioning purposes it would get you heads and shoulders above most of the competition.
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j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

[jsgilbert]

And there are tons of great audio developers and game developers big and small out there.

Valve does some pretty killer audio as well, although frankly I've found their game play, sound design and music to be much, much better than most of their dialog. Dialog's not bad though. I've sat through several post mortem breakdowns of their games and they are serious about sound.

I'm also pretty partial to the work that Turbine is doing, counting itb among some of the better game work that I get to do. But I can also honestly say that I think the direction I was given in Twisted Metal: Black (and ultimately the takes they used) back in 2001, yielded a better performance than my recent one in Twisted Metal for PS3. I'm the actor and do what I'm told. (although I've had a number of gamers tell me they feel the same).

Maybe it's just that I have a different idea of where game audio could or should be right now. --
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j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

[ccpetersen]

JS, excellent points. You reminded me of the classes I had in "game voices" although the class wasn't called that, but we used anything we had at hand to help with those "exertion sounds". I haven't had the pleasure of seeing Deebs's talk, but your mention of the stretch bands took me back to those classes. I've done a few game voices in the past few years and I found that my hand weights, stretch bands, and various and sundry heavy books really came in handy when it came to making it real.

Good advice!
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[Deirdre]

Dear JS— Thanks for the kind words about my presentation at the GDC.
Currently the video for it is pay-to-view only, but I will ask them if I may use it. It's pretty fab, even though the cameraman took a while to get the action in frame and didn't zoom!

Authenticity is the key for any "regular" game stuff.
it's like casting a huge movie.
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