Post by iGotzNoSkittles on Nov 11, 2012 19:11:38 GMT -6
Most Common Mistakes
When it comes to making a Machinima, there are so many fields you can work on. Such as filming, editing, set designing, even writing. One field we'll be covering today is Voice Acting. Unlike other fields where they slowly progress into a better result, Voice Over work is something that can be done instantaneously, because of this Voice Over work is the easiest to mess up in. It's important to look at some common mistakes that you should avoid when recording your lines.
(Not a Top Ten List)
1. Reading the line.
A common error by most green Voice Actors is when they Voice their lines, they can sometimes sound as if they're reading their line instead of acting it. This error can be breaded by NOT knowing your line. It's important to read over your lines over and over again so you can focus on acting out the line, rather than looking down at your script to remember what to say.
Now for most Voice Actors/Actresses, their directors normally just send them their lines, and that's it. The Actor/Actress has to work from there. Normally you'll contact your director and ask questions about the type of dialogue he/she's looking for. Chances are, your director is either not responding, hands you useless information, or doesn't even know what he/she wants(Why work with Directors that doesn't know what they want?) Because of these possible scenarios, It's important to know how to analyze your line so you can avoid the dialogue sounding monotone.
(The Script)
"Winston, hand me the gun"
A short and simple line like this can be difficult to properly analyze. From what we can guess, the speaker is probably negotiating in a hostage scenario. Winston is the one holding the gun, he probably has it pointed at someone.
Now let's focus on Voicing the line and see what type of emotions you can get out of it.
"(Winston), hand me the gun"
Stretching the name "Winston" shows that the speaker has concern over this character, like the two are friends. The name can even be exclaimed or spoken in disgust, maybe the two are in a power struggle in terms of leadership.
"Winston, (hand) me the gun"
Putting power into the word "Hand" reveals that the speaker is taking authority, that the speaker is ordering the character Winston to "hand" him the gun. This can be expressed in a low tone voice, or angrily speaking to him.
"Winston, hand (me) the gun"
Stressing "me" shows that the speaker wants to take control, maybe the two were friends and the speaker is trying to help the character Winston. However the word "me" can completely change the entire setting because now it sounds like the scenario is no longer in a hostage scene, that maybe the scene is about showing a act of mercy. Where the speaker wants to put someone out of their misery. This can be spoken in maybe a low toned broken voice, voiced with sorrow in the back of the mind, or maybe anger and disgust in the current scenario.
As you can see, there's a lot of variables to consider when you're analyzing a line. It's important to understand the line before voicing it. You have to know what words to stress, how to voice the line, how fast or slow you should voice it, etc. It's just a matter of identifying the line based on character, context, or what your writer wants.
2. Breathing
Believe it or not, breathing is one of the common mistakes within Voice Over work. When some people acknowledge their breathing patterns, get nervous, get too excited, some people naturally forget how to breathe. In example.
(Script) "Juliet o'5 to HQ, tango L.O.S. broken, requesting air reconnaissance at grid 3215x 1608y, over"
(Result) "Juliet o'5 to HQ (Inhale) tango L.O.S. broken (Inhale) requesting air reconnaissance (Inhale) at grid 3215x 1608y, over"
This problem is dealt with by calming down. In order to get good results in Voice Over work is to be leveled, you have to know what you're doing and know what the writer wants out of the actor/actress. You'll want to Voice the line at the top of your level not the bottom of it. This is why Voice Actors/Actresses can retake their lines.
3. Monotone
Have you ever made a badass sounding voice? Like some War Veteran talking to his recruits? Many Male Voice Actors have bin there and done that, including me. Though one problem most of us face, is that the "badass" voice is not our own voice. We have to force it out. This is not good when it comes to acting nor is it good for your throat. Forcing a Voice out makes you look like a try hard if the line ever were to be released in the final stages of a machinima, or any project. Anyone can make a badass sounding voice, but the trick is to adapt your "Badass Voice". Try to make it sound happy, tired, sad, confident, angry, are you getting this? In order to control a Voice you like, it has to be natural for yourself to perform. If your newly acquired Voice can't portray emotions, it needs practice and work. Such as imitating a Voice.
4. Speech Impediment
Sometimes when you're going to record a line, it can be difficult to do so when you run into problems such as a tongue twister or a word you can't pronounce. This fault can lie on two subjects, the Writer or the Actor/Actress. Now looking through an Actor/Actress's view, it can be difficult to overcome because you'll want to voice the line just how your director wants it. This can be a problem because if you're given a task, you have to do the task as the way it's intended, and this is a huge predicament. This situation is overcome by speaking to your director or better yet changing the dialogue without deviating from the message. Sometimes it's better to take control of your character's script and help out the writing in your director's work.
As you can see, most of this information is just common sense, but most of us overlook these factors because we underestimate Voice Acting. In the end, it needs practice just like any other field.
When it comes to making a Machinima, there are so many fields you can work on. Such as filming, editing, set designing, even writing. One field we'll be covering today is Voice Acting. Unlike other fields where they slowly progress into a better result, Voice Over work is something that can be done instantaneously, because of this Voice Over work is the easiest to mess up in. It's important to look at some common mistakes that you should avoid when recording your lines.
(Not a Top Ten List)
1. Reading the line.
A common error by most green Voice Actors is when they Voice their lines, they can sometimes sound as if they're reading their line instead of acting it. This error can be breaded by NOT knowing your line. It's important to read over your lines over and over again so you can focus on acting out the line, rather than looking down at your script to remember what to say.
Now for most Voice Actors/Actresses, their directors normally just send them their lines, and that's it. The Actor/Actress has to work from there. Normally you'll contact your director and ask questions about the type of dialogue he/she's looking for. Chances are, your director is either not responding, hands you useless information, or doesn't even know what he/she wants(Why work with Directors that doesn't know what they want?) Because of these possible scenarios, It's important to know how to analyze your line so you can avoid the dialogue sounding monotone.
(The Script)
"Winston, hand me the gun"
A short and simple line like this can be difficult to properly analyze. From what we can guess, the speaker is probably negotiating in a hostage scenario. Winston is the one holding the gun, he probably has it pointed at someone.
Now let's focus on Voicing the line and see what type of emotions you can get out of it.
"(Winston), hand me the gun"
Stretching the name "Winston" shows that the speaker has concern over this character, like the two are friends. The name can even be exclaimed or spoken in disgust, maybe the two are in a power struggle in terms of leadership.
"Winston, (hand) me the gun"
Putting power into the word "Hand" reveals that the speaker is taking authority, that the speaker is ordering the character Winston to "hand" him the gun. This can be expressed in a low tone voice, or angrily speaking to him.
"Winston, hand (me) the gun"
Stressing "me" shows that the speaker wants to take control, maybe the two were friends and the speaker is trying to help the character Winston. However the word "me" can completely change the entire setting because now it sounds like the scenario is no longer in a hostage scene, that maybe the scene is about showing a act of mercy. Where the speaker wants to put someone out of their misery. This can be spoken in maybe a low toned broken voice, voiced with sorrow in the back of the mind, or maybe anger and disgust in the current scenario.
As you can see, there's a lot of variables to consider when you're analyzing a line. It's important to understand the line before voicing it. You have to know what words to stress, how to voice the line, how fast or slow you should voice it, etc. It's just a matter of identifying the line based on character, context, or what your writer wants.
2. Breathing
Believe it or not, breathing is one of the common mistakes within Voice Over work. When some people acknowledge their breathing patterns, get nervous, get too excited, some people naturally forget how to breathe. In example.
(Script) "Juliet o'5 to HQ, tango L.O.S. broken, requesting air reconnaissance at grid 3215x 1608y, over"
(Result) "Juliet o'5 to HQ (Inhale) tango L.O.S. broken (Inhale) requesting air reconnaissance (Inhale) at grid 3215x 1608y, over"
This problem is dealt with by calming down. In order to get good results in Voice Over work is to be leveled, you have to know what you're doing and know what the writer wants out of the actor/actress. You'll want to Voice the line at the top of your level not the bottom of it. This is why Voice Actors/Actresses can retake their lines.
3. Monotone
Have you ever made a badass sounding voice? Like some War Veteran talking to his recruits? Many Male Voice Actors have bin there and done that, including me. Though one problem most of us face, is that the "badass" voice is not our own voice. We have to force it out. This is not good when it comes to acting nor is it good for your throat. Forcing a Voice out makes you look like a try hard if the line ever were to be released in the final stages of a machinima, or any project. Anyone can make a badass sounding voice, but the trick is to adapt your "Badass Voice". Try to make it sound happy, tired, sad, confident, angry, are you getting this? In order to control a Voice you like, it has to be natural for yourself to perform. If your newly acquired Voice can't portray emotions, it needs practice and work. Such as imitating a Voice.
4. Speech Impediment
Sometimes when you're going to record a line, it can be difficult to do so when you run into problems such as a tongue twister or a word you can't pronounce. This fault can lie on two subjects, the Writer or the Actor/Actress. Now looking through an Actor/Actress's view, it can be difficult to overcome because you'll want to voice the line just how your director wants it. This can be a problem because if you're given a task, you have to do the task as the way it's intended, and this is a huge predicament. This situation is overcome by speaking to your director or better yet changing the dialogue without deviating from the message. Sometimes it's better to take control of your character's script and help out the writing in your director's work.
As you can see, most of this information is just common sense, but most of us overlook these factors because we underestimate Voice Acting. In the end, it needs practice just like any other field.
