The
secret to success in voice acting is "fart juice." That revelation came
from a quartet of voice actors who appeared on Katsucon's final day.
When (left to right) Greg Ayres, Michael Coleman, Chris Patton and Vic
Mignogna met fans, there was talk of the problem of dealing with colds
and raspy throats. Some actors mentioned they used a combination of
ibuprofen tablets and Robitussin cough medicine, or an old-fashioned
combination of lemon and hot water, Ayres revealed the secret mixture
that allegedly was concocted by a Texas doctor - orange juice, Brag's
apple cider, vinegar and two tablespoons of honey. Ayres said had
walking pneumonia, took the "fart juice" and was able to sing, but got
unbelievable gas, hence the rude nickname for the stuff.
When
it comes to the actual in-booth work, Mignogna said "It's a real
juggling show. If you spend too much attention on one factor, something
else doesn't work." Dub actors must perform to lip flaps, facial
expressions and movement which already has been completed, so they have
to match those factors in the emotions they generate, even if the
script might suggest something else. "If the character is doing a
certain thing you can't put a scream into it because his face isn't
saying that. There are so many constraints, but you have to come up
with something that works - there is a real trick to it." Part of the
trick is casting the right voice for the part, and Mignogna mentioned
actor Monica Rial as someone who was blessed with a youthful voice which
is good for the endless supply of young female anime characters.
Some
actors speak of the need to focus on their task, but Patton described
the job as a matter of divided attention - "having the anime trifocals
on" was his description. "When you're in the booth, you have to have
your eyes looking in three places at once. "You have your eyes on the
scripts, the director and the monitor." The director judges and guides
a performance, the script gives you the lines and the monitor shows you
the scene with the character whose mouth movements you need to match.
"It sounds sort of schizophrenic, and it can be unnerving," Patton said.
Also, actors record scenes for a series at separate sessions over a
period of weeks or months. Often, actors forget the voice they used and
have to listen to previous recordings. Patton said it takes a sort of
"muscle memory" to fall back into a character voice..
The
secret to success in voice acting is "fart juice." That revelation came
from a quartet of voice actors who appeared on Katsucon's final day.
When (left to right) Greg Ayres, Michael Coleman, Chris Patton and Vic
Mignogna met fans, there was talk of the problem of dealing with colds
and raspy throats. Some actors mentioned they used a combination of
ibuprofen tablets and Robitussin cough medicine, or an old-fashioned
combination of lemon and hot water, Ayres revealed the secret mixture
that allegedly was concocted by a Texas doctor - orange juice, Brag's
apple cider, vinegar and two tablespoons of honey. Ayres said had
walking pneumonia, took the "fart juice" and was able to sing, but got
unbelievable gas, hence the rude nickname for the stuff.
When
it comes to the actual in-booth work, Mignogna said "It's a real
juggling show. If you spend too much attention on one factor, something
else doesn't work." Dub actors must perform to lip flaps, facial
expressions and movement which already has been completed, so they have
to match those factors in the emotions they generate, even if the
script might suggest something else. "If the character is doing a
certain thing you can't put a scream into it because his face isn't
saying that. There are so many constraints, but you have to come up
with something that works - there is a real trick to it." Part of the
trick is casting the right voice for the part, and Mignogna mentioned
actor Monica Rial as someone who was blessed with a youthful voice which
is good for the endless supply of young female anime characters.
Some
actors speak of the need to focus on their task, but Patton described
the job as a matter of divided attention - "having the anime trifocals
on" was his description. "When you're in the booth, you have to have
your eyes looking in three places at once. "You have your eyes on the
scripts, the director and the monitor." The director judges and guides
a performance, the script gives you the lines and the monitor shows you
the scene with the character whose mouth movements you need to match.
"It sounds sort of schizophrenic, and it can be unnerving," Patton said.
Also, actors record scenes for a series at separate sessions over a
period of weeks or months. Often, actors forget the voice they used and
have to listen to previous recordings. Patton said it takes a sort of
"muscle memory" to fall back into a character voice..
