One
of the great features of small anime conventions such as Tekkoshocon is
the chance to sit down and chat with top industry professionals. Fans
of dubs and hopeful actors sat around a table on Saturday afternoon to
hear the insights of three actors. Bob Bergen voices Porky Pig in the
revival of Duck Dodgers on the Cartoon Network, while Vic Mignogna and
Greg Ayres are part of the 12-actor core group of performers who appear
in many of the dubs from ADV Films. These three pros told fans that
when it's time to cast actors in anime dubs, the roles usually go to
those who have shown they can handle a tough job under deadline
pressure. It's the acting, not the voices, these actors told fans.
Bergen's
been a full-time actor, mostly with his voice, for seventeen years. In
that time, he's seen "...people who have tried to get agents for for 20
years. No one has the heart to tell them they aren't superb. Talent
does it, mediocrity doesn't." There's so much competition for a handful
of jobs in Bergen's home market of Los Angeles that only the absolute
best get roles, which is why the same names show up on cast lists over
and over again. To get those jobs, "You've got to start out as an
actor, as a well-trained actor. Good acting is good acting, then move
over into voice acting - because a voiceover class will not teach you
how to act."
Mignogna
feels voice acting is harder that theatrical or film acting because it
has to be done through the voice and not with a look. "Knowing how to
express emotions with an inflection or the turn of a word is
important," he said. Then there's the ability to handle that kind of
job quickly and reliably. Get a good reputation and the jobs will
follow, because directors and producers want to hire performers who get
the job done with a minimum of fuss. "There is a core group of people
who do most things at ADV, and they do it because they're good and
they're quick," ADV has expanded their dubbing operation to handle
their growing catalogue and has hired additional directors, and
Mignogna noted that the new directors have tended to hire the most
experienced and reliable actors because they can be certain of getting
good performances.
On
voice acting, Ayres said "It's much more of a skill because you may be
asked to express fear and inquisitiveness in a sound. On stage, you
lose a lot of that." Dubbing also is a lot less physically demanding
than stage acting, which demands some athletic ability to go along with
the emotions. Ayres recalled the time he was in a modern interpretation
of Romeo and Juliet, where "...I had to skate on stage and beat the
crap out of someone with a skateboard." Acting on stage and for a
camera also requires a performer to look the part, but only the voice
counts in dubbing. "I'll never be cast as a baby on stage...I'll never
be cast as a giant egg," Ayres said, referring to dub roles he's had.
This last week I was a demonic piece of paper and a cosplay-attacking
fanboy."
One
of the great features of small anime conventions such as Tekkoshocon is
the chance to sit down and chat with top industry professionals. Fans
of dubs and hopeful actors sat around a table on Saturday afternoon to
hear the insights of three actors. Bob Bergen voices Porky Pig in the
revival of Duck Dodgers on the Cartoon Network, while Vic Mignogna and
Greg Ayres are part of the 12-actor core group of performers who appear
in many of the dubs from ADV Films. These three pros told fans that
when it's time to cast actors in anime dubs, the roles usually go to
those who have shown they can handle a tough job under deadline
pressure. It's the acting, not the voices, these actors told fans.
Bergen's
been a full-time actor, mostly with his voice, for seventeen years. In
that time, he's seen "...people who have tried to get agents for for 20
years. No one has the heart to tell them they aren't superb. Talent
does it, mediocrity doesn't." There's so much competition for a handful
of jobs in Bergen's home market of Los Angeles that only the absolute
best get roles, which is why the same names show up on cast lists over
and over again. To get those jobs, "You've got to start out as an
actor, as a well-trained actor. Good acting is good acting, then move
over into voice acting - because a voiceover class will not teach you
how to act."
Mignogna
feels voice acting is harder that theatrical or film acting because it
has to be done through the voice and not with a look. "Knowing how to
express emotions with an inflection or the turn of a word is
important," he said. Then there's the ability to handle that kind of
job quickly and reliably. Get a good reputation and the jobs will
follow, because directors and producers want to hire performers who get
the job done with a minimum of fuss. "There is a core group of people
who do most things at ADV, and they do it because they're good and
they're quick," ADV has expanded their dubbing operation to handle
their growing catalogue and has hired additional directors, and
Mignogna noted that the new directors have tended to hire the most
experienced and reliable actors because they can be certain of getting
good performances.
On
voice acting, Ayres said "It's much more of a skill because you may be
asked to express fear and inquisitiveness in a sound. On stage, you
lose a lot of that." Dubbing also is a lot less physically demanding
than stage acting, which demands some athletic ability to go along with
the emotions. Ayres recalled the time he was in a modern interpretation
of Romeo and Juliet, where "...I had to skate on stage and beat the
crap out of someone with a skateboard." Acting on stage and for a
camera also requires a performer to look the part, but only the voice
counts in dubbing. "I'll never be cast as a baby on stage...I'll never
be cast as a giant egg," Ayres said, referring to dub roles he's had.
This last week I was a demonic piece of paper and a cosplay-attacking
fanboy."
