The
busiest anime dubbing studios need to keep a large stable of directors
and actors on hand, so many that actors often double as directors in
the series where they perform. That was discussed at Nekocon with four
actors - Colleen Clinkenbeard, Mike McFarland, Laura Bailey and Sonny
Strait - who handle both jobs at the Funimation studios in Fort Worth.
"I really enjoy it," McFarland (on the right) said. "It's not often in
the Dallas-Fort Worth area that you get to be the director of a crazy
sci-fi action show with guns. That doesn't happen on stage. It's just
an opportunity to do something that you don't get to do." "it gives you
a chance to vet more involved in the show," added Clinkenbeard (on the
left). "You can get only so involved in the show when you come in once
or twice a week. When you're a director, you get to see the whole scope
of the show - you get more involved in the show. It gives you more of a
sense of ownership." Both McFarland and Clinkenbeard have shared the
dub directing of the Fullmetal Alchemist series. Most of the major
roles' actors had been chosen by the time they were given the directing
jobs, but they still had to fill some roles...
...such
as Hughes, which went to Strait (right) when they couldn't find the
right voice among those who had auditioned. Strait just happened to be
in the studio wrapping up work on a Lupin III movie when he was asked
to read a line, and his ready-to-head-home rendition, read in all
honesty because he wanted to go home after a long day's dubbing, got
him the role. Strait also directs Lupin material for Funimation, and he
got that job after being cast as Lupin. Chris Sabat, who started as
Lupin's dub director for ADV, had to move on to another project and
figured Strait knew the series as well as anyone else, recalled Strait.
For Lupin, Strait records his lines first, plays them for the rest of
the cast as a basis for their performances, then re-records his lines
to reflect their performances. "As a director, you don't want to cast
yourself - its a vain thing," Bailey (left) said. Bailey plays the lead
role of Sana in Kodocha a.k.a. Child's Toy, and she faces the same
difficulty mentioned by Strait and the others- making sure your
performances fit the show, "There are so many hours when I'm self
directing, and the most difficult part is deciding if I'm funny,"
Bailey said. "Everything sounds alike to me, and I decide on the final
take depending on whether my engineer is laughing or not." Bailey also
has to switch to roles in the comedic Kodocha to the dramatic
Alchemist, and she noted the difference in acting styles is that comedy
is played "bigger" than drama - especially with Alchemist, where the
actors all but underplay some lines.
Actor
Greg Ayres, one of the few non-directors in the room, is one of the
busiest performers in the dub business. He's progressed from being the
third Kaoru in ADV Films' dubs of Neon Genesis Evangelion to roles such
as Chrono Crusade and what he describes as one of the greatest wimps of
all time in Burst Angel. But the toughest role of his dub career was
Ayres' role in the notoriously violent Gantz. "I had no idea what
an evil, sadistic horrible character he is," Ayres said. "He is pure
evil. If you really, really hate him, I've done a good job." In Gantz'
final episodes, Ayres' character has scenes with another character
dubbed by his brother, Christopher Ayres, and Greg Ayres spends much of
that time screaming. He yelled so loud in those episodes that he nearly
lost his voice, but still had to travel the next day to Funimation's
dub studios to record scenes for the Nagisa series.
The
busiest anime dubbing studios need to keep a large stable of directors
and actors on hand, so many that actors often double as directors in
the series where they perform. That was discussed at Nekocon with four
actors - Colleen Clinkenbeard, Mike McFarland, Laura Bailey and Sonny
Strait - who handle both jobs at the Funimation studios in Fort Worth.
"I really enjoy it," McFarland (on the right) said. "It's not often in
the Dallas-Fort Worth area that you get to be the director of a crazy
sci-fi action show with guns. That doesn't happen on stage. It's just
an opportunity to do something that you don't get to do." "it gives you
a chance to vet more involved in the show," added Clinkenbeard (on the
left). "You can get only so involved in the show when you come in once
or twice a week. When you're a director, you get to see the whole scope
of the show - you get more involved in the show. It gives you more of a
sense of ownership." Both McFarland and Clinkenbeard have shared the
dub directing of the Fullmetal Alchemist series. Most of the major
roles' actors had been chosen by the time they were given the directing
jobs, but they still had to fill some roles...
...such
as Hughes, which went to Strait (right) when they couldn't find the
right voice among those who had auditioned. Strait just happened to be
in the studio wrapping up work on a Lupin III movie when he was asked
to read a line, and his ready-to-head-home rendition, read in all
honesty because he wanted to go home after a long day's dubbing, got
him the role. Strait also directs Lupin material for Funimation, and he
got that job after being cast as Lupin. Chris Sabat, who started as
Lupin's dub director for ADV, had to move on to another project and
figured Strait knew the series as well as anyone else, recalled Strait.
For Lupin, Strait records his lines first, plays them for the rest of
the cast as a basis for their performances, then re-records his lines
to reflect their performances. "As a director, you don't want to cast
yourself - its a vain thing," Bailey (left) said. Bailey plays the lead
role of Sana in Kodocha a.k.a. Child's Toy, and she faces the same
difficulty mentioned by Strait and the others- making sure your
performances fit the show, "There are so many hours when I'm self
directing, and the most difficult part is deciding if I'm funny,"
Bailey said. "Everything sounds alike to me, and I decide on the final
take depending on whether my engineer is laughing or not." Bailey also
has to switch to roles in the comedic Kodocha to the dramatic
Alchemist, and she noted the difference in acting styles is that comedy
is played "bigger" than drama - especially with Alchemist, where the
actors all but underplay some lines.
Actor
Greg Ayres, one of the few non-directors in the room, is one of the
busiest performers in the dub business. He's progressed from being the
third Kaoru in ADV Films' dubs of Neon Genesis Evangelion to roles such
as Chrono Crusade and what he describes as one of the greatest wimps of
all time in Burst Angel. But the toughest role of his dub career was
Ayres' role in the notoriously violent Gantz. "I had no idea what
an evil, sadistic horrible character he is," Ayres said. "He is pure
evil. If you really, really hate him, I've done a good job." In Gantz'
final episodes, Ayres' character has scenes with another character
dubbed by his brother, Christopher Ayres, and Greg Ayres spends much of
that time screaming. He yelled so loud in those episodes that he nearly
lost his voice, but still had to travel the next day to Funimation's
dub studios to record scenes for the Nagisa series.
