Among
the relative newcomers to anime dub acting and directing at Animazement
were Caitlin Glass (left), dub voice of Winry in Fullmetal Alchemist
who has directed a few episodes of other shows, and Chris Cason
(right), who acts and directs Funimation dubs such as Negima, Case
Closed and Baki the Grappler. The audience at an Animazement panel
wanted to know what it took to be a voice actor, and the reply was
experience, location and willingness to take orders. "Be directible,"
said Glass. "Especially in the American dubbing industry, we are under
time constraints. No matter what you know about the show, you have to
trust your director that they know what the other characters are going
to sound like and what those characters' journey will be." Also,
"I encourage aspiring actors to get whatever acting experience
they can." Cason noted that only a few areas in North America -- mostly
Houston, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto and New York --
are places where anime dubs are produced. "Live in the right location
and go where the work is," he said. "You can be the best voice actor in
the world, but if you live in North Carolina it might not work out...if
you go where the work is being done, it gives you a leg up over other
aspiring voice actors."
Well,
North Carolina might again be a hotbed for dub acting if Scott Houle
(right) gets his way, because he's moved his dubbing base of operations
from Wilmington to Ashville and is trying to increase the number of dub
projects he handles. Houle is looking for good actors who have the
power and authority in their voices to handle roles, since the voice is
the only tool you have in a dub. "I would much rather have to hold back
on the reins than to pump them up," he said. Houle knows the business
well, because he's handled not only anime dubs but dialogue replacement
for motion pictures, and can tell you exactly which big-name actors are
easy to work with and which ones are difficult (like the one who showed
up with three producers and complained about the lighting in the
booth). Pamela Weidner (left), another acting and directing veteran,
knows that acting skill will get the roles in the auditions. "Every
producer and director knows how much you want the role, but if you're
not right for the role you won't get it." On the other hand, Houle says
he's encountered actors who sound great at an audition, then return for
a dubbing session and "lock up" and can't get the job done. That's why
Houle and others in the dubbing business tend to return to a small
group of reliable performers over and over again; Houle's says he's
starting to develop a fresh talent base in Ashville.
Among
the relative newcomers to anime dub acting and directing at Animazement
were Caitlin Glass (left), dub voice of Winry in Fullmetal Alchemist
who has directed a few episodes of other shows, and Chris Cason
(right), who acts and directs Funimation dubs such as Negima, Case
Closed and Baki the Grappler. The audience at an Animazement panel
wanted to know what it took to be a voice actor, and the reply was
experience, location and willingness to take orders. "Be directible,"
said Glass. "Especially in the American dubbing industry, we are under
time constraints. No matter what you know about the show, you have to
trust your director that they know what the other characters are going
to sound like and what those characters' journey will be." Also,
"I encourage aspiring actors to get whatever acting experience
they can." Cason noted that only a few areas in North America -- mostly
Houston, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto and New York --
are places where anime dubs are produced. "Live in the right location
and go where the work is," he said. "You can be the best voice actor in
the world, but if you live in North Carolina it might not work out...if
you go where the work is being done, it gives you a leg up over other
aspiring voice actors."
Well,
North Carolina might again be a hotbed for dub acting if Scott Houle
(right) gets his way, because he's moved his dubbing base of operations
from Wilmington to Ashville and is trying to increase the number of dub
projects he handles. Houle is looking for good actors who have the
power and authority in their voices to handle roles, since the voice is
the only tool you have in a dub. "I would much rather have to hold back
on the reins than to pump them up," he said. Houle knows the business
well, because he's handled not only anime dubs but dialogue replacement
for motion pictures, and can tell you exactly which big-name actors are
easy to work with and which ones are difficult (like the one who showed
up with three producers and complained about the lighting in the
booth). Pamela Weidner (left), another acting and directing veteran,
knows that acting skill will get the roles in the auditions. "Every
producer and director knows how much you want the role, but if you're
not right for the role you won't get it." On the other hand, Houle says
he's encountered actors who sound great at an audition, then return for
a dubbing session and "lock up" and can't get the job done. That's why
Houle and others in the dubbing business tend to return to a small
group of reliable performers over and over again; Houle's says he's
starting to develop a fresh talent base in Ashville.
