Thursday, November 25, 2010

Recording

Greg and I spend a hell of a lot of time crafting our Young Justice stories with our writing staff and the recording studio is where we see those stories first come to life- or at least we HEAR the stories come to life. We SEE a story come to life 5 or 6 weeks AFTER the recording in the form of a complete storyboard which gives us the truest sense of how the story will play out after animation. Nevertheless it's quite a kick to hear a story come alive after spending so much time imagining it in our heads. It's often surprising to hear how an actor interprets dialog that you might have imagined being said in a very specific way. Sometimes these interpretations are for the better and sometimes not. Either way, the spontaneity of working with actors makes the recording sessions an exciting place to be. As does the fact that we have to record a show in under 5 hours. Believe me, 5 hours blazes by FAST so everyone has to be focused and on their game.



Voice director Jamie Thomason helps our actors navigate the emotional flow of each script. He has to be super familiar with each character and every story as well as the acting process so that he can properly provide direction to the actors to help them achieve their best possible performance in the shortest number of takes (remember, we record on a deadline). Speedy delivery of clear and concise performance notes is also important to help keep an actor enthused and "in the moment". Think about it- if you spend too long repeating any task or if you have to listen to someone drone on for too long about how to do your job better your enthusiasm for that job is probably going to decline quickly. Jamie has to keep this kind of thing from happening.

Jamie also has to interpret notes from producers, writers, and directors and translate those notes to the actors during the recording. It takes fast thinking, solid communication skills, and quick wit to keep a room full of actors, writers, directors, and producers all jazzed and on point. Jamie's got those skills times ten!



Speaking of skills, check out our cast! We lucked out in the casting process and got a hold of some great talent to bring our characters to life. The realistic nature of our series demands a touch of subtlety and sophistication in vocal performance beyond that of the average cartoon. This subtlety in performance and vocal quality is a key factor in selling the reality that Greg and I are trying to create. We found a cast that can hit that mark of reality on a weekly basis and we couldn't be happier with the results of their contributions to the series. We think you'll be happy with their performances as well.

8 comments:

  1. Those are some pretty well known voices, LOL Crispin freeman fans are going to flock to the TV for the premiere.

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  2. Thanks for sharing about the recording process! The first two episodes were fantastic, can't wait until January.

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  3. saw the pilot! YOUNNNGGGJUSTICEEE!!! excited!

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  4. Loved the show. Thanks so much. Can't wait to see more.

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  5. After watching the premiere Friday night, I have to agree with you; the voice cast is phenomenal. I can't wait to hear more from them, and I am very much looking forward to the next episodes in the new year.

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  6. Thanks for the look behind the scenes... and the faces behind the voices. I love reading this stuff. Also, what a great cast you've got there!

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  7. So, I dressed up as aqualad for C2E2! I'm a big fan of the show! keep it up!

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  8. when is it cumin back lol

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