VOICEOVER 177
committed to the session and will receive a payment, even if the session is can-
celled or rescheduled; essentially the actor has committed his time to the project
and can’t book any other jobs during this time period.
10.5 RECORDING VOICEOVER
After the actors are booked and the studio time is scheduled, you are almost
ready to record the actual voiceover. Recording voiceover can be a stressful pro-
cess since there are many elements to prepare and finalize before the actual
session. This stress is minimized if the voiceover spreadsheet is final and ready
to go, all the actors are cast and scheduled, and the development team has pre-
pared for the session.
Preparing for Recording Session
Because the actors are scheduled for a maximum of four hours at a time, use
their time efficiently in the session. To maximize the actor’s time, you must pre-
pare several items before the recording session.
First, decide who will be directing the actors and what additional people will
attend the session. Having multiple people at the recording session is fine, as
long as there is only one person working directly with the actor. If you are work-
ing with celebrity talent, the publisher may want to have someone at the session
as well, especially if they want to film the session for PR use. The development
team might want to have several people present as well, such as the producer, a
designer, a sound designer, and so on. The actual writer of the dialogue should
attend the session as well, as he will be the best person to advise the voice direc-
tor on the context and delivery of the lines. If the writer has experience directing
voice actors, he might be able to direct the session.
Make sure the voiceover script (see Figure 10.3) is final and ready to go.
The script must be sent to the recording studio in advance so they can prepare
the scripts for the actors. The studio will break out the scripts by character.
Bring the electronic version of this script to the recording session as well. If
any dialogue changes are made, the script can be quickly updated with these
changes. Additionally, if there are extra takes selected or additional lines added,
the spreadsheet can be updated to reflect this.
The files from the actors’ original auditions should be available for them
to hear at the recording session. Such availability will quickly remind the actor
of the voice that was created for the character and give the voiceover director
a good starting point for discussing any voice changes with the actor. If several
shoots occur at different times in the schedule, audio files from previous record-
ing sessions must be made available to the actors so they can match the dialogue
178 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
they have already recorded. The sound studio will have access to these files and
can prepare them for the sessions.
Bring the latest version of the character descriptions to the sessions as well.
These notes will refresh the actor’s memory of the character and give the voice
director concrete information on how to communicate the character to the
actor.
Gameplay footage or a game trailer are also useful tools to show the actors
what the game is about and how their voices will be used in the game. Don’t
bring a playable demo of the game; time spent setting up the demo and playing
it can be spent actually recording dialogue. If gameplay footage is not available,
be prepared to describe the general gameplay experience to the actor so he will
have a better understanding of how his dialogue will be used.
Put together a pronunciation guide for key words that must be pronounced
consistently. This guide is especially necessary for words that have been specifi-
cally created for the game, such as unusual character names and fictitious loca-
tion names. Real-life words should also be included, such as foreign language
phrases, international names and locations, and words that are commonly mis-
pronounced. The pronunciation guide should include a phonetic spelling of the
word. If there is time, audio files can be recorded of the correct pronunciation
and played for the actor during the session.
Finally, have the most up-to-date schedule for each day of the recording
session. This will help you track the actor’s comings and goings and will make
it easier for you to reschedule actors if necessary. For example, an actor might
be booked for a four-hour session, but complete everything in two hours. The
schedule can be consulted to see whether any other actors can be scheduled at
an earlier time to maximize the time in the recording booth.
Directing Actors
Professional voice directors can be hired to run the actual recording session. The
advantage of using a professional is that they are well-versed in working with ac-
tors to get the desired performance. The drawback is the expense. However, a
professional director can be a good investment if recording thousands of dialogue
lines with numerous actors, because you are likely to get the needed performance
the first time around and will not need to re-record dialogue at a later date. Most
sound studios can help you locate a professional director for your session.
If someone from the development team is going to handle the voice direc-
tion, make sure this person is an effective oral communicator. The director or
acting-director has the responsibility to make the actor feel comfortable and to
clearly communicate feedback to the actor. The director must be sensitive about
giving the actor critiques and direction, so the actor does not get frustrated dur-
ing the session. Most important, this person must remain positive and focused,
VOICEOVER 179
even during a difficult session in which the actor is not responding to the direc-
tions given. Instead of getting frustrated, this person must devise different ways
to direct the actor to the proper performance.
Some general guidelines for voiceover direction are as follows:
Let the actor warm up: Have the actor do a few dry runs of some of the
dialogue to get him warmed up and ready to go. Sometimes the actor might
not be really warmed up and relaxed until he is well into the recording ses-
sion. In such cases, check the dialogue that was recorded at the beginning of
the session and have the actor re-do it if necessary.
Save all yelling until the end of the session: Inform the actor about any
yelling or loud talking beforehand. Yelling tires out an actor’s vocal chords,
and he will want to schedule enough time in between voiceover sessions to
rest. All yelling and screaming should be done at the end of a session, so the
vocal chords are not worn out at the beginning of the session.
Provide specific feedback to the actors: If you are requesting a re-take
or a pick-up, provide specific information to the actor about what needs to
change. If the actor does not have specifics, he is likely to deliver exactly the
same performance he gave the first time around. For example, he might not
be enunciating clearly, or the delivery might not match up with the intended
emotion. Make this feedback clear to the actor so he can deliver the perfor-
mance for which you are looking.
Don’t stop the actor after each line reading; keep the flow going:
Most actors can quickly run through an entire page of dialogue without a
break and do two to three takes of each line of dialogue. For example, if the
script has 20 lines of dialogue, the actor will read the first line three times
(each reading will have a different inflection on the line), then move onto the
next line and read it three times (with different inflections), and so on until
he has completed the page of dialogue. This way of recording lines makes it
easier for the actor to sustain the character he has created. If the actor has to
stop after reading each line so the director can review the takes, it breaks the
actor’s concentration and will also take too much time to record the dialogue
(meaning extra money is spent on the recording session).
Selecting Takes
During the voiceover session, actors do multiple readings, or takes, of each line,
and the final take is selected from these choices. Accurately noting this informa-
tion is important because the sound engineer and the sound editor are usually
two different people. The sound engineer is responsible for recording the session
and handing this session off to the sound editor for processing. For the sound
180 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
editor to know which take is the final, he needs script notes that track how many
takes were recorded for each line and what was chosen for the final take. Each
sound studio might have a slightly different way of doing this, so discuss their
process of recording and selecting takes before the recording session starts. For
example, some studios might label multiple takes for a single line as “1A,” “1B,”
and “1C” with the number corresponding to the line number. Pick-ups recorded
for this same line at a different time in the session would continue the pattern.
Alternative takes can be chosen for a single line, and should also be noted in
the script notes as alternatives. You will also want to designate a way to distin-
guish alternate takes in the file naming convention. This way, the final take and
the alternative take are easily differentiated. Keep in mind that studios charge
for how many lines of dialogue they process and deliver, so if you end up adding
many alternative takes, the cost might increase.
Audio Deliverables
After the dialogue is recorded and the takes are selected, the files are sent to the
sound editor for processing. He will be responsible for preparing the file audio
deliverables in the correct format and filename. As discussed earlier, define
ahead of time which formats are needed, what special effects are needed, and
what the filenames are. This definition will prevent confusion when the devel-
opment team receives the files and starts integrating them into the game. Some
studios will provide the raw data of the entire recording session upon request.
This data can be useful if the sound designer needs to edit some of the files or if
another take needs to be used.
10.6 VOICEOVER CHECKLIST
Creating a checklist of what tasks must be completed for the voiceover session
can be helpful. Figure 10.8 is an example that can be used.
10.7 CHAPTER SUMMARY
Because voiceover is a noticeable part of the game, recording quality voiceovers
is important. As games get larger, voiceover becomes even more important and
complex to include. Gone are the days with games with just a few hundred lines
of dialogue recorded by developers; instead, thousands of lines of dialogue spo-
ken by professional voiceover actors are now the norm. To make the most of
VOICEOVER 181
the game dialogue, find a good sound vendor who will work with you on record-
ing quality voiceover. This chapter discussed some of the key tasks that must
be completed when managing game voiceovers. Information was presented on
how to find a vendor, how to cast and direct actors, how to format the voiceover
script, and how to manage the recording session.
VOICEOVER CHECKLIST Y / N NOTES
PRE-PRODUCTION
Is initial voiceover design completed?
Are initial character descriptions written?
Is initial voiceover schedule completed?
Is initial voiceover budget completed?
Is file naming convention established?
Is file management system established?
Are file delivery formats defined?
Are casting notes written with sample dialogue?
Have bid packages been sent to sound studios?
PRODUCTION
Is sound studio selected?
Has final decision been made on using union or non-union actors?
Have recording dates been tentatively booked with the sound studio?
Is initial voiceover script written?
Is placeholder dialogue recorded and implemented in the game?
Are auditions scheduled?
Are celebrity voices being used? Are they available for the tentative dates?
Are final actor selections completed? Are they available for the tentative dates?
RECORDING SESSION
Are dates finalized and booked with the actors?
Is the voiceover script final?
Are audition files available for the actors to listen to?
Is pronunciation guide final?
Is game footage available to show the actors?
Is voice director booked for the session?
Are all final takes selected?
POST-PRODUCTION
Has sound studio edited the final takes of audio files?
Are files delivered in correct format? Are uncompressed versions available?
Has the raw data from the recording session been delivered?
Has voiceover script been updated with any dialogue changes and alternate
lines?
FIGURE 10.8 Voiceover checklist.
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