Gamerz Theatre

Ricky and Phil discuss Acting, particularly as it relates to voiceover work for machinima. This first of two parts of coverage discusses acting history as well as the approaches and philosophies of the craft which are prevalent today (and where they came from). Whether you’re an experienced actor or completely new it, we think you’ll find the information covered here to be both helpful and practical.

Thank you for listening! Your feedback sculpts this show, and is both welcome and greatly appreciated.

This Week’s Hot List (URLs from the show’s content):

• 
• Music Credits for this show:
  • Opening music is by Nine Inch Nails, from the album Ghosts, the track title is “26 Ghosts III,” from the third CD in that 4-disc set.
  • This musical selection is used under the Creative Commons license graciously chosen by the artist. Please consider supporting them with a music purchase if you enjoy what you hear.
• The Martin Brothers’ iClone Music Video: HypoHeretic
• Mike Jones’ overview of Celtx 1.0
• Antics Technologies begins conducting weekly webinars (learn Antics software)
• Mass Effect for PC
• Some of the films mentioned in the following discussion:
  • Reich and Roll (the one I forgot the name of)
  • Bouncers, Kebabs, & Ruby Murries
• Topic: Acting, Part 1
• Gamasutra - “Giving Games A Voice: Sony’s Dialog Manager Greg deBeer Speaks” Note the
  comment by Eric Webb (another voice casting director) which are almost as good as the interview. -Ricky
• Best single book on Modernism: Modernism by Peter Gay
• Stanislavsky’s An Actor Prepares is a good start with his theories, but be warned it’s cut and badly translated. Wikipedia entry on Stan is good.
• Historical anthology of writings on acting: Actors on Acting by Toby Cole
• Best source on the Group Theatre is: The Fervent Years by Harold Clurman
• Actor’s Studio has a myriad of references. A good history is: A Method to Their Madness by Foster Hirsch
• Best Single book on acting for the beginner (remember it’s geared towards the Theatre): Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen
• Wonderful alternative view of “Method” oriented acting is: The End of Acting by Richard Maltby
• Unfortunately, there are no Voice Acting books that aren’t geared towards the voice/cartoon industry, so I have none to recommend. Instead take a look at a new documentary on voice actors coming on DVD in July called “Adventures in Voice Acting”
• Also, good basic books on Oral Interpretation are a good source for how to use your voice in crafting a story.

Phil Rice (Overman) and his new cohost Ricky Grove take on the topic of Pro Machinima [EDIT: Part 1 - Game Company Employment] Who has gone pro in this way? What impact has it had on the community? And what can you do to put yourself on a path which might one day lead to a game developer’s doorstep?

Thank you for listening! As always, your feedback is welcome and appreciated.

This Week’s Hot List (URLs from the show’s content):

• Music Credits for this show:
  • Opening music is by Nine Inch Nails, from the album Ghosts, the track title is “26 Ghosts III,” from the third CD in that 4-disc set.
  • The music for Ricky’s World of Sound #1 is from Magnatune.com. The artist is Swivel Neck Jones, the album is Deep Life and the cut is “Arlo’s Auto Parts and Salvation”.
  • Both musical selections are used under the Creative Commons license graciously chosen by these artists. Please consider supporting them with a music purchase if you enjoy these tunes.
• Molotov Alva Reviews:
  • The Boston Globe: ‘Molotov’ launches the virtual reality show
  • The Hollywood Reporter: Television Review: ‘Molotov Alva and His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey’
  • The Toledo Blade: ‘Molotov Alva’ is like looking in a funhouse mirror
• Online Machinima Film Festival 2008
• Mass Effect Comes to PC (May 28)
• DiVAS Season 1 Finale is May 31
• Ricky’s Wonderful World of Sound #1
  • Download the sound effects (152 MB .zip file)
• Topic: Pro Machinima [EDIT: Part 1 - Game Company Employment]
• Those who have gone pro (Name [website, if available] / Example Film or Project / Where they now work):
  • Tristan Pope / Converse WoW Ad / Blizzard Entertainment
  • Terran Gregory / Return / Blizzard Entertainment
  • Ezra Furgeson / Return / Blizzard Entertainment [EDIT: Correction - I’m told Ezra does not work for Blizzard, my mistake. -Phil]
  • Ken Thain / The Everseason / Bioware
  • Jonathan Perry / Inside the Machinima / Bioware
  • Nathan Moller / Just a Game / Bioware
  • Jason Choi / Edge of Remorse / Shiny Entertainment / Double Helix Games
  • Todd Stallkamp / The Fixer / Electronic Arts (EA Games)
  • Paul Marino / I’m Still Seeing Breen / Bioware
  • Michelle Pettit-Me / The Snow Witch / Bioware
  • Ingrid Moon / The Machinima Road Show / Disney
  • Brandon Dennis / Inventing Swear Words / WeGame.com
  • Matt Kelland, Dave Lloyd / No License / Moviestorm
  • Johnnie Ingram, Ben Sanders / BloodSpell / Moviestorm
  • Zachariah Scott / Combine Nation / Bioware
  • Robert Stoneman / Rusty Whispers: Dennis / Bioware
• If you want to get the attention of a game developer and go this route, what can we learn from those hired above?
  • Have a commitment to quality in your work
  • Build relevant skills
    • Demonstrating that you know your way around (at least) one of the more advanced game machinima toolkits, like Source (Half-Life 2) or Unreal Tournament, is a big plus
    • Study everything you can to become a better director and cinematographer (the games which have cinematic designers want them to feel like interactive movies)
    • Develop an eye for design - use of color, use of light - and let that show in your work
    • Any relevant skills not directly related to machinima can set you apart - sound design, CGI knowledge (3ds Max, Maya, etc.), training in filmmaking, etc.
  • Networking can help; knowing someone already at the company can sometimes help you get a foot in the door, but ultimately it comes down to what can you do (show don’t tell), how well can you work in a team, aptitude to learn new tools, etc.