Friday, January 11, 2013

Yousei Castlist


Greetings sakefans and voiceover artists alike. Normally this is where I'd talk about how hard it was to cast the game, etc. but right now I'm sure you just want to see the cast list, so here it is:
Jupiter - Erica Mendez
Aaron - Edwyn Tiong
David - Clifford Chapin
Nathan - Chris Cason
Shawn - Kevin M. Connolly

Additional Voices:
James Goins, Greg Nugent, Karen Kahler

Alright! Now for those who weren't cast, please don't be disheartened. I received 102 auditions total, many from very talented people with wonderful voices who I'd like to hear again. Casting is a tricky process, and it's not always simply about talent. Here are some of the major factors that went into my decision process:

Voice - Was the voice itself a suitable match for the age and appearance of the character? A lot of auditions I received were on the young sounding end, which didn't automatically disqualify anyone, but it did lower chances of getting cast in a college setting.

Vocal Comparisons - Each of the cast members needs to sound distinct from the others. If two characters sound too similar to each other, it's confusing. That means the voices need to sound unique from the other cast members - not only the ones being cast in this round, but also the ones already on board from previous games. There were a couple really great sounding voices and actors who sounded very similar, and I couldn't cast all of them.

Sound Quality - I know that recording across the internet means that not all mics will sound the same, but some mics sound better than others. Having a lower quality mic, or not having good mic "technique" (i.e. standing too close or too far, or breathing on the mic), would drop a person lower in the running. (There are examples of things to avoid here.)

Following Direction - I tend to give pretty specific directions on how to submit files. People who don't follow the directions get lower priority. I know it seems like a petty thing, but if an actor can't even name a file correctly, it doesn't instill much confidence in their ability to take direction elsewhere (like while recording).

Overall, I'm very pleased with the auditions I received, and I'm honored that I got to hear all the fresh talent out there. I'm very grateful to everyone who auditioned, and I look forward to hearing you again.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

AAAAAHHHH!!! I'm dying to play this game!! :">

Anonymous said...

Edwyn Tiong is in this.
One of my favourite VAs in one of my favourite series.
Please excuse me while I'm having a fangirlism-induced heart attack.