EGS Fandub [canceled]

[Myranuse 5]

Due to poor planning of my fault, I am not allowed to continue working on this. Sorry to everyone whose time I've wasted.

[Note: due to lack of interest, I have outsourced active recruitment for voice actors to another website.]

As you probably already know, this is a request for voice actors for a fan radio-show style serialisation I am hoping to do for El Goonish Shive.

The idea is that there would be a voice track with all the characters' voices on top of a video with the corresponding comic panels.

If you want a proof of concept—or just an example of what it would look like—I have made videos for comics 1 and 4 (There was no voice actor for Sarah; can you imagine someone who has a baritone voice trying to speak like a girl?). These videos are by no means the final versions. For one, the voice of Tedd is my 10-year-old brother. I don't think any more is to be said on that. Also, the audio hasn't been processed properly, so that would need to be fixed as well. I also plan to put something like a series of the comic strips together to make at least a 5 minute long video.

This project requires voices for—well—everyone in the comic. I am not exactly the most sociable person, and this isn't exactly the most mainstream comic either. So can you imagine me going round my school trying to round up voice actors? That would only end well in a dream. So this is why I am calling upon you, the Bunnies (does Dan still call us that?) of El Goonish Shive, who already know (and probably like; why else would you read it?) the weirdness of EGS.

If you would like to take part in this, there are a few requirements:
The first is that you are willing to stay committed to the project. It would not helpful if you drop out mid-arc.
The second is that you must have a voice that at least sounds like how the character would sound like if they were real (i.e. male sounding voice for males, female sounding voice for females, if you're voicing Greg that your voice doesn't sound like you are 10 years old).
The third is that you have a quiet room or area in which to record in. I can easily get rid of static noise; I can't get rid of stray voices.

There are some other things which would be ideal, such as a good quality mic and good voice-acting talent, etc. But if I managed to make the videos above with essentially a £0 budget, then it can't be that hard to work something out.

Roles:

• Introductions:
  • Elliot [open]
  • Tedd [open]
  • Sarah [open]
  • Dr. Germahn [open]
  • Amanda [open]

• The Goo
  • Elliot [open]
  • Tedd [open]
  • Sarah [open]
  • Random Teacher(s) [open]
  • Narrator/Announcer [open]
  • Principal Verrückt [open]
• Shade, Part 1
  • Elliot [open]
  • Tedd [open]
  • Sarah [open]
  • Grace [open]
  • Clerk from the Cinema [open]
  • General from 'Attack of the Frozen Waffle' [open]
  • Dr. German from 'Attack of the Frozen Waffle' [open]
  • Tedd's Dad [open]
  • Vlad [open]
  • Hedge [open]
  • Jeremy [open]
  • The Mugger [open]
• Q&A #1
  • Dr. Germahn [open]
  • Amanda [open]

And that should be all for episode 1. Yeah, it looks like a lot, but a lot of the characters are minor characters and only say one or two lines, so I or some other VA could voice them.

If you would like to take part in this project, then leave a reply or send me a PM.

Just so that everyone knows, I did not get permission from Dan to make this project. This is purely a fan project and no one will earn any money from it. By doing this I hope to spread the wonder that is EGS, not profit from it.

Edited July 21, 2016 by Myranuse
Canceled

[mlooney 3,417]

Find out is Tara Strong will help.  She has done some fan based stuff for MLP, she might, at least do the voice of Tara, given that is who Tara is supposed to sound like.

[Zorua 124]

As much as I'd like to... I can't.

Not that I'm unable or unwilling. I think this is an interesting idea and I'd like to give it a shot. I could probably download a sufficient recording software, use my laptop's microphone, string a bedsheet through a knitting hoop to serve as a "breath wind blocker" like they have on professional mics, and use my closet as a quiet room.

But let's be realistic. I have procrastination issues. I also have commitment issues. Just look at my DeviantArt; despite having a few ongoing story projects, one of which I'm still consistently invested in, I haven't updated anything there since 2014. Doing a voice role? Even if I settle for being the "Various Minor Characters" guy, I'll still probably fail to meet deadlines or, if there aren't any, just not send in any recordings in a timely manner. And forget about a major or recurring character.

So no. As much as I don't want my voicecanon messed up for this... I'm gonna have to stay out of it.

 

I might be able to offer some amateur advice, though. Sure, background noise is one thing, but some comics would realistically have them, like the scenes set in the schools or the mall or even just outside. Maybe doing some audio recordings of various locations close enough to the comics would get you a good sample of background noise. Or recording lines at those places would get more believable audio (the place is an echoey mall or something but Justin sounds like he's in a recording booth).

Wait, what am I doing? This is a fan project, not a studio feature. Brain! Stop overthinking!

 

3 hours ago, mlooney said:

Find out is Tara Strong will help.  She has done some fan based stuff for MLP, she might, at least do the voice of Tara, given that is who Tara is supposed to sound like.

I still remember the pre-Crash "who do you hear the characters as?" thread. I still think teenage Ben Tennyson is a good fit for Elliot, and FMA's Envy is a good fit for Chaos (all forms). And maybe Ghost in the Shell's "The Chief" for both Arthur J. Arthur and Sirleck. And now that I think about it: Portal 2's Caroline for their secretaries, minor though they may be.

Tara (griffin)'s comic appearance is years away from us at minimum. Maybe Tara (VA) could stall for time as Vladia, that panicky blonde girl, or maybe Carol.

 

This is so gonna mess up how I hear their voices in my head. Big time.

[Myranuse 5]

11 hours ago, mlooney said:

Find out is Tara Strong will help.  She has done some fan based stuff for MLP, she might, at least do the voice of Tara, given that is who Tara is supposed to sound like.

*opens Wikipedia*

Okay, I knew Tara Strong did many cartoons and such, but whoa...

I think I'll wait a bit before trying to rope in professional voice-actors... But if she could to take part, that would be awesome!

8 hours ago, Zorua said:

As much as I'd like to... I can't.

Not that I'm unable or unwilling. I think this is an interesting idea and I'd like to give it a shot. I could probably download a sufficient recording software, use my laptop's microphone, string a bedsheet through a knitting hoop to serve as a "breath wind blocker" like they have on professional mics, and use my closet as a quiet room.

But let's be realistic. I have procrastination issues. I also have commitment issues. Just look at my DeviantArt; despite having a few ongoing story projects, one of which I'm still consistently invested in, I haven't updated anything there since 2014. Doing a voice role? Even if I settle for being the "Various Minor Characters" guy, I'll still probably fail to meet deadlines or, if there aren't any, just not send in any recordings in a timely manner. And forget about a major or recurring character.

So no. As much as I don't want my voicecanon messed up for this... I'm gonna have to stay out of it.

 

I might be able to offer some amateur advice, though. Sure, background noise is one thing, but some comics would realistically have them, like the scenes set in the schools or the mall or even just outside. Maybe doing some audio recordings of various locations close enough to the comics would get you a good sample of background noise. Or recording lines at those places would get more believable audio (the place is an echoey mall or something but Justin sounds like he's in a recording booth).

Wait, what am I doing? This is a fan project, not a studio feature. Brain! Stop overthinking!

 

I still remember the pre-Crash "who do you hear the characters as?" thread. I still think teenage Ben Tennyson is a good fit for Elliot, and FMA's Envy is a good fit for Chaos (all forms). And maybe Ghost in the Shell's "The Chief" for both Arthur J. Arthur and Sirleck. And now that I think about it: Portal 2's Caroline for their secretaries, minor though they may be.

Tara (griffin)'s comic appearance is years away from us at minimum. Maybe Tara (VA) could stall for time as Vladia, that panicky blonde girl, or maybe Carol.

 

This is so gonna mess up how I hear their voices in my head. Big time.

 

Ah, well, thanks for being honest with your commitment issues. I find that it helps to see the fruits of your labour every once in a while, such as re-reading one of your own stories, or taking a peek at the analytics for your traffic.

For the background noise thing, I agree with you. My phone mic isn't the greatest mic in existance (and I don't plan on carrying my laptop everywhere!), but with the volume that the noise would be at, it shouldn't matter. For the voices at the venues, I can add some reverb and echo to try to simulate the conditions. Maybe I can make a Discord server so we can discuss this in further detail?
And you're not the only one who overthought this... *insert sad violin music*

This is the moment where I realise just how young I am. I've only ever heard of Ben (from the Ben 10 franchise) and Caroline (Portal 2). *insert sadder violin music*

Hmm... Judging by how long it takes to actually voice the comics and throw the video together, it would probably take at least a year before we would get to that point. If this project actually gets off the ground in the first place, that is... *insert even sadder violin music*

[The Old Hack 2,448]

3 hours ago, Myranuse said:

This is the moment where I realise just how young I am. I've only ever heard of Ben (from the Ben 10 franchise) and Caroline (Portal 2). *insert sadder violin music*

Don't worry too much about it. Youth is an issue that ends given time.

Hmm... Judging by how long it takes to actually voice the comics and throw the video together, it would probably take at least a year before we would get to that point. If this project actually gets off the ground in the first place, that is...

*insert even sadder violin music*

If it is worth doing, it is worth taking the time to do it right. And an advantage of youth is that you have time.

[Zorua 124]

18 hours ago, Myranuse said:

Ah, well, thanks for being honest with your commitment issues. I find that it helps to see the fruits of your labour every once in a while, such as re-reading one of your own stories, or taking a peek at the analytics for your traffic.

It's always good to be aware of your own limitations.

And I will reread. I've been on and off with my writings for such a long time. It'd be good to get back into the fold.

18 hours ago, Myranuse said:

For the background noise thing, I agree with you. My phone mic isn't the greatest mic in existance (and I don't plan on carrying my laptop everywhere!), but with the volume that the noise would be at, it shouldn't matter. For the voices at the venues, I can add some reverb and echo to try to simulate the conditions. Maybe I can make a Discord server so we can discuss this in further detail?

I'm not entirely sure. I'm like Ellen; I can do guesswork and conclusion-jumping, but if I'm not well-versed in a topic, there's not really much I can offer in terms of informed opinions. In this case, the topic is audio quality and studio sound vs. on-location sound.

If I have another Ellen-esque burst of conclusion-jumping, I'll letcha know.

...I'm now starting to ponder sound effects.

18 hours ago, Myranuse said:

This is the moment where I realise just how young I am. I've only ever heard of Ben (from the Ben 10 franchise) and Caroline (Portal 2). *insert sadder violin music*

Might not be age. You could just not be much of an anime person. Fullmetal Alchemist and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex are among the good ones.

Speaking of FMA, I think Greed II (Troy Baker) would be a good fit for Voltaire's buddy Abner. Or maybe for Jerry II?

<train of thought>Heh. Jerry II voiced by Greed II. Jerry I voiced by Greed I? No, that doesn't fit. Maybe for Hedge? Vlad? Greed I kinda reminds me of Snake. Didn't they do Princess Snake in Snake's voice in DBZ Abridged?</train>

Oh God, can you imagine the Abridged version of this, done by Team Four Star?

 

Also, I can tell which side of the pond you're from just from what words of yours are triggering my spellcheck alert.

[SeriousJupiter 49]

If you can get J.K. Simmons, he could probably do voices for Edward, Abraham and Sirleck's host. I hear all three of them as J.K. Simmons. Sometimes I hear Raven as him too.

[Danny Beans 4]

I'm probably going to regret this, but how much of a time commitment do you forsee? I actually have a fair amount of experience with voice acting (albeit mostly amateur), and can do a range of voices, ages, and accents.  I also have some decent recording equipment.  What I don't have is a lot of spare time to offer.

[banneret 45]

It might be helpful to select a representative portion of dialogue for each character you want cast, so people can read the same text and you can compare. I've done amateur voice work, but I do not like my voice.
 

[Myranuse 5]

10 hours ago, Danny Beans said:

I'm probably going to regret this, but how much of a time commitment do you forsee? I actually have a fair amount of experience with voice acting (albeit mostly amateur), and can do a range of voices, ages, and accents.  I also have some decent recording equipment.  What I don't have is a lot of spare time to offer.

 

 

Oh, erm, good question. This is the first time I have done any project of this scale (i.e. someone else other than me and my schoolmates contributing), so I can't really say with any reliability how much of your time it would take. I can't really see this taking any more than 30 minutes per strip.

Right now, I just need some people to read the lines, record them, then send them to me and perhaps give an opinion on the video if it needs any changes.

6 hours ago, banneret said:

It might be helpful to select a representative portion of dialogue for each character you want cast, so people can read the same text and you can compare. I've done amateur voice work, but I do not like my voice.
 

1

I think that is a great idea, but right now I am willing to accept anyone who volunteers themselves.

If you've done some voice work, then you already have more experience than I have. Maybe you can give me some tips or perhaps some training? I would ask @Danny Beans but he already said he hasn't got the most time.

On 04/07/2016 at 2:56 AM, SeriousJupiter said:

If you can get J.K. Simmons, he could probably do voices for Edward, Abraham and Sirleck's host. I hear all three of them as J.K. Simmons. Sometimes I hear Raven as him too.

 

 

I really like the suggestion, but the vision I have for this is a EGS fan-serialisation made by EGS fans.

On 02/07/2016 at 5:11 PM, The Old Hack said:

Don't worry too much about it. Youth is an issue that ends given time.

Youth and age are two seperate things. Ignorant youth and ignorant age, not quite so.
I hope not to fall into that last catagory.

On 03/07/2016 at 8:02 AM, Zorua said:

It's always good to be aware of your own limitations.

Indeed, burnout is not a nice feeling.

On 03/07/2016 at 8:02 AM, Zorua said:

...I'm now starting to ponder sound effects.

Muahahahaha! My evil plan is coming into fruition >:)

 

On 03/07/2016 at 8:02 AM, Zorua said:

Might not be age. You could just not be much of an anime person.

I'm probably just not an animation person altogether. I mean, I've seen SAO and part of Majestic Prince, but that's about it.

 

On 03/07/2016 at 8:02 AM, Zorua said:

Oh God, can you imagine the Abridged version of this, done by Team Four Star?

Same guys that did Dragonball Abridged?
...
From the clips I've seen, that can only end well...

On 03/07/2016 at 8:02 AM, Zorua said:

Also, I can tell which side of the pond you're from just from what words of yours are triggering my spellcheck alert.

Eeyup, I'm a newly freed Brit here.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

1 hour ago, Myranuse said:

Youth and age are two seperate things. Ignorant youth and ignorant age, not quite so.
I hope not to fall into that last catagory.

True enough. Even so, a healthy awareness of the fact that one does not know all there is to know and a willingness to learn make for a good protection against the latter. So far you seem to be doing fine.

[Scotty 1,061]

4 hours ago, Myranuse said:

On 7/3/2016 at 3:02 AM, Zorua said:

Also, I can tell which side of the pond you're from just from what words of yours are triggering my spellcheck alert.

Eeyup, I'm a newly freed Brit here.

Hey! I must trigger the same amount of spellchecking as Myranuse and I'm in Canada.

 

[InfiniteRemnant 141]

8 hours ago, Myranuse said:

21 hours ago, Danny Beans said:

I'm probably going to regret this, but how much of a time commitment do you forsee? I actually have a fair amount of experience with voice acting (albeit mostly amateur), and can do a range of voices, ages, and accents.  I also have some decent recording equipment.  What I don't have is a lot of spare time to offer.

Oh, erm, good question. This is the first time I have done any project of this scale (i.e. someone else other than me and my schoolmates contributing), so I can't really say with any reliability how much of your time it would take. I can't really see this taking any more than 30 minutes per strip.

PFFT.  oh wow... you're certainly optimistic.

they need to practice and rehearse the lines if they want to do the job well, and you need to account for possible equipment problems, schedule problems, certain scenes possibly needing multiple VA's recording together, and multiple retakes in the event of missed lines pronounciation errors or other issues.

[Myranuse 5]

14 hours ago, InfiniteRemnant said:

PFFT.  oh wow... you're certainly optimistic.

they need to practice and rehearse the lines if they want to do the job well, and you need to account for possible equipment problems, schedule problems, certain scenes possibly needing multiple VA's recording together, and multiple retakes in the event of missed lines pronounciation errors or other issues.

 

How much time would you say it would take? As I said before, I have zero experience (short of when I made the example videos, but would you still call that experience?) when it comes to voice acting, so I am essentially flying with no instruments.

[Drachefly 30]

16 hours ago, InfiniteRemnant said:

PFFT.  oh wow... you're certainly optimistic.

they need to practice and rehearse the lines if they want to do the job well, and you need to account for possible equipment problems, schedule problems, certain scenes possibly needing multiple VA's recording together, and multiple retakes in the event of missed lines pronounciation errors or other issues.

I think half an hour isn't too bad, per strip. I mean, it's not like you'd sit down and do one strip in a go. You'd lay out your lines for several weeks of comics. Practice them as a sequence for a while alone (how long depends on line density of the character). Then everyone gets together on skype and goes through it to get a feel for the scene. That could take an hour if everyone's smooth about it or indefinitely long if someone's flaky. Then you do several read-throughs, each person making as high quality sound recording as they can, simultaneously with skype (the incoming voices will be cut in editing), not pausing for mistakes, and avoiding talking over each other. That'll take an hour. Throw in an extra hour for general screwups/scheduling, etc.

We're looking at several hours, yes. But it won't be per comic strip.

[Vorlonagent 442]

A few suggestions for voice tryouts.  I tried out for a video game being done by the creators of Sandra and Woo.

They had me read a preset piece of dialogue.  Presumably hearing all tryouts for a part read the same thing helps in comparing them.

They critiqued my equipment.  Apparently a headphone mic doesn't cut it, which is why I dropped out of that project.  I now have better sitting in an amazon box that I bought for a personal project.

Can we decide on some common lines actors to read?

[Myranuse 5]

2 hours ago, Vorlonagent said:

A few suggestions for voice tryouts.  I tried out for a video game being done by the creators of Sandra and Woo.

They had me read a preset piece of dialogue.  Presumably hearing all tryouts for a part read the same thing helps in comparing them.

They critiqued my equipment.  Apparently a headphone mic doesn't cut it, which is why I dropped out of that project.  I now have better sitting in an amazon box that I bought for a personal project.

Can we decide on some common lines actors to read?

1

Even with sub-par equipment, I should be able to tidy it up enough to put it on the internet; the mic I used for the example vid was a £20 mic off Amazon.

Right now I am willing to accept anyone who comes forward. But if there is some dispute on who does what, I was thinking somethings along the lines of this for Elliot and Ellen.

[Vorlonagent 442]

That's a great comic to test your prospective Elliots especially on.

This one ought to be red meat for your Ellens and Tedds...

[Myranuse 5]

Quick update on the progress so far.

Due to lack of interest (bar @Vorlonagent, who has my sincerest thanks), I have decided to outsource the voice acting to another website. However, I will still need some help from here.

I am in the process of making the intro, as you can see here:

As you can probably tell, I need some help to find appropriate panels to use that are epic enough to use in an intro, but not too spoilery. I have only read EGS once (1/8 through re-reading), so I don't know it well enough to make the best decision.

I hope this isn't too much bother.