INTRODUCTION
This FAQ was compiled to answer some of the questions posed by fans of dubbed anime in the US. Some were even interested in voice-acting as a profession. Being fortunate enough to acquaint myself with a handful of voice-actors (during the course of updating and correcting information on my voice role database), I proceeded to inquire them about the various aspects of their job. Hence, this FAQ came to be. Kudos to all those voice-actors helped me with this FAQ!
As at the moment of writing, this FAQ can be found at http://geocities.datacellar.net/Tokyo/Temple/3330/va/usvafaq.html, which is incidentally, where my voice actors' database (http://geocities.datacellar.net/Tokyo/Temple/3330/voice.html) can be found. If you wish to mirror this FAQ, please link to the above site, as changes to the FAQ may occur when I interview more voice actors.
Also, quite a few other interesting articles and comments on voice acting and such can be found on this site.
Oh, almost forgot. My name is Leonard Tai, and I can be e-mailed at vtky@pc.jaring.my. Please don't ask me for the personal e-mail addresses of various voice actors: if they want theirs publically known, I've already listed it on my site.
CONTRIBUTORS
(b) What should I do?
Tristan MacAvery
Demo tape: It doesn't hurt, but it isn't strictly required. Since you're selling your voice, a demo tape can help you put your voice out to people who haven't heard you before. This means, if you're going to make a demo tape, have it done professionally. The cassette will become your sole "first impression," and if it sounds too much like you recorded it in your garage with the washing machine going, it won't be too impressive, no matter how good your voice may be!
To make a demo tape, find a reputable recording studio, ask their prices and their help. Better still, get a recommendation from a reputable actor's agency; they know who they work with. This will also give you the chance to ask that agency if they're looking to represent new talent. Do NOT be discouraged if they say no; agencies can get overloaded, and if they tried to represent too many people, they'd get snowed under and no one would find work.
(c) Who should I meet / Where should I go to apply for the job?
Tristan MacAvery
Where to go for work? Remember that it is not your agent's job to FIND work for you; he might, but it's not his primary job. Don't pester him every week for new work. Watch the newspapers, especially the weekly "alternative" papers. Their want-ads section, under "Entertainers Wanted", will usually be filled with less-than-savory requests for something in the "adult entertainment industry" -- but there will also be the occasional ad for an agency, recording studio, or other group looking for voice actors. Call, set up the audition. Bring some kind of resume with you -- not the one where you talk about your ordinary jobs, but about your credits as a voice actor, or about the range of voices that you can do. List roles played in high school drama classes if necessary, but give them something they can hold onto and look over while you audition.
No ads in the papers? Look for ad agencies, talent agencies, actor studios, theaters, and so forth. Do NOT be discouraged if many of them tell you "No, thanks" -- or even harsher words. Believe me, when they *do* need you, they'll want you.
This all sounds very hit-or-miss, but in truth, that's a lot of what the business is like. If you believe you can do it, or if you don't believe you can do it, you'll probably be right. Go for it.
(d) I'm young, and I want to be a voice actor / Seiyuu in Japan!
Leonard Tai
Many amateur manga artists who are not from Japan have also aspired to make it big in that Anime/Manga Mecca. My thoughts on this are:
Japan is no different from any other large city on Earth- you won't get inspired just by being there. Instead, you'll probably be overwhelmed by culture shock initially. Also, the Japanese voice actor market is rather saturated right now, and it's unlikely that you'll find employment in that field in Japan without connections. Unless you're an extraordinarily popular VA in Japan (in the likes of Hayashibara Megumi and Midorikawa Hikaru), VAing in Japan won't earn you enough money for a decent living there.
Even if you think your youth will help- be warned that there are numerous teenage Japanese voice actors, who speak excellent Japanese.
If you really want to Voice-act in Anime shows, start by auditioning for local voice roles, then anime dubs, and work your way up from there. If you really like voice-acting, you'll probably be happy enough VAing in your own country.
Of course, there were foreigners who managed to get a few voice roles in Anime shows, and even a role as a major character in a Japanese PC game (Bianca Allen in Twin Story).
Jeff Okamoto
If you cannot speak or read Japanese, that is your first priority. There are numerous voice acting schools throughout Japan, though most of them are in Tokyo. All the classes will be conducted in Japanese, and the instructional materials will be written in Japanese.
Unless you can acquire a completely accent-free pronunciation, you will have a tough time. Famous Americans (Arnie, Stallone, etc) are "cute" when they butcher Japanese pronunciation. You won't be given such consideration.
Be aware that the cost of living is very high in Japan (even when compared to the Bay Area!), and that new seiyuu get paid very little. Also consider that the schools are cranking out hundreds of new graduates all looking for a job, and that due to Japan's recession/deflation, there are very few jobs available. I know there are no unions similar to SAG or AFTRA. I do not *think* there are residuals at all.
There are numerous professional seiyuu who are still in high school. I don't know if Japan has a strong child labor law, but these voice actors are underage and get paid very poorly. I'm not saying they are exploited, mind you, just not paid very well.
I see this as Japan's "idol" phenomenon moving from singing to voice acting.
(b) What's the schedule like?
Tristan MacAvery
Scheduling for voice acting varies with each studio, but at ADV, actors were called in to perform all of their lines during (usually) a single session, separate from all the other actors. This is a little disconcerting for those who record first, as they have no other actors to play off of. It's also disconcerting for the director, who has to watch the whole show come together little by little, convinced at every turn that he's forgotten some line or bit of foley (sound effects, like grunting, gasps, etc.).
Depending upon the size of the role (number of lines, etc.), an actor may be asked to spend between 1 and 9 hours in the studio. When I was directing, I made certain that actors would have frequent breaks, and I'd provide lunch if we were having to work all day. This is not always part of the company's policies (ADV had no such policy; it was out of my pocket). At a good company, actors are treated well, and it shows in the final product.
(c) Other than voice acting lead roles, what else do you get to do in the studio?
Tristan MacAvery
Naturally, there are fun things to do in the studio, if there's time and if the director is cool. "Out-takes," as they're called, are sometimes intentional, to break the tension and get a laugh. When I was directing Jessica "Cutey Honey" Calvello, in her role as Celcia in "Those Who Hunt Elves," she had a little fun with the spell that transformed her into Pochi. After she finished reciting the couplet, she screamed out "Pochi Flash!" Sound engineer Malinda Talbot and I almost fell to the floor laughing. Unfortunately, we had to cut it from the final show, but it was tempting to leave it in!
Part of voice acting includes providing the verbal "foley", or sound effects. This includes fun things like screaming, making strange noises, or otherwise being audibly expressive without words. Some of the kings and queens of foley, as far as I'm concerned, include Jessica Calvello, Tiffany Grant, Spike Spencer, Randy Sparks, and the incredible DonL Johnson, who provided those fabulous Muhgi yawns for the "Original Dirty Pair" series.
Another fun trick is to provide lines that become part of crowd scenes - because the lines are melded and buried together into a dull roar, you can say almost *anything* and get away with it! In "Golden Boy 5", I had some fun as one of the monks mumbling to myself during dinner. As I stir my bowl of ramen on screen, I say, "Oh look, the lepers in the kitchen have given me some meat -- oops, my mistake, it's just a finger." These usually outrageous statements are usually left as ad-libs by the actor.
Another of my favorites, which you can hear if you try real hard, is in "Those Who Hunt Elves 1." I had directed DonL Johnson to improvise his "fish-headed pirate" response to the appearance of Airi. He came up with, "Oh baby, *spank* me like I *wanna* be spanked!!!" Yeah, I left it in. It was worth it! Shortly after, as Jyunpei throws a huge fish net over the bunch of them, you can hear David LeMaster crying out, "Look out! We're being networked!" Again, it was worth it!
(d) Are some voice actors involved in dubbing too absorbed in trying to mimic the original voices, as opposed to understanding the character being portrayed, and expressing themselves?
Tristan MacAvery
When I was directing, I did all I could to let the voice actors find
their own level and characterization. The leads for "Elves" all got to take
home copies of the anime and a dub script, and they came back not only ready
to record, but with ideas to help make the characters more their own. It's a
very good combination, when the actors are creative and interested in the
material.
Some actors, want to be led precisely in their presentation, and they don't really care for the nuances of the work at all. Most of my leads weren't like that. They really got into the work and enjoyed it.
.....I rarely had any "cattle," I'm happy to say. Occasionally, I've led actors on a specific way to deliver a line, if I hear it a certain way in my head. Is it better than the read that they offered me? Sometimes yes, sometimes no - and the more talented the actor, the more likely it was that we agreed on the final opinion.
Whenever possible, I encouraged "cattle" actors to take more initiative, to give things a try, to loosen up and have a little fun. It's interesting what they can come up with, if they feel like they've got some leeway. Good actors aren't "made," they're encouraged to come out of whatever shell is holding them back. I hope I've been able to do that.
(e) How did the transliterators deal with anime titles that feature poems and outbursts of Shinto-Buddhism? (e.g. Gasaraki, Sentimental Graffiti...)
Tristan MacAvery
I remember using a network of fans and friends to find out information about
various references in the script. In the 3rd episode of "Those Who Hunt
Elves," a reference is made to a television show famous in Japan. The translator included footnotes explaining what it was all about, and I was able to find a modern American equivalent to use in the dubbing script.
(b) In what manner do voice-actors get paid?
Tristan MacAvery
All studios work differently. When recording a voice for a radio commercial, I'm paid by the size of the role (primary, secondary, etc.), the size of the audience (local, state, region, national, etc.), and the length of the run (13, 26, 39, 52 weeks, etc.). My experience at ADV was to be paid a sum based upon the comparative size of the role for the amount being contracted for. "Evangelion," with 26 episodes, was generally recorded two shows at a time, although later it became 3 shows at a time. The pay was not increased for the actors based upon the shows, but was again the *proportion* of the role as compared to the rest of the script. This meant that I got as much as $50 for 3 lines, and as little as $200 for over 40 lines - or, in terms of time, 30 minutes and 5 hours.
(c) What jobs can I get promoted into via voice-acting? How?
Tristan MacAvery
For me, at least, voice acting hasn't exactly been a stepping stone into other work. However, the *experience* gives me a "leg-up" when I apply to other areas of work. I've logged over 1000 hours in the studio, as actor, writer, director, and even singer. This gives a little weight to the resume that I turn in to any talent agency, any casting director, or any talent coordinator. It's not quite true to say that voice acting *will* lead to other areas of acting or art, but it's quite true to say that the *experience* will help you in many ways. Take a look at Tiffany Grant's answers - after all, she's actually gotten work in front of the camera these days. (Congrats, Tif!) And cross your fingers: I might be doing the same before 2001 is over...!
Now, after all that downer about how little it pays, and how it's not exactly like climbing the corporate ladder from mail room to CEO, here's the good news: IT'S FUN. There is no other job in the world that I love more. And there is one other very important mode of "payment" in this business - THE FANS ARE AWESOME! I can't speak for my fellow artists, but the biggest "payment" to me is the incredible rush of being welcomed to a convention by a huge roar of cheers and applause from a room full of people. Each and every one is giving their appreciation of my work - and that's a feeling that money can't buy.
(d) How much freedom do voice actors and directors have in selecting the dub they're going to be in?
Tristan MacAvery
Generally, however, the director will choose the voice cast. Voice actors who know the director can ask for roles if they know they're coming up, but there's no guarantee.
(b) What motivates you in this job?
Tristan MacAvery
It's clear from that statement that I'm motived primarily by my passions - to create, to bring something new and wonderful into being that wasn't there before. MAN, what a high. I'm seen as being "overwhelming" by most people; this is because, once I get my energies flowing, it's a tsunami of creativity that comes out. I've discovered that I love the process of improvisation, like "Who's Line Is It Anyway." At Katsucon and Sakura-con (Spring 2000), I got the chance to get crazy on stage with people like Richard "Pocky Man" Kim, John Roberts, Tiffany Grant, and Lex Lang. The energy level goes right through the roof, and everybody laughs themselves silly, and ... hey, man, we're high! And the cops can't bust us! Cool!
(c) What special experiences have you encountered on the job?
Tristan MacAvery
All of these things count as special experiences, but there is one experience in my life that ranks above all. I had once written and performed a parody radio commercial for "Cloth of the Lamb All-Wool Garments -- The Last Word in Rapture-Wear." The over-the-top preacher extolled the virtue of what one would be wearing when the Rapture struck. "When God says GOTCHA, will you be dressed to be blessed?"
A friend who worked with a.i.d.s. patients (I refuse to give that disease the courtesy of capital letters) asked me to tape it for him. I didn't know why at the time. It transpired that a young man was deeply in denial about his nearness to death, and the comedy commercial got him to laugh and to realize that there were things to be done. He fought, but did at last succumb - but he had "put his house in order," as the saying goes. One of his last wishes was to have the tape played at his funeral, which I'm told helped everyone to talk happily and lovingly about the friend that they had lost.
I didn't save a life, or anything so dramatic. But I was asked to give my gift to help someone. Just knowing that it helped is enough to make me realize how wonderful the act of creation really is.
So whatever YOUR gift ... go create! And tell me all about it. You can find me at tris@aslansmuse.com.
And thank you, Leonard, for your creative gift of giving me and so many others a place to share ourselves.
