with Dave Fennoy & Randall Ryan
Video game acting is a unique art form that requires strong acting skills & an imaginative approach to storytelling. Anne is joined by special guests Dave Fennoy & Randall Ryan to discuss all things Game VO. Voice actors must bring their characters to life in a way that's authentic & impactful for players. Believe it or not, the average age for video game players is 40 years old, and these people have been playing games for 15+ years. These players are seeking a high level of story sophistication & depth of character when playing games. For a voice actor, Game VO recording is often a solitary and non-linear process due to logistics, but it still requires a deep understanding of the character you're playing, the world they inhabit, and their relationship to other characters. Invent as you go. Know your character, the world, and how your character would react in the moment. As with any genre, it’s best not to overthink things too much before recording, but instead trust yourself as an actor and allow yourself to get creative during the session itself. And if you want to work with the pros, stay tuned for a unique opportunity to relax, recharge, and level up your game VO skills with Dave & Randall…
In this episode, Anne chats with voice actor Dave Fennoy & director Randall Ryan about leveling up your video game voice over skills.
"20 year ago, VO was an afterthought. But now, it is an art form." - Randall
About Dave Fennoy
Dave Fennoy is one of the most in demand voice actors in Los Angeles. He is known for his versatility, providing voices for commercials, narrations, TV promos, award shows, animation, and video games. Gamers enjoy his work on numerous games. His video game roles have included Lee Everett in The Walking Dead, Bluebeard in The Wolf Among Us, Finch in Tales from the Borderlands, Gabriel the Warrior in Minecraft: Story Mode, and Lucius Fox in Batman: Arkham Knight and Batman: The Telltale Series.
About Randall Ryan
Randall’s journey into voice casting and directing was an unusual one. A musician from the age of five and a touring songwriter/performer for 15 years, he stopped touring and co-founded InternetSound(later HamsterBall) in 1995. Quite by accident, Randall found he had a knack for directing talent, and soon voice-over became a bigger and bigger part of HamsterBall’s mix. The work that jazzes him the most are the story-driven narratives where the actors and I get to explore and create deep characters and complex worlds.
Top 10 Takeaways
Quick-share concepts from today’s episode:
Gaming impacts the rest of the voice over industry.
Recording game VO is typically a solitary & non-linear process due to logistics.
Game VO requires cinematic & strong acting to be impactful for players.
Video game actors rarely see the entire game script when voicing a character.
Invent as you go. Know your character, the world
Be able to put yourself into the character & story world is an imaginative process.
Video game acting & directing is a collaborative process.
There is a lot of time that goes into learning your character, scene & story world.
It’s a voice actor’s job to turn words on a page into a story.
Acting & emotions are separate from your voice. The character voice you use is just a filter.
"With every genre or script, there is a role to play." - Anne
Referenced in this Episode
Direct links to things we brought up ++
Recorded on ipDTL - get it here >>
Get involved with 100voiceswhocare >>
Join Voice123 >>
Connect with Dave
Connect with Randall
Watch the full interview on YouTube
Hang with Dave & Randall at the Game VO Retreat in Mexico >>
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More from Anne
She's a powerhouse voice talent, producer, and host. Book time with Anne to get your voiceover career in gear or focus on a specific genre. Catch her each week on VO BOSS or register for an event on VOPeeps.com >>
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