Post by cajones on Jun 26, 2006 16:07:23 GMT -5
Am I a perfectionist, paranoid, or just confused? You decide. (I don't like my tone either.).
This is an attempt to take a book I wrote in 2003 and make a radio play of it. (I consider the 2004 publication "noteworthy", not "bostworthy". I will say no more unless asked.).
I'm also going to be a bit of an optamist and shoot for the whole thing (not all at once, but not serialized, so to speak). So I'm posting the entire character list (extras and such included), and hopefully my not-that-briliant timing scheme will let it work out for everyone. But if not, I can be badgered at any of the related links that I will save until the end. ^^.
And now for the description/synopsis/forgive me I don't want to sound alarmingly formal today! *Decides to choose a cliché opening*:
In a world plagued by the conflicts of the early twenty-first century, two powerful nations draw near to war. A teenaged boy named Royce and his less wreckless friend Uasho make a daring attempt to prevent the coming violence, but wind up meeting someone claiming to be from a Utopian galaxy. On some kind of enlightenment/entertainment quest or something, our young friends take a chance to learn of an unknown culture, and must overcome many unexpected decisions, character issues, and the obligatory plot twists and excitement!
<-- I'm terrible at writing summaries, so ask any questions that you have! Concerning this topic.
Length is about 15 parts. No easy task, but I have confidence in... people? I'm going to shoot for getting it done before the end of the year, though that sounds unrealistic. So my promise will be: if I get the cast, it will get done unless I die/lose all digital devices. The sooner the deadline, the less procrastination. That's my experience.
Format and contact:
right now, wavs are easier to work with, but mp3s tend to be more practical, so I will take either of those. 22500 or 44100kHz will do.
Send recordings and a text file with your contact info in a .zip file to gotenllams5yo @ yahoo.com (remove the spaces of course). Audition recordings should be labeled with your name and the role that it is for, and the .zip file should include your name and the title somewhere in its filename.
This should be obvious, but just to be safe: auditions should have a clear subject line. "PS audition" will do, just make sure I can tell what it is, since I'd hate to mistake it for something sinister without listening...
Now for da characters list. If I do a bad job with any of these entries, please bring it to my attention... in a nice way if possible.
Gender=character, not necessarily VA. Though you could have guessed that, I'd rather not take chances.
--- Males ---
Royce
age: 14
Appearance: Not defined in the book. That wasn't intentional, but I like the literary analysis opportunities, so we shall leave it at that.
Bio: The quiet contemplative type. He's troubled by all that is wrong in the world and is ready to do something about it. And he's kinda booksmart (well, that's what he thinks.
), and sometimes has humility issues... but he tends to come out making the heroic-ish decisions in the end.Voice: Assuming that I can convince myself that my acting is good enough, I might voice him. But since one of you can probably do better... (And considering how much he talks I'd be pretty full of myself to self-cast...)
He's a teenaged male, a rather medium-ish voice (not too adult ish, but not to young-sounding). And there are a couple moments where he uses a fake deep voice, but not for very long.
Lines:
1(casual): Identification? (small laugh) Don't have any. It's part of being a minor.
2(Fake deep voice, friendly-talking-on-the-phone voice): Hello, is there someone there by the name of Uasho? (Oo-ah-sho).
3(in a "come on, don't be so weak" voice): Make an effort.
4(Serious, urgent): We're going too slowly. They'll catch us. We have to speed up.
5(Almost annoying, "...really?" type voice): It's a world with none of this... mass evil that lies on Earth?
6(Angry, threatening, eyes-narrowing): Call him that again.
Uasho
Age: 14
Appearance: Not described in the book. Go figure.
Bio: Oh, he certainly has a grasp on right and wrong. Though he prefers video games and anime to risking his life against impossible odds. But he's got heart where it counts. Once you get past the short temper.
Voice:
He's a teenaged male... anything that falls in there works, just so long as it isn't amazingly deep or high. And he might switch to a fake British accent when irritated, but that's not necessary.
1(Cheerily, greetingly): Ah, hey, wazup?
2(Surprised, kind of "Oh boy..." in a not-happy way): Dude! You aren't really going through with this?
3(Exasperated, almost yelling): This place is boring!
4(Angry, shouting): SHUT UP!
5(Uneasy, surprised): I think you should look at this...
Elitper
Age: mid/upper twenties, possibly early thirties.
Appearance: The part of the book with his description can be found here. I think.
Bio: Elitper is a valiant pilot of the Yrekcom Starfleet, with that whole romanticist getting-the-job-done-but-doing-what's-right atitude. And we were reading Romeo and Juliet about the time I did his most dramatic lines, so... yeah.
Voice: "a somewhat snake like voice, though it was more human and strong than weak and windy". <--also in the preview linked above.
Kind of rough and snake-like, but still human. (I've got halfway decent recordings of my own, but they're not worth linking). The best example I can think of (which is less than easy to find) is the first appearance of the Gangrene gang in the Power Puff Girls, when Snake says "yes" for the first time. Not an alarmingly deep voice, but not alien high, either. (Almost like a higher version of dub Vegeta from season 4+ of DBZ, but a very different way of talking). He generally sounds polite and such, though he has his angry scene...
1(Greetingly): Hello there. Didn't mean to startle you, but otherwise the order would have crumbled.
2(sollemnly): An endless supply of devastation lies in this land.
3(angry, would say "snapped" or "spat"): I was on a mission, Chalkion. You have no reason to stop me. (Chal-kee-on)
4(Calm, kind of dramatic): Yes, we are.
5(Commandingly, urgent): Get down!
Terrif Chalkion
Age: Mid/upper twenties, maybe early thirties.
Appearance:
"He appeared to be in his twenties, maybe thirties if he took care of himself. The most noticeable feature about him was that, rather than hair, he had bright and pale blue feathers that rose for several inches above his scalp. His skin was similar to Elitper’s, only it was slightly darker and seemed to be more filled with blood."
"He stood slightly taller than Elitper, appearing to be similarly built. But he wore no armor. Instead, he wore a sleeveless light blue outfit, under which was a long sleeved dark blue shirt. He looked somewhat fragile, yet appeared to have strength to break a planet. His right hand was in a fist, his left was holding a glowing white crystal that appeared to have a diameter of about five inches."
I think that should do it... as you can tell my pic-acquiring abilities have ran away.
Bio: We wonder some times about his life outside of duty... a member of the Sevan Starfleet and the galactic police, Chalkion likes to uphold regulations, protect lives, and for some reason has issues with Elitper. Though he's pretty good with authority, there are times when regulations get in the way of their purpose, and then he starts choosing...
Voice: I'm thinking something like the guy(Easy to find the name, but I typed this offline) who voiced #17 from Funimation Dub DBZ or the voice of Kaioshin/Supreme Kai or Dr. Tucker from dub Full Metal Alchemist. Or the Utram counsel from the 4kids TMNT cartoon. Just for sound, not necessarily manner of speech, and a little deeper than most of those at times.
Chalkion's tone is somewhat monotonous, but the better word is "generally lacking emotion". After all, there are a few times where he is a lot more loose, and of course he gets an angry scene...
1(Kind of monotonous, a small bit of tauntingness): So Elitper, what are you doing so far from home?
2(Command, kind of harsh, quieter "I'm very serious" voice): You will stay put. Is that understood?
3(Yelling, angry): I WILL NOT BE HELD HOSTAGE ON MY OWN SHIP!
4(Kind of cheerful): You don't seem to have needed it.
Pokisimo
age: 11 (Though he looks a bit younger)
Appearance: very light skin (For reasons I hope the can be perceived from the story), a head of yellow feathers, pretty small facial features, and ... blue eyes? Sure... just, looks kind of fragile and stuff. For now.
Bio: An anomaly on Seva, Pokie is an orphan with an interesting enunciation-to-knowledge ratio (He talks pretty well considering some of the things he doesn't seem to know). And somehow he's been in a virtual reality game for a while. And considering what happens there, no wonder he seems so timid at first glance. And yet, he's glad to see new things and... such. Oh, and isn't too fond of large groups of people... And he has survival instincts.
Voice: Sounds very young, but speaks pretty well (Audi-subbed, you might say). Innocent, but not babyish; cute, but still quite realistic.
1(Afraid, trying to be commanding): You're one of those bad people. Go away.
2(Innocent questioning; in reply to a question): What are those?
3(Shouting, almost angry sounding): I'm not hungry!
4(Urgent, terrified): We have to get out of here!
5: Where is he going?
V.C. Arboc
Age: unknown, but probably at least 30, since he has such a high rank.
Appearance: kind of hard in the face, you might say; probably smiles less than Chalkion. Amber eyes (not alarmingly huge or anything), and red (blood red?) scales where scalp hair/eyebrows should be.
Bio: Arboc (Not based in any way on Pokemon; I didn't know there was such a pokemon until well after finishing the book) is a high ranking officer in the Yrekcom military. A very serious man, Arboc... respects the chain of command? And duties of his job? And is willing to do what must be done for his cause? And he isn't that bad a strategist/leader.
Voice: Mid/mid to mid/low male. Serious, not really emotional, but very different tone from Chalkion. It might be within reason to say he needs to have a kind of cool voice, but otherwise... just something befitting someone of his status. Note that while he's rather cold, he sounds a lot less inhuman than Chalkion on an emotionless moment.
1(Suspiciously): And how would you know of the situation?
2: Do you have anything sharp?
3(with noticeable authority to his voice): I am the acting commander of the Yrekcom starfleet.
4(kind of serious, but not forceful): Is this the order of the seven? The team that seeks purity where it cannot be found?
5(formal): The hour is late. We must continue our quest.
Nabsuh
Age: 28
Appearance: Uh. Kind-looking guy? with black feathers where hair/eyebrows are expected?
Bio: Namow's husband, a somewhat average guy that is interested in Earth and trusting of the Esrevni government and security and stuff.
Voice: Not amazingly specific. English isn't his first language, but he speaks it during most of his "screen time", so the way he talks sort of reflects this (though I don't see a specific accent; kind of the an-accent voice...). And you could say he's pretty formal, too.
1: The situation is being handled as we speak.
2: Start from the beginning.
3: I apologize for the interruption.
4: I'll call them now.
5(Kind of horror-struck, but staying calm and explaining): They can't get back in.
Llams
Age: 7
Appearance: wild black feathers, likes to wear orange, and... such. (Just to be clear, the feathers only appear where hair is on we earth people).
::: Adventurous Sevan boy. Who isn't necessarily as smart as he seems sometimes...
Voice: Somewhat shrill--I'm thinking something between Goten (Japanese version of DBZ) and Rini (Dub SM season 3 and beyond and such). So, I guess just something young-sounding. Well-trained in speaking English (Sounds like the "accent-free" American?).
1(interested): So what was it?
2: I want to talk to him.
3(Sad, almost crying): Why do people do things like that?
4: Oh. That's ok.
5(Surprised, afraid): Where did that come from?
Yeson Poc
Age: ... Adult? Anywhere from 20 to 40.
Appearance: ...
Bio: An Esrevni Intelligence Agency officer. Yeson is very strict about following his orders and is unlikely to hesitate when it comes to taking care of business.
Voice: I'm thinking kind of rough, probably not deep (More in the middle range). Tends to be rather commanding and sharp with his words.
1(Demanding, half-shout): Where is the pilot of this vessel?
2: No one may leave until we have completed our investigation.
Dinhcara
Age: ?
Appearance: Umm. *looks for something to quote*.
Bio: So far we know that he likes commerce and construction.
Voice: Low. Makes me think of Christopher Lee or Ian McKelly. More specs in lines...
1(Taunting from a distance): What's wrong, Ylf?
2: It has all turned out for the better.
3: And what are you trying so hard to hide from me?
Commander Ekans
Age: Somewhere over 40, probably in the 50-80 range, but still strong.
Appearance: Gold-ish eyes, orange scalp scales, and the face of one who has been through a lot.
Bio: The commander of the Yrekcom Starfleet, Ekans has hope for the future and in all people, but knows when action necessary. He's been raised to understand that everlasting peace requires wisdom, and while he has some of that, he knows that he only has enough to lead a starfleet, not a galaxy.
voice: Probably on the deeper end, rather confident most of the time.
1(groggy, waking up): Are they here?
2(Urgent, commanding): Move!
3(kind of urgent, but not shouting): How good can you throw?
4(confident, doesn't seem to be angry): Who would arrest me?
--- Females ---
Namow
Age: 28
Appearance: kind of Asian-looking (and a Sevan at that), with an interesting feather style... O.O. Black feathers.
::: Namow is a caring-and-easily-urgent-but-rather-understanding woman in the land of Nohin (which is on Seva). I'm sure I have a better profile somewhere... from years ago or something...
Safe and secure society or not, she's more than ready to take responsibility for protecting those she cares about.
Voice: Hm, I guess it isn't too specific. Distinctly different from say, Chichi (DBZ) perhaps a distinct-but-mild accent of some kind (Something Japanese comes to mind, but whatever works...). I'm wanting to think mid or lower pitch range, but I'll work with what I get.
1(Concerned): What happened?
2(Urgent): Get away from here!
3: What is it like on Earth?
4(sighing): I don't see why not.
Traveler
(Minor role, but useful enough to give a profile)
Age: Eh, adult, probably over 30.
Appearance: Turns out the description was simply "Sevan".
Bio: An average civilian living on Seva. She probably leads a happy life and tries to do a good deal of work for... something.
Voice: Nothing too specific. Just needs to sound natural.
1: We're going on vacation.
2(Half-suspicious, half-friendly): You aren't from around here, are you?
Commander Chensi
Age: Considering her rank, I'm going with at least 30, but seeing as she's in super good shape and such...
Appearance: Doporhtran; looks rather human, other than the more defined facial features, the slightly buggish (in texture and coloration, but not contours) eyes, and of course the chitin thing; scalp/eyebrows are dark red chitin, and antennae are red, but tend to be out of the way (lying back).
Bio: Commander of the Doporhtran Starfleet, Chensi is pretty respectful of everyone, but when push comes to shove, she's both willing and capable of taking care of business. And if that doesn't work, she's good at not giving up and coming up with alternative courses of action? Doesn't seem amazingly emotional, but that's more of a physical thing with Doporhtrans in general then an actual lack of feeling.
Voice: Think of the female droid with the accent in The Phantom Menace, but not restrictively; powerful, sharp, sort of an interesting accent that I can't quite name... to the point with her words, and doesn't hold out sylables too long. Sounds a little strained vocally, but not overly so.
1(Issuing command): You are in an unauthorized area.
2(Surprised): C--Commander Ekans! (Eh-`cans).
3(Authority, as though is talking to an enemy): This is your last warning!
Ylf
Age: Unknown, though if you look at her you'd guess twenties.
Appearance:
"She was dressed in black, her head topped with thick black skin that was in contrast with her face. Her antennae were up, her translucent wings glimmering in the mid afternoon sun. She seemed somewhat menacing against the turquoise sky of Doporhtra."
Bio: Not much is known about her, other than she is crafty, capable, independent, and does what must be done.
Voice: I've got someone in mind, and while she might not be the perfect pick (Hard to tell at this point), some of her clips work well enough that I've come to think of that as Ylf's voice...
Typically with an air of power, probably an accent(I'm thinking either English, Austrailian or NZ-like), confident in most cases, could easily become a sneer (But usually doesn't).
1(Almost-but-not-quite-mocking): Poor aim snake-man.
2: Vigilance is a skill well used.
3: Please remove yourself from my path. Every second is precious in this situation.
4(Serious, but not commanding-ish): Yes. Now get out of here.
5(Possibly angered): Where is he?
--- Either. Most of these are only a couple lines, but some are more (And since they're here, most are important!)---
Reporter
(Only a short part, so might use the audition lines.)
Age: Oh, adult.
Appearance: Just pick a random reporter or anchorperson...
Bio: Journalism, anyone?
Voice: Needs to sound like an authentic reporter/anchor person from a respectable news network. I usually think of it as a woman, but whatever works.
1: Military sources say that forces are positioned near the border, and an airforce base fifty miles from the border is prepared for a possible strike.
2: Though the movement has its support in the legislature, opposition has made itself known. John Hammleton, one of the leading speakers against the war plan, spoke to reporters concerning the issue.
Cashier
(Small part, so the audition lines of the chosen one will likely be used.)
Age: Probably late teens/early twenties.
Appearance: Probably looks college-aged, but whatever works.
Bio: Um. Works at something that bears a striking resemblance to Radio Shack?
Voice: Just needs to sound like a cashier that is trying to be polite... ranges and such aren't too important, just don't give something unrealistic (Mid for either gender is fine).
1: That'll be twenty-five fifty-six.
2: Can I see your identification please?
3(Suppressing a sigh): Sorry about that.
BusDriver
(Minor part, Audition lines will likely be used)
Age: Who knows... anywhere from twenty to eighty...
Appearance: Undefined.
Bio: A relatively friendly southern(US) bus driver.
Voice: I was thinking a U.S. Southern accent, but otherwise, anything works. Tends to talk loudly?
1: Goin' down the interstate. We'll make a few stops on the way but then it's straight to the line.
2: We'll discuss that once we get there. Anything in that bag I should know about?
3: Naw, That's ok, just get in; I'm on a tight schedule. Gotta make it in six hours.
2Teenagers
(Small parts, audition lines should suffice)
Ages: eh, Teenagers. So 13-18 is a good range.
Appearance: Use your imagination.
Bio: They're pretty average as far as I can tell.
Voice: Eh, just sound like typical Teens... the type that would like hanging out (At least one of them is probably into video games). Genders aren't too important, though at least one should probably be male.
1: Well, I have to get going; I can't be late for work again.
2: Hey, can you give me a ride?
3(affirmative, not sarcastic): Yeah, Sure. See ya Uasho! (Oo-ah-sho)
Pilot
Age: 20-80, probably closer to the 40-60 range, but doesn't seem oldish. Energetic, you might say?
Appearance: Fancy that most of the Earthlings don't have vivid descriptions?
Bio: Helicopter pilot that seems to enjoy his job, but can easily get frustrated with it... nothing alarmingly special, that we see, anyway.
Voice: I'm thinking something like U.S. southern accent, rather heavy, but if something better comes along, is workable. I usually think of a voice that's somewhere just below say, Dawn Nots(SP?), but a distinctly different way of speaking (most of the time. ^_^).
1: Down there, up here, can't really tell.
2(A little not-inthused): Clearance. You should know that.
3(Surprised, irritated): You haven't--? Then do it!
There may be room for adlib, just random sounds or comments while flying (helicopter). He enjoys flying, so any such adlibs would need to convey that.
Panel
Age: n/a.
Appearance: A red square in the wall...
Bio: The voice of the panel system that provides assistance to people on Seva. Can't live without it, it would seem.
Voice: Informative, announcer-ish. I usually think of the voice of the announcer from Starwars: Masters of Teras Casi (SP again). Use your own judgment. Mainly just a friendly announcer-ish voice.
1: If you would like a room, remove your hand now.
2: The person you have contacted has closed the connection.
3: Please state your name.
Staffmember
(Four lines, so auditions should suffice)
- Customer assistance person, basically. Probably sound twenty-ish and friendly.
1: Can I help you?
TourGuide
(Not many lines, but I'd rather not post them in their entirety...)
Age: I don't know. Probably in the 20-60 range, closer to the younger half...?
Appearance: Your classic well-dressed and pleasant-looking PR guy for a big business.
Bio: A (artificial) PR person (Perhaps with a higher position) for a clearly antagonized business that runs a not-that-healthy power plant and does research with nukes and such. Basically a Sevan satire on the evil businessman.
Voice: Needs to sound polite and generally friendly and professional. I guess that's it?
1: Good afternoon. Can I interest you in a tour of the plant?
2: (short casual laugh). There's always someone who disagrees, no matter what you do.
2Workers
(Minor and in a unique senario, so the audition lines will be used)
- A couple of virtual people loading a train. They have a brief conversation. Again I'm not to concerned about voice type, just realistic for people doing physical labor. I guess we could think about the image of the company that the game is meant to convey (negative).
1: Is that all?
2: That's all of the uranium. We've got a couple more loads of plutonium to put on, and then we're done.
3: This stuff is getting expensive. I hope those guys can figure out how that new bomb works soon.
4(Kind of pleasantly): I don't get paid enough to disagree.
Investigator
(Three lines, but a couple are a bit lengthy and spoiler ish for an auds thread...)
- person that tries to get information to explain Pokie's situation. I'm not going picky at all with this voice, just needs to sound like they're qualified for such an... important? job.
1: This is an interesting case. We haven't had long-term reports of missing children in twenty of your years.
2(Distinctly not threatening): I trust that there won't be any problems.
InformationWindowPerson
(Two lines. Looks a lot like an ad... the audition lines shall suffice for the final, eh?)
- Person that provides assistance at information desk of a transit station. So needs to sound friendly.
1: (Small confused sound).
2: This is a transit station for the western district. You can get a speedy ride or a relaxing trip to any populated area on the western half of the continent. You only wait for the chamber to fill with passengers and you're on your way. Is there any other way I can help?
3: In the main loading area, you will find two doors. One leads north, the other south. The exits are arranged based on north-south orientation.
----
And I hope to emplore the Voiceover subtitles thing (Short bit of the original language in the background with the English version in the foreground). Easy or not, I don't suggest anyone worry about subbed lines when auditioning. Waitt, there will be auditions, right?
And that about does it. Please ask any questions you may have concerning anything related to this project. Needless to say the idea is to have fun with it!
- Insane tentative deadlines - (Subject to change. Naturally.)
So, deadlines. General rule is that the higher a character is on the list, the sooner the auditions should be in. (And by "higher on the list", I mean the section they're in...).
So let's try to space these out by a few days (maybe a week per cutoff?).
I want Royce, Uasho, pilot and Elitper by July 10 at the latest (I would prefer closer to the fourth, but that doesn't leave much time at all.).
Chalkion, Pokisimo, panel, and most of those in the unassigned gender list should be in by the fifteenth-twentieth. (We can hold off on some of those from the third list section, but the sooner the better).
Namow, Nabsuh, V.C.Arboc, and Llams could in theory be in by then too, but if for some reason that is impossible, we'll have them open till around July 23-30.
And everyone else I would like to have by the end of July, August 10 at the latest. (I might be able to extend some of those, but the week after that will most likely be troublesome...).
And I've sounded rather self-centered here, so I'll stop here... hope we can have fun with this!
. It seems so unlikely that I have the right people for everyone.