David Lodge is one of our favorite people to have in the studio. Not only is David super talented, but he always keeps us laughing. In this clip, he talks about what it’s like doing voices for video games.
If you’ve ever watched a cartoon or played a video game, you’ve probably heard David Lodge’s work; his resume boasts a wide range of heroes and villains alike. We’ve used him as everything from orcs to puppies, and his never ceases to surprise us with his creative choices.
Transcript:
Video games are very spontaneous, we don’t get the scripts in advance, so we can’t cheat and memorize it. There’s no “Actor Prepares” kinda Uta Hagen stuff goin’ on. The magic starts right then and there, you’ve got to be able to deliver a lot of voices, ‘cause most of the time you’re playing six or seven characters, or at least two or three. And so it’s very immediate, and you have to be ready to change your voice, change the pace, change the character. One minute you’re like an old wizard that talks like this, “Bazamba-ka-dooba!” and the next minute, you’re like a little, you know, peasant kid that’s being kicked around a little bit, you know. Or, you’re like a pirate, aye there matey, oh ho!
So all this stuff, including, you know, dogs, animals, birds, pigs…you gotta be ready. So, unlike cartoons where you get the script way in advance and you can sort of build on the character, get familiar with the lines, this is very, very, like, right now, read, go, go, go, go, go. So, improv helps.