Hey all. As posted earlier in the Chronicle, I'm looking for your input on the voices of our cast of characters. I know opinions vary quite greatly on the subject, so I'm attempting to achieve the nigh impossible task of trying to find the best middle ground.
What I need you guys to do, is tell me how you imagine the characters voices sounding. This can be anything from describing vocal traits, or even naming celebrities you think are close to how you picture them sounding in your head.
It's been a heated topic at BZPower many many times, so I imagine there are still a lot of opinions out there.
I'm just trying to get as many ideas as I can, so that when I start to actively hunt for voice actors I'm well prepared on what the fanbase's ideas of the perfect voice are.
EDIT: And I must emphasize, do not let Mask of Light, or even BQOTT 1.0 sway your opinions. I want to know how you've always envisioned the characters sounding like, be it Toa, Turaga, Tohunga/Matoran, anything. If you were in my shoes, what kind of voices would you choose?
Thursday, July 2, 2009
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Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I can help you much here, as I'm not familiar with the many celebrities out there. I'm not sure about you, but thinking of certain celebrities that match a certain BIONICLE character's voice seems much harder than finding traits of a voice that we can all agree on. Also the usage of traits to find a voice seems much more accurate than using a celebrity, due to the fact that I doubt that there is one celebrity out there that has it all. If you have trouble imagining a voice based on traits, I suppose it would be possible for us to give you examples of celebrities that come close, but the usage of celebrities should only be used as a reference. Not only that, by using traits, many more fans would be able to give their input, as some, like myself, don't know enough celebrities to give a good suggestion. To sum it all up, I believe that you're giving yourself a bit of extra work if we only give a celebrity, as it would by up to you to analyze what you're looking for in the voice, rather than us giving it to you in the first place. Although this is your project, I believe my suggestion would make it easier, but in the end, it's all up to you. If you happen to change your mind on the method you are using, I will be checking to see if I can be of any help. I wish you the best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to accept whatever type of voice descriptions you wish to post, I simply thought it would be easier for people to mention a celebrity voice (with possible added descriptions like, "but more deep"), but apparently I was incorrect. I'll update my post accordingly.
ReplyDeleteJPerry here!
ReplyDeleteLet's ee... I'm ot gonna lie, but I think the Pohatu Nuva voic depiction in MoL was pretty good. Other than that, Makuta REALLY does need more work. Perhaps, if you have n audio editor (which I imagine you do) you can do Makuta's 'official' voice in G minor (he|| voice) for a more demonic voice.
For othe examples, I cannot necessarily provide too many 2001 voices, but here are some:
1) Darth Vader --> Makuta Icarax
2) Optimus Prime --> Axxon, Makuta Miserix or Mata Nui
3) Frodo --> The Chronicler (Takua)
4) Sauron --> Makuta Teridax
5) Emporer Palpatine --> Turaga Dume (irony...)
6) Mace Windu --> Toa Whenua or Toa Onua
7) Gimli --> Toa Onua or Axxon
8) Aslan --> Mata Nui or Axxon or Toa Jovan
9) TDK Joker --> Vezon
Well that's all I can provide at the moment; my computer automatically logs me off in a few... I'll be back tomorrow...
All right! Fun time!
ReplyDeleteFor Lewa, I've always imagined him to have light voice who talks just a tad faster than the average speaker. Not as light as the voice used in MoL, but not too deep which would slightly ruin his carefree aura. Maybe a little wispy; not too solid sounding, but also not to the extreme. Basically, he shouldn't sound adult, or mature. A bit of impatience should tinge his voice, so that it sounds like he craves for action and wants to get things started as soon as possible. When he's wearing the infected mask, his voice should sound dark, confused, and possibly reluctant; impatience should not be evident. When he's speaking to other toa, it would also be nice to have him sound a little sarcastic or playful depending on the situation. Just imagine him as a playful, adventurous, and impatient teenager. Maybe that will help.
For Onua, I think his voice should not at all sound like the one from MoL. Onua should talk slowly but surely. But don't make him sound slow to the point where he sounds like a child trying to pronounce everything right. Give an impression that he's been here before. Make him sound like a wise man. His voice should be earthy, not rusty like from the movie. Earthy as in sure, solid, consistent, and comforting. Have him sound quiet; make him sound like the new shy kid in school, reluctant to speak, but will if he has to. Have him sound humble and almost somber, but not to the point where he seems like he's lost all emotion. Don't make him boisterous and gruff like in MoL.
For Gali, I always thought of her as calm, cool, and relaxed. Her voice texture from MoL was okay, but it was too much and her voice was too deep. Have her sound composed and collected. But also make it so that emotions are easily accessible to her, which basically means that if you make her sound calm, cool, relaxed, composed, and collected to the point where it sounds out of place when she is excited, that is too much. Also, her voice should give an aura of kindness, patience, and understanding.
For Pohatu, I've always imagined him sounding energetic, playful, and fun. The MoL voice of him was pretty good. The MoL voice and my thoughts of how Pohatu's voice should be are pretty much the same. A few minor differences, such as not as deep, a bit higher to make it more playful sounding, but nothing serious.
For Kopaka, he just needs to sound emotionally detached and cold. MoL voice of him is pretty good. If you found someone who stylistically matched the voice of Kopaka from MoL, then that should be enough. Just, if you could, find someone who won't isn't as deep, just a little higher voice should do.
For Tahu, I think his MoL voice has the same issues as Onua. It's way too deep and gruff. In my opinion, the MoL creators got it wrong. Tahu needs to sound young, courageous, bold, and aggressive. However, it seems to me that they've substituted courageous, bold, and aggressive, with gruff, and not only that, his voice is too low to be young. Tahu needs to sound energetic, and one crucial way to make him sound that way is to make him sound young. Having him sound like a cranky middle aged man just won't do in my opinion. Instead, have him sound impatient and bold, with a not as deep voice as the one heard in MoL.
If you find that these descriptions aren't descriptive enough, then just tell me. I'll try to make it more so. Also as you may have noticed, I've never imagined any toa with a particularly low voice. This is due to the fact that I've always imagined them as young, and the low gruff voice thing has never quite given me the feeling that they were young in my mind. And a quick question to you: would you like me to try and describe the turaga's voices?
I'll give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteFor Tahu - I thought his casting for MoL fit pretty darn well. Before I had ever seen the movie, the mask included in his set gave me the impression he was always shouting in a commmanding way. His voice in MoL delivered that impression very effectively while also being capable of conversational speech. The ideal voice for Tahu in my opinion would be something less grovelly and less gruff than in MoL. Tahu's voice in Bionicle The Game accomplished this nicely and is very close to this ideal, if you have access to that game.
Pohatu - He has always been sort of a mystery to me. I should first tell you that I -hated- his voice in MoL; it came off as pretentious and fake rather than friendly and easygoing. But again I refer you to Bionicle The Game. Come to think of it, the talents of that particular voice actor overcame all the unpleasant qualities of the voice used in the movie. It sounded easygoing while also sounding natural. A voice like the one used in the game would be quite perfect.
Onua - Again, I hated his voice in MoL. It was just as bad if not worse than Pohatu's. And again, Bionicle The Game came closer to the mark with a more natural speaking quality as opposed to one that was forced, although they did give him some sort of wierd Jamaican accent. What the casting for MoL and I disagree on is how Onua's personality is conveyed through his voice. I've never seen him as a bubbly, jolly sort of person, poking fun at Pohatu like he did in MoL. His voice should be about just as deep, and serious. Onua's voice is reluctant to speak over others', and when it does, it reveals a mind full of contemplation and goodwill, backed by sureity and almost paternal qualities.
Lewa - If we could have reversed the voices of Lewa and Matau between the first two films, I would have. While Matau's voice is another story, I always saw Lewa as having the everyman's voice - young adult, full of confidence - with maybe a cheeky sort of tone. Actually, nah, that would probably end up sounding embarassingly annoying. So what would be better than that would be to give him that everyman voice and let his actions and body language betray his carefree attitude.
Kopaka - I never had a strong opinion on his voice until I heard his casting in MoL. It was, of course, pretty darn good, and I think we all liked his cool-as-ice, mellifluous tone. Bionicle The Game tried to mimic that quality but went with a slightly lighter, less hardened tone. I tend to prefer the latter because I always loathe to see characters portrayed as if they bear no insecurities whatsoever. Kopaka is a newcomer on the island and cannot have all the answers, so he shouldn't seem so hardened, isolated, sure of himself; it's not his way. At this point I feel he is simply an extreme introvert who prefers not to have his perpetual internal meditation interrupted by the likes of Pohatu and other conversationalists, which is something I can personally identify with. Perhaps he sounds more like he does in MoL because it is further along in the story (although I would have preferred a slightly less older-sounding voice, which is another reason the Bionicle The Game version appeals to me). But when he's new on the shores of Mata Nui, give him license to brush off his comrades every so often but not to abondon his duty to his people for the sake of solitude.
Gali - In all honesty, any distinctively female voice would fill this role to most people's satisfaction. MoL casting was suitable, though I would have preferred to lose the sort of motherly tone she maintains and make her more of a sister. Actually, Bionicle The Game nailed this one pretty well too, so give that a listen.
I wish you good luck locating voice actors with this kind of precision (realistically there won't be too too many options available, I imagine). If you want suggestions for any other characters, I'd be happy to elucidate my feelings.
I think what Piscega said was somewhat correct, but I think that the Toa shouldn't sound too young; that'll make them sound too much like the Toa Metur should've been (which, BTW, in LoMN I thoughtwas fine). All the Toa Mata should sound somewhat 'legendary' or at least not sound 'young' like Piscega's suggestion. The Toa Mata should be looked upon as six elemental god-like figures, mysterious in many ways. They should each be unique in representation of their elements as if they were the bold and somewhat experienced yet inexperienced paladins. They already know how to use their Kanohi and have exceptional fighting skills because of their extreme training on Daxia (BL#10 for reference). But you must keep the mystery behind how they have such skills and abilities without memory by giving them 'memorable' voices.
ReplyDeleteToa Lewa should sound the youngest and high-spirited of the Toa while still showing at least some maturity. But not as [filtered word] as depicted in MoL. It should maybe sound like Legolas (Orlando Bloom) from Lord of the Rings to show his air-like person. He also should start off only slightly humorous but later get used to such whe he meets Matau (oh boy...). He should also have a slight crack in his voice when talking about water or groud-combat. He should just feel free and cheerful. He should talk only slightly faster than your average person. His words should sound just a confusing as Kongu's in the MNOLG and sound like he was in a rush or something. I guess that's it. Give him the voice of Orlando Bloom. The Lewa Q&A voice was not Lewa-ish, IMO.
Toa Kopaka in MoL was fine. He is socially cold and he should sound tough but not aggresive. His words should show attitude and small bits of sarcasm. It should be low-pitched and have a normal rate. Not cheerful in any way but just annoyed and sarcastic, cold and cool.
Toa Pohatu is friendly and kind and gentle, his big heart in his big, strong body is best showed with a nice, clear and friendly voice. The MoL perseption was ust fine but needed to stay the same tone. He cheerful and rejoiceful. He never makes any rude remarks and he sometimes jokes around to cheer up others around him, ever so cautious not to offend anyone. I cannot be so descriptive here, sorry. All I can say is I liked MoL-Pohatu and it was just fine.
So this is all I was able to come up with for the Toa Mata. I had more for the other three but I couldn't post them because then this would've been too long. I'll suggest matoran soon too... but not now, I'm too lazy at the moment...
Toa Tahu should sound very leader-like and bold. His MoL depiction I actually did like somewhat but it was also somewhat less-heroic. It should be able to show his fiery spirit like a heroic being. It should be clearer than in MoL and sound more like how Aragorn, Boromir and Gandalf (combined) from the Lord of the Rings movies sounded, yet of course more fiery and only a tad bit deeper. He should be somewhat aggresive and volatile, showing signs of impatience and tension. Make him sound almost like a 30-year old man with that small bit a aggresion from Tom Cruise and the valor of Optimus Prime in their. But do NOT give him the complete herioc voice of Optimus Prime, no, he needs to sound more fiery and arrogant, as if he wants to be alone or show that he Is the boss and no one better mess with him.
ReplyDeleteToa Gali should sound noble and graceful, with a druid-like tone but maybe a bit low-pitched. It should show her connection with the sea and it's flow. She should talk somewhat at a normal pace and calmly speak under normal circumatances but raise her voice just slightly when she needs to break up a fight within her team. The MoL depiction was fine but it needed more connection with how water feels. she should have patience but keep her low voice like in MoL. It should show how her patience isn't forever but also that she has higher patience than Tahu. Make it sound like it flows with the ocean's waves, sometimes calm and cool but other times stormy and chilly. Not too young, more wise and noble. Sorry, cannot provide examples...
Toa Onua should sound somewhat older and gutteral. His MoL depiction seemed a bit too cheerful; he should just be somewhat more quiet and also he should be depicted as a great strategist and thinker, but not silent in terms of how MUCH he speaks. No, his voice should just sound quiet, but only at some times is voice should get REALLY loud to represent the earhquake within. Under normal circustances, he should sound very mysterious and complex, like the system of tunnels around and of his Koro. Not too much like say, Gimli from Lord of the Rings, but it should show his earth-dweloing personality. He thinks well and thoroughly because he can sense the movement throughout the ground and quickly draw conclusions. He should talk only slightly slower than the average voice to represent how he may often react too slowly because of his planning techniques. He should be cautious and collected, pronounce everything clearly and thoughtfully. Perhaps make him sound even more wise and herioc by giving him a slight touch of Aslan's voice (Liam Neeson) or maybe a touch of Optimus Prime...?
The problem is this is the beginning. When I first read the books, all I knew was that they washed up onto the island, unknowing of anything. Thus, they had to be enlightened by the turaga. In your mind, do you think god like voices match the naive and unknowing figures that the toa were when they first came? Just because they trained extensively on Daxia, that doesn't give them legendary voices. That sort of voice only comes from experience from the past, which they had no recollection of whatsoever. Not only that, legendary and mysterious goes against the toa's personalities. Therefore I believe young should match with the Toa Mata better than legendary and mysterious. Keep in mind this is the beginning, and if anything, the voices of the heroes should show that as well.
ReplyDeleteWell of course they should sound inexperienced, but if you look at some 2001 media, the Toa seemed to be looked up to as divine entities, like how they said "the thunder storms on Mata Nui were usually the sounds of a conflict between Lewa and Gali" or something like that. But then again, some of the info was incorrect like how they said Tahu was the oldest, Lewa was the youngest, Tahu is so old he may have most likely have been created around the same time the planet was first being formed, etc.
ReplyDeleteIf you wan '2001 nostalgia' in BQotT, I just thought that you can make the Toa seem all the more legendary by not making them sound inxperienced, but to make them sound experienced (somewhat) but they do not remember why they were given such power. I'm sorry I cannot come up with any better reasonf course they should sound much lessexperienced than they do in MoL, but stil think about the nostalgia, something that many fans (not me too much) care alot about. Don't give them adult voices, but don't give them young-adult voices either. It's hard for me to explain. But nostalgia (I can imagine) seems important in the eyes of many fans so maybe more legendary voices should be given to the legendary Toa.
But that's just my opinion. Youare entitled to your own. But the question is: what does Jon think? Yeah Lewa11, what are your opinions based on our suggestions?
Young is more like the Toa Metru because we followed them since they FIRST became Toa in the first place! I mean, the Toa Mata shouldn't sound too much like the Metru, IMO.
ReplyDeleteYou don't understand though. I was trying to point out that this is the beginning. Since the beginning, no reader knew about the Toa Metru, and no reader knew about Metru Nui. You've got to take this into scope. And by doing so, you've got to have the perspectives at that time. And at that time, they were new heroes that just washed up onto the shores of Mata Nui. Sure their appearance was odd, and maybe the matoran gossip was partly sparked by this, but the way they appeared shouldn't affect their voices and personalities.
ReplyDeleteI understand the notion that you are making, but I feel that it's better to have the whole legendary stuff going around the villagers than having the toa exemplify it themselves. It's like the celebrities of today. The gossip around them may be false yet many people still admire them, but only the celebrities know the truth. In this case, it would be there is gossip going around the Toa, and many matoran admire them and think of them as legendary, but in truth, only the toa know their personalities aren't the same as what the matoran think.
Basically, one important thing is perspective. And this is what Lewa11 is asking from us. But if we're going to give him the perspective he wants, we're going to need to be in scope. This scope is the story of the time, and how we would think of the toa. Not the way the matoran think of them. As readers, we certainly knew more about the Toa Mata than the matoran, therefore matoran perspectives shouldn't alter our opinions if we have the better judgement.
Great input so far guys, very interesting stuff.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of my opinions on the discussion at hand, they will only be known once the voices are cast. It's not that it's some sort of secret, but rather it's because I don't want my views on the subject to prevent people from contributing their thoughts and ideas or worse, sway them. As stated previously my goal is to really peg what people's general views of the voices are, and work from there, so at this point all of the character's voices are really up in the air, and up to you guys.
So, spread the word, I need more data for my evil scientific study! Mwahaha!
If you need me to, I can start a topic at BZP, and not mention anything about BQoTT. Would you like me to do so? I'd make it a simple "How did you imagine the characters of 2001 to sound like?" topic. I somehow have a feeling that if you were to make the topic, then the data would be different.
ReplyDeleteI'll only make it after I hear consent from you, so don't worry about me spilling surprises of any sort.
That would actually be fantastic. I was contemplating it myself, but I think you're correct in that the data would be different.
ReplyDeleteI'll make the topic now. I'll post the link when I'm done so you can keep track of it.
ReplyDeleteIt's finally been put up, here's the link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bzpower.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=307246&st=0&p=6217683&#entry6217683
As of now, there are no posts, but I hope it will help you soon enough. Also, if people see you while posting, they may get suspicious. Maybe it would be best to log out and look?
One reply so far. I'll do my best to keep it going.
ReplyDeleteCool, cool. And I see what you're getting at with the voices of the Toa Mata.
ReplyDelete...But Onua should at least be given Optimus Prime's voice...
Anyway, we're only talkin' Toa here, (which hurts my inferior brain) so... let's see... I picture The Chronicler (Takua) not sounding as girly as he was in MoL, but he should at least be given a voice with similar mood. I mean, his depiction in MoL was WAY off; it didn't show any sign of his legendary bravery from '01 - '02, so BQotT should show how he became a brave, heroic matoran (yes, I spell 'Matoran' with a lower-case 'm'). It should sound somewhat like Frodo's voice when more silent and normal, but when in a louder tone it should sound like... well, I really do not know...
...just say Takua = Frodo for now, but keep searching, this is hard for me...
Optimus = Onua
Makuta... Should sound like Megatron from Transformers: Animated (Corey Burton) and Kopaka should sound like Cloud from Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children (Steve Burton)
ReplyDeleteP.S. I don't know if their related...
Makuta's voice in the official trilogy wasn't all that eerie to me. I mean, the books and serials describe it as very dark and creepy, not slow and separated. Just pick any random "evil" voice and reset it in G minor/major (I forget which one...).
ReplyDeleteBut don't make it like how in the trilogy it took an hour for him to finish a sentence, as a suggestion...
For Infected Lewa, do his regular voice but a tad darker and give it an eerie echo.
And for Macku, give her something like MoL-Hahli's voice but make it more stretched out and possibly higher-pitched.
Nixie: lower pitched, make everything she says pronounced correctly and slowly.
Kapura: as suggested in the MNOLG, make him sound slow and easy, but with a low-pitched voice and a stoic expression of his words.
Tamaru: Higher-pitched, make him innocent-like because of his fear of hights and make him sound like the typical Lematoran.
Onepu: Brave, low-pitched, innocent (a typical matoran trait), a small tint of trama and fright, but collected,and ready for anything.
Hafu: another low-pitched guy, but make him sometimes mumble things to himself.
Taipu: higher-pitched, make him sound almost like a typical Lematoran but more collected and slower. Make him sound like he just wants to get away from it all until he gets to Lewahi, he becomes happier and free. And innocent...
Kopeke: normal -pitch, but he barely talks so make him almst hestitant, but also more observant.
Matoro: normal pitch too, maybe higher than Kopeke's. More observant and kinder, more easy-goig than other Komatoran.
The Chronicler (Takua): curious, normal-pitched and normal frequency. Starts off more innocent but later evolves into a more valiant an daring biographer. Bright and clear, like his element (light).
Just place-holder opinions/suggestions of mine, sorry I wasn't so descriptive...
I also think that Makuta should have a creepy/phsychotic evil laugh. :P
ReplyDeleteI think a warm, friendly Darth Vader voice would work best for Onua
ReplyDeletefirst of all, great stuff you have on your blog dude, i'm glad i'm not the only one who still thinks that MNOG and the flash episodes were the best (and only good) thing that ever happened to the bionicle story.
ReplyDeleteeveryone seems to have some good points here, so i won't bore you with any repeats. but i will say this:
first you have to analyze these characters. break them down to their bare characteristics. ask yourself: who are they? where are they from? what do they represent? what is their relationship to their people and their comrades? how is their color/element/mask-power make them who they are? they have mask powers, but don't these powers also move their emotions and personalities subtly? Don’t their elements represent their reactions? All these question will bring answers to what they might sound like.
Tahu- red, hot, protection - violent, frustration, feels invincible and headstrong (maybe over protective of his people; thinks he can save mata nui himself)
Onua- black, deep, strength - mysterious, understanding, supportive and protective (for his brothers and sister, especially Lewa, his youngest sibling)
Pohatu- brown, solid, speed - natural, endurance, swift and outgoing (like a stone, he will get beat against again and again, but will never give up—true sportsman)
Kopaka- white, cold, vision, - perfection, isolated, knowledgable and calculating (just as he can see through things, he can see people for what they really are)
Gali- blue, calm, adaptive - peaceful, comfort, in sync with surroundings (because she is the only female toa, she has more insight into the feelings of other people and creatures; a peacemaker AND a fighter)
Lewa- green, light, flight - young, carefree, whimsical and erratic (a bit of a joker and trickster; easy to fall prey, not by pride like Tahu, but by foolishly not assessing the situation)
You also have to look ahead and see how they grow. Lewa has been infected by BOTH infected masks and kranas. So he is in a way scarred and becomes more mature over time. Kopaka beings to find himself caring for his fellow toa. Tahu becomes a better leader. Onua, pohatu, and gali stay the same for the most part as they have few bad qualities.
There’s a reason they wrote the characters this way.
As for makuta… I always pictured something along the lines of the voice of Sauron from LOTR, but with an overlay of 2 other voices—kinda like that sound you make when you play a record backwards. Demonic, scary, evil, and ancient.
I hope this helps you narrow down the voices.
Makuta's voice in Mask of Light is a little silly I think. He speaks too slowly, so it doesn't flow properly. He sounds like an ent reading a script. I think It should be a more comfortable speed, with less digital alteration. Maybe turn up the tenor a bit.
ReplyDelete