WANTED! Apply within!

[Simon]

WANTED - an individual with an American accent (either real or 'put-on') and the ability to record themselves saying some bits of script that I have!

Details: I am currently production managing a show in which we have a small section of script I need pre-recorded. Now I could get one of the cast to do this, but I thought this would be more fun! I'm not overly fussed as to the quality of the recording as I will be 'playing' with it to make it sound like an announcement over a tanoy system. It does however need to be easily understandable as there will be a lot going on, on the the stage when it is used.

The Deal: This position does not come with any salary, however the successful candidate will get their name in the programme. I will then endeavor to get the rest of the cast to sign the programme which I will then post to you after the show has been performed! Anyone interested should register their interest either in this thread or via PM, I will then pass on the words and a vague explanation of the scenario!

~~~~~~~~~~

Also, if anyone knows where I can get hold of comedy American politician masks, specifically George W Bush, Dick Chenney and Donald Rumsfeld, I would be massively thankful! Again, anyone who assists the in finding of these could well end up with their name in the programme!

Cheers

Simon

[Wolfegar]

Found these:

Masks (http://www.anytimecostumes.com/costumes/mskp.html?kw=political+masks)

Masks 2 (http://www.buycostumes.com/Category/128/4294966057/results1.aspx?REF=KNC-google)

[Sandi]

The range of "American" accents is pretty large. If it matters to the script and you want it to be realistic, you might want to specify a region (Southern, New England, Midwestern, Texan, etc.)

[Wolfegar]

WANTED - an individual with an American accent (either real or 'put-on') and the ability to record themselves saying some bits of script that I have!

*Snippys*

Also, if anyone knows where I can get hold of comedy American politician masks, specifically George W Bush, Dick Chenney and Donald Rumsfeld, I would be massively thankful! Again, anyone who assists the in finding of these could well end up with their name in the programme!

Cheers

Simon
Did you want someone who could imitate Bush, Chenney and Rumsfeld?

[Simon]

Found these:

Masks (http://www.anytimecostumes.com/costumes/mskp.html?kw=political+masks)

Masks 2 (http://www.buycostumes.com/Category/128/4294966057/results1.aspx?REF=KNC-google)

Thankee! Just what I need! I'll have a proper look in the morning to see if they will ship to the UK!

The range of "American" accents is pretty large. If it matters to the script and you want it to be realistic, you might want to specify a region (Southern, New England, Midwestern, Texan, etc.)

As long as the accent is identifiable to random Brits as American, I'm not too worried about a specific area. We are in a military situation so the person could have come from anywhere!

Simon

[Wolfegar]

Thankee! Just what I need! I'll have a proper look in the morning to see if they will ship to the UK!

*Snippys*
You're welcome, Simon.

[Wolfegar]

As far as the voice acting part of the script is concerned, how many lines are there?

[Simon]

Did you want someone who could imitate Bush, Chenney and Rumsfeld?

Nah... the Bush, Chenney and Rumsfeld impressions will be done by actors (or most likely one actor hence the masks) on stage - specifically badly!

The voice is just that... a voice over a tanoy system.... I would post the bit of script, but I left it at work - d'oh.

[Simon]

As far as the voice acting part of the script is concerned, how many lines are there?


Ummm... I think... one little passage and then a count down of five through to one. I think.

The passage is something along the lines of:

Warning. Warning. Unidentified flying object closing at Mach 7

or something similar!

The person whose voice it is - if we could see them - would be some military underling sitting at their radar screen and announcing what they are seeing!

[Wolfegar]

Ummm... I think... one little passage and then a count down of five through to one. I think.

The passage is something along the lines of:

Warning. Warning. Unidentified flying object closing at Mach 7

or something similar!

The person whose voice it is - if we could see them - would be some military underling sitting at their radar screen and announcing what they are seeing!
Hmmm. :thoughtfulsmilie:

[Simon]

Hmmm. :thoughtfulsmilie:

As I said... I'll post the exerpt of script tomorrow then you can all have at it!

[Nenwen]

Can it be done by a woman or are you looking for a man's voice for this job? If it doesn't matter, I'm interested.

[Faren]

What a great idea! I'm with Nen, if it doesn't matter male or female, I'd be interested too. You can listen to a sampling of me if you click on the podcast link in my sig. :d

[Simon]

Gender is no issue! Man, Woman or Other may apply! ;)

[Bobbsy]

Hey Si! Is this by any chance for "American Eagle"?

(I won't be applying...I doubt my mongrel Canuck/British/Aussie accent would be acceptable to Chris if that's it.)

Bob

[Nenwen]

Gender is no issue! Man, Woman or Other may apply! ;)


:cool:

Have you got Windows Live Messenger? Can link up with you using voice and/or webcam to try out for the job at your convenience. :tilt:

[Simon]

Hey Si! Is this by any chance for "American Eagle"?

(I won't be applying...I doubt my mongrel Canuck/British/Aussie accent would be acceptable to Chris if that's it.)

Bob

Yes, yes it is!

[Simon]

Whoops… I have been through the script properly; there is more than I thought! This might mean that more than one voice could be used.

Anyway… here it is!

”Alert! Alert! Guantanamo airspace compromised. Unidentified flying object, at mach seven. Closing fast.”

“Warning! Warning! Story continuity dangerously unstable. Critical melt down in two minutes. Evacuate! Evacuate!”

“Critical meltdown in one minute”

“Thirty seconds”

“Twenty seconds”

“Ten Seconds”

“Five. Four. Three. Two. One”

The situation is thus…
We are in the culmination a stock comic book story line. Our heroine, Nikki Caitlin O’Neil aka The Ally Cat, has been kidnapped by a C.I.A. agent by the name of Stella Scott. While in the process of torturing her, our hero American Eagle comes to her rescue. Cue the first line American Eagle then grapples with the bad guy, American Eagle 2, until it is revealed that Eagle 2 has actually been duped into his current position by the one and only Stella Scott! Nikki then thumps Stella into next week. This obviously upsets the story line… Cue the next line The following lines play out through the remain part of the scene until both Eagles unite to protect everyone else and throw themselves over the pre-requisit huge explosion!


Simon

[Simon]

:cool:

Have you got Windows Live Messenger? Can link up with you using voice and/or webcam to try out for the job at your convenience. :tilt:

If you just record it onto your computer then email it to me (I'll supply an email address when you are ready) If there are any comments or anything I'll get back to you... My MSN for some reason gets its knickers in a twist over voice chat??? :confused:

[Bobbsy]

Also, MSN voice chat is pretty low fidelity sound, less quality even than a normal phone call. Although Simon is going to dress this up to make it sound like a PA system, he needs to at least start with medium decent quality.

...well, at least I'd want to if I was doing this!

Bobbsy

[Nenwen]

I'll work on it and get back to you. I'm pretty sure I can record directly into the Windows audio googaw I've got and then email it to you as an audio file.

Will have to be tomorrow. Sore throat tonight.

:cuppa:

[Jax]

If you just record it onto your computer then email it to me (I'll supply an email address when you are ready) If there are any comments or anything I'll get back to you... My MSN for some reason gets its knickers in a twist over voice chat??? :confused:What he means to say is that if you try to talk to him over MSN he can't stay awake long enough to listen.

:angel: :whistle: :runaway:

[Simon]

What he means to say is that if you try to talk to him over MSN he can't stay awake long enough to listen.

:angel: :whistle: :runaway:

:razz: they could always email me to wake me up :p

[celticdragonsong]

That would be fun if I had my microphone and a computer that would cooperate.

[Brenda]

I'm sort of hearing the voice of the Star Trek computer...

[Wolfegar]

I'm sort of hearing the voice of the Star Trek computer...
:rofl2: I keep hearing the Robot from the original series Lost In Space.

Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!

-=-

Simon, is there a deadline that you need the recordings by?

[Wolfegar]

Hey, Simon. I've got a file for you. I call it TakeTwo because I didn't have the text file with the "script" in it scrolled enough for the first line to show, so TakeOne didn't have the first line in it. The second one is a bit better anyway. Oddly, when I listened to it, it seemed rather quiet on my computer. I even had the volume cranked up.

I presume you can fiddle with the volume.

The file is in .wav format. I just checked the file size. I was not expecting it to be 15.1 megs. :faint:

I used Audacity, adjusted the quality a setting higher than the default, 96000 hz, 32 bit float. (Whatever that float means. :shrug: ) I don't have stereo mics so it's recorded in Mono.

You can PM me the email addy you'd like this sent to. Or, if you'd prefer a smaller file size, I could try this with Audacity's default settings of 44000 hz at 16 bit.

[Bobbsy]

I'm only posting this to annoy Jax!

It's called 32-bit because it is a "floating point" system rather than a fixed integer. Audacity, like some professional audio software, lets you record and mix with a 23-bit mantissa + sign bit + 8-bit exponent, which is effectively 24-bit. The reason for working like this is to retain the resolution when audio has any sort of amplitude-related operation carried out on it - which it can do over about a 1500dB range. If you worked in 24-bit integer mode, this range would be restricted to about 144dB. Clearly, 1500dB is a stupidly big range (the human ear can only work over about 100dB) but what this does is allow very precise resolution when adding digital effects...and also protects you against clipping if, for example, you accidentally add a lot of level when you apply EQ or reverb.

However, this advantage really only holds good while you're recording the files and applying processes and effects. "CD quality" is 16 bit, 44.1kHz sampling, MP3 files are way less than that so, pre-empting Simon's answer, I suspect he'll be happy with a smaller, easier to e-mail file.

Bobbsy

[Pernita]

LoL you certainly confused me!!!

[Nenwen]

Yeah, confuzzled me, too.

I'm not sure how good mine will turn out since I've got nobody here to listen to it for me. Go ahead and email me the addy to send it to and you can decide for yourself if you want to use it or not. Hope so. Could use a boost on my resume in the entertainment field.

[Faren]

Is confused and annoyed at Bobbsy. :tapfoot:

[Bobbsy]

But it's all true! Every word!

Here's a picture of me wearing headphones (something like 20 years ago) to prove I've done a little bit of sound!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c188/Bobbsy/BobbsyandJonosmall.jpg

(The cameraman, Jono, has gone on to win awards for his coverage of lovely places like Bosnia, Rwanda, The Congo, Somalia, etc. and is now at home writing his autobiography.)

Bobbsy

[Nenwen]

Crap. It's a good thing I didn't try sending you my file, Simon. I had someone else listen to it and it didn't record everything. Only a few words from each line recorded properly.

I'm gonna have to drop out of this one. Apparently recording works better when you use a microphone with the desktop instead of with the laptop system.

Do you have a deadline for this project? I might be able to record it at the college instead. I've still got access to the studio and equipment.

[Wolfegar]

I'm only posting this to annoy Jax!

It's called 32-bit because it is a "floating point" system rather than a fixed integer. Audacity, like some professional audio software, lets you record and mix with a 23-bit mantissa + sign bit + 8-bit exponent, which is effectively 24-bit. The reason for working like this is to retain the resolution when audio has any sort of amplitude-related operation carried out on it - which it can do over about a 1500dB range. If you worked in 24-bit integer mode, this range would be restricted to about 144dB. Clearly, 1500dB is a stupidly big range (the human ear can only work over about 100dB) but what this does is allow very precise resolution when adding digital effects...and also protects you against clipping if, for example, you accidentally add a lot of level when you apply EQ or reverb.

However, this advantage really only holds good while you're recording the files and applying processes and effects. "CD quality" is 16 bit, 44.1kHz sampling, MP3 files are way less than that so, pre-empting Simon's answer, I suspect he'll be happy with a smaller, easier to e-mail file.

Bobbsy
Thank you, Bobbsy.

Hmm. I wonder if Audacity will let me convert that down. If not, I'll probably have to wait until the Wifey is out of the house to re-record it. (She seemed annoyed when I was recording TakeTwo. :roll: )

[Bobbsy]

Audacity should be able to preserve peace in the Wolfegar household...

Basically there are two ways you could go. If you want a wave file (but at a lower bit rate and depth) use the little downward facing arrow in the box to the left of your track waveform...by memory it's right next to the name of the track. This should give you a drop down menu and the last two choices are "Set Depth" and "Set Rate". You could set these to 16 bit and 44.1 as the rate and still have CD quality but a file around a quarter the size. At that point you have to "Export as Wave" to save a track with the new settings. (All this is by memory so if my descriptions are slightly off, apologies.)

Alternately, you could go straight to MP3 by using "Export as MP3" and get a much smaller compressed file to email. I'm not normally a fan of MP3 but, having heard what Si is planning to do, am pretty sure he'd be happy with this sort of quality. He's going to make it sound like a cheap PA system anyway.

Bobbsy

[Master Harper Andrea]

Bobbsy, even 20 some years ago, you didn't have hair???? (JK)

[Simon]

Not fussed between mp3 or Wav format as Bobbsy said, I'm going to be playing with it anyway...

The show is not going to be on until the summer, so we have a few months grace in terms of getting this done!

Simon

[Nenwen]

Not fussed between mp3 or Wav format as Bobbsy said, I'm going to be playing with it anyway...

The show is not going to be on until the summer, so we have a few months grace in terms of getting this done!

Simon

:cool: I'll get to the school next week and work on it. Thanks.

[Wolfegar]

Not fussed between mp3 or Wav format as Bobbsy said, I'm going to be playing with it anyway...

The show is not going to be on until the summer, so we have a few months grace in terms of getting this done!

Simon
One quick question in the reply to your PM, Simon, then I should be able to email this to you.

[Caerwyddyn]

:ot:
Bobbsy, even 20 some years ago, you didn't have hair???? (JK)
He did too! :razz:

You can see it blowing in the wind...
...just not on top.
;)
.

[Wolfegar]

It's in the (e)mail!

[Nenwen]

Just sent mine off.

[Wolfegar]

Cool. Good luck, Nenwen. If we're both good enough, maybe he'll use us both.

Oh, Siiiiiiiiiiiimmonnnnnnnn! Where arrrrrrrrrre youuuuuuuuu?

[Nenwen]

:megaphone Wakey, wakey, Simon! :giggle:

[Pernita]

Give him a chance! It's the middle of his night

[Simon]

Sorry guys and gals... horribly busy week at work, I've only just checked my emails for the first time in days...

I have received both your files and they both open and play so we have a good start. I need to listen to them properly but I have a feeling I'll use bits of each of them!

Simon

[Nenwen]

:woohoo: Me & Wolfie are in showbusiness!
:applause:

Thanks for the update, Simon. :hugs:

[Wolfegar]

Sorry guys and gals... horribly busy week at work, I've only just checked my emails for the first time in days...

I have received both your files and they both open and play so we have a good start. I need to listen to them properly but I have a feeling I'll use bits of each of them!

Simon
Yayy! I've been checking my email every day since I sent that off. I'm glad you got it okay. (I'm also glad I sent the right one.)

:woohoo: Me & Wolfie are in showbusiness!
:applause:

Thanks for the update, Simon. :hugs:
:note: There's no business like show business like no business I know . . . . :note:

[Nenwen]

Yayy! I've been checking my email every day since I sent that off. I'm glad you got it okay. (I'm also glad I sent the right one.)


:note: There's no business like show business like no business I know . . . . :note:

Showboat! Another one of my favorites right up there with Oklahoma!

[Pernita]

you could pick a soppy duet and Nenwen record the woman's part and Wolf record the Man's part and Simon could put them together!!!

:D

[Simon]

you could pick a soppy duet and Nenwen record the woman's part and Wolf record the Man's part and Simon could put them together!!!

:D

LOL

[Wolfegar]

you could pick a soppy duet and Nenwen record the woman's part and Wolf record the Man's part and Simon could put them together!!!

:D
You really don't want to hear this voice of mine try to sing. It's just not a good idea. I wouldn't want to see blood gushing from everybody's ears or anything. :erm:

[Nenwen]

I honestly couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. I was diagnosed as tone deaf by third grade. Been totally deaf since late 1998. No, you don'wanna hear me singing :shake:

[Brenda]

I've often wondered, how would one carry a tune in a bucket? Would sheet music do? Or perhaps a recording device playing the tune? :D

[Pernita]

Nenwen - how did you manage to make the recording for Simon if you're deaf?

[Nenwen]

These days, when you record sound, most recording systems have a graph-like indicator to let you know that the microphone is picking up sounds. Since my laptop software didn't have that option, my first attempt didn't work properly. So I borrowed the audio equipment from the college near us. Once I finished my lines, I took the equipment back and their audio expert listened to what I recorded to make sure that it worked right. From there, he transferred my recorded track to a CD and I was able to email it to Simon.

I don't let being deaf keep me from doing the things I'd like to do. The way I see it, I don't have a hearing problem. I'm hearing impaired and other people have a problem with that.

:typing:

[Simon]

Nenwen, Wolfie... I have an added challenge for you! Instead of proper pictures in the programme all the cast and crew are choosing comic book super hero character to represent themselves... The director has instructed that you two should both do the same! Let me know the name of character you choose and a link to picture you like and I'll check that its not one we are using already!

Cheers

Simon

[Wolfegar]

Nenwen, Wolfie... I have an added challenge for you! Instead of proper pictures in the programme all the cast and crew are choosing comic book super hero character to represent themselves... The director has instructed that you two should both do the same! Let me know the name of character you choose and a link to picture you like and I'll check that its not one we are using already!

Cheers

Simon
Green Lantern (http://www.dccomics.com/heroes_and_villains/?hv=origin_stories/green_lantern) although I'm not sure that picture will do.

(And here I thought we could get away with just our avatars as our pics.)

Then there's this one.

[Nenwen]

I found two good ones.

http://www.marvel.com/universe3zx/images/thumb/f/f6/Rogue.jpg/440px-Rogue.jpg

http://www.marvel.com/universe3zx/images/thumb/1/1d/Rogue02.jpg/200px-Rogue02.jpg

For those who've been avoiding comics and comic-based movies like the plague for the past few decades, the character's name is "Rogue".

[Wolfegar]

One of the X-Men! Cool.

If Green Lantern is in use already, I suppose I could go with HawkMan.

[Yonuh Adisi Fiend Jedi]

Looks like the old saying "You snooze you lose" is apt in my case. I was gonna send something but never got the time to do a recording.

Simon, let us know again next time you need some voice work done. Next time I will try to get a recording to ya.

Congrats WolfeBro and Nenwen.

[Wolfegar]

Thank you, YonuhBro. ;)

[Nenwen]

Thanks from me, too.