Bang Zoom And Tony Oliver Bring Voice Acting Classes To San Francisco

Source: MediaLab

Bang Zoom! Entertainment, a leading full-service audio post production company and producer of original entertainment content, will bring its popular voice acting workshop to San Francisco on Saturday, March 28th 2009 at Pyramind Studios (832 Folsom St. San Francisco, CA). The session will be led by well-known voice actor and director Tony Oliver and will give in-depth instruction on every major component of voice acting as it applies to anime and video games. The Bang Zoom! Workshop is $299.00 and space is very limited. Details and reservations to attend are available at: http://www.adventuresinvoiceacting.com/splash001

Bang Zoom’s Tony Oliver will also be featured in a special session at the 2009 Game Developers Conference® (GDC), being held March 23-27, 2009 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Adventures in Voice Acting: Raising the Bar on Voice Acting for Video Games takes place on Friday, March 27th from 4:00pm–5:00pm. This interactive discussion will present ways to increase creative synergy and communication between game producers and the voice talent in the studio to improve storytelling, raise the overall quality of the performances, and create a more efficient workflow for recording audio and sound design for video games. More information on the 2009 GDC is available at: http://www.gdconf.com.

“Voice acting for video game applications presents some major differences and challenges when compared to anime or traditional animation and I’m looking forward to exploring both topics in detail this weekend.” says Oliver, who was the ADR (Automated Dialogue Recording) director for the hit anime series Gurren Lagann, which was dubbed by Bang Zoom! and seen on Sci Fi Channel. He has, over the last two decades, also portrayed lead roles on many iconic animated series such as Robotech, Gungrave and Lupin III and also served as the ADR director for video games such as .hack//G.U. and Eureka 7 for NAMCO BANDAI Games America.

The Bang Zoom! Voice Acting Workshop at Pyramind Studios will explore a range of important topics critical for those looking to enter the voice acting arena, including an informative overview of the entire dubbing process and the technology used in recording, as well as character development, basic acting skills, and how to use and project the voice with a variety of emotions. Developing a compelling demo, studio etiquette and protocol for auditions will also be presented with an insider’s view of voice acting business as it relates to the anime and video game industries.

“We’re very excited to present these voice acting workshops for a pair of special engagements in San Francisco,” says Eric P. Sherman, President of Bang Zoom! Entertainment. “Anime and video game titles each have a unique set of needs and challenges when it comes to the type and complexity of the recording, sound design, mixing and delivery. Several talented individuals have taken the workshops and have gone on to enjoy great success as voice actors for many popular anime and video game titles, and this is a rare opportunity for anyone seriously considering voice acting as a career to be tutored by one of the best in the business!”

Bang Zoom! also encourages those not able to attend the workshop to explore the critically acclaimed ADVENTURES IN VOICE ACTING™- Volume One DVD. The documentary spotlights the behind-the-mic world of the talented and diverse personalities that bring animated and video game characters to life. Bang Zoom! Entertainment produced the film, having completed English language dubs and audio post production for more than 2,000 anime episodes for a wide variety of anime series in addition to working on other animated features, live action productions and video games. ADVENTURES IN VOICE ACTING™- Volume One is also available online for $29.95 at http://www.adventuresinvoiceacting.com/purchasethedvd/.

See Also: Tony Oliver To Host Voice Acting Class For Bang Zoom / Kaeko Sakamoto Named Best Casting Director By The SPJA / Bang Zoom Launches A Series Of Workshops For Voice Actors / Lucky Star Comes To America Thanks To Bang Zoom / The Power Of The Force Will Be Used To Write The Robotech Movie Script / Kikô sôseiki Mospeada (1983-84)(TV) / The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?

Tony Oliver To Host Voice Acting Class For Bang Zoom

Source: MediaLab

Following on the heels of a series of standing room-only voice acting workshops at the recent 2008 New York Anime Festival, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, a leading full-service audio post production company and producer of original entertainment content, has announced an intensive one-day voice acting workshop taking place at the company’s own studios in Burbank, CA on Saturday, October 18th.

The session will be led by renowned voice actor and director Tony Oliver and will offer attendees in-depth instruction on every major component of voice acting including character development, basic acting skills, and how to use and project the voice with a variety of emotions. Developing a compelling demo, studio etiquette and protocol for auditions will also be examined. This unique voice acting workshop at Bang Zoom! Studios is $299.00 and space is very limited. Details and reservations to attend the session are available at: http://www.adventuresinvoiceacting.com/workshops.

“We held two voice acting workshops at the recent New York Anime Festival as well as a separate all-day intensive session at John Marshall Sound in Manhattan and I was very impressed at the level of interest and dedication, as well as the raw talent displayed by many who attended these events,” says Oliver, who is the current ADR (Automated Dialogue Recording) director for the hit anime series Gurren Lagann, seen on Sci Fi Channel and has, over the last two decades, also portrayed lead roles on many iconic animated series including Robotech, Gungrave and Lupin III.

He continues, “Voice acting is a niche that is often overlooked or even ignored by many traditional acting disciplines and educational opportunities on the topic are quite rare. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn some valuable skills and techniques and gain insight on every step of the recording process. They’ll also have plenty of time to practice in the same recording booth at Bang Zoom! where dialogue for so many well-known anime series like Gurren Lagann, Samurai Champloo, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Chobits and Last Exile have been recorded for domestic release. This will be an extremely informative afternoon for anyone that is serious about developing a voice acting career.”

Bang Zoom! Entertainment will also offer workshop attendees a special $5.00 discount on the critically acclaimed ADVENTURES IN VOICE ACTING™- Volume One DVD, which spotlights the behind-the-mic world of the talented and diverse personalities that bring animated and video game characters to life. Bang Zoom! Entertainment produced the film, having completed English language dubs and audio post production for more than 2,000 anime episodes for a wide variety of anime series in addition to working on other animated features, live action productions and video games. ADVENTURES IN VOICE ACTING™- Volume One is also available online for $29.95 at http://www.adventuresinvoiceacting.com/purchasethedvd/.

See Also: Kaeko Sakamoto Named Best Casting Director By The SPJA / Bang Zoom Launches A Series Of Workshops For Voice Actors / Lucky Star Comes To America Thanks To Bang Zoom / The Power Of The Force Will Be Used To Write The Robotech Movie Script / Kikô sôseiki Mospeada (1983-84)(TV) / The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?

Kaeko Sakamoto Named Best Casting Director By The SPJA

Source: MediaLab

Bang Zoom! Entertainment has announced that Kaeko Sakamoto was named Best Casting Director by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) for her work on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The SPJA is a non-profit organization that seeks to popularize and educate the American public about anime and manga. The SPJA Awards are announced each year at the annual Anime Expo convention, a massive 4-day event organized by the SJPA that is also the largest anime and manga convention in North America.

Sakamoto is the Casting Director for Bang Zoom! Entertainment, which has completed English language dubs and audio post production for more than 2,000 individual anime episodes. The company produced the English dub for the critically acclaimed series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya from Bandai Entertainment, Inc. Sakamoto played a vital role by assembling the talented voice cast for the North American DVD release, which included Michelle Ruff, Wendee Lee, Crispin Freeman and Johnny Yong Bosch.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya follows the high school life of Haruhi Suzumiya, an eccentric, young and bubbly high school girl with the unique power to control time and space. Joined by a group of her school friends, she forms a club called the SOS Brigade whose purpose is to find, befriend and have fun with an array of aliens, time travelers and espers.

“It was a pleasure and privilege to work on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” says Sakamoto. “There was a funny and kind of surreal moment during the initial casting process when I had to introduce the U.S. voice actress Wendee Lee to Aya Hirano, who played the lead role in the original Japanese version, and also to Patty Lee, who played Haruhi in the Bandai USA-produced ASOS Brigade videos. I was faced with three Haruhis and for a moment I felt like I was IN the anime itself; kind of in this other dimension where the time continuum was broken. It was a funny Haruhi moment!”

Sakamoto notes that one of the most satisfying parts of her job is finding the right voice actor for the role. “There is always a moment during the casting process when the character stops being merely animated and the voice actor brings that persona to life. The way an actor portrays certain emotions with confidence and believability lets me know they have an intrinsic understanding of a particular character’s personality and motivations.”

But she also explains some of the challenges, saying, “Many of these series have a ton of incidentals and bit parts and they take a lot of time to cast. You can't bring in individuals to play each and every bit so you have to make casting decisions in a way that is not only best for the role, no matter how small, but also makes sure that actors don't end up ‘talking to themselves’ on-screen. It’s not always easy to do and demands a solid understanding of both the original Japanese version as well as what’s required for the new North American dub.”

This is the first SPJA award for Bang Zoom! Entertainment and Sakamoto. “Recognition like this is very gratifying and shows how much the fans and industry support the job we did on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” she concludes.

Bang Zoom Launches A Series Of Workshops For Voice Actors

Source: Media Lab

Bang Zoom! Entertainment, a leading full-service audio post production company and producer of original entertainment content, announced the success of its series of special workshops for aspiring voice actors which took place at the recent Anime Expo® 2008. Anime Expo is the nation’s largest anime and manga convention. Each of the four workshops that took place was standing room only, and in response to overwhelming inquiries and interest, Bang Zoom! has announced a new upcoming workshop to be taught by Tony Oliver on July, 19th 2008 at the company’s studios in Burbank, CA. Only a limited number of open slots remain and details are available at: http://www.adventuresinvoiceacting.com. Future Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced level workshops for the remainder of 2008 are being coordinated presently and more details will be announced shortly

The voice acting workshops are a unique new offering from the audio post production house, well-known for dubbing an array acclaimed anime series. During Anime Expo, fans were treated to insightful personal stories and helpful guidelines from renowned voice actors such as and Philece Sampler (Eureka 7, Last Exile, Bleach) and Tony Oliver (Rick Hunter of Robotech). The pair gave an informative overview of the dubbing process and the technology used in recording as well as an insider’s view of the voice acting business. Future classes will offer a comprehensive curriculum, examining every aspect of voice acting and providing plenty of time for students behind the mic. These classes will also provide attendees with focused one-on-one time with actors like Oliver to discuss and work on techniques and methods.

“We were ecstatic about the enthusiasm showed of the legions of fans that attended our voice acting workshops during Anime Expo,” says Eric P. Sherman, President of Bang! Zoom Entertainment. “The ADR and dubbing process is sometimes overlooked but it’s really the key component to the success of an anime series on network broadcast. Because of our expertise in this arena we’re hoping to give something back in terms of educating those who are serious about a voice acting career. I invite them to check out our upcoming session on July 19th that will give plenty of inside information on the recording process from some of the most talented names in the business as well as insights on how the industry works and how to get and prepare for auditions.”

The development of the voice acting workshops complements the recent release of a first-of-its-kind documentary entitled ADVENTURES IN VOICE ACTING- Volume One produced by Bang Zoom!,. This DVD, the first in a three volume series, spotlights the behind-the-mic world of the talented and diverse personalities that bring animated and video game characters to life for English-speaking audiences. A growing interest to explore this subject in greater detail has emerged as anime and gaming continue to captivate millions of fans across North America. Bang Zoom! Entertainment brought the production to life, having completed English language dubs and audio post production for more than 2,000 anime episodes for a wide variety of acclaimed series including Samurai Champloo, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Chobits and Last Exile, in addition to working on a variety of other animated features, live action productions and video games. ADVENTURES IN VOICE ACTING - Volume One is available for $29.95 at http://www.adventuresinvoiceacting.com.