When EpicBattleAxe.com Features Writer Lorin Baumgarten decided to use a recent edition of his feature article Gaming Matters to draw back the curtain and deliver insight into his experience as guest host on Skirmish 086 of EpicBattleCry, it occurred to me that equally as interesting as the PRODUCT we produce is the PROCESS of making it come to be. Without giving it much thought, I titled the article “Behind The Screams” (because those that know me know that’s how I roll…) and now I’m happy to announce a new periodical feature here on EBA of the same name that will deliver unprecedented access to acts of the Axe.

Why? Well, as someone that has worked in the gaming industry for nearly a decade now, I get a rather large amount on inquiries about “breaking into gaming”, “what my job is like”, and various other questions pertaining to the processes behind the end result. As most of you know, my main gig is working for GameTrailers.com and GTTV while I started EpicBattleAxe as a means to openly discuss the gaming issues of the day…Behind The Screams will attempt to peel back yet another layer and highlight the often hidden nature of a career in gaming.

So, with intros and pleasantries out of the way, let’s light this candle with some insight into one aspect of game media production I get asked about a lot – voice over.

As you may or may not know, I wear a lot of hats for both EpicBattleAxe and GameTrailers.com/GTTV. Having been around GameTrailers nearly since the beginning, I’ve always considered myself a “utility player” and tried to gain as much experience as possible by simply being willing, ready, and able to do whatever it is that needs doing. Well, that approach has seen me work in all aspects of video production, conceptualize feature content, be a marketing consultant, creative writer, and a bunch of other roles that give me the opportunity to contribute on various levels to the product(s) that GT puts forth. Voice over is one of those roles and something I do for GameTrailers whenever the need/opportunity arises.

Last week, said need arose when GameTrailers co-founder and resident “voice of GT” Brandon Jones did something he doesn’t do too often…take a vacation. In fact, he was prepared to fulfill his normal voicing duties while on the road, but technical issues prevented that from happening…I think it’s a good thing – because the man is a MACHINE and works non-stop to crank out amazing feature content for GT…but we can’t work ALL the time, so he can use a break every once and a while I’m sure. Anyway, as I expressed above, my role for GT is multifaceted and as the backup QB on team VO, I got the call to do some work on the GT Mafia II review and Shank review pod.

Now, this is where things get interesting. You see, doing good VO for a video review requires some serious skill to be done right. Normally I’m “hosting” for GameTrailers.com/GTTV which means I have to maintain a “presentation first” tone in order to keep the content engaging. On the opposite spectrum, EpicBattleCry is an opportunity to simply chat about games and the industry…it’s quite literally a conversation between Brent, Tony, and I that we record and let the world in on each and every week. Voicing a video review is tricky because it needs to fall somewhere in-between…Not so casual that it sounds lazy or unprofessional and yet not too “hosty” as to avoid being spoken AT instead of being spoken TO. It’s not a conversation, because you’re not talking with anyone, but it needs to have a conversational tone and be just as welcoming as it is informative and entertaining.

Again – tricky.

Complex as it is, recording good review VO is a skill as I mentioned, and like any skill, it requires consistent practice and unwavering confidence to pull off properly. This is why Brandon is pretty much the master. His voice has been heard millions upon millions of times by gamers all throughout the world and over the years he has developed a distinct groove from which to work. He found this motivating middle that hits the sweet spot between conversation and presentation – he’s simply got it NAILED.

I on the other hand will be the fist to admit that finding that “sweet spot” is a bit harder for me. Why? Well, mainly because I don’t do it all that often. Both the Mafia II and Shank reviews were sort of last minute, so I didn’t even have a lot of time to “enter the zone”. Listening to the finished product, I think it can lean more towards the conversational side, and that is something I will aim to improve.

Speaking of improving, I thought it would be fun to check out how both Brandon and I have fared over the years by taking a look back at some GT Reviews from the early days…Tune your ear and your browser to this review of God of War, one of the first (if not THE first) video reviews Brandon ever did. It was fine for the time of course, but man, Brandon will be the first to tell you that “STIFF” does not begin to describe the narration. You only need to go a few months down the road for what I recall to be GT’s first HD video review for Battlefield 2 to find some marked improvement. Already you can hear that Brandon is getting more used to the role, although it’s still a far cry from the level of expertise he’s achieved today.

Digging into my personal portfolio, this “YOU’RE TOTALLY READING” review of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06′ demonstrates that presentation isn’t always what you want out of something you’re presenting…At least you get to see the nifty DK golfer we made to play with during the review;)

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to voice some pretty huge games for GT including Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed, and Killzone 2. No matter how it turns out, it’s always fun to do and while I’d admit that my review VO is a continual work in progress, I’m proud to contribute to the content on the whole.

Now, since this all about taking you “Behind the Screams”, here are some common questions/myths/statements that I thought would be fun to address:

- Doing VO for a video review at GT doesn’t mean you WRITE the review – This one always cracks me up…I can totally see WHY people would think that the person speaking is the person that wrote the actual review, but in the world of production, this is very rarely the case. Why? Well, reviewers are good at writing reviews, voice over talent is good at performing voice over, editors are good at cutting video, etc., etc. One defining aspect of GT has always been it’s great production value, so finding the best people to do the individual parts is what contributes to the content’s overall quality and eventual success. That said, I do WRITE reviews for GT too…as was the case for titles like FIFA 10 or NHL 2K10, but I didn’t voice those…Brandon was in town;)

- “Stop reading from a script!” – I always think it’s funny when people suggest that you “Stop reading from a script” seeing as YOU’RE READING FROM A SCRIPT. As noted above, the skill lies in making it sound like YOU’RE NOT reading from a script…but really, you are.

- “How can you voice a review you didn’t write?” – Again, this comes down to skill. It makes total sense that one might not understand the particular tone of a given line when performing voice over, but it boils down to both good writing on behalf of the reviewer and good voicing on behalf of the speaker to make this come off the way it should.

- Brandon has left the building, not the company – Whenever I do a voice over I see a lot of “Who’s the new guy? I liked the old guy better. GT, you should bring him back” type of comments. To address this, I’d like to say that A) I’m not a “new guy” B) While Brandon can be considered “the old guy”, he deserves a bit more credit than that and C) Brandon isn’t leaving any time soon…the man just needs a break from time to time.

So, anyway, there ya have it. I hope this first official “Behind The Screams” post on EpicBattleAxe.com has delivered a bit of insight into one aspect of what it’s like to work on this side of the gaming fence. I look forward to doing more and delivering specific insight into all things EBA. Hell, if you’ve got topics you’d like to hear about, why not suggest them below??? I’ll be on the lookout and aim to deliver a new edition as soon as I can.

Thx for checking out the article – now feel free to “voice” your own opinions below.

DK