How I Make Voice Dramas (2): Finding Partners, Interacting, and Dividing Tasks
Although I haven't studied it systematically, I am writing a series on how to make voice dramas. Since it is my own method, I don't know if it is correct or efficient. I hope you find it helpful.
Last time, I wrote about how to find works to serve as the original material or scripts for radio dramas.
https://note.com/nekonotsuuro/n/n0f0b74fedbc2
Next is the topic of how to get to know partners, interact with them, and divide tasks.
■ 2. Finding Partners, Interacting, and Dividing Tasks
Some talented people can perform various voice roles themselves, handle editing, and complete a work all on their own. However, most people cannot do that.
It is necessary to cooperate with various people, and that is also a fun part of the process, but how do you find partners, interact, and divide tasks while working together?
◆ 2-1. [Communities for People Who Love Creating and Performing]
There are communities and [audio SNS sites] where people who love creating works, reading aloud, and performing gather, so I interact there, build trust, and then make requests.
I struggled with how to convey this part, but I will share my experience regarding how it went for me.
At first, I searched and found such sites. It happened to be summer and they were doing a ghost story feature, so I recorded ghost stories I had experienced on my smartphone and posted them (I was a beginner, so I was aware that I was not very good). After that, I listened to works posted by others and shared my thoughts with them.
Then, if there was something I didn't understand even after researching it myself, I asked people who seemed kind. They taught me, and through that, my interactions expanded further.
As I did this, the number of followers on that account gradually increased.
There was also a circle for writing scenarios on that site, so I joined it and wrote a scenario for the first time in my life.
There, I learned not only about reading and performing but also about the side of creating written works, and I expanded my interactions there as well.
Before long, people started reading the works I had written, and I began reaching out to people I had met who were good at acting to create voice dramas together.
In my case, I became able to cooperate with such partners to create works.
When making a request, I think very carefully about whether I am being truly polite. Since I am reaching out to strangers on the internet, it can sometimes give me a stomachache.
If I didn't have a certain reason, I don't think I would have started doing this. I will write about this at the end.
◆2-2. Negotiation and division of roles such as [Voice Actor], [Editor], [Director], and [Public Relations]
As I wrote before, people have strengths and weaknesses, and it is not something one person can do entirely on their own. Therefore, we discuss and divide tasks based on our areas of expertise.
However, to do that, I need to know who is good at what.
Since I have no experience in asking others to handle editing, directing, or public relations, I will describe how I negotiated with people regarding casting voice actors.
●2-2-1. Knowing areas of expertise, considering roles, and making requests
As I wrote in the section on 'Communities for people who like to create and perform,' I go to listen to various people's streams. By doing so, I start to understand many things, such as whether this person is good at editing or schedule management, whether they love performing, whether they like writing, or whether they enjoy talking about this genre.
With that in mind, I think about various things and then make contact.
However, the important thing is not just whether it is their area of expertise, but I also think very carefully about whether the content will be something they can enjoy when I ask them.
Regarding casting, I look at the content of their usual streams, the tone of their voice, their personality, and the type of streaming they do... whether they update irregularly or regularly, whether the content is gentle, or whether it is quite unique.
Based on that, if three conditions are met, I make the request.
・Someone who fits the image and atmosphere I have in mind
・Someone who seems like they would enjoy acting
・The role I am asking them to play is not too far from their core personality
I think "fitting the image I have in mind" is easy to understand, but "someone who seems like they would enjoy acting" might be a bit harder to grasp.
It becomes a matter of their personal preferences and whether they might have any resistance to working together.
When listening to their streams or looking at their tweets on Twitter, you might see them say things like "I'm not feeling well right now" or "I'm incredibly busy with work."
Sometimes they might say or write things like "childcare is tough." It's a bit difficult to ask for favors at times like that, isn't it?
If you listen to their streams repeatedly, you get to know their personality. There are cases where they prefer singing, music, or impressions rather than plays or dramas, or as I mentioned earlier, they simply prefer working alone. Alternatively, some people are not good at working with others because they feel pressured when someone else is involved.
Even if they seem to like acting, I sometimes feel that the works they want to do or their tastes are quite far from what I want to do. I don't approach those people.
It's also hard to explain "whether it's far from their core," but by listening to their streams, you start to understand their temperament and personality.
Basically, I don't ask someone with a brisk, energetic personality to perform a slow-paced role, or conversely, ask someone who is laid-back to perform a brisk role. Also, some people post short lines as sample voices. Those are usually characters or phrasings that they like and are good at. I use those as a reference.
People who love acting might perform even if I make an unreasonable request, but I don't usually ask in that way.
There are times when I feel it might be different from their personality, but they have mentioned in their streams that they would like to try a certain type of role. For example, if someone who has never played a villain says in a stream that they would like to try playing one. If I listen to them and think they could do it, I might ask them.
※ Performers who acquire a sense they don't naturally possess in a short period
This was an experience that truly surprised me.
There was one time I asked someone to play a character that was quite far from their own core personality, and I found myself worrying about what to do.
Specifically, it was a role for a character with a certain disability.
However, that person told me they wanted to learn and asked me to be very clear about everything, noting that there might be many retakes. I then explained in great detail what kind of character it was, the nature of the disability, the mechanics behind it, and the kinds of difficulties that would arise.
Since I was asking them to do this for free, I was really nervous, wondering if it was okay to put such a burden on them.
Then, they did a lot of research and practice, and they performed with such an astonishing understanding of the character that, although it's a strange way to put it, I thought, 'Humans are amazing.' Perhaps a more accurate expression would be, 'That performer is amazing.'
They thanked me, saying their acting range had expanded, but I received the recording files while mentally bowing to them in gratitude.
Some performers are willing to appear for free, while others say they will only appear if it is a paid role; it varies.
I have no money, so I am deeply moved beyond words when people accept the role for free and share their precious time with me.
There is a passage in the novel 'Flowers for Algernon' that says,
'Few people are willing to share their time and affection.'
These words are truly precious.
Fortunately, I have been able to get to know many kind and wonderful people, which is why my works are able to be created.
◆2-3. Confirming and Aligning Policies
Once they accept, I exchange messages with them to confirm what kind of content I want and how I would like them to perform it.
I think this is also hard to understand without concrete examples, so I will write about how I do it in my case.
I often ask people to perform scripts I have written myself, and it usually goes like this.
● 2-3-1. Pronunciation and Intonation of Words
I send the script and ask if there are any parts that are difficult to understand or difficult to read.
For example,
The word
"Seimei" (life) - should it be read as "seimei" or "inochi"?
I exchange messages to confirm which reading to use for words that can be read in multiple ways.
Alternatively, we confirm words that could have multiple accents or intonations.
For example, when a foreign name appears—I once had a foreign character named "Galahowa"—the performer asked me,
whether the accent was on the "ra" or the "wa," and I answered that.
Also, I listen while thinking about things like whether this person has a West Japanese intonation or a bit of a Tohoku intonation.
If there is a discrepancy with the story's content, I may ask for a retake (re-recording), but intonation and accent are quite difficult issues.
If you become desperate to fix the intonation, you lose focus on the acting. A famous actor once said that if you try too hard to get a non-native dialect right, you cannot act, so you have to sacrifice the accurate reproduction of the dialect to some extent.
In one drama (which also featured a famous person everyone knows), people from that region said it was "quite strange." It is hard to incorporate the accent of another region, and it is also hard to remove the accent of your own region...
●2-3-2. Conveying Character, Emotion, and Atmosphere
Sometimes, scriptwriting and directing are handled by different people. In stage theater, there is a school of thought that it is better to clearly divide the roles of scriptwriter and director to avoid bias. I think there are various ways of looking at it, though.
However, since I have always done both the script and the directing together and have never done them separately, I will talk about directing as well.
Please be aware that my method of directing is also my own personal style.
I tell the actors the gender, age, and personality of the characters I've asked them to play, but I have been asked, 'Have you set the situation in more detail? Or should I feel free to create it myself?' so I have provided more detailed information before.
For example,
For example, something like this happened with a scenario I wrote myself.
It was set in the Sengoku period, and the person I asked to play the role of a garrison captain who dies in battle asked me what kind of person he was and what the situation was.
So, I answered in detail like this.
A man in his 30s or 40s who is experienced in actual combat and well-respected.
I conveyed something to the effect of: 'The enemy has infiltrated the castle before he knew it, and although he led his subordinates to fight back, they were scattered. He is now retreating and fighting desperately to block a narrow path leading to his lord's residence. However, he cannot contact other allies, and his subordinates are panicked and on the verge of being broken.'
Then, something like this also happened.
The soldier fighting hard felt a bit off, so I thought about what was different myself,
I once gave feedback saying, 'Excuse me. I believe ancient armor weighed 20kg, and a sword was nearly 1kg. So, please imagine fighting for a long time in that state. I think your breathing would be ragged. Also, if you are surrounded by enemies and fighting hard, please imagine the feeling of receiving enemy attacks with your sword, pushing them back with brute force, and somehow managing to hold them off.'
There have also been times when I couldn't put it into words and accidentally said 'something is different,' which made the performer anxious. When that happens, it can lead to them saying things like, 'I'm not confident I can do it. It's okay if you ask someone else.' At those times, I feel truly sorry for putting pressure on them. I believe it is very important to convey an image that is concrete and understandable.
*There are performers who understand the characters more deeply than the author
I never would have imagined this if I hadn't written scenarios and made voice dramas, but there are performers who 'understand the characters more deeply than the author.'
There are performers who ask, 'Is it okay if I change the ending of the sentence or the phrasing a little?' I try to be careful, but sometimes what I write is easy to understand when read with the eyes, but the phrasing is difficult to say as spoken language.
At those times, I basically answer, 'As long as the meaning and nuance don't change, it's fine to change it to a way that is easier to say.'
However, there are times when the phrasing the performer corrected is not only 'smoother and easier to say,' but also 'phrasing that the character would truly say, even more so than the lines I thought of.'
This surprises me. It often happens that the performer understands the character better than the author.
The sensitivity of performers who do this professionally regarding character phrasing is truly amazing.
Because of that, I often ask the performer for permission, saying, 'That line is more perfect for the character than the one I thought of, so may I record it in the script with that line?' and rewrite it.
Therefore, for subtle phrasing, I am not just creating it myself; I am receiving the performer's words and creating it together with them.
*The term 'Voice Co'
'Voice Co' is an abbreviation for 'Voice Cooperator.' When I first heard it, I didn't really understand it.
There is also the term 'Net Voice Actor'.
As for how it differs from a voice actor, it seems the term was born from a discussion about whether it would be disrespectful to use the same term for professional voice actors and people doing it as a hobby online.
I don't strictly know how they distinguish between them.
Is it a matter of "not doing it professionally as a full-time job"? People have various ways of interpreting what it implies.
Some do it for free, some do it for pay, and some do both. However, since many people are passionate in both cases, I sometimes struggle with what to call them.
When reading sites that explain the terminology, it seems that people from various positions use the term based on different ideas. I felt it was a term that cannot be explained in a single word because interpretations vary from person to person.
Since people have different ways of thinking, I feel it is a difficult term, so I use expressions like "the person playing the role," "performer," "actor," or "cast member."
Part 1: Deciding on a Policy for Finding Works
Part 3: Editing
Part 4: Distribution and Promotion
Part 5: Conclusion