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One of the most exciting parts of my experience at Disney’s Planes #FireAndRescueEvent was stepping into the sound booth and playing my favorite character, Dipper, from Planes: Fire & Rescue. While it wasn’t for the actual film, I did get a final clip to treasure and share here at Remaking June.
Jason Henkel / Planes Fire & Rescue Casting Director
We first met with Planes Fire & Rescue casting director, Jason Henkel. He walked us through some of the basic methods of voice acting and helped us prepare for our moment in the booth. We were all a little nervous and none of us knew why. It was a room with a microphone. How hard could it be, right? But, as we each got closer to our time in the spotlight, there was no denying that even voice actors feel the pressure of performance.
Learning about the voice-over process
Paul McGrath / Sound Engineer
I’m not typically one to get stage fright. I did years of drama in school and have had brief moments on television news. For some reason this was different. I couldn’t use my body. I couldn’t act out things with motion or facial expressions, and I had no other actors beside me to keep my mind off of those watching. I had to rely on my voice alone. I’d already seen the movie at this point, so I was hoping it would be a scene I remembered so I didn’t trip over the lines.
The view from inside. It’s more intimidating than it seems…
Stepping into that booth was intimidating. I keep saying this, but it is so true. Everyone watching through the big glass window as I tried to shake out my nerves (literally…you’ll see in the video).
Paul McGrath, Planes Fire & Rescue sound engineer, played Dipper’s lines, recorded by Julie Bowen, and I then had to repeat them in my own voice for the new recording. I’m sure professionals make use of the clip playing on the screen and the script sitting in front of them. Me? Not a chance. I listened to the character’s words play over the speakers, zoned out staring at the podium and repeated my lines. A few times we stopped and Jason Henkel directed me on what I should do before a retake. There was a lot of laughter and a few weird faces.
I’m sure, like being on stage, voice acting gets easier the more often you do it. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a chance for a repeat performance, but just to be able to say I did it once is awesome. Check out my clips below (and yes, feel free to laugh. I did!)
*Note: voices from outside the booth are hard to hear. Don’t crank your volume too early! Trust me.
Recording Clip
The Final Clip – My voice as Dipper, Planes: Fire & Rescue
*Travel expenses and accommodations provided by Disney in exchange for editorial coverage on RJC. All opinions expressed will be my own.
Planes: Fire & Rescue hits theaters July 18th
You can find more information and interactive fun with Planes online:
PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE ONLINE
https://www.facebook.com/DisneyPlanes
https://twitter.com/DisneyPictures (#FireAndRescue)
https://www.youtube.com/user/DisneyMovies
http://movies.disney.com/planes/
