Directing Actors for Animated Films

Posted on March 16, 2008

There is an interesting article that was written for the LA Times. In a somewhat surprising read, Carol Burnett, Steve Carell, and Jim Carrey talk about the difficulties working on the newly released CG film Horton Hears a Who. Usually actors have nothing but good fluff to say about whatever projects they just came off of.  Although they didn’t exactly tear anyone a new one.  I was a little caught off guard.  Awesome!

For those of you not familiar with how voice recording sessions go for animated shows, they generally take an actor and throw them in front of a microphone by themselves and are told to read some lines. There is generally little or no interaction with other actors. Just them, the director and his team.

This a flawed system. Actors feed off of each other to make great performances. The Sony Pictures Animation film Surf’s Up did it the right way. They put the actors together and allowed them to play off of each other. The results were most impressive and gave a more naturalistic delivery, in my opinion. I realize the value in having them singled out and performing on their own, but I really wish the system was changed.

Here is how I would do it. Put the two or more actors in a room with their own microphone. Separate them enough so that you can easily single out recordings from each person. Tell them to read the script a couple of times a few different ways and then allow them to shoot from the hip with some adlib. You can even put each actor in their own booth if need be. As long as they can see eachother and work off one another it will pay off in the end.

This is what the actors are familiar with, why take a fish out of water?


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