Every once in a while you stumble across something, doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be small, but something that gets your attention and reminds you that you're on the right track.
Today I found one. And then I remembered another. Cool stuff, and I'll be honest in that I love the nerd cred.
That said, does it change anything for me? Nope. In life it's not about the destination, it's the journey which defines us. In any career you need to approach things as they were a marathon instead of a sprint.
I can use all the platitudes and self-motivational catchphrases I want to but it comes down to this - it's a small acknowledgement of what's been accomplished in an area of voice over which I do not normally get to perform. One step.
As usual, the House of Mouse has put together a celebrity voice over cast, consisting of Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin, and Mariska Hargitay.
Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of this particular title, but an "average" title from Studio Ghibli is usually better than "good" titles put out by most other studios. That says a lot to me, which is why I've managed to watch this title more than once. Additionally, this is Goro's debut film as a director, and if this is any indication I look forward to his future efforts with anticipation.
Hat tip to the folks at Cartoon Brew for the news.
I mentioned in an earlier blog post about the passing of Carl Macek. Since then, I've gotten an e-mail or two regarding whether or not I knew any information regarding a memorial service or an address to send condolences, flowers, etc.
Memorial Service for Carl Macek Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 2pm
Congregational Church of the Chimes 14115 Magnolia Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
The service will be open to the public, but we ask well wishers to be mindful of Carl’s friends and family. In lieu of flowers, we request that donations to assist with memorial expenses be made out to Svea Macek and sent to the following address:
Carl Macek Memorial c/o Harmony Gold USA 7655 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046
As a long time otaku, I had to pull myself out of the booth, work, studies, etc. in order to make mention regarding the passing of Carl Macek.
If nothing else, the man was a controversial figure within the anime community, both for his manner of automatic dialogue replacement and editing of content, and for his pioneering spirit. Carl was one of the first people to take anime outside Japan and distribute it throughout the English-speaking world. His name was synonymous with several titles, but most will probably remember him for his redubbed and edited production of three separate anime series into Robotech. Most recently, Macek added his talents as a producer to titles such as Naruto and Bleach.
On an amusing note, he inspired the fan term "Macekre" (pronounced like "massacre") used to describe anime series which have been drastically "revised" to make them more attractive to Western viewers. While Macek never apologized for some of his more "famous" revisions, he did deter his detractors by pointing out those revisions he was not responsible for, yet were still attributed to him. One instance which stood out in my mind was an interview in which he acknowledged poor revisions within the Robotech franchise, and then explaining in the next sentence that major plot elements which were excluded from the Robotech VHS distribution were not intentional (it was later stated that the edits Macek referred to were done by a former home video distributor after the original broadcast in order to fit more episodes per VHS tape). None the less, Macek was never afraid of criticism or of the opinions of anime otaku. As time proved, he would use that feedback to better provide for future productions he was involved with, as his most recent works have shown. It is that aspect of his personality which made Macek both a loved, and controversial, figure within American anime fandom.
If you're interested in learning more about Carl Macek's life and career, the following articles offer a nice summary of his career.
This was originally posted over at the Funimation Update and I've been following it for the past few days, since it's gotten such interest from the anime crowd. Being acquainted with more than a few of the folks involved, I couldn't help but to post it here:
An online charity auction is being held to benefit a Minnesota family who has experienced a sudden and tragic event. Seven-year-old Ian Hoy was struck by a car when crossing the street and sustained serious injuries and brain trauma. Though he has made drastic improvement and is recovering, Ian has to re-learn just about everything. Of course, this situation has created significant financial strain on the family. The Hoys are close friends of Tiffany Grant (Asuka in Evangelion) so many people in the industry have taken notice of the family’s situation. The article over at Anime News Network goes into more detail, but I wanted to help pass along the word.
A brief description of the book nails many of the same comments found in most voice over writings, but depending on how they choose to do it and to whom Lowenthal and Platt choose to make their audience, they might have a new twist on some of the more traditional rote from other books on the subject. In one recent article, they made it very clear that the goal was to take the information that gets passed around at the usual voice actor panels (both Lowenthal and Platt run great panels, BTW), aggregate that information, and then take it to the next step. The following description seems to follow that line of thinking:
A PEEK INTO THE SECRET WORLD OF THE VOICE ACTOR for those curious, daring or obsessed enough to look....This book offers a comprehensive look at what it takes, what goes on, and what it's like behind the mic from two working pros. In this book, you will discover: * The ins and outs of auditioning * Vocal warm-ups and exercises * Tips for reading copy to maximum effect * Hints to help you stand out * Keys to marketing yourself: demo to agent to job * What to expect when you book the job! Filled with anecdotes from 20 VO professionals (actors, writers, casting, directors, engineers, agents) the book is a fun and comprehensive look inside voice-over.
The book doesn't come out until November 9th (at present... dates can be moved back or forth, depending on things), and I'm sure that it will do well. For a professional talent, it may or may not be a worthwhile read for $20, but for those in the industry who are of the otaku personality, I expect it to be a "must read".
I can't say that it's the most original name for a blog, but considering what the blog is about I think that it's more than accurate.
I know two of the three guys involved with The Funimation Update, and can tell you that they're not just employees of Funimation Entertainment; they're also some of the biggest anime otaku you'll probably run into. If you're into Japanese animation like I am (I shudder to think of the money spent on hanken cels and the like), then this is definitely a blog that you'll want to have on your radar screen.
