Reads, Read, Will Read... · 11:02pm Jul 26th, 2016
Just what does this title mean? Well, some of you may have heard or seen me reference a project I've been working on lately. And some of you may have been quite curious to know what it is. Well, wait and wonder no longer. For here it is...
I have spent months working on this project, and I've had so much help and input from my dear friends and collaborators on this project, Will-Owl-the-Wisp and MelancholyIguana.
Shortly before I wrote The Bird... or the Cage?, Mel had been pointed my way thanks to The Cynical Brony, and had sent me a note asking about doing some voice work for story readings. I gladly accepted. Shortly after reading the story, Mel sent me another note, asking if he could do a reading of it. I politely declined, only because I had been planning to do a reading of it myself. But then, since I heard Mel's voice while we recorded a podcast together, I started to think that he would be perfect as Robert. And so when he sent me a third message asking if he could at least be a part of the project, I happily offered him the part. And I am very glad that he happily accepted.
Wisp had previously offered to voice Luna and Nightmare Moon in my readings of her story Night Terrors, and so I offered her those parts right away. And at some point, she had made an off-hand comment about voicing Rosalind, so I offered her that role as well. Thankfully, she agreed to do them all. And, in preparation for this, Wisp also drew some amazing cover/title card art!
As far as the reading itself goes, Wisp and Mel did a fantastic job. I am unable to read the story without hearing them as Robert, Rosalind, and Luna and Nightmare Moon now. They brought the roles to life in a way that I would never have been able to do on my own. And I love how they each brought their own interpretations of the dialogue into the project, for they read the lines in ways that were vastly different than how I heard the dialogue in my head, yet I absolutely love what they did.
I also learned a lot from doing this. I would have been happy to do a reading with just voice and nothing else. Yet Mel started talking about adding music and sound effects. It was a daunting task, yet the end product is so much the better for it. I learned just how much better a reading can sound with the right music and sound effects, and I learned how helpful having an intro and an outro can be for a story. As for the music and sound effects, I think I did a nice job of placing the sound effects and music within the story, and I think I did a good job of finding fitting ones. But, let me tell you, finding the right sound effects took many hours. It's one of the reason that it took me many months to bring this reading together. That, and my tendency to bounce around between projects. But once I got the last sound effect in, I was determined to finish. And so, in one last push, I was able to find all of the music I needed in a day, some with Mel's help as well, and then placed it in the appropriate spots in the reading.
As for the intro and outro, they were a help, and fun to hear Mel and Wisp do! The intro helped, because they were able to introduce the story, tell who had written it, and to also tell who had done the reading. The outro was a bonus and partly for fun, but it also helped to say when the story ended, rather than just having things cut out.
After I had everything put together, it was just a matter of sending it off to some of my friends, getting their opinions on things, adding one more sound effect, and lowering the music volume just a tad more. And even when I thought all was said and done, I still had to go back and eliminate a random music blare where music should have been muted. And so, you see the video above!
Now, I do feel I could have done a better job as Celestia, and with some of my line deliveries. I know that the audio quality dips in places, as my recording equipment can be touchy when having to go back and redo lines. Yet, even with these flaws, I can listen to this and lose myself in the story. I can feel the creeping dread and the sorrow as the music comes in and I hear the words being said, even when I know what will happen. And, to me, that makes it all worth it in the end. The final product makes me feel something. And that is a wonderful, beautiful, astonishing thing.
Cheers, my friends, and I hope you all enjoy!
4114635
I hope you enjoy it, my friend!!!
Great work! I think I've said this before, but you've got Celestia's voice and demeanor spot on (as do Wisp and Mel with their respective characters).
Incidentally, that podcast you mentioned sounds interesting! Do you have a link to it?
4114684
Hi, Hay! Thanks a ton for your feedback! I am really glad that you've enjoyed this. X3
And I don't have a link yet, only because they haven't been posted yet. Mel was waiting for me to post the reading first. XD But I'll send you a link when it's up!
4114692 Awesome! I can't wait to see it!
4114872
Nor I! XD Meaning, I can't wait to see what parts make it in or what's been cut out.
Thank you bard!
4115348
You're welcome, Final!
I do believe this was a good reading mate. Though I do believe there were a few parts that good use some improvement, I enjoyed it my friend.
Cheers!
4115792
This was marvelous. Impeccable performance on all parts.
4115811
Yeah, like I said, some of my line deliveries could have been better. But the important part is that I LOVE the end result.
4116034
Thanks, Final! I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
4116289
Your very welcome indeed Bard
4116287 And I do believe it came through mate.
4116613
Thank you very much, my friend.