» Listings for August 2018

1. Hollywood Female Voice Overs!

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 27th Aug 2018

   When it comes to voice acting, females haven't always dominated the conversation.  But now diversity and equal representation of women in voice acting is rapidly improving, and now more than ever before more TV shows, audio books, video games and Hollywood movies now have a female voice over in a leading role.

   Even Disney has added another diverse face to its collection of animated princesses. Elena of Avalor is Disney’s first Latina princess living in an enchanted fairy tale kingdom inspired by Latin cultures and folklore. A Spanish voice-over cast and a diverse production crew have brought this representation of Latin and Hispanic traditions to life in what is a predominantly American franchise.

   So how do British leading ladies fair when it comes to Hollywood movies, particularly animated ones? Here is a brief look at some of Britain’s most loved female actors performing unfamiliar voice overs in global blockbusters.

   Helena Bonham Carter

   Versatile actor Helena Bonham Carter is well known for her film roles in the Harry Potter series, The King’s Speech and Alice in Wonderland, but very few are aware of her voice over work. A one woman acting machine, Helena B-C’s animation voice work includes Emily in Time Burton’s Corpse Bride (2005), Lady Campanula Tottington in Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-rabbit (2005) and Mother Squirrel in The Gruffalo (2009).

   Julia Sawalha

   You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking Mel Gibson’s role of Rocky the Rooster would be the leading role in Chicken Run (2000), but it’s actually Julia Sawalha who voices the feisty, determined protagonist, Ginger. Using the right mix of charm, toughness and despair, Julia Sawalha knocks it out the park in this voice over role, bringing character to the world’s most-loved animated chicken.

   Helen Mirren

   In an interview Dame Helen Mirren once said that she considers herself “hopeless” at voiceovers. But with a whole host of voice performances on her resume, including portraying Deep Thought in Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Nyra in Legends of the Guardians (2010) and Dean Hardscrabble in Monsters University (2013), I for one think she is far from it. I can’t wait to see what voice over work comes her way next.

   Judi Dench

   Seven-time Oscar nominee Dame Judi Dench is perhaps best internationally known for her role as M in the James Bond franchise, but among her film acting and theatre performances, Dame Judi has also voiced a number of animated characters including Miss Lilly in Angelina Ballerina (2002) and Mrs Calloway in Walt Disney’s Home on the Range (2004).

   Emma Thompson

   As one of Britain’s most acclaimed actors, the wonderful Emma Thompson has many iconic disguises under her belt. From playing leading roles in all-time classic films, to starring in audio books and period dramas, Emma Thompson has done it all. But some of her best work comes in the form of animation voice-overs, including Captain Amelia in Treasure Planet (2002), Queen Elinor in Brave (2012) and the lovely Mrs Potts in Disney’s Beauty and The Beast (2017).

2. The Change in Video Game Leads

   Posted on 12:00pm Thursday 16th Aug 2018

    

   This year’s E3 2018 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), which gave great insight into what we can expect from upcoming video game instalments. But what caught my eye in particular, as it did with many others, is the proliferation of women in these video games.

   Now I know female characters have always been present, but E3 showcased a handful of games which are due to feature multiple leading ladies, many of which as the main protagonist—and rightly so!  Having just come back from Develop in Brighton from a great day at the Audio Stream it got me thinking about audio in this medium.  So I thought I’d take a look at the change in video game leads and see how women are increasingly coming to the forefront in this ever-expanding industry.

   Women in video game history

   It is fair to say that female characters have been an influential part of the gaming sphere almost since gaming began. In 1987 Nintendo released Metroid with female character Samus Aran and of course Princess Peach was one of four playable characters in Super Mario Bros. 2. 

   But there is a certain stigma in the gaming world in which women are typically cast as victims, often having their male counterpart rescue them in some way or other. Think princess Peach as the damsel in distress awaiting rescue from Mario time and time again. And if they’re not the victim, then it’s likely they’re a rather sexualised heroine, much like Lara Croft.

   The good news is, when you think about the iconic characters of gaming, Lara Croft is definitely in the top tier. But unfortunately, that’s it. Only one iconic female character in the last 20 years!

   But, it’s now apparent that the tides are turning. The most-anticipated games of this year announced at E3 suggest that many previously male-dominated game series are making way for ones that feature female protagonists. We all know that women play video games, so it’s only right that they star in them too.

   The voices behind the characters

   The current shift towards equal gender representation in video games has enabled female video game artists to showcase their talents.  Last year Cissy Jones made waves in the industry having scooped the BAFTA Games award for Best Performer. Cissy has a whole range of video game credits under her belt having starred as Joyce Price in Life Is Strange, as well as voicing the lead in Firewatch, and other multiple characters in Walking Dead: Season 1 and Season 2.

   2013’s The Last Of Us, focused on playable character Joel who attempted to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, with teenager Ellie (voiced by immensely talented Ashley Johnson) in tow. But now in The Last of Us: Part 2, Ellie is a young woman and is the main playable character. 

   Similarly, in stealth game Dishonored 2, Emily Kaldwin (voiced by Erica Luttrell) stars alongside her bodyguard Corvo Attano as a main character as she tries to keep her throne after the assassination of her mother.

   Additionally, the makers of The Lost Legacy, which is the sequel to the popular Unchartered series, not only side-lined male protagonist Nathan Drake but also chose to include two women as the lead roles.  The determined duo of Chloe (Claudia Black) and Nadine (Laura Bailey) not only had a significant prominence in the game, but combined with Drake’s absence, it marks an important step in the right direction for both female video game artists and women everywhere.