Hiya all,
Yesterday started out nice we hung out with Art-Toons for a bit, even treated one of our friends there out for breakfast after the others had to leave for the day. It was a fun breakfast with a waitress that was in a playful mood. I never had a Hot Chocolate like she brought us, and the over load she did on Miki's breakfast was just too funny... poor Miki had to eat it all gone. We didn't hit the road till after 11:30am to get to the convention and arrived here at the Hilton around noon. Not that bad of a drive at all.
The first thing we did was checked into the hotel than we got our con badges. We moved the car to the back of the hotel closer to a door near our room. Than I went on the search for a friend here at the con that was going to get it so I could meet Michael.. though I came a little to late, Michael already started panels and was keeping busy. That was ok, it gave Miki and I some time to unpack into our room and take a break.
Opening Panel was at 5pm, so Miki and I went down and watched that. It was different than most conventions, you didn't see people in suits or even close to go up and talk.. everyone seemed very young and playful. They were goofing off of each other a lot, I think they were trying to go for a feel of a loose and fun con. They introduced their guest, which was really the first time I saw what Michael looked like. I didn't go up to talk to them, though right after the first guest I ran off to our first panel which was a voice acting panel... one of those "How to become" I set up the camera like always and sat there to watch though when Spike (the VA running the panel came in he asked for the camera to be turned off).
I learned why the camera was turned off fast, he's not there for the people like most of the others are. He was really there for himself, as he was selling a CD of himself and a book he did. Both of which were $10 and had that look and feel to them that this was something made in his basement a week before the convention rolled around. And as the panel went on, I was glad I didn't tape it. None of the stuff he showed us was new to anyone, most everyone knows they sound different sitting down from standing up. And having people read stuff from his book was just another way to try and sell it, and none of the stuff from inside the book sounded like something I wanted or needed to read. No I don't know everything about Voice Acting, though I've gone to enough panels at these cons to realize there are better teachers out there. And he would fluff up stories so much... yeah, not a fan of this VA... his main topics were 'buy my stuff' and 'come to my late night adult panel'.
After he was done the real VA panel began. Michael came in with a fellow VA, Melodee M. Spevack. These two ran the BEST how to be a VA panel I've ever seen. Very close to what Tom Wayland and Michael S. did at Anime Next in a One hour panel, where people had to go up and really do VA stuff. The difference was they were a lot more serious about it, it was for a contest. ONLY 9 people were choosen from everyone in the room... 3 Light Women voices (Like soft spoken or higher pitched), 3 Strong Women voices (dark and heavy), 3 Light Men (young hero type), and 3 Strong Men (big and loud). They had everyone feel out papers and the names were picked at random. I was the first name pulled on the strong Women voices and my sister's name was pulled as well for Strong Women. This is where the fun began.
Michael set up a recording studio right there in the panel, anyone who wanted to stay and watch had to be very quiet and not make any sounds what so ever during the panel. As one at a time people would go up there and read their lines over and over till they got it right. And no this wasn't no speed job where someone would go up and read it and they'd fix it right up to just speed time up, they were giving us the real treatment like we were hired for the job. Miki and I got to watch till much later, and man did I enjoy watching. They put what Michael was doing with the techy stuff up on a screen to be seen by all. This was my first time seeing what the engineers at the job really did to make the lips match up, where the beeps came in, how they layered the sound in the shows. It was amazing and a lot of fun to watch. I couldn't believe how well he did! It was really a great and LONG panel!
The panel started at 7pm, it was after 10pm that Miki and I went up to do our lines. I was first, and of course made a lot of mistakes but had fun doing so! I had this insane anime from a show I never saw before... going to try and hunt down to see it now though. She was one of those calm speaking ladies who breaks into a yelling fit. That was so HARD! And all the words they wanted us to fit into such a short gap of space with so many lip flaps. They ended up taking out a word for us, so that we could really fit the last line into it. I don't know how many times I had to redo lines, but it was great working up there with Michael. It was almost as if I was in a recording studio and they were so nice working with me and gave me lots of good directions. Miki was after me, and she did a great job! (I think she's got a better shot at winning the t-shirt prize than I do
).
After we went they still had a few more voices to do, and of course after a panel we stick around and talk, we talked till after 12:30am... freaked seeing the time and raced out to try and find food. I went the wrong way from were we were going to go and so we didn't make it in time for the place we wanted to be open (they closed at 1am). So we went to Steak and Shake. On the way we got pulled over because my tail lights were out (oops i forgot to turn on my lights, but did so while breaking so they didn't see that I really did anything different in the car). I got a warning ticket telling me to have it checked, though the tail lights were now working. yay not a fix it ticket like I feared. We ate, but we were both feeling very blah.... Miki ended up taking food back here to the room.
I checked things here online and went to bed. Got up a little before 8am this morning and about to get ready for the day. Sounds like another interesting day of panels. So far I'm enjoying A&G!
