|
|
 |
 |
|
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon: Developer Diary 4 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon: Developer Diary 4
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2003
With only a couple of full months left in development, all the elements of Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon are now coming together. More than with other genres, an adventure really needs all the components to be in place before a true representation of the game can be gauged. Currently the programmers are completing the special-effects technology - including particle-effects which create steam and smoke, the artists tweak the light maps to maximise visual interest, music is composed and sound effects are implemented, and testers comb the game for bugs and inconsistencies. But the biggest single leap forward in the 'look and feel' is the inclusion of voices. Although it should be obvious, I still find it amazing how the inclusion of speech has added so much to the game.
We scheduled the voice recording to take five days. The production company we worked with warned us that this was tight - they had estimated that a script of that size would require an eight-day session. However, unusually for anything in video game development, we finished ahead of schedule. From the morning we started to the afternoon we finished, the entire process took only four days.
There are several reasons for this. The cast we have for The Sleeping Dragon is incredibly strong and, vitally, they really gelled during the recording sessions. The actors all praised the quality of the script which they said was great to act out. When recording the voices for a video game, many voice directors choose to record the lines of each character sequentially which means that the actors don't get the opportunity to act together. Obviously this saves money because actors spend less time in the studio. However because the relationship between the characters is so important in a game like Broken Sword, we have always felt it vital to have the scenes played with all the relevant actors together. Therefore we record the voices much like one would a radio play with the actors acting scenes against each other. This allows the actors to really get into their parts, often getting highly animated with body gesticulations to support their speech.
Things originally didn't run smoothly, however. On the first morning, the cast was assembled and ready to go - with one rather important exception: Rolf Saxon, the voice of George, wasn't there. So I called him to find out if there was a problem. There was. Due to some miscommunication which was neither his fault nor ours, the date had been confused. Unperturbed, he hot-footed it to the studio and it all turned out brilliantly. Rolf got straight back into the part of George and was an inspiration to those around him.
The full script runs to 6,000 lines in total - about the
same amount of dialogue as Broken Sword 2. This seems to be a good balance between ensuring that the narrative and characterisation are conveyed without feeling verly 'wordy'. Some games run to 12,000 lines - which I would consider excessive.
Whilst the voice of Rolf has remained a constant throughout the series, one important element has changed. Indeed, this third iteration sees our third Nico voice - this time played by Sarah Crook.
We discovered Sarah by chance. About a month before the recording we held a casting session at a studio called The Spotlight in Leicester Square in London. We auditioned a number of actors for the different parts - and the overall quality of those auditioning was extraordinary. However it was particularly important to find a great Nico. Originally I had thought that we should find a native French speaker who would bring an authentic accent - it might be a stereotype, but I think that the female French voice can sound very sexy. However, as the day progressed, I realised that the diction of a native French speaker isn't as clear as someone speaking in English with a French tinge. Ultimately, we decided that actually a native English speaker who could convincingly add a hint of French (without sounding like a character from 'allo allo') was the best option. One of the native-French actresses who was auditioning for the part walked into the room to be confronted by four chaps sat around the desk. Without missing a stride she exclaimed, in a strong French accent, "So many men, so little time...". Which was brilliant, of course. But a little too raunchy for Nico. By the end of the session we were not convinced that we had heard anyone who was exactly right. There were a couple of young ladies who were helping to organise the audition and at the end they asked whether they could read for the Nico part. Sarah was given the part and turned out to be fantastic.
Rolf and Sarah worked very well together. There was a real spark to their dialogue. Which was important - especially for the not-to-be-talked-about finale.
It's strange getting actors to record dialogue out of context. Possibly the only real hold-up during the whole process was when Rolf and Sarah were recording the lines to a sequence in which they must both co-operate in order to enter a particular building. They got the giggles for 10 minutes at one point. Although what's funny about the lines: "Hey Nico, come and hold this, whilst I shove the rod in" and her reply of: "I'm not going to stand here holding it all day" I will never know.
Until next month.
Best,
Charles.
|
|
|
|
