Nightshade: A Skyrim Machinima

Nightshade: A Skyrim Machinima

Project Overview

The Elder Scrolls series creates expansive, immersive worlds like no other, and I thought Skyrim would be the perfect backdrop for my first big machinima project. The story follows a member of Skyrim's Dark Brotherhood, a mysterious band of assassins-for-hire, and will be published as a series of approximately 10-15 minute videos on YouTube. I don't have an official episode count (and I won't until I have finished all the storyboards for the project) but it is looking like it will be at least 20 episodes, and quite possibly longer. There is definite potential for a longer-running series. I have completed storyboards for the first two episodes and my plan is to have five or more storyboards done before the deadline of this audition page. I will be recording much of the video while this casting call is open, and have already gotten a head start. I am hoping to get the first couple of videos done before I start publishing them, so my goal is to have the first one up by the beginning of October.

I will update and add more roles in the near future.


What You Can Expect From Me:



  • *I make professionalism and flexibility a priority. Since this is an unpaid project, I know it will be slower going, and that's totally fine. If you are cast, I'll do my best to communicate and work with you to get things done.

  • *I will listen to every audition that is submitted, and I don't care about upvotes. It doesn't matter if someone else's audition got 200 upvotes and yours gets none. I'm not interested in who is the most popular, so please do audition! I am also not incredibly concerned about actors sounding exactly like the original characters. The gameplay I capture is heavily modded, and some of the characters look completely different anyhow. I'm looking for people who can capture the feel of the character, not do an impersonation.


What I Expect From You:



  • *Clear audio is an absolute must. You can be perfect for the role and do a great audition, but if your audio quality isn't good then unfortunately I can't use you. I expect VAs to edit the white noise out of their own audio; if they don't, that's a whole lot of extra work for me. There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to do this in Audacity, which is free software. If there is background noise in your audition, you will not be considered. Please be mindful of your mic sensitivity; if your gain is all the way up and distorts the audio, I can't use it.

  • *If you agree to a deadline, I expect you to keep it. Of course life happens and I understand that. Let me know and we can try to work around it, but you have to let me know. I do not communicate with VAs on any media except CCC (no Skype, Discord, Twitter, email, etc) so you must be willing to check this site frequently. If I don't hear back from you within a week, your role will be opened back up. You will be given plenty of time to record your lines, and if you need more, that's okay! But communication is key.

  • *If you've never played this game, I highly recommend it. Not that I won't cast someone who hasn't, but it's just a really fun game.


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Latest Updates

  • New Characters

    Added a few additional roles over the past week.
Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Galia
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: ashleighaishwarya

Galia is the protagonist of the series. A formidable Dark Sister, she was once a member of the Thieves Guild in The Rift, and is unmatched in her stealth despite her tall and strong Nord stature. This causes conflict with Astrid, who struggles to hide her jealousy of Galia's reputation among their associates. After being deeply affected by the death of a target for the first time, Galia begins to question the morality of the things she's done, and starts to wonder if there will ever be a way out.


She is around 30-35 years old, so she should not have a cutesy young woman voice. Other than that, I don't have any particular vision of what she should sound like. The first line will be part of a series of flashbacks to when Galia is young; the earliest will be about age 17, and I am hoping the same actress can be used for both. If need be, I will create another open role for Galia's younger self.

  • [Young Galia] (Flippant, Confident) You worry too much. I am not a helpless maiden in some castle, and I am no fool.

  • (Astonished, Angry) You KNEW. (Quiet hostility) You had no right to make that choice for me.

  • (Desperate) Please. I'm begging here. I am out of options, and I have nowhere else to go.

Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Astrid
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: rrybnik

Astrid is the leader of the Dark Brotherhood, organizing and delegating contracts to the other members and keeping everyone in line. She also works as a recruiter. Her dealings with death started early in life, when she killed her uncle for making unwanted advances toward her and she never looked back. Astrid is very serious and focused, so she comes off as cold and uncaring; however, she has a soft spot for her husband, Arnbjorn, and pours her heart into the Brotherhood, which has become her entire life. Astrid can be power-hungry and manipulative, and struggles to contain her jealousy of Galia, who became a member of the Dark Brotherhood many years after Astrid but is generally considered the more accomplished assassin.



Here is a reference for Astrid's original voice. I am looking for a medium-pitch, smooth voice and a slow and deliberate delivery of the monologue without being emotionless or monotone.

  • (Angry) By Sithis, this undermines all our plans!

  • (Worried) Find my husband. Make sure he's alright.

  • (Mysterious; she is toying with them) If you turn around, you'll notice my guests. I've collected them from... Well, that's not really important. The here-and-now: that's what matters. You see, there's a contract out on one of them, and that person can't leave this room alive. But... oh, which one? Go on, see if you can figure it out. Make your choice, make your kill. I just want to observe... And admire. 

Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Harnald
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: beardyman

Harnald is the older brother of Galia. He was adopted as a child from the Honorhall Orphanage in Riften by a housecarl of Mistveil Keep and her husband, a successful captain of a trade ship. Harnald had a hard time adjusting from life on the streets and then in an orphanage, to being part of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in The Rift. He works very hard to do the right thing and to follow the path of righteousness set down by his parents, while Galia, their biological child, always chose to walk on the wild side. Despite their differences, Harnald and Galia were two peas in a pod until she eventually stopped visiting. Almost the entirety of Harnald's role will be in flashbacks to when Galia was a teenager and Harnald was in his twenties.

  • (Jokingly) How is it that of the two of us, the street urchin's moral compass is the one that points north?

  • (Concerned) I am afraid for you. You don't know what you're doing... these people are not like those friends you've made in the Guild.

  • (Bitterly) Whatever. She can take care of herself.

Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Brynjolf
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: beardyman

Brynjolf is the successor to the late guildmaster Mercer Frey. He accomplishes much of the legwork needed for the Riften Thieves Guild, including bringing in new talent. He had a close relationship with Galia during her time in the Guild when they were both new recruits, and has since worked his way to the top.


About half of his role will be in flashbacks, but there doesn't need to be a stark difference in the voice as long as his younger voice isn't incredibly mature. The accent is pretty subtle, but it does need to be there. Here is a video showing a sample of his voice.

  • (Knowingly) Running a little light in the pockets, lass?

  • If you do this... If you go now, there may not be any turning back.

  • ... It's you. After all this time, gods be good. But why have you come back here?

Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Nazir
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: tresnick

Nazir is an Alik'r warrior turned assassin, and is in charge of delegating out the contracts obtained by Astrid out to his Dark Brothers and Sisters.


His voice is a deep bass, and ought to sound something like this.

  • You've got people to kill, my friend. Best get to it.

  • My past is long and storied, and not altogether proud. But the Dark Brotherhood saved me from myself, and I have never looked back.

Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Babette
open
Unpaid

Though she has the appearance and voice of a ten-year-old girl, the assassin Babette is a vampire who is over 300 years old. She is also a master in alchemy, and poisons the targets she doesn't tear apart with her teeth. Though her voice's pitch should sound like that of a child, Babette is an old soul and the voice acting should reflect this; her speech is wise, graceful, and dignified. I really don't care for the original voice work at all, so feel free to really go nuts with this one.

  • 200 years ago I would've laid down my life for the Unholy Matron. But that is an age long-passed. Astrid is my matron now.

  • I'm just a little girl! The Dark Brotherhood killed my mama and papa, and then they took me captive! Please, please help me! ... Rather convincing, don't you think? In truth, I'm no more a little girl than you are.

  • Kill well, and often.

Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Festus Krex
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: Kipkeyno

Festus is the oldest human member of the Dark Brotherhood, and a talented sorcerer. He is sarcastic and grumpy, though not unkind. Basically, all he wants is to kill people, take a nap, and be left the hell alone.



Here is an example of his in-game dialogue.

  • Let's make this easy - consider me the cranky old uncle nobody talks to. You go your way, I'll go mine.

  • I like to say I was born with a wand in my hand. Well, not literally - you can imagine how painful that would've been for mother.

  • (Struggling while badly injured) The contact never mentioned... I was told this was just some hermit living in the woods. But his magic skill surpasses even my own.

Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Arnbjorn
open
Unpaid

Arnbjorn is a werewolf, former member of the Companions, and Dark Brother. He also the husband of Astrid. His voice is medium pitch and gruff.

  • Here's all you need to know: I'm a werewolf. I like killing things. I love Astrid. I hate annoying people, and the color blue gives me a headache.

  • (Sarcastic) Gee, thanks for the help.

Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Uffe
open
Unpaid

A successful merchant and captain of the ship Island Bear, Uffe is the father of Harnald and Galia, and husband to Ida. Though he is soft-spoken and reserved, Uffe has a fierce sense of honor and does his best to instill this in his children. He is the "good cop" in his marriage, and has an endless amount of patience.


It would be great if his character had a classic Skyrim "Nord accent," but English or North American are also fine.

  • Aye, Sovngarde awaits true Nords... And a true Nord will be judged by what's in his heart.

Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Ida
open
Unpaid

Ida is the mother of Harnald and Galia, and the wife of Uffe. She serves as housecarl to the Jarl of Mistveil Keep, and is renowned throughout Skyrim for her bravery and skill in battle. Ida is graceful, but fierce. She worries very much about her daughter, and feels like she is failing as a parent when she can't keep Galia from pursuing life as a criminal. Ida faces much internal struggle between her duty to Riften and the Jarl, and her duty as a mother.


A Skyrim "Nord accent" would be great, but as with Uffe, other accents can work as well.

  • (exasperated) Child, why do you make my job so difficult?

  • Uffe, I don't know what to do. How can I make this right?

Voice Actor
Voice Actor
Veezara
closed
Unpaid
Role assigned to: deleted53315

Veezara is the last known member of the Shadowscale, an order of Argonian assassins who once operated in his home land of Black Marsh. Now he serves Astrid as a member of the Dark Brotherhood, and none is more loyal to her. Veezara has a strong sense of duty and honor, puts the family above everything else.


I would like a voice similar to the canon; medium pitch, a bit gravelly. He is quite calm and composed in his speech.

  • I kill because it's what I've been trained to do. It's all I know.

  • Just remember Astrid's commitment to her Sanctuary, to her family... A family that now counts you as one of its own. Honor Astrid above all others.

  • Once, I was a Shadowscale - An assassin in service to the King of Black Marsh. Today, I am the last of my kind. My order is extinct.

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