SPIRIT HUNTER: NG FANDUB PROJECT
Let me introduce myself! My name is KVN. This project has been on my mind since I first thought of pursuing VO work. And because of that, I wanted to take a leap of faith and do this huuuge project. What does it entail? Well I'm glad you asked.
THE GOAL / WHAT TO EXPECT
Premise: 1999, Tokyo. A young girl goes missing. Triggered by that event, a young man finds himself dragged into a game of death. Spirits from what most believed to be urban legends and folklore slowly eat away at his cursed life, draining his common sense. Don't hesitate. Logic isn't needed against them. Together with others like him who skirt the law, the young man clenches his fists and prepares to fight!
My goal is to produce a "playthrough" with voice over most of the dialogue presented in the entirety of Spirt Hunter: NG. Excluding the gameplay elements for the most part. I know. That's a lot. For those of you who don't know, visual novel games are filled with texts, narrations, and the dialogue between many characters. This means that the time commitment for this project is insaaane. If you believe that you do not have the time to record for many accumulated hours through the lifespan of this project, you may want to seek a different opportunity. What we are effectively trying to achieve here is basically voicing the majority of the game as if it was published with voices! In this case, Spirit Hunter: NG was not given English voice actors when it was localized over to the West. There are the occasional Japanese soundbites at the beginning of some character dialogue but other than that, it's all relatively silent. Which means that's where we can play!
*Please note that this is a horror-visual novel and the game is rated M for Mature by ESRB. If you are like Seiji Amanome (he's scared of ghosts and squeamish about anything supernatural), you'll most likely might want to pass on this project. The gameplay recordings will show rather dark themes and gruesome art so be prepared for that if you are unfamiliar with the horror genre.*
THE PROCESS:
After the cast is casted, most of our collaborative work will be over Discord. There will be a discord channel created specifically for this project. We the cast will then have a table reading of the script depending on which characters are in those specific set of scenes! The script will be spread out by the days associated in the videogame to keep it all organized (i.e. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc.). The goal of our table reading is to have a gist, a sense, a feeling of what our characters are going through in the context of their circumstances. It's a time for us as actors to have fun, discover, to be challenged, and to play! In so much as it is great that we can practice VO, it is equally if not more awesome that we will most likely become great acquaintances and friends as we collaborate together!
The next step of the process:
After our table reading, you as the actor/actress will have a better idea of how to record your lines after hearing how the other cast members may say their lines in their recordings. I will then go and record the gameplay with the timing of the dialogue accurate to the table read. It won't be perfect but I promise I can get that video out fast enough so that you won't forget what it felt like. You will then record your lines with the timing of that gameplay recording with your own setup. I will set the deadlines as to when I need the lines which will most likely be 2-3 days after. I will go more in detail with how I want your recordings to be at that stage.
MINOR CHARACTERS
There are minor characters in the game such as police officers, salarymen, office workers, etc. that will need to be voiced as well. So if you are cast, please note that you may have to show some of your range in the types of voices you can play too! It'll be fun!
AUDITION REQUIREMENTS:
This will be an unpaid project. However, I am still looking for a quality recording with a good mic that can capture the natural tone of your voice. There should be little to no background noise, reverb, or echo and avoid clipping too much as well. What I am mainly focusing on is how natural you sound and how well you can authentically deliver the lines. No need to do multiple takes. Audition with the best take of the life you can bring to the character! No need to slate either :)
*Lines in parentheses "()" are directions for you and are not meant to be read.*
As this will be a collaborative work, before anything, even if you are the most talented VO artist to have ever existed, your personal character is the most important thing. You must be able to work well with others and take constructive criticism. This work should be fun! But it only takes one party pooper to make it feel miserable. So don't be that person!
CONCLUSION
I forgot to say what my part will be haha I will be voicing Akira Kijima, the main character whom the story revolves around. The amount of lines he has is a ginormous task which will definitely be a challenge for me. I believe this project will actually be a huge challenge for many of us. But I believe if we work hard and get through this together, we will definitely have grown tremendously on the other side! Good luck and I can't wait to hear your auditions :)
UPDATES
*As of 04/12/2021*
The audition lines are TBD as I will have to scour through the game to find some good lines. Definitely keep checking back daily however as some of them will be up!
*As of 04/13/2021*
Update -
All audition lines have been posted.
*As of 05/13/2021*
The cast for episode 1 and I have started the process of voicing the project. The roles that are still open will remain open until the first appearance of the character of the episode they're in. However I will still be listening to auditions! I may even choose to cast someone early because they'd be great for the role. Keep on checking back for updates if you would like to follow this project!
*As of 05/26/2021*
Changed the publishing from non-distributive to publishing on Youtube.
*As of 06/18/2021*
All casting roles have been closed. I will be listening to auditions and reaching out for the roles of Reina, Naomasa, and Rose. Thank you everyone for taking a part in this project!
