Welcome to the Casting Call for Onmyou Taisenki Episode 2!
If you haven’t seen the previous casting call for this series, then let me introduce myself. I am Soulgig, a hobbyist VA since around the last half of High School. I’ve been involved in many projects, some that have produced content that is still around or has vanished, and some that have not.
Intent
As is stated this is for a fandub of Episode 2 of Onmyou Taisenki around a decade old series. This is a continuation of the first episode casting call, and is intended at this moment to only cover Episode 2.
Qualifications
I’ve been helping with projects over the years. This includes audio mixing/mastering for projects such as Adversaria’s Kubera series, and her Phantom of the Opera fanfic radioplay. This has given me experience in combining and making believable soundscapes with leveled sound to compliment their place in the soundscape. You can also find the video for the first episode linked to in the Completed Works Section
What can you expect after casting?
Anyone cast in a role will receive the following materials: A script with clip reference and time reference for original video, clips of video to compare and match lip flaps to, guidelines for recording and submitting completed lines, pronunciation guide (when needed). I've tried to make the materials as easy to use and to make your job as a VA as easy as possible as I understand the amount of work that goes into giving a great performance.
Expectations for Auditions
For the purpose of auditions you should refer to the impact a character has on an episode by their line amount. The higher the line amount, the higher the standard for auditions rises. This is not to discourage those who feel they don’t have fantastic mics for auditioning. Some USB mics can produce some excellent sound if put into the right conditions. This is to make sure that I can best represent you the actor in the best light. It’s unfair to cast someone in a role where their bad quality (hiss, noise, etc) would earn them the ire of the audience even though their just doing their job since the director cast them. Additional effects such as Noise Cancellation, Equalizer, etc. should not be used in your audition. I have my own audio chain that I use, and having everyone at their base quality makes things much easier to make everyone sound as if their coming from the same place. Especially in the case of Noise Cancellation as this is a destructive process that should only be done in the post-production phase to mitigate the effects.
Tips and Tricks?
This section is not mandatory to the project but will help give you an idea of how to make your audition more presentable and much more likely to be chosen. These are as follow:
1. Keep your distance to the mic around 6 inches away. A good guideline is to make the "hang ten" hand sign or the phone sign. Place this sign with one end touching where the mic is and then position yourself about where the other finger sticks out. Depending on hand size there may be adjustment as you may be closer or farther away from the mic.
2. Try to record your audition volume at around -18 to -9 DB on average with peaks no louder than -3 DB. This allows for a clear strong signal that will require less boosting which can lead to unintended results. After recording just eyeball where the average of your volume tends to hit. At best the median should be in that range.
3. Record in .WAV mono. . As WAV is uncompressed it is more 1:1 to real life allowing for easier subtle manipulation from the post processing side.
4. Give the spark of life! Everyone has unique properties to their voice which I strive to hear. Give me something no one else can match that is "your" unique interpretation.
5. You do NOT have to copy the previous JP VA's or the previous first episode fandub VA’s. it defeats the purpose to bring about a new interpretation of the material which makes this type of hobby fun! If you feel that's the only way you can see it personally than that's fine. Just don't feel pressured to copy someone else's performance.
If you have any questions leave a comment or message me. I am here to help!
