PROJECT A [Working Title]- Indie Horror Game
Ed Su for Michael Carson
Michael Carson is a hardware store owner and family man whose stable life has been fractured by the death of his son Ethan. His voice recordings, suggested by his therapist, document his struggle to hold his family together while dealing with mounting concerns about his daughter Emily's increasingly disturbing behavior.
Key Vocal Characteristics:
- Natural speaking register: Middle-baritone, worn but warm
- Speech pattern: Starts composed but gradually unravels
- Emotional range: From forced calm to barely contained panic
- Notable traits: Voice cracks when overwhelmed, nervous throat-clearing
Performance Notes:
- Voice should carry underlying exhaustion and grief
- Maintain subtle tension, like someone trying to keep composure
- Use breathing patterns to convey growing anxiety
- Natural hesitations and self-corrections (these are personal recordings)
- Progress from controlled distress to increasing desperation
The recordings should feel like therapy sessions where Michael is desperately trying to maintain his grip on reality while documenting his concerns, creating an intimate portrait of a father watching his world slowly unravel.
- english
- videogame
- all american accents
- male young adult
- male senior
- video game
[The click of a recording button is heard. A moment of silence follows, accompanied by the sound of someone settling into a creaking chair] [Michael’s voice is soft, tired. Occasionally, the sound of a glass being placed on a table can be heard] [Long sigh] ... God, I don’t even know how to start this... [pause] Dr. Marshall insists this will be therapeutic, but honestly... [bitter laugh] I feel ridiculous talking to a machine. [The sound of pages shuffling] It’s... [pause] 11:42 at night. Laura is already asleep—or at least pretending to be. Emily too, I guess... though lately, I’m not sure of anything with her.
[A restrained sob is heard] The doctor says I should destroy these tapes eventually, when I’m ‘better’... [humorless laugh] Better? How is anyone supposed to get better after...? [pause] [The sound of a fist gently hitting the table] The Ashfield River... [his voice hardens] We used to take them there in the summer. Ethan loved that place. And now... [shaky breath] now I can’t even look at the water without...
"Lately, everything makes me nervous. Laura says I need to see a new doctor, that I haven’t been the same since Ethan. But there’s something more. Something I haven’t told anyone..." [His voice lowers, becoming more intimate] "The dreams. I keep dreaming about the Ashfield River. I see Ethan. But not how he was... how they found him. In the dream, he’s standing in the water, staring at me, and his eyes..." [He takes a deep breath] "His eyes are just like Emily’s were when I found her in her room. And not just that—there was a symbol... there was a symbol on the floor. But... it didn’t feel bad. At least, I didn’t feel threatened. I felt..." [The sound of wood creaking, footsteps upstairs] "Ah... Emily’s upstairs right now. I can hear her walking around in her room."
