Nero
Toph
Posts: 166
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Post by Nero on Oct 18, 2007 1:20:39 GMT -5
I remember Sifu Kisu being a member of the DH boards awhile ago, turns out that a lot of other members were turned off by his bluntness. Hey whatever, he gives all the benders (minus Toph) all their power so for that he gets my eternal respect. I have a question Greg, regarding your role as Splinter in TMNT...how did you get involved and was it a massive coincidence that you just happened to be doing a Mako impression on another project or did working on Avatar help you get the role? I think the sound editors did great mixing in your performance with Mako's. You did a fine job reassuring Leonardo that everything was fine after he came back from his exile and Mako did a fine job saying that he missed him and telling Raphael that his brother was home. One complaint and it's this...when the boys are eating breakfast in the kitchen and Splinter goes to the couch to watch "his stories" and proceeds to say " Cody is going to break up with Donna, I just know it" That was neither you Greg, nor Mako. Who was that? That voice came completely out of nowhere and is never heard throughout the film other than that very scene. It was much deeper and younger sounding. Completely strange. Mako begins by saying "Good Morning my sons" then you take over talking about how you're glad to see the boys together again and this third voice just pops in out of nowhere. I would gladly bet money that it wasn't you Greg or Mako either, just wondering if you could provide an answer on that. I love the art of voice acting and have followed it for years, I remember watching cartoons when I was younger and knowing if a character was voiced by Rob Paulsen, Jim Cummings, Maurice Lamarche, Charlie Adler, Kath Soucie, Frank Welker or Tress Macneille without watching the credits, incidentally these voice actors were the kings and queens back in the 90's. Interestingly you don't hear some of these actors so much anymore as it seems the torch has been passed to Phill Lamarr, Tom Kenny, Tara Strong and Grey DeLisle (especially Grey, it seems as if she has trouble NOT getting work). Well anyway this is the type of stuff I geek out on so more power to you with your Sondheim albums. Speaking of that, here's Mako performing "Someone in a Tree" from Pacific Overtures for those who haven't seen this yet. youtube.com/watch?v=cx6hhy2Dwzw
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tg
FN Toph
The mysterious lurker of Musogato
Posts: 1,684
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Post by tg on Oct 18, 2007 1:29:03 GMT -5
I remember Sifu Kisu being a member of the DH boards awhile ago, turns out that a lot of other members were turned off by his bluntness. Hey whatever, he gives all the benders (minus Toph) all their power so for that he gets my eternal respect. I'm glad to be one of the few who believed he was Sifu. Felt so bad for him. Hope one day he comes back and does all his "peace, cool" endings. Haha. ^^; It was fun talking with him.
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Post by ~*Tea Sage*~ on Oct 18, 2007 8:22:16 GMT -5
Hm...well I hope its not to late...
So Mr. Baldwin, first of I would like to say, its such an honor to have you here on this board, answering everyone's questions.
Okay so my question is: "Based on your opinion, what do you think allows a person to bend? Is it genetics or is it spiritual? For example do you think a person born in the Fire Nation is able to Airbend, if he/she was adopted by the Air Nomads; learned their culture and lived their lifestyle?"
I know its not official, but I'd be nice to hear a response from someone who works closely with the staffs on this series.
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Post by alternatecoppa on Oct 18, 2007 9:46:03 GMT -5
I remember Sifu Kisu being a member of the DH boards awhile ago, turns out that a lot of other members were turned off by his bluntness. Hey whatever, he gives all the benders (minus Toph) all their power so for that he gets my eternal respect. I'm glad to be one of the few who believed he was Sifu. Felt so bad for him. Hope one day he comes back and does all his "peace, cool" endings. Haha. ^^; It was fun talking with him. I don't wish to distract from the fun of this thread, but since it's been brought up I wish to close the discussion on the Sifu Kisu business and will inform everyone that it that was indeed Mr.Kisu who was here last year. Blunt or not, I will state for the record that is was the members back then who where at fault for being the first to start the antagonizing and were completely out of line. I was sorely dissapointed and upset by that display of poor behavior. There was nothing I personally could have done, as that was back when I had just become a member myself and long before I was a Mod and now an Admin. But now that we have the ear of another honored guest, I will make a promise: There will not be a repeat of the past- The staff is watching. So far you've all been very polite, Greg has been extremely gracious, it's been a lot of fun and I'm very proud of you all. Let's keep that up. Okay, now that I've worn my required "stern admin" robes, allow me to hang them up and finish with a request fulfillment... Either way ( a new thread or here) is fine with me. The nice thing about voice-acting is that it doesn't require a huge time commitment. I don't have to hang around a sound stage for fourteen hours...so I have plenty of time to devote to the internet! Someone *cough*'Coppa*cough* needs to make a pic with Iroh at a computer that says "Iroh Loves Teh Internetz!" Well I couldn't find any decent stills to Photo-manip, so I just drew it...
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clearsunrise
Pupil Sokka
Waterbending Admiral of the Zutarian Army
Posts: 5,462
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Post by clearsunrise on Oct 18, 2007 10:27:53 GMT -5
i agree with you, coppa. and that's great artwork . hmmm i can't think of a question yet^^;;.
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Post by SpiritWolf on Oct 18, 2007 10:59:42 GMT -5
Hi Greg! I have question for you. I was wondering how do you get in character to voice the part of Iroh? Do you do any thing special to prepare yourself or do you just walk in and record? EDIT: This is my 100th post !
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Post by iamthenewiroh on Oct 18, 2007 12:09:42 GMT -5
Good morning, all! I've had my coffee (sorry, folks, not tea!) and thought I'd check in before I record a couple of auditions. First of all...everyone...call me Greg. My dad's Mr. Baldwin. Here goes:
1. As far as I know, I don't believe the VO cast has received martial arts training. This is unfortunate...because I could use the exercise! My girth is similar to Iroh's...pre-"Sokka's Master", of course!
2. Voiceover tips? In a nutshell: a) Study acting. Do theatre. Voice acting is ACTING. b) Learn dialects and impressions. c) Live in Los Angeles. d) Have a means of financial support while pursuing voice acting. e) Take animation VO workshops. I've taken from Sue Blu and Ginny McSwain. Both are great!!!
3. Yes, my kids watch "Avatar." Of course, the show's not as cool to them now that their old man's in it.
4. No grandkids. My children are 13 and 14, respectively.
5. My favorite video games are in the "Civilization" mode. I enjoy taking over the world.
6. After I was cast in "Avatar", my agent approached the makers of "TMNT" and got me an audition. Here's hoping they do a sequel! We'll also be approaching the makers of the "Samurai Jack" film.
7. There WAS a third Splinter voice. I especially noted it in the TV spots. Why and who? Beats me. Personally...I thought it sounded a bit like George Takai.
8. I think bending is a combo of genetics AND spirituality.
9. To get into character for Iroh...I utter the first line from "Pacific Overtures." I've been saying it for thirty years. "Nippon. The floating kingdom." Works every time.
And now I'll just volunteer something no one has asked. My favorite voiceover actor working today? Mr. Jeff Bennett. Of course, I'm a bit biased. Jeff and I used to compete against each other in high school speech tournaments. "Benito" (as I call him) usually won because he's one of the most talented actors ever! We went to college together and did Shakespeare in the park back in the early 80's. He was even at my bachelor party in Houston back in '84. Amazingly gifted and just one heck of a nice guy.
My favorite VO actor ever? Paul Frees. Frees had an incredibly flexible voice and could do many, many characters. And yet, there was a distinctive quality to his voice so you always knew it was Paul Frees.
There. My fingers are tired.
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Post by Koikitten on Oct 18, 2007 13:26:42 GMT -5
It is an honor to meet you, Greg! When I realized you were actually the real Greg Baldwin, I pretty much spazzed out.
So, my question, inspired by my two cats, is, do you have any pets?
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Post by iamthenewiroh on Oct 18, 2007 13:36:40 GMT -5
I have:
1. Three dogs (Peewee, Bumpus & Cosmo) 2. Two cats (Mario & Luigi...they're brothers) 3. Two kids (Sydney & Cooper) 4. One wife (Melissa)
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Post by yoshiko on Oct 18, 2007 13:49:39 GMT -5
Mr. Baldwin, sorry if someone asked this question already, but when did you start wanting to be a voice actor?
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Post by unstable on Oct 18, 2007 13:59:08 GMT -5
Greg,
I just wanted to note that I was among the group of people who wasn't immediately aware of Mako's passing...it wasn't until well after your appearances that I found out. I simply wanted to applaud you for keeping Iroh/Mako alive. It would have bothered me to no end to actually notice a big difference in the voices.
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Post by iamthenewiroh on Oct 18, 2007 14:16:12 GMT -5
I wanted to be an actor since I was roughly nine years old. I think I was probably in college when it occurred to me that voice acting might be a good career path.
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Nero
Toph
Posts: 166
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Post by Nero on Oct 18, 2007 14:18:04 GMT -5
And now I'll just volunteer something no one has asked. My favorite voiceover actor working today? Mr. Jeff Bennett. Of course, I'm a bit biased. Jeff and I used to compete against each other in high school speech tournaments. "Benito" (as I call him) usually won because he's one of the most talented actors ever! We went to college together and did Shakespeare in the park back in the early 80's. He was even at my bachelor party in Houston back in '84. Amazingly gifted and just one heck of a nice guy. Yes, Jeff Bennett is a great voice actor and he was involved in several of my favorite cartoons. For those that don't know Jeff is the voice of Johnny Bravo and Jake Long's dad amongst other roles. I remember an old interview with him where he stated that he based the voice of the Narrator on 1995's Earthworm Jim series on that of Monty Python's John Cleese. He's also blessed us with his great Christopher Walken impression on two TV series that I know of, Pinky and The Brain and Dave The Barbarian. He's also been given the privilege of handling voice duties for Foghorn Leghorn and Yosemite Sam. Another actor that I know from the sound of his voice. His higher pitched characters might trip me up sometimes but I'm usually good. P.S. Three voices for Splinter? How unnecessary.
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Post by iamthenewiroh on Oct 18, 2007 14:20:24 GMT -5
Addendum:
I realized that voice acting might be a good career path because I have what they used to call "a face made for radio."
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Nero
Toph
Posts: 166
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Post by Nero on Oct 18, 2007 15:19:17 GMT -5
Ohh the dreaded double post!
Well to try and fix this problem I should add that I also have a voice made for radio...and I actually did some college radio for a number of years. I remember trying to perfect a Bugs Bunny imitation for a whole year just for the heck of it. For those interested, after Mel Blanc died there have been a number of people who have done Bugs' voice.
Jeff Bergman - (the first! made two shorts and was the voice of Bugs on Tiny Toons) Greg Burson - Probably the best imitation of early 40's shorts Bugs Billy West - Not very good, does a much better Elmer Fudd Mendi Segal - The absolute worst Bugs, only used once that I know of. Joe Alaskey - sounds like Mel Blanc as Bugs in his later years. Heard in new Looney Toons shorts and in Back In Action. Pretty much the permanent voice of Daffy.
Speaking of Daffy and to tie it into Avatar, as talented as Dee Bradley Baker is as Momo and Appa he was horrendous as Daffy in Space Jam. Again, wonderfully talented man but understandably only used once as the voice of Daffy Duck.
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