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Subject: "unexpected amusements dep't" Archived thread - Read only
 
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Conferences Undocumented Features General Topic #2097
Reading Topic #2097, reply 6
Offsides
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1264 posts
Jul-22-10, 08:11 AM (EDT)
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6. "RE: unexpected amusements dep't"
In response to message #3
 
   >* Or Frank Welker's Megatron. I don't know why his performance
>isn't considered as character-defining as Cullen's Prime, but I've
>never been able to picture that character with any other voice but his
>original G1 surprisingly-high-pitched tenor rasp. Perhaps just
>because it's so not the booming, orotund Central Casting
>Villain Voice you might instinctively expect.

I think it's that, plus the fact that as much as you wouldn't want to hear that voice behind you, it's not quite distinctive enough to make you think 'Big Bad Guy' unless you're rather familiar with the show. Starscream has that "I'm a lunatic and I'm about to kill you!" tone that would make any quasi-sane person's skin crawl, but Megatron doesn't come across quite that strong.

OTOH, Prime's voice is distinctive enough that I'm willing to bet even most non-TF fans would just instinctively know that he was here to help, and that everything would be OK. Megatron and Starscream can be Megatron and Starscream with other voice actors. Optimus Prime just isn't Optimus Prime without the voice of Peter Cullen...

Offsides

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #π
#include <stdsig.h>


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  Subject     Author     Message Date     ID  
 unexpected amusements dep't [View All] Gryphonadmin Jul-21-10 TOP
   RE: unexpected amusements dep't Peter Eng Jul-21-10 1
   RE: unexpected amusements dep't Offsides Jul-21-10 2
      RE: unexpected amusements dep't Gryphonadmin Jul-21-10 3
          RE: unexpected amusements dep't StClair Jul-21-10 4
              RE: unexpected amusements dep't Barricade Jul-22-10 5
         RE: unexpected amusements dep't Offsides Jul-22-10 6
          RE: unexpected amusements dep't Mephronmoderator Jul-22-10 7
              RE: unexpected amusements dep't Offsides Jul-23-10 8
              RE: unexpected amusements dep't Vehrec Aug-04-10 9

Peter Eng
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2045 posts
Jul-21-10, 05:25 PM (EDT)
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1. "RE: unexpected amusements dep't"
In response to message #0
 
   That's good. It's not perfect Soundwave, no, but considering how much you're getting paid for this, it's very good.

Peter Eng
--
Insert humorous comment here.


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Offsides
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1264 posts
Jul-21-10, 06:54 PM (EDT)
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2. "RE: unexpected amusements dep't"
In response to message #0
 
   That's quite impressive, definitely worth giving it a go if you can tolerate it yourself in large quantities. I always enjoy your audiobook versions, and the various sound effects you've started adding only make them even better!

Offsides

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #π
#include <stdsig.h>


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Gryphonadmin
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Jul-21-10, 07:08 PM (EDT)
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3. "RE: unexpected amusements dep't"
In response to message #2
 
   >That's quite impressive, definitely worth giving it a go if you can
>tolerate it yourself in large quantities. I always enjoy your
>audiobook versions, and the various sound effects you've started
>adding only make them even better!

I've been hesitant to do audio versions of anything with prominent Transformers characters in - CR, Mini-Omni 2 - specifically because many of those voices are so closely identified with the characters to those of us who were there for G1, and I'm not so full of myself that I'm going to claim even for a minute that I can sound a thing like Peter Cullen's Optimus Prime or Chris Latta's Starscream*. I write their lines with those voices in mind, and I can give, perhaps, an indication that that's how I was thinking when I read them, but anyone who's actually expecting the characters to sound like themselves is going to be disappointed.

Then again, I had the same problem with Tali in Star-Crossed and that worked out all right.

--G.
* Or Frank Welker's Megatron. I don't know why his performance isn't considered as character-defining as Cullen's Prime, but I've never been able to picture that character with any other voice but his original G1 surprisingly-high-pitched tenor rasp. Perhaps just because it's so not the booming, orotund Central Casting Villain Voice you might instinctively expect. Don't get me wrong, I loved David Kaye's pompous oratory as Megatron in Beast Wars - but that was a different character, as the show itself made plain.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.


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StClair
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831 posts
Jul-21-10, 10:33 PM (EDT)
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4. "RE: unexpected amusements dep't"
In response to message #3
 
   LAST EDITED ON Jul-21-10 AT 10:33 PM (EDT)
 
>* Or Frank Welker's Megatron. I don't know why his performance
>isn't considered as character-defining as Cullen's Prime, but I've
>never been able to picture that character with any other voice but his
>original G1 surprisingly-high-pitched tenor rasp.

Me either.

"Such heroic nonsense."


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Barricade
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Jul-22-10, 05:52 AM (EDT)
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5. "RE: unexpected amusements dep't"
In response to message #4
 
   >>* Or Frank Welker's Megatron. I don't know why his performance
>>isn't considered as character-defining as Cullen's Prime, but I've
>>never been able to picture that character with any other voice but his
>>original G1 surprisingly-high-pitched tenor rasp.

>
>Me either.
>
>"Such heroic nonsense."
Same here.

And while that doesn't sound like Soundwave, that sends actual chills down my back if you used it for Cylons. Use it for them and I'll be climbing up the walls to get away from the speakers. As a kid waaaaaaay back when, I was down in CA and got to see one of the suits from the original series at a publicity show. Sword and all. Needless to say, due to me being a kid at the time, it having the synthesizer in the suit, and I got picked out and given the, 'Are you of the Species 'Man'? Commencing Elimination of Man', spiel, I still have nightmares on occasion. So that's....just about perfect.


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Offsides
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1264 posts
Jul-22-10, 08:11 AM (EDT)
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6. "RE: unexpected amusements dep't"
In response to message #3
 
   >* Or Frank Welker's Megatron. I don't know why his performance
>isn't considered as character-defining as Cullen's Prime, but I've
>never been able to picture that character with any other voice but his
>original G1 surprisingly-high-pitched tenor rasp. Perhaps just
>because it's so not the booming, orotund Central Casting
>Villain Voice you might instinctively expect.

I think it's that, plus the fact that as much as you wouldn't want to hear that voice behind you, it's not quite distinctive enough to make you think 'Big Bad Guy' unless you're rather familiar with the show. Starscream has that "I'm a lunatic and I'm about to kill you!" tone that would make any quasi-sane person's skin crawl, but Megatron doesn't come across quite that strong.

OTOH, Prime's voice is distinctive enough that I'm willing to bet even most non-TF fans would just instinctively know that he was here to help, and that everything would be OK. Megatron and Starscream can be Megatron and Starscream with other voice actors. Optimus Prime just isn't Optimus Prime without the voice of Peter Cullen...

Offsides

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #π
#include <stdsig.h>


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Mephronmoderator
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1895 posts
Jul-22-10, 08:54 PM (EDT)
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7. "RE: unexpected amusements dep't"
In response to message #3
 
   >* Or Frank Welker's Megatron. I don't know why his performance
>isn't considered as character-defining as Cullen's Prime, but I've
>never been able to picture that character with any other voice but his
>original G1 surprisingly-high-pitched tenor rasp. Perhaps just
>because it's so not the booming, orotund Central Casting
>Villain Voice you might instinctively expect. Don't get me wrong, I
>loved David Kaye's pompous oratory as Megatron in Beast Wars -
>but that was a different character, as the show itself made
>plain.

The great thing about Welker's voice as Megatron was that quality, I think. He wasn't pompous and oratory, he wasn't a madman, he was in command and you took his orders and he didn't spend his time pontificating because he had more important things to do like conquer the universe and destroy the Autobots. He hates Optimus Prime, but it wasn't originally a personalized hate, it was the dislike for the enemy commander. And even with that, there were times when Megatron was willing to admit a certain respect for Optimus Prime, or even in one episode of the original TV series (the one with Dr. Archevil and his energy device thing) recognize when Optimus was right about something and make a decision that allowed them to survive because doing so helped (or at least didn't hinder) the Decepticon cause.

Which means that in CR, having him as Megatron's voice makes sense, because he's still ruthless and willing to do what's needed, he's just now at a point where conquest may not be his primary objective.

--
Geoff Depew - Darth Mephron
Haberdasher to Androids, Dark Lord of Sith Tech Support.
"And Remember! Google is your Friend!!"


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Offsides
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1264 posts
Jul-23-10, 11:43 AM (EDT)
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8. "RE: unexpected amusements dep't"
In response to message #7
 
   I never thought about it that way, but in hindsight you're right. Megatron was ruthless, but not because he was insane - he believed he was in the right morally, he was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals, but if someone else could demonstrate that they knew more about a specific thing than he did he was willing to listen to them - as long as they got to the point :)

From what I've seen, the "new" megatron basically has the same MO, it's just that his moral position has changed, which is a bit of a shock to most of the people who knew him before. He also may be a bit more patient, though I doubt he'd be willing to listen to someone ramble on forever without smacking them for it (though he'd probably just growl at them rather than using his fusion cannon :P).

Offsides

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #π
#include <stdsig.h>


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Vehrec
Member since Feb-21-09
86 posts
Aug-04-10, 11:31 AM (EDT)
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9. "RE: unexpected amusements dep't"
In response to message #7
 
   >>* Or Frank Welker's Megatron. I don't know why his performance
>>isn't considered as character-defining as Cullen's Prime, but I've
>>never been able to picture that character with any other voice but his
>>original G1 surprisingly-high-pitched tenor rasp. Perhaps just
>>because it's so not the booming, orotund Central Casting
>>Villain Voice you might instinctively expect. Don't get me wrong, I
>>loved David Kaye's pompous oratory as Megatron in Beast Wars -
>>but that was a different character, as the show itself made
>>plain.

>
>The great thing about Welker's voice as Megatron was that quality, I
>think. He wasn't pompous and oratory, he wasn't a madman, he was in
>command and you took his orders and he didn't spend his time
>pontificating because he had more important things to do like conquer
>the universe and destroy the Autobots. He hates Optimus Prime, but it
>wasn't originally a personalized hate, it was the dislike for the
>enemy commander. And even with that, there were times when Megatron
>was willing to admit a certain respect for Optimus Prime, or even in
>one episode of the original TV series (the one with Dr. Archevil and
>his energy device thing) recognize when Optimus was right about
>something and make a decision that allowed them to survive because
>doing so helped (or at least didn't hinder) the Decepticon cause.
>
>Which means that in CR, having him as Megatron's voice makes sense,
>because he's still ruthless and willing to do what's needed, he's just
>now at a point where conquest may not be his primary objective.
>
>--
>Geoff Depew - Darth Mephron
Speaking of different characters, does anyone have an opinion of Coery Burton's interpretation of the voice for Transformers Animated Megatron? Even killing Starscream barely prompts any sort of rise in his tone, so this comparison seemed app to me. He's smooth and politically suave, but he still has a menacing edge to the voice. Why, you can barely hear the sarcasm when he calls Starscream 'Such a devoted and faithful subject in my time of need.' Different to be sure, but still the same general thrust as the original.

“Navigare Necesse Est”-'Get me out of here!'

Group Captain Konstantin Vehrec


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