The Process

Characterization: An Ancient Force

The bodyguard, the marathon-runner, the behemoth that will never falter to the tiny things that crawl at its feet. An essential skill that should be respected at all time. “Endurance” is what I imagine the Ancient Ones from Lovecraftian horror to embody. These viscous, undulating, omniscient forces who can cast a gigantic shadow over the world. Why not take that same force, and embody it for myself?  For characterization, I understand that my voice is not immediately “strong and gruff,” so instead I hinged off of my ability to do death-metal growls to establish that “colossal strength.” For personal direction, I imagined “Endurance” to be this nihilistic doomsayer seething at the fragility of the person across from them, and scolding them with their own interpretation of tough-love.

Sound Design: The Abyss

Opeth’s “Ghost Reveries” inspired the ambience that I wanted to create for this voice. The contrast between Opeth’s devilishly soothing melodies and Akerfeldt’s guttaral growls was the feeling I wanted to capture for “Endurance.” Rumbling drones, dark swells, distant death rattles to create this void for the skill to live in. For the voice itself, I found that simplicity was going to be the better route to take with this one; a wide reverb and an echo was all I needed to establish the grandness for “Endurance.” The Physique skills, aside from “Shivers,” have the benefit of being the most tangible for me to conceptualize, which in turn, makes the production lightweight.

Conclusion: Act and React

No personal reflection needed for this one; I find that the momentum I’m gaining through this skills helps to keep my imagination fresh. Right now, I feel like I’m holding myself back in some other projects that I want to get done, such as updating my logo, renovating the studio, spending as much time possible with family, etc. It does feel overwhelming in my responsibilities, I won’t lie on that, but taking a couple of hours to produce these voices gives me needed solace.

11 June 2024