Video Game Voice Over and Motion Capture by Jamie Muffett

Jamie trained at Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and with Andrea Toyias of- Blizzard. These fantastic experiences enable him to explore each role deeply and craft a unique, detailed, nuanced and fully realized character each time.

Stella Adler teaches the Stanislavsky method of acting, which encourages actors to draw on their own emotional experiences and apply them to unreal situations. This is extremely valuable when working on video game projects, where almost everything is imagined.

Using the information on the place, mood, physical state, and intention, Jamie realizes the moment in time required in every video game session. The collaboration between director, producer, writer, and talent is critical to delivering the most honest portrayal of a character.

Vocal talent, an understanding of placement, endurance, and consistency are critical when recording video games. It is especially vital when projects can take months or even years to complete. Jamie has proven time and time again that his skills and his voice consistently deliver, even in vocally strenuous sessions and over a long period.

As a successful voice actor, it is crucial to maintain a healthy instrument (voice). As such, Jamie takes vocal health, hydration, and, more broadly, his whole well-being very seriously. Good diet, regular exercise, constant rehydration, and regular maintenance of his voice mean that he is in the best condition to record voiceover at all times.

Recent changes in the industry have meant that every dedicated voice talent needs a professional studio to record from. Jamie is available to work in studios across New York City and Philadelphia, but most often, he records from his state-of-the-art home studio.

Jamie began his career as an audio engineer, so he understands the importance of mic placement, gain staging, and other requirements of recording video game characters. Many roles call for extremely dynamic performances, both in terms of emotional intensity and volume.

Understanding gain and mic placement ensure that Jamie’s studio recordings are on par with any top-tier commercial recording studio. Jamie’s studio is equipped with:

• Source Connect
• IPDTL
• Zoom
• Skype
• Phone
• FaceTime
• BodalgoCall
• Any other VOIP Service

This advanced technology makes connecting and directing Jamie reliable and straightforward and delivers exceptional results. His studio is well equipped, with a range of microphones such as:

• Sennheiser 416
• Gauge U47
• Rode NTG-5
• Shure SM7b
• Aston Origin

And he can accommodate any specific microphone that is required to complete the project. Jamie records through a Universal Audio Apollo interface into Pro Tools on a Mac. He records in an acoustically treated and soundproofed booth. Here is a raw recording of his voice in his studio.

Whether full-body performance capture in a large volume or facial capture, Jamie is experienced in this exciting and ever-evolving skillset. He understands the technology, the physical constraints, and the importance of movement. His experience in eyeline and crew requirements is crucial in delivering performance capture that can be animated and still result in an authentic performance.

The many variations of British vocals cover a vast range of characters and genres. Here are some examples of UK characters found across a wide variety of games:

Cockney: The perfect voice for an orc, goblin, troll, beast. Well known in fantasy genres in video games and movies, this accent and vocal delivery style can range from dark, sinister and evil, to comedic, light-hearted, dumb, or simple-minded sidekick.

RP, Northern UK, London, Midlands: For the brave, honorable, and brutal soldier. An inspirational leader, guard, fighter, hero, knight, or marine. There are many flavors to this kind of role, ranging from a noble hero to a rugged ragtag loner. Think Jon Snow or The Hound from Game of Thrones or Strider/Aragorn in Lord of The Rings. Other actors with this accent are Sean Bean, Jason Statham, Daniel Craig, Tom Hiddleston, and Tom Hardy.

Prince, King: Probably the most common British trope is an aristocrat or someone of nobility. A King, prince, duke, baron, or knight. This could be someone honorable and good, or a character who abuses their power and is vindictive, wicked, or immoral.

Wizard (mage): Wizards are old, wise, powerful in an understated way, and can fall on either side of good or darkness. Their intelligence is cultivated through time and experience, and they often carry a weight of responsibility on their shoulders.

Priest: They can be truly good. However, they are often portrayed as creepy, softly spoken, manipulative, evil, and nefarious.

Regular Folk: These roles cover a large spectrum of the population of any game universe. This can be a villager, farmer, average guy, shopkeeper, engineer, thief, joker, jester, baker, butcher, friend, cousin, or family member. These characters often fill out a world with real people going about their regular life and duties, sometimes involved in the story, other times oblivious to the peril they may be in.

This is far from a comprehensive list of characters and roles that encompass the range of British characters that Jamie regularly portrays. He also delivers accents from other regions and countries, such as Scottish, Irish, and a range of American accents. Contact Jamie to discuss your project!