Spent another day voicing Gears of War this past week. The game is now in its third incarnation. And the character I am playing has become a Gear (soldier), so I am having fun playing the edgier, bad-ass warrior woman. I know it's not digging ditches, but voicing games is hard work. Four hour sessions in front of the mic, often times screaming, can be tiring work and I'm not playing with anyone - it's all in my imagination, although sometimes I can hear the playback of previous recordings with other characters.
It's interesting how much the work I've been doing in acting class comes into play in this arena. I can't give away what happens in the story of this game, but something that occurs required a particular emotional response from me. I was able to tap into it very quickly, and I know it's because the imagination muscle has gotten so much stronger with my work in class.
This is yet another reminder that daily practice is not only important, it's vital. As Baryshnikov says (I'm paraphrasing), "Three days away from the bar, and it's like starting all over." That is not only true for dancers, it's true for all artists. Do it every day. It really is worth it.
