In-Person Autograph Success with James Arnold Taylor

Date: May 4th, 2012

Event: Star Wars Invasion Dublin III

Venue: CityWest Hotel

On May 4th of last year I attended the Star Wars convention in Ireland known as Invasion Dublin. This was the third Invasion in Dublin and the second I'd attended. And I genuinely have to say, before this event I never thought I'd meet a member of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars cast. It's my favourite TV show, and I never imagined I would one day get to meet one of the voice-actors behind it. However, thanks to Invasion Dublin, that all changed and hopefully at future conventions I'll get to meet more of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars cast. At the time of this event, I wasn't much of an autograph collector, heck I didn't have any autographs whatsoever back then. But once I saw voice-actor James Arnold Taylor was attending this event, I knew I had to make his my first celebrity autograph. Unfortunately James was busy most of the day and so could only start signing a lot of autographs after his "Talking to Myself" show, but it was worth the wait to talk to such a positive person and a overall great person. You can tell he genuinely cares about his fans. I'd actually used up all my money earlier in the day, so one of my friends gave me the money to get James' autograph, but there wasn't enough for a signed picture so I got James to sign the back of a Star Wars: The Clone Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi figure packaging I had bought earlier in the day. The figure had cost me a mere €2 as there were lots of that figure at the stall that was selling it, and James' signature on the packaging cost only €10, which I thought was a pretty good price for a celebrity autograph, considering a lot of autograph prices are way more expensive. So between buying the figure and getting James to sign its packaging, it cost me only €12. A really good deal! Very happy to have met James and definitely would like to meet him again at another convention, there's just nothing negative you can say about him. He's just an all-round nice person and acts the way you'd want celebrities to act around fans. 

Interview with Brian Thomas Smith

Here is my interview with actor Brian Thomas Smith, who's most notable role was as the character Zack Johnson in the comedy show The Big Bang Theory! Read on for the interview!

1. What was it like working with the rest of The Big Bang Theory cast?

A. Working with the cast of the BBT was an amazing experience. Everyone on set was such a professional. From the table read to the live studio audience taping, everyone was always on their A game. I was initially supposed to be a guest star on just one episode, so it really came as a surprise when the cast readily welcomed me. The cast didn't have to be so friendly, especially since I was supposed to be gone in a week. 

I had great conversations with the entire cast. Mayim (Amy Fowler) and I especially bonded because we were both working on our first BBT episode.

They all have a lot of fun on set. There was plenty of Ping Pong breaks and everyone usually eats lunch together. The Director, Mark Cendrowski, keeps the set very relaxed, but we get a lot done and are always ready for producer notes. You can tell everyone is really appreciative of their job.

I would say I was most impressed with Jim Parsons, though. He learns an extensive amount of dialogue every week, and his attention to detail is ridiculous. This is why he wins awards.

2. What was it like being Superman in The Justice League Recombination? Was the costume comfortable and was it designed to specifically suit you?

A. Being Superman was so cool! Not only because he is the coolest super hero, but also because he is the center piece of the Justice League. I just loved how the episode started out with the guys bullying Zack and then ended with all of us bonding after winning the costume contest. 

The wardrobe team is exceptional on set. They had a Superman suit and then custom fit it to my body. It was comfortable, but it was super sweaty. It didn't breathe much. They even used maxi pads in the armpits so I wouldn't sweat through it.

3. How much do you think Zack's dim-witted personality adds to the humour of the show in the episodes he appears in?

A. I have had so many fans tell me that Zack brought a different level of comedy to the show. Zack was a character that even made Penny look smart. In addition, he brought a sense of normalcy to the show. A "guys' guy" type of vibe. Not everybody that watches the show is a brainiac.

4. Do you think we'll see Zack again on the show?

A.  I sure hope Zack makes a come back. Lots of fans always ask when I'm coming back and I tell them hopefully soon. I felt like my character got past the ex-boyfriend stage and became like one of the guys by my fourth episode. So hopefully it will be easier to bring him back.

There is a "Zack is Back on the Big Bang" Fan page on Facebook  Maybe if a lot of people campaign for him to come back I can get back on the show.

5. I hear you'll be attending The Big Bang Theory convention E=MC Geeked in Birmingham, England next year. Are you looking forward to it? Have you been to conventions before?

A. I'm gonna be at the E=MC Geeked convention in Birmingham and I can't wait. Never been to England and it will be fun to see some cast and all of the Big Bang Fans of England. This is my first convention like this so I don't really know what to expect.

Cheers!

-Brian Thomas Smith
To see more check out my website: brianthomassmith.com

Interview with Rich McDonald

Welcome to my interview with actor Rich McDonald, who is best known to me as the actor behind David Mason in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II! Read on for the interview!

1.What instructions were you given before voicing David Mason?

A. The main instruction that was given to me from Dave Anthony was to emphasize the human quality of David Mason. They did not want just another action hero without the depth of emotion. The father-son type of relationship between Woods and David depended on my success in making Davids humanity apparent. 

2. What was the process like in the studio for the motion and facial capture process for David?

A. Well, once you got comfortable wearing your black fuzzy wet suit and spent the time getting the reflective dots put on your face, you had to wake yourself back up again. One can fall asleep in the make-up chair while they are meticulously drawing guidelines and then pasting the dots on, so I needed to jump around a bit to make sure was energized enough for the scenes. But once we got going, it was nothing but pure fun. The ability to create so much of your surrounding with your imagination was such a blast and quite freeing as well. The others actors were amazing and a pleasure to work with, and I was completely immersed in the world of David Mason once the scenes started with these professionals..... intensity, exhilaration, happiness, sadness... All of it came out of that volume(where the scenes were shot.) 

3.  In terms of character development for your character, how important do you think it is that David Mason executes Raul Menendez in the last mission? 

A. I think it's incredibly important that David captures Menendez in order to render him powerless and feel that justice was served. To execute Mendez would only make him a martyr and would allow him to maintain power. 

4. David's character is quite unique in certain aspects: He's the first Call of Duty character to be the son of another playable character, he's the first character that's really been delved into his personal life, including his childhood, story with Menendez, Alex Mason & Frank Woods and hanging out with his friends in the army, as well as being the only main character in Black Ops II who isn't scripted to die at all. How does it feel to be known for voicing a character like this? 

A. I am really honored that I was given the opportunity to play such a high profile character that was also at the forefront of video game character development. Having the emotional depth built into the script as well as having a full character story to work with only made it easier for me to identify with David Mason. The writers were genius in their creation of David's character as nothing felt out of place or unjustified when playing the role. I think the depth of the characters in Black Ops is what makes this game so popular. 

5. How did David's title or nickname "Section" come about? Did the writers come up with it or was it your choice?

A.  The name Section came about as a result of David almost being kicked out of the military... or being given a Section 8 dismissal. The writers did not disclose why he was almost let go, but I chose to play it as a result of David's underlying rage for losing his father unjustly. By 2025 David has learned to control this rage and use it to his advantage. 

6. Based on some of David's quotes, he seems to use phrases you would you expect someone younger to use. An obvious example is "How ya doin'..." when David says that to Alex. Would you say that was intentional by the writers or was it purely coincidental? 

A. Most of what was said was scripted, but there were times when improvisation played through. The other actors were so easy to work with in creating a complete world that improvisation was not uncommon. 

7. What advice would you give to any aspiring actors and voice-actors?

A. I would say to follow your dreams with a driving force that can't be beat down by anyone else. Study and refine your technique and make sure your are making progress within the business. If you don't love it 100% then find another occupation, but if the desire is there, make it happen and be open to direction. 

Interview with James C. Burns

Welcome to my interview with actor James C.Burns, who played and was the voice behind Sergeant Frank Woods from Call of Duty: Black Ops I & II. Read on for the interview!

1.  What was it like working with the rest of the cast on both Black Ops games? And what was it like working with other big-name actors, Gary Oldman as Viktor Reznov, Sam Worthington as Alex Mason etc.?

A.  I mostly worked with Rich MacDonald (Section) who I knew from a movie we did together in 2011, great guy... and Kamar who played Menendez,  both guys were absolute pros and made the whole thing a lot of fun.  Oldman and Worthington only worked as voice-actors, so we never crossed paths...

2. What instructions were you given before voicing Frank Woods?

A.   None really, we'd go over the dialogue, I'd Woods-ify it and then we'd capture the magic on set.  

3. What kind of process did you have to go through in the studio? In regard to the voice-acting as well as the motion and facial capture.

A. I'm not really a voice-actor. The Woods character has always been shot using full performance capture, just like a movie. So I do very little in the VO booth.

Every action scene you see Woods in was shot live in a P-CAP studio in Playa del Rey.

4. I'm sure everyone has opinions on this subject, but I want to hear it directly from you, what did you first think when you saw the 95-year old Frank Woods for the first time?

A. Scared me... looked just like my old man.   I knew what was intended so I was pretty excited for the world to get to know Old Man Woods, he's making a wheelchair badass.

5. Frank Woods has had a good amount of fairly memorable quotes throughout both games. Which would you consider your favourites and/or the most fun to voice?

A. Depends on the day... "You can't kill me,  this is Nam baby and Nurse Batshit, where's my smokes!!"

6. As we all know, Black Ops II has several different endings to the single-player campaign. Which would you consider the most 'official' ending out of all of the possible endings?

A. Woods and the Mason boys all live.

7. Is it true that Woods originally was given a character name called "Frank Barnes", but this was changed to Frank Woods?

A. Yeah, it was the character that we used to developed the Performance capture technology.  That was how I originally got involved, they needed an actor with stunt and weapons training to run the new gear through its paces... they liked me and it stuck.

8. Would you agree that Woods is possibly the most psychologically tortured of the Black Ops series characters? He does have a rough time throughout both games, seeing Bowman killed in Black Ops I, killing Alex Mason which depends on where you shoot Mason in Black Ops II, and also witnessing the death of Jason Mudson by Menendez, not to mention the rough times Woods himself had after the incident with Kravchenko which saw Woods go to two prison camps, and ended up leaving Woods thirsty for revenge against Menendez. Would you agree with this statement?

A. Woods is the worlds greatest optimist. He only sees opportunity and possibility. No situation is hopeless to him, so what appears as an impossible thing to bear for most is really just another day for him... he's a soldier, he takes orders and gets shit done, end of story.  As he ages he gain perspective on the world and his function,  he may beat other people but rarely himself.

9. Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions! Just to wrap things up with a simple one, what advice would you give any aspiring actors and/or voice-actors?

A. Have skill that allows you to make a living and have a life.   Don't expect the craft of acting to bear much financial  fruit for a long long time.