Here there be voices
I’m in production on Candle Arc since I have (most of the) dialogue recorded! Yes, I paid the voice actors, who are terrific. :) More when I have more progress on my end. I’m at 44 seconds out of 5 minutes, so I need more quality time with my iPad + ToonSquid!
My graduate program confirmed that they “only” want orchestral music from me, so I’m permited to pay professionals for e.g. voiceover. (I can’t act. :p)
For the curious, the (approximate) process.
Preproduction: script, concepts and designs, storyboards: done.
Production:
record dialogue: animation is done to the timing of the dialogue.
process dialogue: Effects like de-essers (to make the “s” sounds less “hissy”) or reverb, editing takes, finalizing the timing.
animatic: a “slideshow” version of the animation. Doing this digitally means it’s trivial to extend or shorten individual “slideshow” frames until it feels right! You can see a proof of concept at the website.
Jedao, clearly salty about being half-drawn! pencil test: Animation, but “just” the lines. Because this is self-funded student indie DIY, I will leave the animation here rather than going to cel shading.
Post-production:
editing and compositing in a video editing app.
sound design and effects after the picture is locked.
scoring after the rest of the picture is locked. This includes spotting, i.e. determining the major “hit points” in the visuals to be addressed by the score (including “LET’S NOT HAVE MUSIC IN THIS BIT”).
mixing/mastering: The dialogue, SFX, and score have to cohere. A lot of mixing is set up in composition and arrangement, e.g. if you have a soliloquy by a soprano actor, don’t score a bunch of flutes and violins in the same frequency range.
In other news: my forthcoming novel CODE AND CODEX has a release date! US release (Saga Press) October 27, 2026; UK release (Solaris Books) February 25, 2027.
Also resumed digital painting now that my large-format printer is fixed and I can make 11”x17” prints again! Probably selling them on casual mode via a local game store. :3
Yours in calendrical heresy,
Yoon Ha Lee [yoon@yoonhalee.com]
Candle Arc - big space battles, small atrocities