Questions for Dominic Armato!

[Wicked Mouse]

Not really much to ask, more of a heads up. My first MI game was MI3 and so I my first acquaintance with the Guybrush character was with voice and all and I wouldn't be able to see Guybrush without hearing that voice ever again. The introduction "I'm Guybrush Threepwood. A mighty pirate!" will always stick to my head. And (quite randomly) "I've got five death cards. That can't be good." upon inspecting tarot cards. Apart from Murray's "MWUAHAHAH!" of course.
"You're about as fearsome as a doorstop."
Murray: "Is it a really EVIL-looking doorstop?"
"[sigh] Never mind."
I think it will be hard to swallow Guybrush with a different voice.

Now coming to mind, I do have some things to ask: as in many games next to artists there are writers (quests/story/dialogue). How much improvisation are you, as a voice actor, allowed to have? Are you maybe even free to add jokes/lines on your own or are you tied to the script? And if you were allowed to, would you still remember anything in particular that you added to the dialogues?

[Seether]

Further questions! (yeehhhaaarrrr!)

1. When in the studio recording your lines, do you get to do so in a group with the other voice actors, or is everyone in their own little studio bubble and you have to do your best to make it fit with the how the scene is envisioned?

2-3. Are you the only returning voice actor for Tales of Monkey Island, the current trailer seems to have a different actor for LeChuck than in the past. I suppose I was expecting that since the cast from Curse was brought back together for the update of Secret that naturally that might have transitioned to Tales?

4. Off-MI-topic: Mass Effect! Cool... looking forward to 2 I would assume? Did you get a chance to read either of the two novels based around the game? The first one (Revelation) is a prequel to ME1 and there is a inbetween (Ascension), both of which I have found added to the overall experience.

Thanks again for taking time out of what must be a hectic schedule to answer everyone's questions.

[dumpling321]

okay so my first MI game was CMI and about 5-6 years ago i loaned it to a friend and he lost one of the CD's. THEN, i bought the set with the first 3 monkey island games and loaned them to another friend (only after i beat all three of course)... this was about 3-4 years ago and i still havnt gotten them back yet... meanwhile hes gotten married and is about to pop out his first child. my question is this...

do you think its a hopeless quest to get them back and how would you suggest i go about getting my copies back from him

also have you ever played the simon the sorceror series??

[Dmnkly]

Originally Posted by ZombieAtPlay

In Rocket Power you didn't actually say any words, you just kinda mumbled. Was that easier or harder as an actor?

Unquestionably harder. If you spew gibberish, it just sounds like gibberish. But mumbling something that sounds like actual words but is still completely unintelligible? That's tricky.

Originally Posted by hamzie

Are you going to make your kids play the whole MI series + Tales of MI

Has your wife played the whole series

Despite the loving tableau of family bliss that my children chained to the floor in front of the television, eyes propped open with toothpicks would be, I don't intend to make anybody play anything. But it doesn't appear that my unwillingness to go Clockwork Orange on my kids will be the limiting factor in our household. My two-year-old has already asked to watch the trailer at least 40 times, and my wife -- whose previous gaming experience is pretty much limited to Snood and Bejeweled -- is saying she can't wait to play through them. So it looks like Family Monkey Island night is in the works.

Originally Posted by slayer777

What other acting or voice acting jobs did you do outside of the Monkey Island games?

There's a pretty good list over at the IMDB, which includes such highlights as when I mugged Hector Elizondo (complete with video -- shocking even to me!). Those are the big ones, with plenty of commercial work strewn throughout.

Originally Posted by Guybrush_Threepwood

My name is Bobbin. Are you my mother?

For the right price, I could be.

Originally Posted by Mancomb

Do you own a chicken with a pulley in the middle? If so what uses does it have?

A tasty one.

Originally Posted by Threepwood4Life

Since you did the voice of Largo in that 2002 April fools joke of soundbytes for the fake Monkey Island 5, I was just wondering do you think Largo could make a return in these new adventures and would you actually do the voice as well?

No clue, but I'd love to see Largo return. If he did, though, the chances are almost nil that I'd do the voice, and that April Fools joke certainly wouldn't have any bearing on it ('specially since that wasn't particularly good!).

Originally Posted by JanT

I've read somewhere that there's only one guy who does like half of all Futurama voices, and many times recording episodes meant that the guy was talking by himself. So is voice acting about the ability to change your voice, or can you have a career with only one voice? Is changing your voice and inventing new voices something you can learn, or something that must come naturally?

Billy West. Yeah, he does a bunch for Futurama. Not as many as Seth MacFarlane does for Family Guy / American Dad. But this is what I mean when I say that the people who can really do it are Jedi fricking masters. It was like that watching Tom Kane work on CMI. Okay, Tom, we need an Algerian accountant who runs away to join the circus, is 6'4", barrel0-chested, went to college in Wisconsin and had some dental work done last week. *BAM* Nails it. Of course, there are also people who build long and lucrative careers around doing one thing -- Don LaFontaine (the trailer guy), for example. But there's a common misconception that voiceover is about voice. It is, but only as a starting point. With commercial, it's about your read. Can you sell the product without sounding like you're selling the product. Can you emphasize exactly what needs to be emphasized without sounding like you're pushing. Can you convey the spirit of the product through your voice. With character, it's about... character. Take Mel Blanc. One of the classic masters of character VO. Listen to his characters -- Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam -- their vocal quality is all very, very similar. What distinguishes them is that each one is a distinct character. The ability to bring a character to life -- the ability to act -- is infinitely more important than what that character sounds like. And like anything else, of course you can train and practice and get better at it, but you have to have a certain amount of talent for it to begin with.

Originally Posted by xfinitex

What was the most fun for you this time around, an all new Monkey Island, or recording the audio for Secret?

Toss-up. Honestly. Bringing new life to an old classic or the excitement of exploring completely new territory? Can't be compared.

Originally Posted by ghostgurl

What would you say is your favorite insult from Monkey Island? Aside from the obvious of course.

Uh... which was the obvious, again?

Originally Posted by The Morpher

So Dom, are you doing any other projects, besides Monkey Island, at the moment?

At the moment, no. VO's kind of taken a back seat recently, what with the moving and the kids and all that. I'd intended to kind of sit back for a few years and take a hiatus of sorts before jumping back in, and then Monkey Island suddenly reappeared and blew up that whole plan. Just when I think I'm out...

Originally Posted by Ash735

Quick question, someone already mentioned "Plank of Love" from Monkey Island 3 but there was also a scene cut from the game before the last level, a storyboard exists for this and rumoured is that the script for this scene was done to, some even say that an old promo for Monkey Island 3 briefly shows a clip from this scene. so the question is, what the hell happened to this scene and what really happened, how did Guybrush get on the rollercoaster?

My memory's a little fuzzy, since it would have been... 1996? 1997?... when I recorded this? But I do recall a cutscene featuring Elaine fighting off a skeletal horde while I kind of stand around, twiddling my thumbs, asking if there's anything I can do. She says no, I kind of meander about, and am then somehow shoved into the roller coaster. And that's as much of it as is still stuck in my brain. I remember thinking after the game was released that it really could have used that material, and based on subsequent interviews it sounds like Jonathan and Larry agree. But the budget's the budget and they didn't want to blow it, I believe.

Originally Posted by serweet

1) Are you the reason that Van Helgin says the tenor that used to be in the barbery coast quartet was called Dominic? Do you sing Tenor at all?

Nope. The line was written before I was cast. And if we're going to be pedantic about it (and I am), I'm Dominic... he's Dominique. But yes, I am a tenor and did quite a bit of singing. Not that you'd know it from Guybrush's caterwauling.

Originally Posted by serweet

2) Are you getting tired of these questions (because you better not be ), or are you possibly worried about what may be asked?

Petrified! But game, nonetheless.

Originally Posted by GuyMontague

Like probing questions about your dark past?

What ever happened to your sister anyway? And why have you never been photographed with her suspected killer Donnald Ackart, who shares your birth-date and general description? </sillyness>

My sister? Similarly married, with kid, coding for Jellyvision and -- last I checked -- still alive and well, so I'm a little confused about the whole suspected killer thing.

Besides, Donald looks nothing like me. He has an eyepatch.

Originally Posted by Rokkerinn

do you ever forget yourself in character as guybrush?

I was going to say no, but then I went and used "I" instead of "Guybrush" in describing the missing CMI cutscene above, so there goes that theory.

Originally Posted by Rokkerinn

and furthermore, has the wife ever asked you to play him, like say, in bed? x) don't have to answer the last one, just thought it would be a good followup :P

I'm sure she's relieved.

Originally Posted by xzodia

I enjoyed MI so much I was inspired to make my own adventure game! There's no question that it will contain tributes to the series. Once its further into its development, would you be interested in doing a short dialogue as Guybrush, Dominic? That would be so epic!

Epic, yes! Doable, no. Union = red tape.

Originally Posted by Fury

Have you played ALL the old Scumm games? Or just monkey island?

Not all, but quite a few. Loom, MI, Full Throttle, Sam 'n Max, Grim Fandango (was that not SCUMM?), Indy... maybe another one or two that I'm forgetting.

Originally Posted by Slashmire

Being in a lead designer in a big company that has never really used voice actors, are you stealable and bribable (as in can we beat and strike you with frozen tuna) to make voices for our games it the opportunity ever comes? Or do we need to go all the boring way of contacting your agent, poisoning his food and contacting you because you don't have an agent?

I have nothing in mind, just wondering how easy it is it to communicate with you on those matters?

I like to think I'm very easy to communicate with! And I'll communicate to you that you need to talk to my agent :-) As mentioned above, there's all kinds of red tape involved, and I prefer not to involve myself with it. That's what they're for.

If, however, that frozen tuna is to be found at Tsukiji and you intend to fly and put me up in Tokyo for the beating, I'll be on your doorstep first thing tomorrow morning.

Originally Posted by Seether

2-3. Are you the only returning voice actor for Tales of Monkey Island, the current trailer seems to have a different actor for LeChuck than in the past. I suppose I was expecting that since the cast from Curse was brought back together for the update of Secret that naturally that might have transitioned to Tales?

I know it's a new LeChuck. Earl Boen is apparently happily retired in Hawaii and only working in a very limited fashion. And I know Alexandra Boyd (CMI Elaine) is back. Other than that, I have no clue. I haven't even heard any of the other characters yet. Aside from what's publicly available, of course.

Originally Posted by Seether

4. Off-MI-topic: Mass Effect! Cool... looking forward to 2 I would assume? Did you get a chance to read either of the two novels based around the game? The first one (Revelation) is a prequel to ME1 and there is a inbetween (Ascension), both of which I have found added to the overall experience.

I'll let you know in a month or two. I've really only just started. Too early to have formed any strong opinions yet. And no, I haven't read the novels. I think I've read one book in the last year, and it was The Soul of a Chef.

Originally Posted by dumpling321

do you think its a hopeless quest to get them back and how would you suggest i go about getting my copies back from him

Blackmail. Failing that, car battery.

Originally Posted by dumpling321

also have you ever played the simon the sorceror series??

Can't say that I have!

Hokay, off to bed... back to the studio in the morning, and you don't want Guybrush sounding like he's been on an all-night bender. Well, not unless he has. (Has he? Hmmmmm......)

[Laserkid]

Okay I actually have a question now. xD

Since you're recording episode 2 now (dont worry wont ask you details on WHAT - I work for sprint, I'm familiar with an NDA) and thus have seen a bit of whats there, how much back refferencing have you seen in Guybrush's dialogue (I know from telltale interviews Guybrush looks for Murray in skull piles)? I enjoy these strange continuous things so just curious how that is going in a general sense.

[Bruno83]

aren't you getting tired of everybody kissing your Butt in here?

have fun in the studio!...... .......... :x

[hamzie]

Is your laptop/pc filled with MI themes

Why are we trying so hard just to come up with a question which we never wondered about

[Toothless Gibbon]

Dominic - thanks a bunch for answering these questions, it almost fells like Im talking to GT himself! You definitely brought the character to life for me and I agree that anyone else doing the voice would just not have been the same.

My question is - being a fan of the MI series, does being involved in the production kind of take away some of the fun of actually playing the games for you? In particular, already knowing all the Guybrush dialog...

Do you know the context of lines when you perform them and do you record them in order?

I started making my own fan version of a MI game a few years ago but stopped after realising that even if I finished it, It wouldn't be fun to play as I knew all the secrets!

That being said, if I ever resurrected it, what are your rates?

[Mromson]

Dominic - Have you ever played any of the Metal Gear Solid series games?

[Girlbrushthreepwood]

The Monkey Island Series Is my Fav Games of all time 1# My collection of MI Memorabilia is huge lol And i had the biggest crush on you Dominic when i was younger your voice is amazing and so was your pic... anywho glad that your coming back to do Tales of monkey island and MI Special Edition ...wouldn't be MI without you....You ARE guybrush the way Adam west is batman ...lol no one else could do it... anywho have a good one

Faith

[Vongrove]

Dom, thank you so much for all the advice, and for all the answers to other questions. You have been a real sport about all this. Hope recording goes well... I would have something to say about your demo, but I haven't yet had a chance to listen to it yet

[Dmnkly]

Originally Posted by Laserkid

Since you're recording episode 2 now (dont worry wont ask you details on WHAT - I work for sprint, I'm familiar with an NDA) and thus have seen a bit of whats there, how much back refferencing have you seen in Guybrush's dialogue (I know from telltale interviews Guybrush looks for Murray in skull piles)? I enjoy these strange continuous things so just curious how that is going in a general sense.

My impression is that it's mostly self-contained in a way that means it won't be the least bit confusing for first-timers, but there have already been plenty of sly references -- the type that will silently fly over a newbie's head while giving old-timers a good chuckle.

Originally Posted by Bruno83

aren't you getting tired of everybody kissing your Butt in here?

I'm getting a little tired of it, but my butt's having the time of its life.

Originally Posted by hamzie

Is your laptop/pc filled with MI themes

Not so much. I obsessively save all of the images, movies and sound files I can get my hands on, but I'm not one for flashy themes. If they ever make a Guybrush action figure, though, I'm mounting it on my laptop cover like a hood ornament.

Originally Posted by Toothless Gibbon

My question is - being a fan of the MI series, does being involved in the production kind of take away some of the fun of actually playing the games for you? In particular, already knowing all the Guybrush dialog...

Not really. Even though I'm in almost every single scene and have seen half of the dialogue, you'd be surprised by how inadequate a sense that gives me of what the final game will look like. I haven't seen the environments. I haven't seen all of the characters. I haven't heard any voices other than my own. I've seen my half of the conversations, with a few lead-in lines here and there. I haven't heard the music, I haven't seen the animations, and I don't even know how to solve most of the puzzles. Does reading a brief synopsis of a film and seeing a couple of clips ruin a movie for you? I suppose it might, if shocking plot twists are an important part of it. But more often than not, it just makes you excited to actually see the real thing.

Originally Posted by Toothless Gibbon

Do you know the context of lines when you perform them and do you record them in order?

Context is all-important and I look for as much of it as possible. Lead-in lines, setting the scene -- even how far away I am from the person I'm talking to. It's easy to nail the read if I have a clear picture in my head of exactly what's going on, but getting that picture can be a challenge sometimes. Generally speaking, the director has seen the most recent build of the game and is familiar with all of the scenes and I'm not, so I ask what I think I need to know and then have to trust that s/he will correct me if something about my read is incongruous with the scene.

In terms of recording the lines in order, what's in order? :-) It isn't like a film where every line comes before a specific line and after another. You can visit locations in the order you choose, view and use items at any time, speak to the people you want to speak to, and even choose dialogue options within a conversation. The only thing that's possible to put in order are chunks of dialogue that take place without player interaction, and those are few, far between and generally very short. So interactive scripts are a hodgepodge. The developers try to group things as logically as possible (usually by scene or room) and keep chunks of dialogue intact whenever possible, but you can only do so much. Nature of the work.

Originally Posted by Toothless Gibbon

I started making my own fan version of a MI game a few years ago but stopped after realising that even if I finished it, It wouldn't be fun to play as I knew all the secrets!

That being said, if I ever resurrected it, what are your rates?

Union scale... www.aftra.org :-)

Originally Posted by Mromson

Dominic - Have you ever played any of the Metal Gear Solid series games?

Just Metal Gear Solid on the original PlayStation. I dug it, but not enough to make me a big fan of the series. I was in MGS2, but never quite managed to play it.

If I didn't answer your question, it's probably beacuse I answered it upthread, but I might've missed it -- ask again if I did!

[Tjibbbe]

Originally Posted by Dmnkly

If they ever make a Guybrush action figure, though, I'm mounting it on my laptop cover like a hood ornament.

Well, I've got good news for you, man:



More info: http://www.symbiotestudios.com/blog/?p=1407

[Secret Fawful]

How does it feel to hear your voice coming through Guybrush's lips? A little disconcerting? A little too awesome?

Also, what puzzle in the adventure games you've played has stumped you the most? (Not sure if these have been asked before.)

[Junaid]

Originally Posted by Dmnkly

I was in MGS2, but never quite managed to play it.

Haha funny coincidence, Earl Boen is also in MGS2

[Cybexx]

Dominic,

So great to hear your back as Guybrush, like most Monkey Island fans I had pretty much given up hope on anything new coming out. Replaying CMI at the moment, which might be my favorite game of all time.

Using the hand icon on Golden Elaine cracks me up every time.
"She must weigh a ton! Uh... no offence. Hey, I wonder how many karats she... no, no, bad idea!"

[ZombieAtPlay]

If you spew gibberish, it just sounds like gibberish. But mumbling something that sounds like actual words but is still completely unintelligible? That's tricky.

No voice work on The Sims for you then?

[Arodin]

Hey Dom..
I imagine back in CMI when you were recording the phrase "with the potential for a few more sequels" you didn't think you'd get to do another sequel, give voice to the original, and do a 5 part episodic series! And more (probably)!

Here's a question: supposing LucasArts decides to do a special edition of MI2 in the future (I hope so!), are you prepared to make hooooock, chwwwwwk, swish-swish, and other various spit-related sounds?

[PSUnit]

I don't have a question, but I would like to say it is great to have you back and the series back Dominic.

[Sean A]

Hey dude, I live in Baltimore too! Where are you? (Not exactly; I don't want to be a creep.) (I mean what area are you in...)

I don't know what I mean.