Would There Ever Be a Possibility...? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Nogrod · 04-08-2008, 01:03 PM

To the concerns of Lommy and Eönwë - and anyone else - I'd just want to say the following... Don't raise the level of expectations for yourself too high. This is no Hollywood or BBC production with professional actors, directors, studio conditions or equipment. We are amateurs all of us who have gotten an idea to do something fun together. Right? It would be awesome if we could - come fall - boast that we have indeed made one chapter from the LotR together over seas and continents. And we have had fun with it. And we can remember that thing when we're old in a way "well, then we did this thing back in the early third millenia... now where's that file again... I was soo young back then, just listen to my funny voice..."

I got Matthew's clips finally. I'm afraid most email-providers have a 10MB size limit what comes to attachements so we should start using mp3's indeed. Otherwise the files get too big to be posted. I'm trying to upload the next bigger one to Myspace though. If it works we could share larger files that way later. But just for now let's stick to mp3's (I know I myself said let's try to use wav.-files as they have a better quality but having sent a pile of files recently over this matter I think we need to accept the mp3 format - and it's not that bad compared to the relative differences in the recordinhgs themselves).

I'd advice against meddling with the text, at least in a way of adding things to it. One thing we could and probably should do would be to skip off those narrations which only state "Frodo said" or "said Gandalf" (and there are a lot of those!). When the narration goes like "Bilbo laughed" or "said Elrond Gravely" we should think whether that tone of voice can be acted out clear enough to omit that phrase if that is the only thing that precedes, cuts or follows a speech. But when the narration says fex. "cried Sam, unable to contain himself any longer, and jumping up from the corner..." then the narrator should read that all, also the part "cried Sam".

Legate - and others who have not recorded anything yet: it's pretty much the same what you record now. Take something you like.

The first thing we need to see is, do the equipments work and how they do it? This far we know that Oddwen's equipments work well enough as well as mine (and Lommy & Greenie can use mine as well) and that Matthew has some problems with the technical stuff. I've sent one clip from Matthew to Nerwen for her to see whether she could get better results from it with her dad's stuff.

But there surely is the other dimension as well. It would be useless for me to try a Lobelia just as a technical trial as that would in no case be my character. So keep your favourites coming. After we have a host of them we all have heard we can start to discuss who should take which role.

And we need a narrator as well. I think it would be good if the narrator was someone who speaks English as a mothertongue and has decent equipments because the narrator is the one who has basically the most lines.

About the length then. Oddwen read almost a page and that I think should be the maximum. Matthew has made some takes from almost oneliners to a few sentences. That I think is the minimum.

Regarding the chapter we should try eventually I'd say we should try to choose one which has lots of hobbits and elves in it so that all the females could find characters to themselves - if we are to try female voices as hobbits and elves in the first place; I do think myself it's a good idea as there are so many females compared to males in relation to the roles in the actual books.

Although a chapter with a few orcs as well might do as I could run the female orc-voices through a guitar amplifier with distortion or something... it might sound interesting as well.

Legate of Amon Lanc · 04-08-2008, 02:08 PM

All right. I will have something for you hopefully tomorrow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nogrod

I'd advice against meddling with the text, at least in a way of adding things to it. One thing we could and probably should do would be to skip off those narrations which only state "Frodo said" or "said Gandalf" (and there are a lot of those!). When the narration goes like "Bilbo laughed" or "said Elrond Gravely" we should think whether that tone of voice can be acted out clear enough to omit that phrase if that is the only thing that precedes, cuts or follows a speech. But when the narration says fex. "cried Sam, unable to contain himself any longer, and jumping up from the corner..." then the narrator should read that all, also the part "cried Sam".

Yup, I am sure once we choose the text, we will be confronted with such choices while going through the text itself - unless we really make it totally different and write our own stageplay - and so that will wait once the text is chosen.

Speaking of Orcs, I like very much the Uruk-hai, but not sure if it's everyone's cup of tea...

Or hey, what about the Voice of Saruman? That provides some good dialogues (but that will be quite a challenge to make a convincing Saruman

- and even more convincing Gandalf in the end... Besides, I think MatthewM wanted Boromir there...).

Nogrod · 04-08-2008, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

Speaking of Orcs, I like very much the Uruk-hai, but not sure if it's everyone's cup of tea...

When Greenie comes over tomorrow I'll try to persuade her to try an orc just to see what could be done with the voice.

I also think she's pretty outstanding Gollum as well (I've heard her acting him). So if I can talk her over to try that as well...

MatthewM · 04-08-2008, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

Besides, I think MatthewM wanted Boromir there...).

Indeed!

So, if we can agree that we are looking for a chapter which has speech from Men, elves, and hobbits...perhaps one from Lorien?

A Little Green · 04-09-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nogrod

When Greenie comes over tomorrow I'll try to persuade her to try an orc just to see what could be done with the voice.

I also think she's pretty outstanding Gollum as well (I've heard her acting him). So if I can talk her over to try that as well...

Well, that is done now. We did a discussion of Shagrat and Gorbag and I also did a bit of golluming...

Legate of Amon Lanc · 04-09-2008, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Little Green

Well, that is done now. We did a discussion of Shagrat and Gorbag and I also did a bit of golluming...

Aah, I also thought about Gorbags when I was choosing what to do, but then I left the idea as I presumed we won't be probably doing Orcs anyway... so I picked something "neutral" (Strider). It's not the crown of creation, but now for the basic purposes it should serve well. Hope Nog gets it all right.

Thinlómien · 04-09-2008, 12:56 PM

This is beginning to look better and better...

Quote:

To the concerns of Lommy and Eönwë - and anyone else - I'd just want to say the following... Don't raise the level of expectations for yourself too high. This is no Hollywood or BBC production with professional actors, directors, studio conditions or equipment. We are amateurs all of us who have gotten an idea to do something fun together. Right? It would be awesome if we could - come fall - boast that we have indeed made one chapter from the LotR together over seas and continents. And we have had fun with it. And we can remember that thing when we're old in a way "well, then we did this thing back in the early third millenia... now where's that file again... I was soo young back then, just listen to my funny voice..."

Okay, I agree with this, but I just want to protest a bit. For you can't count me to this category... I don't want to be Frodo because it is against my mental image that Frodo would sound like me and as for Legolas, well, is it too much asked that he would deliver his lines understandably?

If we're doing Lórien, I might reconsider doing Haldir... I like him and I would have great fun with some of his lines. Maybe I must test one day.

Nogrod · 04-09-2008, 03:06 PM

Okay. I should be doing other things than this indeed as I have millions of things pressing on my schedual, but now I have frustrated myself already for almost an hour with MySpace. And I'm really getting annoyed with the site. It seems they only give you a chance to upload videos and pics there and no more audiofiles.

So anyone knows a site where you could upload audiofiles for free? Or any other means of sharing these files without e-mailing them as most e-mail programs seem to have a 10MB limit (the full version of trial-clips this far is 10,5 MB in mp3

)?

I'll send the clips we have so far for everyone who has given me their mail-addresses when I first take my Bilbo out from there. That should make it under 10MB and thence sendable. But in the future we'd need to find another solution.

The contents of the file are:

1. Oddwen's read-out from Many meetings which has been meddled a bit leaving Oddwen the narration and the role of Pippin. Frodo is played by Lommy, Merry is played by Greenie and Gandalf is played by me.

2. Greenie playing Gollum!

3. Greenie playing Shagrat and Nogrod playing Gorbag.

4. Matthew's new takes on Boromir, three short ones.

5. Legate reading Aragorn and hobbits on Weathertop.

6. Nogrod playing Gimli in The Ring Goes South.

And remember, you can get the file by sending me a PM with your e-mail address! And Mac, Rikae, Gwath, Nerwen, Eönwë... and everyone else... I'm waiting for your clips as well!

04-08-2008, 01:03 PM	#1
Nogrod Flame of the Ainulindalë Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wearing rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves in a field behaving as the wind behaves Posts: 9,308	To the concerns of Lommy and Eönwë - and anyone else - I'd just want to say the following... Don't raise the level of expectations for yourself too high. This is no Hollywood or BBC production with professional actors, directors, studio conditions or equipment. We are amateurs all of us who have gotten an idea to do something fun together. Right? It would be awesome if we could - come fall - boast that we have indeed made one chapter from the LotR together over seas and continents. And we have had fun with it. And we can remember that thing when we're old in a way "well, then we did this thing back in the early third millenia... now where's that file again... I was soo young back then, just listen to my funny voice..." I got Matthew's clips finally. I'm afraid most email-providers have a 10MB size limit what comes to attachements so we should start using mp3's indeed. Otherwise the files get too big to be posted. I'm trying to upload the next bigger one to Myspace though. If it works we could share larger files that way later. But just for now let's stick to mp3's (I know I myself said let's try to use wav.-files as they have a better quality but having sent a pile of files recently over this matter I think we need to accept the mp3 format - and it's not that bad compared to the relative differences in the recordinhgs themselves). I'd advice against meddling with the text, at least in a way of adding things to it. One thing we could and probably should do would be to skip off those narrations which only state "Frodo said" or "said Gandalf" (and there are a lot of those!). When the narration goes like "Bilbo laughed" or "said Elrond Gravely" we should think whether that tone of voice can be acted out clear enough to omit that phrase if that is the only thing that precedes, cuts or follows a speech. But when the narration says fex. "cried Sam, unable to contain himself any longer, and jumping up from the corner..." then the narrator should read that all, also the part "cried Sam". Legate - and others who have not recorded anything yet: it's pretty much the same what you record now. Take something you like. The first thing we need to see is, do the equipments work and how they do it? This far we know that Oddwen's equipments work well enough as well as mine (and Lommy & Greenie can use mine as well) and that Matthew has some problems with the technical stuff. I've sent one clip from Matthew to Nerwen for her to see whether she could get better results from it with her dad's stuff. But there surely is the other dimension as well. It would be useless for me to try a Lobelia just as a technical trial as that would in no case be my character. So keep your favourites coming. After we have a host of them we all have heard we can start to discuss who should take which role. And we need a narrator as well. I think it would be good if the narrator was someone who speaks English as a mothertongue and has decent equipments because the narrator is the one who has basically the most lines. About the length then. Oddwen read almost a page and that I think should be the maximum. Matthew has made some takes from almost oneliners to a few sentences. That I think is the minimum. Regarding the chapter we should try eventually I'd say we should try to choose one which has lots of hobbits and elves in it so that all the females could find characters to themselves - if we are to try female voices as hobbits and elves in the first place; I do think myself it's a good idea as there are so many females compared to males in relation to the roles in the actual books. Although a chapter with a few orcs as well might do as I could run the female orc-voices through a guitar amplifier with distortion or something... it might sound interesting as well. __________________ Upon the hearth the fire is red Beneath the roof there is a bed; But not yet weary are our feet... Last edited by Nogrod; 04-08-2008 at 01:08 PM.

04-09-2008, 03:06 PM	#8
Nogrod Flame of the Ainulindalë Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wearing rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves in a field behaving as the wind behaves Posts: 9,308	Okay. I should be doing other things than this indeed as I have millions of things pressing on my schedual, but now I have frustrated myself already for almost an hour with MySpace. And I'm really getting annoyed with the site. It seems they only give you a chance to upload videos and pics there and no more audiofiles. So anyone knows a site where you could upload audiofiles for free? Or any other means of sharing these files without e-mailing them as most e-mail programs seem to have a 10MB limit (the full version of trial-clips this far is 10,5 MB in mp3 )? I'll send the clips we have so far for everyone who has given me their mail-addresses when I first take my Bilbo out from there. That should make it under 10MB and thence sendable. But in the future we'd need to find another solution. The contents of the file are: 1. Oddwen's read-out from Many meetings which has been meddled a bit leaving Oddwen the narration and the role of Pippin. Frodo is played by Lommy, Merry is played by Greenie and Gandalf is played by me. 2. Greenie playing Gollum! 3. Greenie playing Shagrat and Nogrod playing Gorbag. 4. Matthew's new takes on Boromir, three short ones. 5. Legate reading Aragorn and hobbits on Weathertop. 6. Nogrod playing Gimli in The Ring Goes South. And remember, you can get the file by sending me a PM with your e-mail address! And Mac, Rikae, Gwath, Nerwen, Eönwë... and everyone else... I'm waiting for your clips as well! __________________ Upon the hearth the fire is red Beneath the roof there is a bed; But not yet weary are our feet...