Author: Wil

Author, actor, producer. On a good day, I am charming as fuck.

another batman interview, and a new preview clip

Posted on 21 January, 2009 By Wil

I did an audio interview with ComicVine all about my episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold which airs – say it with me! – this Friday, January 23rd at 8pm on Cartoon Network.

The interview is here, if you’re interested in hearing me talk.

Also, here’s another cool preview clip, that’s different from the one I put up earlier this week:

Fun fact: there’s a bit where Ted is sort of riding a little chair thing, which bucks him off, and spins him around another robotic thing. I had to do the vocal efforts for that in ADR, and I had to match the “woah, woah … wooooahhh!” stuff to the action on the screen. I don’t know why, but it was insanely difficult to get the sound just right, and match the action correctly. The stuff that you think is going to be hard always ends up being easy, and then it’s stuff like this that you end up feeling like a moron recording, because it takes 14 tries to get it right.
Bonus fun fact: my final line in this clip is my favorite line of the entire episode.

don’t panic!

Posted on 21 January, 2009 By Wil

My friend Chris wrote a very funny and very useful article about dealing with panic attacks. I assume, like he does, that many people reading this are creative nerdy types who are prone to anxiety and worrying (this is where I point to myself, but act like we’re all supposed to pretend I’m not really doing that) so I present it here as a public service, and as a way to introduce you to one of my favorite people in the world:

If you frequent this site I’m going to guess that at one time or another you may have enjoyed the crippling embrace of a panic attack. How could I predict such a thing??? Because people who suffer from anxiety tend to be smarty-pants-creative types, aka NERDISTS. Folks not blessed with the gift of self-awareness don’t really understand the rush of liquid fear that floods the body. They just think we’re being “kooky.” I have a joke in my act about trying to describe the feeling of a full-blown panic attack: “Imagine being F*CKED in the HEART.”

[…]

[After a severe panic attack while in college] a friend of mine pointed out, “Oh yeah, that’s a thing. Lots of people have those.” The sheer knowledge that I wasn’t a freak helped ebb the panic tide for a while but every now and again I’d still get the hilariously familiar, “No…wait…THIS time it’s something fatal.” I’m here to tell you that not only are panic attacks NOT fatal, but I don’t get them anymore. THAT CAN ABSOLUTELY HAPPEN FOR YOU. In this article I’d like to share a few tips that I’ve learned over the years while navigating the anxiety steeplechase.

Chris is hilarious, and if the two of us got together to do a Podcast, it would be awesome. In fact, I’m going to call him now and bug him about doing that. You can follow Chris on Twitter, if you enjoy amusing tweets. He’s @nerdist.

talkin’ teddddd kord (the batman and the beetle) talkin teddddd kord (and workin’ with good people) …

Posted on 20 January, 2009 By Wil

Last week, I did so many interviews for this week’s episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold, I told Anne, “I feel like I’ve reallly accomplished a lot, but I don’t have anything to show for it.”

Well, now I do, because the interviews I did are starting to come online, including this one I did with The World’s Finest:

Now, hopefully you won’t mind if we swing off-topic for a second. Now, this isn’t your first foray into the world of animation. What attracts you to voice-acting?

It’s really hard to do it right, so I feel a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment when I get to work alongside people like Yuri Lowenthal, Lex Lang, Kari Wahlgren, and Diedrich Bader. While some people can be stunt cast for their looks or whatever in on-camera roles, that just doesn’t happen in animated television, because there are so many truly talented people available to do the work. I feel like I’ve really earned a spot in the room with those guys, and that’s just awesome.

It’s also a different type of acting from on-camera, so it presents a unique set of challenges. I didn’t realize how much we rely on subtle facial movements and body language to convey intention and emotion when we perform, and I’ve really enjoyed learning and attempting to perfect doing all of that with just my voice. Also, voice acting isn’t nearly as repetitive as on-camera acting; we don’t have to do things for forty-seven different angles on Batman, so it never gets boring or dull.

There’s also this one with Comic Book Resources:

“As much as I’ve loved all the dark Batman series we’ve had for so long, I love the 1950s style retro look of the show,” Wheaton said of “The Brave and the Bold.” “I have loved Batman forever. My original introduction to Batman was, of course, the Adam West series. And I’m a little embarrassed at how crazy obsessed I was – what’s the Trekkie equivalent of a Batman fan? That was me for the original Tim Burton movie. And I really, really loved all of those comic books.

“But when I had my own kids, as much as I loved Batman – Batman was a little too dark for them. You could kind of show them ‘Superman’ and some other comics, but ‘Batman’ was a little too heavy. What I really love about ‘Brave & The Bold’ and what really excited me about ‘Brave & The Bold’ is that we have this Batman that is still true to who Batman is and is still true to the DC Universe, but it’s just not as dark. Diedrich Bader and I were discussing this when we were working on my episode. He has a five-year-old kid and was really excited that here’s a Batman that a five-year-old can watch. And it’s not watered down. It’s just approached from a slightly different angle.”

If anyone still doubts the level of my Batmania, I will simply reply with 1000 words:

choosing hope over fear

Posted on 20 January, 2009 By Wil

I’m way too busy today to take time out and write the post that I wanted to write about Obama’s inauguration, but I wanted to single out the part of President Obama’s inaugural speech – a classy and necessary repudiation of the Bush years, I thought – that I was hoping to hear:

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

Can we have safety and still respect the rule of law? Yes, we can.

LA Daily: Winter Mute

Posted on 20 January, 2009 By Wil

This week’s LA Daily is called Winter Mute:

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a sentimental guy, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I love my kids more than anything in the world. I would walk through fire for them, or even sit through one of those holiday movies with the talking animals. Which I did when they were little. More than once.

[…]

I walked into the living room, where Nolan was watching TV.

“Hey,” I said. “Do you want to go out front and play frisbee with me?”

“I don’t know,” he said, with a wry smile, “is your Old going to be able to keep up with me?”

“Only one way to find out,” I said.

For the next forty minutes, we ran around in the street together, making spectacular throws and equally spectacular catches.

Okay, one of us did, and the other one was reminded that he’s not in the same great shape that he once was, but the important thing is that both of us genuinely enjoyed each other’s company, as we always do.

As I worked on this column, I was reminded of something I wrote for here in November: “I woke up this morning with searing pain in my left arm and shoulder. It was joined by some pain in my right hip, and even though I’m pretty damn achey today, it’s worth it. I’m not going to be an old man and wish that I’d played less frisbee with my son.”