Sara Kestelman

[Azrayel]

Hey kids, yet another "hire x talent!" thread! So, without further adieu...

 

 

 

Hire

Sara Kestelman!

 

 

 

Now being pragmatic here, you might ask "for what role?" and "does she even still do VA for games? It looks like she's only done it twice" to which I reply "it's the point where they can make a role for her" and "it's worth offering to her."

 

Then comes one last question:

 

"Who the hell is Sara Kestelman!"

 

She was Kreia from Knights of the Old Republic II, and she complemented the writing so well as to totally sell the character for me. Obviously this game isn't full VA but even snippets can really make the text come alive when you take what you've heard and apply it to what you read-- oh, and of course, if this game happens to employ a narrator she'd be the best for that as well.

 

For the uninitiated:

 

http://www.youtube.c...ed/RK8ni6Gl3ws

 

 

(don't think this does justice but it's a better overview for those who didn't play the game)

http://www.youtube.c...ed/tDVCHKeM1Uk

 

 

Really, no video can describe Kreia well enough; you can find lots of lengthy posts about her here and across the internet-- and I think a lot of the impression was driven by Kestelman's delivery coupled with the unmatched character writing and creative id Obsidian's got:

 

So why not put the band back together for another go round? Forumites for Kestelman, unite!

Edited December 17, 2012 by Azrayel

[Gorth]

"it's the point where they can make a role for her" and "it's worth offering to her."

 

Amen

 

She was hot in Zardoz, playing against Sean Connery

[Valsuelm]

With all due respect to Sara Kestelman and everyone else who's been suggested or will be to be a voice actor, I'd much prefer to hear new voices than anything familiar from other games. There is a plethora of talent out there.

 

That said, I'd hope the designers upon imagining and fleshing out the characters we'll meet in PE will have imagined a voice for each character they want voiced and then go out and find someone that is best able to act out their ideas. If that means a familiar voice, so be it, but I'm all for unfamiliar. I definitely don't want a high profile actor for the sake of having a high profile actor (ie: Bethesda games).

[Hassat Hunter]

I'm fine with this...

[FlintlockJazz]

I'm sorry but no to this completely, especially the create a role just for her bit, its that kind of utter bull**** that I hate in modern games. No offense, but take it and shove it, thats how strongly I hate shoehorning people into games to appease fanboys, and people like Claudia Black ruins games for me now since she has been overexposed and I immediately recognise it (and thats not a good thing...).

Edited December 17, 2012 by FlintlockJazz

[JFSOCC]

I'm sorry but no to this completely, especially the create a role just for her bit, its that kind of utter bull**** that I hate in modern games. No offense, but take it and shove it, thats how strongly I hate shoehorning people into games to appease fanboys, and people like Claudia Black ruins games for me now since she has been overexposed and I immediately recognise it (and thats not a good thing...).

I'm curious have you played KOTORII? I don't want her in because I'm a fanboi. I want her in because her voice-acting is fantastic and I'm sure she can make any role memorable.

[rjshae]

I'm sure she's fine, but I think I'd rather see character roles be developed then voice actors chosen to fit those roles. Besides, it doesn't sound like there will be much voice acting.

[Karranthain]

I think she'd be perfect as the game's narrator (should it have one, but I think it's fairly likely : http://forums.obsidi...n/#entry1196113).

 

That's what's been proposed in this earlier topic : http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/60371-narrated-sequences-instead-of-cutscenes-lets-use-our-imagination-again/#entry1196013

Edited December 17, 2012 by Karranthain

[Valsuelm]

I think she'd be perfect as the game's narrator (should it have one, but I think it's fairly likely : http://forums.obsidi...n/#entry1196113).

 

That's what's been proposed in this earlier topic : http://forums.obsidi...n/#entry1196013

 

If there's anything I don't want in regards to voice acting, it's a well known narrator. She'd be far less than perfect imo.

 

Baldur's Gate did it right. Great narration by a voice most were unfamiliar with. If any known voice actor was used as the narrator my vote would be for the same guy who did BG.

[jivex5k]

With the limited amount of voice work that's projected to be in this game they should not worry about hiring specific people.

I'd actually prefer this game with absolutely no voice work, but I'm probably the minority.

I just hope I can turn it off in the options.

Even Minsc gets annoying...

Edited December 17, 2012 by jivex5k

[Ieo]

I think she'd be perfect as the game's narrator (should it have one, but I think it's fairly likely : http://forums.obsidi...n/#entry1196113).

 

That's what's been proposed in this earlier topic : http://forums.obsidi...n/#entry1196013

 

If there's anything I don't want in regards to voice acting, it's a well known narrator. She'd be far less than perfect imo.

 

Baldur's Gate did it right. Great narration by a voice most were unfamiliar with. If any known voice actor was used as the narrator my vote would be for the same guy who did BG.

 

I'm less interested in the fame of the narrator (I'm not familiar with the actress herself, actually), though I'd love a rich, female voice with some real gravitas, bearing, stage character. Like how I'd want the original artist for the first Sagani pic to do the rest of the portraits, not that guy who did IWD and a bunch of other games (). Kevin Michael Richardson was great in BG, but the woman narrator in IWD was quite... meh.

 

Even so, managing to get someone like Kestelman due to a tried and true pedigree across different media (including necessarily games) would be far less annoying than some Youtube-fan-artist-cover-of-the-day.

 

So I'll really put my vote in for a deeper-voiced narrator (male or female, but I'd like a great female narrator for once), textured and wizened, with great projection of stage character and such.

 

I'm on a current Richardson kick with BG:EE...

[aVENGER]

Nice idea.

 

Also, as a little throwback to Planescape Torment, how about getting Michael T. Weiss as well?

[GhoulishVisage]

Personally I think that Avellone should throw another one of Ravel's facets into this game.

Build up a sort of meta-plot, sort of like Morrison does in comics and Steven King likes to do in his books.

[Azrayel]

If there's anything I don't want in regards to voice acting, it's a well known narrator. She'd be far less than perfect imo.

 

She's really not famous, though.

 

She's in some old movies, some of which have cult followings in the SF scene-- but she's a Shakespearean specialist who's only done voices for games twice, one an RTS as the helper-lady ("click and drag to select multiple units at once") and t'other Knights of the Old Republic II.

 

They don't need to make a role for her if, as Sawyer seemed to indicate in that linked post, they're getting a narrator.

 

@GhoulishVisage: iSuspect this may come to pass, and if so-- who better to do that than Sara Kestelman? A metaLynk between two of Ravel's facets in the metaPlot.

[Leferd]

Interesting suggestion. I like.

[Darth InSidious]

Kestelman is a great actress with a wonderful voice. She's definitely got the chops to do a first-rate job as the narrator, and it'd be a significant boon for the game to be voice-acted by people of that calibre (if and where possible). Additionally, while her voice is recognisable, it's hardly ubiquitous, and Kestelman has demonstrated in her career enough different characters that it need not be a Kreia-clone.

[Boof]

Sounds like a run of the mill "mature" female voice. Nothing to start a crusade over.

[AGX-17]

Personally I think that Avellone should throw another one of Ravel's facets into this game.

Build up a sort of meta-plot, sort of like Morrison does in comics and Steven King likes to do in his books.

 

That doesn't really work when your "meta-plot" includes licensed content from IPs you have not licensed.

[jivex5k]

I'd like to see Harry Shearer in this game.

[JFSOCC]

Sounds like a run of the mill "mature" female voice. Nothing to start a crusade over.

I don't think she's run of the mill at all, intonation is perfect. she doesn't read the text, she acts it. I've seen far far worse. (Star Wars the old republic MMO was atrocious imo, but then again, I only watched some developer vids)

but then, there's no arguing over taste.

[Azrayel]

Personally I think that Avellone should throw another one of Ravel's facets into this game.

Build up a sort of meta-plot, sort of like Morrison does in comics and Steven King likes to do in his books.

 

That doesn't really work when your "meta-plot" includes licensed content from IPs you have not licensed.

 

The point of having a meta-plot is that it does not require a license and there isn't a solid link, they're really more of common themes-- except rather than using tropes that everyone will find bland and cliche, it's something unique to the creator: a sort of signature style.

 

They don't try to sell parts of the same painting to screw the previous one's owner, they just leave a similar mark-- and considering most "paintings" today look like the same polaroid ad nauseum, I'll take the alternative any day.

 

Sounds like a run of the mill "mature" female voice. Nothing to start a crusade over.

 

Have you played the game?

 

The acting is superb and brings the character alive in so many ways; I'm writing one of my college essays about Kreia, and she's done the same or more for many different characters over the years.

 

 

EDIT: Is there an edit lockout after a set amount of time? Only post in this thread iCan edit is this one. Wanted to add a pole.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Azrayel

[Tale]

Baldur's Gate did it right. Great narration by a voice most were unfamiliar with. If any known voice actor was used as the narrator my vote would be for the same guy who did BG.

Keith Michael Richardson has done far more than Kestelman has. He is remarkably well known now.

[aluminiumtrioxid]

Baldur's Gate did it right. Great narration by a voice most were unfamiliar with. If any known voice actor was used as the narrator my vote would be for the same guy who did BG.

 

I didn't like that guy so much. Just replayed BG2 and was amazed how dramatic and overexaggerated his narration sounded.

 

 

 

 

 

"The great depths of the Underdark stretch before you... and as you adjust to the dim light the reality of where you are begins to sink in. It is a realm of countless legends where evil lurks behind each shadow, and though you have travelled far in pursuit of Irenicus... never have you felt so isolated. As black as your situation may have seemed... it somehow grows darker still."

 

[AGX-17]

Baldur's Gate did it right. Great narration by a voice most were unfamiliar with. If any known voice actor was used as the narrator my vote would be for the same guy who did BG.

 

I didn't like that guy so much. Just replayed BG2 and was amazed how dramatic and overexaggerated his narration sounded.

 

That sounded pretty.... passable and average to me. I assume you meant "melodramatic," which it wasn't at all (it was meant to be dramatic, or are you admitting it succeeded at its purpose?) This is melodramatic acting.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMTizJemHO8

Edited December 18, 2012 by AGX-17

[Azrayel]

That sounded pretty.... passable and average to me. I assume you meant "melodramatic," which it wasn't at all (it was meant to be dramatic, or are you admitting it succeeded at its purpose?) This is melodramatic acting.

 

That actually just sounded like bad audio quality/Acting, not dramatic as much as guys in the office trying to be dramatic 'cause they can't really afford to put out for a V'Actor.

 

 

EDIT:

 

Baldur's Gate did it right. Great narration by a voice most were unfamiliar with. If any known voice actor was used as the narrator my vote would be for the same guy who did BG.

Keith Michael Richardson has done far more than Kestelman has. He is remarkably well known now.

 

He was even Sebastian in Kingdom Hearts II!

Edited December 19, 2012 by Azrayel