Creature & Monster Voice Acting Masterclass

A two-day special masterclass for actors and voice specialists focusing on monster, creature and extreme voice performances for film and video games. Join monster voicing legend Sébastien Croteau from Canada's Monster Factory and vocal health expert, Speech & Language Therapist and Vocal Coach, Karen Esposito for this rare opportunity to explore the art and craft of monster work.

• Vocal health, myth-busting and the art of protecting the voice

• The ins and outs of vocal stunt work

• The practice of vocal stunt work

Sessions run from 10:00 to 18:00 each day.

Day 1

10:00 to 13:00 Intro
Sébastien introduces the world of vocal stunt work and the art of monster and creature sound creation for film and games.

• The art of creature voice acting.

• The reality and challenges of creature voice creation.

• The archetypes and influencing elements of vocal stunt creation.

• The whys, whats and whens of auditioning and preparation.

• The whys, whats and whens of recording.

• Protecting yourself, knowing and standing up for healthy practice

• Introduction to vocal anatomy, sound production, extending vocal range and
  

• Myth-busting vocal health, giving you the technical and scientific truths

13:00 - 14:00 Lunch.

Lunch is provided, sandwiches, fruit, nibbles and sweet surprises. Please do let us know if you are not an omnivore, or if you have any allergies that we need to be aware of.

14:00 - 16:00 Vocal health masterclass

Karen Esposito takes us on a dive deep into the throat and the do’s and don’ts of protecting your voice. In the voice industry there is a minefield of ignorance and misinformation that at best does nothing for your voice, at worst contributes to damaging your voice. Karen is on a mission. We are honoured to have her with us bringing the latest wisdom from the hot press of best health practice. Plus she will share essential advice for educating those who demand a scream too far.

16:00 - 18:00 Technique

This is a fully loaded voice engaged practical training journey with individual exercises and group work, preparing for going deeper on day 2

Day 2 - Getting Practical

10-00 - 11-00 Seb introduces the world of environmental sounds, emotes, walla and grunts.

• Learn about sound types and stress levels

• How to identify sound types

• How to vary them in a performance

• Learn the art of voice layering

• What to discuss with the voice director before a recording session

11:00 - 13:00 Developing technique

Participant will work in the studio with with their voices exploring the expressions of creatures and monsters. You'll learn about creature emotions,  action types, layering and what to expect with vocal style targeted direction used in production. Seb will guide and direct you as you would be directed in production. The session will help you identify and explore your strengths, what you'll need to work on and the tools to go deeper.

13:00 - 14:00 Lunch.
Eat, water, rest

14:00 - 17:30 Practice, feedback, practice, feedback, practice, feedback
This is boot camp in the studio to hone, challenge and stretch you whist learning more about how to protect your voice.
This is yoga for the voice, joy for the soul and monsters for the media.

17:30 - 18:00  Cooldown,  Q&A and wrap.

Who is this workshop for?

• Actors who want to get in deep with the craft of creature work

• Those with extreme vocal talent who want to learn more and how to get into the creature voice world.

Observer tickets
These are places for creature, monster and alien designers who are interested in having their creature sounds explored.

To qualify for an observer spot, you are asked to provide a sonic brief for a creature or a monster. Images and video of your creation in action are most welcome. If you're interested in an observer ticket, just sign up here and we'll reach out to you with further details.

All observer submissions will be covered by a game industry standard confidentiality agreement which will be set up once you sign up. 

Please note the number of participant tickets is limited, they will be on a first come first serve basis so make sure you book early!