Behind Studio Doors : The Incredible Hulk Voice Over Sessions
June 17, 2008
While most people are going to the theatres to see Edward Norton and Liv Tyler, they’re going to hear the growling, groaning and grunting voice of the Incredible Hulk.
What they don’t know, however, is that getting the perfect sound for the hulking protagonist was a complicated process of casting, assigning voice acting roles based upon the Hulk’s emotions and also some sound engineering magic in post production that could possibly include lions roars mixed in with the human voices as they make what one Hulk voice actor said “unearthly” sounds.
The Incredible Hulk voice acting is a shared effort between four male voice actors, one of whom is actor J.D. Hall, a veteran actor and voice actor who provided the beastly side of The Incredible Hulk, creating the deep, primal growls, groans and grunts that present themselves in times of struggle and combat.
During the sessions, the voice actors drank tea, had lozenges and throat sprays on hand to help them get through their intense yet rewarding voice over sessions.
J.D. Hall relayed, “I drank a lot tea and tried to protect my voice as much as I could. It’s difficult to make those sounds even when you’re supporting with your diaphragm. We had tea, throat lozenges and throat sprays, too. At the end of the day, none of those really prevented the sore throats.”
The most important thing, Hall confided, was that voice actors need to know their limits and respect their instrument while giving it their best effort to deliver on what their client is looking for in the performance.
Hall urged, “Know your limits and don’t push it. You don’t want to do permanent damage to your voice. You want to please the client without causing injury to your voice which is a hard compromise to make because you need your voice for other roles that may come up shortly after the job you’re presently recording. You have to be wise and know your limits. Most importantly, know when to speak up if you’re uncomfortable. Ask the director to tell you what you want and have them say it early on in your experimentation. If they can catch you a couple of seconds in to a growl and it’s not the right sound, they can cut you off early and help you to save your energy for the sound they are looking for. Be aware of your voice, limitations and be in communication with people you are working with.”
Source: VOX Daily
That was a nice article. Good and accurate comments from actor J.D. Hall. There is mention of a shared effort of four male voice actors who worked on the Hulk. The other three are Fred Tatasciore, JB Blanc, and Jonathan Lipow. The voice over sessions also included providing the vocal effects for The Abomination as well.