Specific Events - Sailor Moon continuation
When we have obtained a new responsibility, we might do some homework as preparation for completing the task at hand. It may be days or weeks in advance. However, in Stocker’s case, the cast and everyone else involved in the recording would not get the scripts or any of the video footage until…wait for it…right before they started recording. I kid you not. “Two or three days at the most for the scripts, and sometimes the other elements arrived at the studio well after our sessions were supposed to begin.” In another words, there isn’t much preparation time. “We often recorded lines we’d never seen till 5 minutes before we started work.”
With his first experience, he had to have taken something away for future directing gigs. In regards to Sailor Moon, not only was this something new for Stocker, but it was a new experience for everyone else as well. “We were used to performing what we call ‘original voice’ tracks, whereby the dialogue is recorded first and then those tracks are animated.” In regards to what he took with him for other anime directing roles, it gave him “an advantage when it came time to be in the running as the voice director for Medabots, Pandalian and the original Beyblade series.”
So the experience helped him with anime, but how about a non-anime series? He said, “nothing specific, other than the fact that work is work and experience is experience. If you’re having a good time, doing what you love and being paid for it, how can there be a down side?”
Specific Events - Beyblade V-Force
Earlier Stocker mentioned Beyblade. For this TV series he was both the director AND a cast member. This probably involved some juggling, yes? How did he balance his time going from directing to voicing? He told me that it was fairly simple. “Since each performer was recorded separately, I usually scheduled my lines for the end of the day. I was in and out in 15 minutes.” Quickness!
Alright, it’s one thing if you are voice acting and following the director’s instructions. It's another if you are a cast member to what you are directing! Since he was THE director, who took his place while he was voicing his character? Was there even someone? Na-da. It was still completely his responsibility. In regards to the performance, he directed himself. “It wasn’t difficult. With the small role I had (Mr. Tate), it was really pretty easy.” However, the engineer was there to monitor his lip-synchronization.
© 2014 Linda Thai
Photography by Linda Thai
Stay tune for Part 7 of the John Stocker interview
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