Shadowing Practice: God of War 3 - Sound Actors in studio - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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This recording session for God of War that we're starting today is the culmination of a lot of preparation.
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This is definitely the most complicated session I've ever put together.
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I'm gonna go get a sweatshirt.
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Should come in the other room while we can, huh?
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One of you here and one of you here.
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How close do you need to be?
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Here, just duck under the microphone.
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We need to take a couple minutes to readjust where things are.
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I'm a little nervous about this session, just the number of variables.
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We've got a lot going on.
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Two actors at a time.
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We've got a lot of people gonna be at the session.
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We've got facial capture, we've got teleprompters, we've got all kinds of stuff.
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It's a new studio.
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There's room for error, but I like to think that I've nailed everything down before we got there.
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But I'm definitely.. my breath's coming a little shorter today than it normally does.
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We are moments away.
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What was it, Kratos?
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All I remember is what I have lost.
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That is why you should give me the power.
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I understand its true meaning.
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My character, I like to think of her as she thinks she's doing something good.
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But in reality, she's trying to take over the world.
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Kratos, she is the key to our revenge.
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I trust you to do the right thing, Kratos.
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You shouldn't.
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Kratos, I found out, is a piece of me that I kind of didn't know existed.
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It's kind of a dark side that it really is fun getting a chance to explore.
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I delivered your revenge on Zeus.
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My vengeance ends now.
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I owe you nothing!
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Urgh!
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When you have the other actor in the room, you're able to come up with a rhythm.
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It makes it more real.
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I really, really like it.
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It gives you a chance to play off of what the other person is doing as opposed to doing it by yourself.
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We're getting so much from this performance that we wouldn't normally get.
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I'm totally stoked about it right now.
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You owe me this Kratos!
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I owe you nothing!
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Bravo!
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That's perfect!
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Awesome.
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That was it.
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That was it.
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I knew you'd come back.
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I've never worked with the prompters, and it's really freeing for the actor actor
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because you know you're looking straight ahead instead of always you know face down in the page
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and it's really a cool experience.
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Find the labyrinth!
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AHHHH!
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AHHHH!
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Please!
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Help!
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Kratos!
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One of my favorite things to do is scream.
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I really...
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I like...
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I don't know why.
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Maybe...
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No, I don't know.
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Why?
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I saw Zeus torture my father.
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I just try really a simple approach to it.
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It's bringing those words into your character and actually thinking a thought before it.
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It makes it more real.
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They called me a monster.
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Beautiful.
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Natalie was new.
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We had never worked with her before.
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She was an ace.
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She totally knocked it out of the park.
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Many more variables than a normal voiceover session for a game today.
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And it went very, very well.
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I'm happy with how today turned out.
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Phenomenal.
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Phenom.
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That's all that really matters is Stig is happy.
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And Stig's happy, we're all happy.
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Who is Hercules?
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Well, it was me for seven years on TV, so this is a whole different look.
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I didn't quite have that look.
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I had kind of more gear on it.
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I didn't weigh, you know, 4,000 pounds.
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This guy's like about 12 feet tall.
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They called them labors.
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Ha!
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That was good.
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That was really good.
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Kevin Sorbo was obviously an easy choice because he's Hercules, Not necessarily in terms of the way that he's played Perkins in the past, a little bit of a departure.
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Can we get, but this kind of brother, more seething?
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But this time, brother, this time I will destroy you.
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That's good.
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In this game, he's a much darker brute.
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He's not the brightest light bulb out there, but at the same time, when it comes to war, he's brilliant.
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The direction is more pissed.
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Okay.
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As pissed as you can get.
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The most valuable I can be is to take what the creator of the game has been imagining
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and seeing on paper for a long time and bringing it to life with the voice.
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And trying to find different ways to get to actors to achieve what he wants to do.
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One thing, if you would, Kevin.
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Yeah.
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Take the breath after stables and then you can finish off the phrase.
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Okay.
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The most frustrating thing about doing voiceover is the amount of time you've got to do each line.
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You've got to repeat it, but you've got to also do it in so many different ways, so many different inflections, and you end up losing your voice.
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Have you not killed enough of your family?
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Good.
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That's very good.
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It was a slam dunk.
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He really brought a passion to the character, and he was very professional.
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His voice was kind of running out.
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That's when he gave some of his best stuff.
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Fantastic.
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Beautiful.
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Yay!
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Thank you.
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It wasn't the same Hercules, not even close to it.
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So it was a darker and more sinister person and a more evil person to deal with and play.
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But, you know, from my standpoint, it was a lot of fun.
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It's the latest thing.
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New Day recording.
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Very excited about it.
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Today we're doing Rip Torn and Malcolm McDowell.
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The game's based on Greek mythology.
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This guy's like the Smith God.
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And he's like...
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Always the Vulcan.
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Yes, exactly.
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The Roman name for Hephaestus is Vulcan.
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He's the god of fire and he's a great blacksmith.
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The greatest thing you have on stage is the other actor.
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I don't get extra time for this.
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Thank you.
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They are entertainment and they are movies and you can get involved in it.
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It kind of gives you a semblance of what live theater used to be when you had audience participation.
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Yeah, I kind of look like that.
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Ghost of Sparta.
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It is you.
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Well, well, well.
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I thought Zeus would have killed you by now.
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Oh, what's he doing?
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He's the inventor.
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He also created a labyrinth.
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A labyrinth?
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Wow.
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And where is the golf course?
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It's really cool.
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Eat lunch with Malcolm McDowell, he can't be dead.
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The ice storm, that will give me the power, the power to bring my son back to me.
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Where is my boy?
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That's awesome.
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You bastards! That was awesome.
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That was fabulous.
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We want to protect him with one more, please.
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One more please?
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Oh, we're not gonna go protecting all these tapes, are we?
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Don't tell me we're gonna do two fucking tapes.
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Why don't you just use a bit of proper tape?
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You're gonna...
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Why do we have to do two tapes of everything?
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Well, because we...
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Not for protection?
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Yeah.
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Oh, come on.
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Let's listen to it.
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That's nonsense.
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We're gonna listen to one line and be right with you.
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Okay.
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That's right there.
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You don't mind, right?
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Because it's really...
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If I'm in a jag and it's going, it's going.
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I hear ya.
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Could we do the line to escape it, please?
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Yes.
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One more time.
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Tell me what you need.
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The word catalyst had a little bit of a squirtle to it.
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Okay.
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Okay?
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When you're ready.
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Okay.
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To escape it, we must assemble it.
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Actors are so varied and so different in the way they work,
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and to find what that key in there is and unlock
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that door with them and then be able to play is really a challenge and a kick at the same time.
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He said that if I took the liquid fire and the sling, oh, my boy, oh, my child!
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I actually like that.
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It's different than what we thought.
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Terrific, thank you.
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Vengeance on the king of gods.
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You'll need an army of gods. And weapons.
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Of course, weapons.
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I could build.
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I could use the fire of Hades.
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Wait, please.
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Please, wait.
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Free me.
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Free me from my torture.
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We're good.
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We're good.
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Thank you, Spot.
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Thanks, Barton.
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I say, oh boy.
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I say, squaza.
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We're not used to people coming in here and nailing it so, like, basically knocking it out of the park like this.
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Oh, really?
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We had more time, so.
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Well, no, okay.
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Well, listen, I just thought, oh, my God.
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I thought I had reams and reams and I had to do everything twice.
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I was like, oh, my God.
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If you've got it, you've got it, right?
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Right.
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Yeah, we've got some great stuff.
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Great.
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It's fantastic.
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Terrific.
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Thank you.
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My pleasure.
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To work with Malcolm McDowell and Rip Torn in the same day.
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Pretty wild experience.
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It's fascinating to me too, the different acting styles, because Malcolm McDowell is very much the Royal Shakespeare Company
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and then it comes in word for word like that.
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And Rip Torn is more of the old actor's studio and he's a little bit up and down and nowhere, but out of that comes a gold of its own kind.
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There's an extra level of dimension and texture
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that we got to them That's just through the fact
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that they're they're fucking good actors now that we've gotten the recording part of it down
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My stress level has decreased a great deal now.
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You can have a glass of wine But you are the reason I live in torment.
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He told me he would kill you.
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He can't.
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Perhaps he did allow me to kill the Nemean lion, but he made your name known amongst the people.
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A fierce warrior, a killer made a hero, a man made a god.
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice English listening and speaking skills by engaging with a dynamic recording session from a behind-the-scenes look at a voice acting studio. Focusing on the interactions between actors in a high-stakes environment, you'll enhance your understanding of character emotions, dialogue delivery, and the power of collaborative performance in storytelling. Through this exercise, you will also work on improving your English pronunciation through a technique known as shadow speech. By mimicking the natural rhythms and expressions of the actors, you can develop a more authentic speaking style and increase your confidence in English communication.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Culmination - The highest point of something, often reached after a long period of effort.
- Variables - Factors that can change or vary, which may affect outcomes.
- Facial capture - Technology used to record facial expressions and movements.
- Teleprompters - Devices that display text for speakers, allowing them to engage more naturally.
- Rhythm - A strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound; important in acting to create flow.
- Exploration - The act of investigating or examining in depth.
- Performance - The execution of a piece of art, such as acting or music, especially in front of an audience.
- Vengeance - Revenge; inflicting hurt on someone for an injury or wrong.
Practice Tips
To effectively enhance your English pronunciation and speaking skills, consider implementing shadowspeaking techniques while watching the video. Here are some tailored tips based on the speed and tone of the transcript:
- Begin by listening carefully to short segments of dialogue. Pause after each line and attempt to shadow speak right after the actor finishes speaking. This will help you capture their intonation and emotions.
- Use a slower playback speed if necessary for difficult phrases. This allows you to articulate sounds more accurately and ensure clear pronunciation.
- Pay attention to the rhythm and energy of the conversation. When two actors interact, try to match their energy levels to make your shadow speech more lively and genuine.
- Record yourself as you practice shadow speech. Listen back to identify areas where you can improve your pronunciation and emotional delivery.
- Finally, don't be afraid to experiment with different emotional expressions as you shadow. This will help you understand the depth of the characters and give variety to your speaking practice.
Through consistent practice, you will not only improve your English pronunciation but also develop a more nuanced understanding of conversational dynamics in English-speaking contexts. Embrace the challenge, and enjoy your learning journey!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.