Its a real pleasure to speak to you. I'm really impressed that you have taken the time to answer these questions from everyone even mid-move, which I know is a really stressful time.
My questions are,
1. Who is your favourite (non-main; (ie. not Guybrush, Le Chuck or Elaine)) character in the series?
2. I would be interested to know if there is a particular place, piece of storyline or point in any of the games that you remember resonating with you more than any other? Mine would be Blood island in the 3rd game as the storyline, puzzles, humour and atmosphere are brilliant.
3. Finally is there a particular character you would like to see returned in ToMI?
I apologise if any of these questions have already been asked.
wow, a fan of Xanth? I recently went and won an auction for most of the early books off the ebay...took me right back to when i was a kid reading them.
now the question must be asked, which is your favorite in the series? Ogre, Ogre and Night Mare are tied as my faves.
Actually, I never read the Xanth books. I read all of the Split Infinity books and I think I got about halfway through the Incarnations of Immortality series. At this point, I don’t recall which I enjoyed the most. But I think I read On a Pale Horse a couple of times, so probably that.
If you could make your own MI game, what would be the plot? If you could make your own non-MI game, what would it be? In other words, what, to you, would be the ideal video game?
Hopefully this won’t be construed as a non-answer, but that’s a tricky one. I’m not a writer (not that kind, anyway) and there’s a balance to be struck there. You need to keep the characters fresh, of course, but you also have to be careful not to stray too far or you lose the spirit of the series (in reference to MI, of course). Of course, I’m as curious as the next MI fan about where Ron Gilbert was going with the series. So I suppose in my ideal world, I’d channel his mojo for one game just to see where he was going with that :-)
In terms of non-MI, I’d be less interested in doing a specific story as I would be in doing something – anything – that had some serious emotional depth. We talk about how video games haven’t yet seen their Citizen Kane, and that’s what I’d love to see – something that is playable and enjoyable as a game, but has the kind of artistic and emotional depth that is typically reserved for more traditional media. I feel like there have been some games that have touched on that, but they’re not quite there and I can’t wait for that breakthrough. I just hope it happens before Roger Ebert shuffles off this mortal coil so we can all say “We told you so!”
(Actually, I rather like Ebert. Video games just happen to be one subject about which I think he’s DEAD WRONG. Film was once derided as an unserious spectacle of a medium, too. Give it time.)
3. If you could voice any other videogame/cartoon character, who would it be and why?
Anything for Pixar. Really, anything. I had met with a Disney animation casting director who strongly encouraged me to come out to L.A., and that was one of the reasons I made the move. Unfortunately, that was right about the time when celebrity VO completely took over feature animated film, and that was pretty much the end of that dream. But I can’t say there are any existing characters that I’ve wanted to do. When I hear somebody else’s performance, I kind of feel like that’s theirs now – it doesn’t really occur to me to think, hey, I want to do that instead. Except for Herman Toothrot. But only because I wanted to do him long before Wally Wingert got it.
Five or six, I think, though they’re not currently in my possession. I believe they’re hanging out in a box in my folks’ basement along with my Fiend Folio and all the rest. I actually have a D30 too, though I have no idea why. Probably thought it was cool and figured I’d find a use for it at some point.
Have you ever played any of the computer games? If so, what'd you think? if not, WHY NOT?
You know, I think I played one of the officially licensed games a long, long time ago. I remember it being desert based? Anyway, it didn’t hold my interest. Around that time, I enjoyed World of Xeen a lot more, even though it was kind of D&D Lite.
When you flub a line or cannot seem to envision a specific scene during recording sessions, are you ever afraid that Grossman might subject you to keelhauling behind his private yacht? The thought of him 'flogging the inner children' out of his interns and co-workers frightens the hell out of me, and I don't even work there!
I’ve met Dave just once, when I came into town to record episode one, and I have to say, he doesn’t seem like the keelhauling type. That said, you never know what sort of piratey soul might lurk beneath that mild-mannered exterior. I prefer to do an excellent job and not take my chances.
Yeah I have a question - can you record a sound clip for me that says "SCUMM games dot net. The only website devoted to the continued development of new adventure games"? Your only reward will be that you'll be able to hear yourself talk on a website other than mixnmojo!
hey iam sure you own a Mic^^
can you record the folowing lines from MI2 for me? i realy would like to hear that spoken bye Guybrush himself^^
What, answering 7000 questions isn’t enough? :-)
I keed, I keed. But sadly, setting up the mic and recording all of the requests for lines I get via E-mail wasn’t a realistic use of my time before I had kids, much less now. It’s not that I don’t love! I just barely have enough time to feed and bathe myself as it is.
What do you personally think of the voice-acting lines you have been given throughout the recording sessions of ToMI?
Is it on par with the previous games?
Absolutely. It’s always hard to say until you see it all put together, but so far it’s been really funny in the booth. Suffice it to say I’m not the least bit worried, and I think the potential for superultramegaawesomeness is there.
2. If you could be highly skilled in any field, what profession would you choose apart from voice-acting/cooking and why?
Probably a musician. I sang a lot when I was younger, quite a bit professionally, and I dabbled in various instruments, but I never got to that level where you can just pick up an instrument and do incredible things. That joy of creating music – when it’s on – is just an amazing feeling. I’d love to be able to do that at any time. That’s one of the things that I love about Guitar Freaks / Guitar Hero / Rock Band. It kind of gives you a little bit of that feeling without the years of study and practice. It’s obviously not the same, but it’s a way for people to just pick up a game and have a little bit of that feeling.
3. In Tales of Monkey Island can you tell us or even hint towards something that is new for the series and totally awesome at the same time? If not game related, maybe something voice related?
No, I really can’t. Nobody’s given me the eye of warning or anything like that, but it’s really up to the Telltale guys to decide what gets revealed and when. It’s not my place to spoil whatever surprises they have planned.
1. Have you ever had to edit any lines that didn't sound Guybrush-y enough to you?
Nope. And it’s not really my place to, either. If I thought something was way out of character, I might say something. But I try to be respectful of the writers. I’m not writing – they are. Thankfully, I don’t think it’s ever been an issue.
2. Did you get any say into Guybrush's design for ToMI?
Nope. Nor should I. Again, I’m the voice of the main character, which makes me highly visible (well... you know what I mean), but that’s not my place. The character designers don’t tell me the best way to read the line, and I don’t tell them the best way to draw Guybrush. I just feel lucky to be a part of the process.
Did you ever want to be an actor, instead of just doing voice acting.
Because your imdb file says you once played a Gang kid on Chicago hope:rolleyes:
That’s how I got into VO, actually. When I was a little kid, I wanted to do movies and TV and such, and my parents were good enough to humor me. So I signed up with an agent in Chicago that also had a VO department. I never did much on-camera (that brief bit on Chicago Hope was, believe it or not, one of the highlights of my on-camera career), but the woman who ran the VO department thought I might do well with that, so she snagged me and sent me out on a VO audition. I landed the first commercial I auditioned for, and just kind of went from there. I owe my VO career to her.
Here's my question: do you know why the ™'s aren't vocalised? In my head I've alway heard them out loud and chuckled inwardly at them.
You know, I don’t think we actually discussed it specifically while recording. I think I just read it without the TM, and David (Collins, the voice director for SMI:SE) must’ve been of the same mind. I think somebody else here commented about it, but that’s an instance where something that works in text would just be awkward if voiced. It’s one of the very few places where I didn’t read exactly what was printed on the screen.
How does it feel to have your own wikipedia page? I think someone can know that they've truly made it in this world once they have a wikipedia page to their name.
It’s a little weird. I don’t feel that way about IMDB because it’s a reference tool and that’s what it’s there for. But Wikipedia – somebody had to think I was important enough to merit inclusion, and enough people had to agree so that I wasn’t deleted. It’s flattering. But weird :-)
If I were more mischievous, I’d enlist a small group of people to write all sorts of outlandish things about me – that I’m descended from Mongolian royalty, that my favorite food is dung beetles provencal, that I have two livers – that kind of thing.
(For the record, I am NOT endorsing Wikipedia mischief!)
Q. Any MI-inspired purchases? ex: I loved the tiki lights in CMI so much, I went out and bought some to string around my window.
Sorry for the boring answer, but no, nothing I can think of. Unless you count my ticket to Disneyland before we started recording EMI. Had to ride PotC ten or twelve times to get into the spirit of things.
Though now that you mention it, I do always kind of get a craving for nachos when I play CMI.
Checking some of your answers it looks like you travelled quite a bit or atleast would like to. So my question is have you ever heard of Finland or know where it is If not you should check Finland or Sweden or Norway out, great nature and if you dont like cold and snow you can come around in summer and enjoy Laplands night where sun doesent go down.
Finland? Why, it’s the country where I’d quite like to be! Its mountains so lofty, its treetops so tall. I have it on good authority that Finland has it all!
do you like how the characters in Monkey Island have evolved over the past few games?
I do! As mentioned upthread, it’s a tricky balance to strike – letting them progress a little bit without straying too far from what makes Monkey Island Monkey Island. I think the various writers have done a good job of keeping the characters in the right place as they age and move on.
[*]If voice acting did not work out for you, and you had to pursue a different job, what job would you do? (and don’t even mention “flooring inspector”!)
Similar, but not the same question as above, so a different answer. I’d try to get a cookbook published. I was actually talking to a publisher at one point a few years ago, before the move to Baltimore and kids and everything else. I intend to get back to it at some point. I’d love to cook in a professional kitchen somewhere, but that ship has sailed. It’s brutal work with even more brutal hours. I can’t fathom how people who work in that business raise families.
[*]Do you have any other form of employment? Or is voice acting your only form of income?
I wish VO were my only source of income :-)
Nah, as mentioned earlier, the people who make a real living on VO are very few and very far between. For most people – myself included – it’s a side gig. My family has a packaging business in Chicago and I work full-time for them. I just do it at night.
Have you ever considered doing something like writing a screenplay, or a novel, or making an animated short, or an indie film, or a radio play, or even a video game? Your food blog is a success, so what might your next project be?
Screenplay, a little maybe, but not seriously. I’d like to do more with the blog and, as mentioned above, write a cookbook someday. But that’ll probably have to wait until the wee ones get a bit less wee.
Have you ever cooked something you were really proud of that your kid wouldn't touch? and if no, do you have some other food/kid anecdote to share?
Not so much. Thankfully, my son (my daughter’s food is still being exclusively produced by my wife) is a pretty adventurous eater. There’s very little that he rejects, and if he does, it’s only temporary. If he doesn’t eat it this week, he probably will next week. He’s already tried and enjoyed more unusual bits and critters than most people I know (beef heart, guinea pig, tongue, tendon, rabbit – some other stuff I’m sure I’m forgetting), and he handles spicy food better than my wife. For Father’s Day, my wife just got me a book, written by a chef I believe, that’s all about him trying to raise a kid with an adventurous palate. Couldn’t be more appropriate. I don’t want to be one of those freaky people who wants to force things on him and treat his diet like some kind of status symbol. If he decides to subsist on peanut butter and spaghetti-o’s, that fine. It’s just that I love this stuff, and it’d be nice to be able to share it with him as he grows up.
Also on the list. But while I used to leave the country 10-12 times per year (mostly work), it’s now been two years since I last busted out the passport. It’s killing me. So at the rate I’m going, hopefully Sweden will still be there by the time I get around to visiting it. Geologically speaking, I mean.
Would you find it awkward if I saw you on the street, and I proceeded to fall foward at your feet and yell at the top of my voice "YOU ARE GOD!" and then asked you to say "I'm selling these fine leather jackets"?
Probably. But I’m willing to deal with it if you’re willing to commit to that degree.
Hi Dominic, allow me to profess my undying love for you. I emailed you once via your website but you're a busy guy and I doubt that you've seen it...
The backlog is deep. Or maybe my junk filter caught it. Either way, I apologize. I try to respond in detail to everything I get, and I think I mostly succeed. Just usually a lot later than is reasonable :-)
Great to have you back as our pantalooned pal! Just wondering, if you got the part of any other character (like largo) in the series, would you take it?
Does having worked on the MI games ruin the playing experience for you in any way? Do you think it would be more fun to play them completely blind like us landlubbers?
Not at all. As mentioned upthread, I’ve seen a lot less of the game than you guys think. It’s practically new to me, even after having recorded it. So really, I get the best of both worlds by working on it.
Do you have a good recipe for grog? Preferably one that doesn't contain pepperoni or battery acid. Or would that be Near-grog? Either way, do you have a recipe for either?
Probably a musician. I sang a lot when I was younger, quite a bit professionally, and I dabbled in various instruments, but I never got to that level where you can just pick up an instrument and do incredible things. That joy of creating music – when it’s on – is just an amazing feeling. I’d love to be able to do that at any time. That’s one of the things that I love about Guitar Freaks / Guitar Hero / Rock Band. It kind of gives you a little bit of that feeling without the years of study and practice. It’s obviously not the same, but it’s a way for people to just pick up a game and have a little bit of that feeling.
Well, Dom, this is a present for you, from a musician.
The actual true to form recipe for grog is half rum (strong), half water (weak), a pinch of cinnamon (sweet), and a splash of lemon (sour). It was used to raise morale and help fight off scurvy, all while keeping the elements in 'balance'.
Edit: Ratios are wrong, looks like it's 4 parts water to 1 part rum.
You know, I never got into the Sierra games. Never played Space Quest. Tried King's Quest and didn't get very far, because without the humor I just didn't enjoy it. And Leisure Suit Larry just wasn't doing it for me. As mentioned, I loved the original Gabriel Knight. Was that Sierra?
Hi there Dominic!
First of all, let me congratulate you on your great work, it's great having you (and Guybrush) back.
I couldn't help but notice this remark, where you say that you have never played Space Quest.
I've been a SQ fan for as many years as a MI one, and always thought that Guybrush was the "medieval version" of Roger Wilco.
Bearing this in mind, I came only to ask you that when (and if) possible, please do play Space Quest and give us your feedback on it.
I think you will have a helluva surprise with Roger Wilco.
Also, I would love to see you voice-acting for Wilco, even if just for fun! (Space Quest 7 maybe? How about it Telltale?)
Have a great one mattey! (And yes, Gabriel Knight is Sierra).
Hey Mr. Armato, how about an inside-the-recording booth insight question?
You've mentioned that getting actors together in the same recording booth is expensive. My question is, why is it expensive? I mean, wouldn't it just be Actor 1 says lines, stop, actor 2, who's next to actor 1, says their lines. Also, I could be wrong, but didn't they have the voice actors together in the same booth in Monsters Inc.? (Also, keep applying to Pixar. I swear, after they're done with Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 they're gonna want a pirate movie and I'd love to expose your brilliance to my more mainstream friends. And I haven't even played one one of your games yet.)
Hey Mr. Armato, how about an inside-the-recording booth insight question?
You've mentioned that getting actors together in the same recording booth is expensive. My question is, why is it expensive? I mean, wouldn't it just be Actor 1 says lines, stop, actor 2, who's next to actor 1, says their lines. Also, I could be wrong, but didn't they have the voice actors together in the same booth in Monsters Inc.? (Also, keep applying to Pixar. I swear, after they're done with Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 they're gonna want a pirate movie and I'd love to expose your brilliance to my more mainstream friends. And I haven't even played one one of your games yet.)
Man a Pixar made Monkey Island film would be awesome.
Nope. I actually had a really hard time reading that for the game. Four syllable words with the emphasis on the third syllable don't make for good startled exclamations.
Hey Mr. Armato, how about an inside-the-recording booth insight question?
You've mentioned that getting actors together in the same recording booth is expensive. My question is, why is it expensive? I mean, wouldn't it just be Actor 1 says lines, stop, actor 2, who's next to actor 1, says their lines. Also, I could be wrong, but didn't they have the voice actors together in the same booth in Monsters Inc.?
Sure they did, but you're talking about two completely different formats. Monsters, Inc. had a $115 million dollar budget, and the script was probably about 90-120 pages long with tons of dead space and visual notes. Not to mention which, it's all celebrity, and those guys aren't being paid by time. They're getting X million to do the job, however long it takes.
With television, you probably have actors who are being paid by the session rather than a flat fee (or more of them, anyway), but it's still a bigger budget (though not nearly so much as film), and an even shorter script. You can blow through an episode in not much more time than it will take to air. So basically, you pay each actor for one session regardless of whether you record them together or separately.
But to do that for an adventure game? First, the scripts are much, much bigger. Think of how much time you spend listening to dialogue in a Monkey Island playthrough, and how that compares to watching a film or a TV episode. Then consider that if everybody is in the room at once, you're not only paying them for the time it takes them to read their lines, but for the time it takes everybody else to read their lines as well. If there's, say, 120 hours worth of recording time needed for the dialogue (I did roughly 80 for each of the MI games) and you break everybody up, you're paying for roughly 120 hours worth of VO work (not exactly because of the session structure, but bear with me). But if there are ten actors in the game and you put them all in the same room, you're paying for 1200 hours worth of VO work. Then consider that most adventure game budgets (especially today) are a tiny fraction of budgets for film or TV, and I think you'll see why it just isn't done except in very limited circumstances, or sometimes with rare blockbuster games that have huge budgets (but even then, I think they're selective about how they use people together).
It's not quite that simple, of course. I'm just throwing numbers out there for demonstrative purposes. But hopefully that helps to explain.
Dom, you asked what characters reminded us of Guybrush, right?
I honestly can't think of any apart from maybe Zach Braff from Scrubs. I think it's the naivety, though I can't really explain it.
I guess maybe that's why people like Guybrush so much? Because he's quite harmless, yet is sarcastic and not nerdy. Quite an anachronism when you think about it :P
silverwolfpet ROFLMFAO! That's right up there with Majus' 5-minute recap of SMI
For some reason, the internet connection at this hotel is terrible so I'll take a look when I can actually stream it.
If you make a huge scene at reception, screaming things like "I AM A CHEF AND A FAMOUS ACTOR - I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS CRAP" (referring to the internet connection) you will most likely get a refund or free room service.
Just go and make a huge scene. Start threatening legal action etc. You might just get somewhere.
hey dom, sorry if this was already asked but is stan going to be in just one or all of the episodes? (if the monkey island gods have let you know this bit of information)
SMI:SE, by a nose. Darragh over at LucasArts actually located me through Facebook, I was in SF just a few weeks later, and it was during that week that I found out about Telltale's new material. After a very, very long layoff, it was a sudden abundance of monkeys.
Ok then, tell me...what does it take to be Dominic Armato's friend on Facebook?
Dom, you mentioned you drink Diet Pepsi. But what do you think of Pepsi Max? Being a Diet drinker myself, people keep nagging me to drink Max, but I can't stand the stuff...
For some reason, the internet connection at this hotel is terrible so I'll take a look when I can actually stream it.
You have to, because he made awesome-tribute!
Sorry, I still can’t think of any cool question. But thanks, for the nice kind words about my Monkey Island Flash Movie, I was flabbergasted (he he, funny word.)
Sorry, I still can’t think of any cool question. But thanks, for the nice kind words about my Monkey Island Flash Movie, I was flabbergasted (he he, funny word.)
Majus, it was pure genius! Any chance we'll see MI2, CMI, and EMI anytime soon? (In English, please...for me?)
Majus, it was pure genius! Any chance we'll see MI2, CMI, and EMI anytime soon? (In English, please...for me?)
Seconded! I loved the flash movie also! I saw it a few months ago
Thirded :-)
Sorry for off-topic.
BTW in re: Guybrushesque characters. I always think of Harry Palmer (when played in the movies by Michael Caine) as a kind of grown-up Guybrush if you get what I mean. He's sort of got the harmless charm about him, is very sarcastic, and his criminal ways aren't much of a surprise given what a klepto Guybrush is. Not a game or TV character, but I always see Joe from Joe and Monkey as being a bit like Guybrush, just a bit more of a loser :P
hey dom, first off, the voice of guybrush wouldnt be authentic if it wasnt for you, my question is, i am from the uk and my birthday is on july 4th, would i be classed as a god if i visited the usa on my birthday? lol
Comments
Its a real pleasure to speak to you. I'm really impressed that you have taken the time to answer these questions from everyone even mid-move, which I know is a really stressful time.
My questions are,
1. Who is your favourite (non-main; (ie. not Guybrush, Le Chuck or Elaine)) character in the series?
2. I would be interested to know if there is a particular place, piece of storyline or point in any of the games that you remember resonating with you more than any other? Mine would be Blood island in the 3rd game as the storyline, puzzles, humour and atmosphere are brilliant.
3. Finally is there a particular character you would like to see returned in ToMI?
I apologise if any of these questions have already been asked.
Many thanks in advance
Hey Dom, no worries. Trust us, as your fans, we understand! Take your time.
Seriously, slow down people.
Hope the move is goin well.
1. If you could live on any Island in the MI world which would it be?
2. What is your overall feeling of Monkey Kombat on EMI, did you find it irritating as most people did?
3. If there was a MI spin-off who do you think should be in the main role instead of Guybrush?
Dom, just wanted you to know that I am glad they got you back as Guybrush, I seriously dun think anyone else will fit the role better than you.
IF there's gonna be more than 5 episodes of tales of MI, please do stay on to voice Guybrush
Keep up the good work!! And appreciate the effort to mingle with us mere mortals!
The 5-second 'songs' that Guybrush sings on Plunder Island in Curse of Monkey Island. I downloaded them from here: http://www.worldofmi.com/features/download/wavs/
And yes, they really are on my iPod. Because I am a sad Dominic/Guybrush/MI fangirl
No problem, it's fantastic that you're willing to do this!
I'm just happy to be here
Actually, I never read the Xanth books. I read all of the Split Infinity books and I think I got about halfway through the Incarnations of Immortality series. At this point, I don’t recall which I enjoyed the most. But I think I read On a Pale Horse a couple of times, so probably that.
Hopefully this won’t be construed as a non-answer, but that’s a tricky one. I’m not a writer (not that kind, anyway) and there’s a balance to be struck there. You need to keep the characters fresh, of course, but you also have to be careful not to stray too far or you lose the spirit of the series (in reference to MI, of course). Of course, I’m as curious as the next MI fan about where Ron Gilbert was going with the series. So I suppose in my ideal world, I’d channel his mojo for one game just to see where he was going with that :-)
In terms of non-MI, I’d be less interested in doing a specific story as I would be in doing something – anything – that had some serious emotional depth. We talk about how video games haven’t yet seen their Citizen Kane, and that’s what I’d love to see – something that is playable and enjoyable as a game, but has the kind of artistic and emotional depth that is typically reserved for more traditional media. I feel like there have been some games that have touched on that, but they’re not quite there and I can’t wait for that breakthrough. I just hope it happens before Roger Ebert shuffles off this mortal coil so we can all say “We told you so!”
(Actually, I rather like Ebert. Video games just happen to be one subject about which I think he’s DEAD WRONG. Film was once derided as an unserious spectacle of a medium, too. Give it time.)
Anything for Pixar. Really, anything. I had met with a Disney animation casting director who strongly encouraged me to come out to L.A., and that was one of the reasons I made the move. Unfortunately, that was right about the time when celebrity VO completely took over feature animated film, and that was pretty much the end of that dream. But I can’t say there are any existing characters that I’ve wanted to do. When I hear somebody else’s performance, I kind of feel like that’s theirs now – it doesn’t really occur to me to think, hey, I want to do that instead. Except for Herman Toothrot. But only because I wanted to do him long before Wally Wingert got it.
My wife’s parents. Rest of the family is chilling with grandma and grandpa while I transfer our worldly possessions to Boston.
Oh, gosh... it’s been a REALLY long time. The last time I played was probably circa ’86 or ’87. But I vaguely recall being partial to rangers.
Five or six, I think, though they’re not currently in my possession. I believe they’re hanging out in a box in my folks’ basement along with my Fiend Folio and all the rest. I actually have a D30 too, though I have no idea why. Probably thought it was cool and figured I’d find a use for it at some point.
You know, I think I played one of the officially licensed games a long, long time ago. I remember it being desert based? Anyway, it didn’t hold my interest. Around that time, I enjoyed World of Xeen a lot more, even though it was kind of D&D Lite.
Does acting count? :-)
Aye! Though my piratespeak is embarrassingly rudimentary. I need some practice. I try to make it a habit to swig a mug of grog, though.
Eh, un po, purtroppo :-)
Ack! Mi dispiace!
Unless you count multiple callbacks, no, but they totally should. I’m not sure whether that puts me at an advantage or a disadvantage, though.
I’ve met Dave just once, when I came into town to record episode one, and I have to say, he doesn’t seem like the keelhauling type. That said, you never know what sort of piratey soul might lurk beneath that mild-mannered exterior. I prefer to do an excellent job and not take my chances.
What, answering 7000 questions isn’t enough? :-)
I keed, I keed. But sadly, setting up the mic and recording all of the requests for lines I get via E-mail wasn’t a realistic use of my time before I had kids, much less now. It’s not that I don’t love! I just barely have enough time to feed and bathe myself as it is.
I was starting to think it might be by the time I got around to answering questions again, but sadly, no.
(Hurry up, July)
Absolutely. It’s always hard to say until you see it all put together, but so far it’s been really funny in the booth. Suffice it to say I’m not the least bit worried, and I think the potential for superultramegaawesomeness is there.
You gotta go with your gut on that one. Either way, I’m in. Expect some weird looks if you go for the hug, though.
Gosh... can’t really think of any offhand. But I’m curious myself... can I throw this one back at the crowd?
Probably a musician. I sang a lot when I was younger, quite a bit professionally, and I dabbled in various instruments, but I never got to that level where you can just pick up an instrument and do incredible things. That joy of creating music – when it’s on – is just an amazing feeling. I’d love to be able to do that at any time. That’s one of the things that I love about Guitar Freaks / Guitar Hero / Rock Band. It kind of gives you a little bit of that feeling without the years of study and practice. It’s obviously not the same, but it’s a way for people to just pick up a game and have a little bit of that feeling.
No, I really can’t. Nobody’s given me the eye of warning or anything like that, but it’s really up to the Telltale guys to decide what gets revealed and when. It’s not my place to spoil whatever surprises they have planned.
Something on Ace of Cakes, I’m sure.
Probably my wedding cake. My wife’s sister’s was bigger (and tastier, actually).
I really need to play Portal.
Nope. And it’s not really my place to, either. If I thought something was way out of character, I might say something. But I try to be respectful of the writers. I’m not writing – they are. Thankfully, I don’t think it’s ever been an issue.
Nope. Nor should I. Again, I’m the voice of the main character, which makes me highly visible (well... you know what I mean), but that’s not my place. The character designers don’t tell me the best way to read the line, and I don’t tell them the best way to draw Guybrush. I just feel lucky to be a part of the process.
Five!
Depends. Did I pass? (I’m long overdue for a LeChuck’s Revenge playthrough.
That’s how I got into VO, actually. When I was a little kid, I wanted to do movies and TV and such, and my parents were good enough to humor me. So I signed up with an agent in Chicago that also had a VO department. I never did much on-camera (that brief bit on Chicago Hope was, believe it or not, one of the highlights of my on-camera career), but the woman who ran the VO department thought I might do well with that, so she snagged me and sent me out on a VO audition. I landed the first commercial I auditioned for, and just kind of went from there. I owe my VO career to her.
You know, I don’t think we actually discussed it specifically while recording. I think I just read it without the TM, and David (Collins, the voice director for SMI:SE) must’ve been of the same mind. I think somebody else here commented about it, but that’s an instance where something that works in text would just be awkward if voiced. It’s one of the very few places where I didn’t read exactly what was printed on the screen.
Dom, Dominic... I don’t consciously hear the difference. I also answer to “hey you”.
It’s a little weird. I don’t feel that way about IMDB because it’s a reference tool and that’s what it’s there for. But Wikipedia – somebody had to think I was important enough to merit inclusion, and enough people had to agree so that I wasn’t deleted. It’s flattering. But weird :-)
If I were more mischievous, I’d enlist a small group of people to write all sorts of outlandish things about me – that I’m descended from Mongolian royalty, that my favorite food is dung beetles provencal, that I have two livers – that kind of thing.
(For the record, I am NOT endorsing Wikipedia mischief!)
Sorry for the boring answer, but no, nothing I can think of. Unless you count my ticket to Disneyland before we started recording EMI. Had to ride PotC ten or twelve times to get into the spirit of things.
Though now that you mention it, I do always kind of get a craving for nachos when I play CMI.
Finland? Why, it’s the country where I’d quite like to be! Its mountains so lofty, its treetops so tall. I have it on good authority that Finland has it all!
(With apologies to Michael Palin)
I do! As mentioned upthread, it’s a tricky balance to strike – letting them progress a little bit without straying too far from what makes Monkey Island Monkey Island. I think the various writers have done a good job of keeping the characters in the right place as they age and move on.
Similar, but not the same question as above, so a different answer. I’d try to get a cookbook published. I was actually talking to a publisher at one point a few years ago, before the move to Baltimore and kids and everything else. I intend to get back to it at some point. I’d love to cook in a professional kitchen somewhere, but that ship has sailed. It’s brutal work with even more brutal hours. I can’t fathom how people who work in that business raise families.
I wish VO were my only source of income :-)
Nah, as mentioned earlier, the people who make a real living on VO are very few and very far between. For most people – myself included – it’s a side gig. My family has a packaging business in Chicago and I work full-time for them. I just do it at night.
In VO? Probably David Pasquesi. He’s awesome, he actually makes a living at VO, and he spends a lot of time in Italy.
In general? Um... wow... what does it say that I can’t think of anything?
My chef’s knife.
I thought I was supposed to be selling them to you!
Screenplay, a little maybe, but not seriously. I’d like to do more with the blog and, as mentioned above, write a cookbook someday. But that’ll probably have to wait until the wee ones get a bit less wee.
Not so much. Thankfully, my son (my daughter’s food is still being exclusively produced by my wife) is a pretty adventurous eater. There’s very little that he rejects, and if he does, it’s only temporary. If he doesn’t eat it this week, he probably will next week. He’s already tried and enjoyed more unusual bits and critters than most people I know (beef heart, guinea pig, tongue, tendon, rabbit – some other stuff I’m sure I’m forgetting), and he handles spicy food better than my wife. For Father’s Day, my wife just got me a book, written by a chef I believe, that’s all about him trying to raise a kid with an adventurous palate. Couldn’t be more appropriate. I don’t want to be one of those freaky people who wants to force things on him and treat his diet like some kind of status symbol. If he decides to subsist on peanut butter and spaghetti-o’s, that fine. It’s just that I love this stuff, and it’d be nice to be able to share it with him as he grows up.
Also on the list. But while I used to leave the country 10-12 times per year (mostly work), it’s now been two years since I last busted out the passport. It’s killing me. So at the rate I’m going, hopefully Sweden will still be there by the time I get around to visiting it. Geologically speaking, I mean.
Probably. But I’m willing to deal with it if you’re willing to commit to that degree.
The backlog is deep. Or maybe my junk filter caught it. Either way, I apologize. I try to respond in detail to everything I get, and I think I mostly succeed. Just usually a lot later than is reasonable :-)
If they’d have me :-)
As far as what should be included, really, that’s for the writers. It’s not my thing.
Without hesitation!
Not at all. As mentioned upthread, I’ve seen a lot less of the game than you guys think. It’s practically new to me, even after having recorded it. So really, I get the best of both worlds by working on it.
Dunno. But they probably both came from Jon Stewart.
Huh? Is that where the whole cake thing comes from?
You need to play Portal
Thanks.
2. Water It Down A Lot
3. Drink
you can also add things like cinnamon and cloves and sugar and lemon to make it taste better
Well, Dom, this is a present for you, from a musician.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sXsfSySaIE
Edit: Ratios are wrong, looks like it's 4 parts water to 1 part rum.
It's where the whole "The cake is a lie." thing comes from. I was just referencing Guybrush's line, and Dominic's love of food.
Hi there Dominic!
First of all, let me congratulate you on your great work, it's great having you (and Guybrush) back.
I couldn't help but notice this remark, where you say that you have never played Space Quest.
I've been a SQ fan for as many years as a MI one, and always thought that Guybrush was the "medieval version" of Roger Wilco.
Bearing this in mind, I came only to ask you that when (and if) possible, please do play Space Quest and give us your feedback on it.
I think you will have a helluva surprise with Roger Wilco.
Also, I would love to see you voice-acting for Wilco, even if just for fun! (Space Quest 7 maybe? How about it Telltale?)
Have a great one mattey! (And yes, Gabriel Knight is Sierra).
You've mentioned that getting actors together in the same recording booth is expensive. My question is, why is it expensive? I mean, wouldn't it just be Actor 1 says lines, stop, actor 2, who's next to actor 1, says their lines. Also, I could be wrong, but didn't they have the voice actors together in the same booth in Monsters Inc.? (Also, keep applying to Pixar. I swear, after they're done with Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 they're gonna want a pirate movie and I'd love to expose your brilliance to my more mainstream friends. And I haven't even played one one of your games yet.)
Man a Pixar made Monkey Island film would be awesome.
Haha! That was pretty great!!
It is an honour to join this discussion - remember, I have the name of the Mysts'O'Thyme
:-)
Nope. I actually had a really hard time reading that for the game. Four syllable words with the emphasis on the third syllable don't make for good startled exclamations.
Sure they did, but you're talking about two completely different formats. Monsters, Inc. had a $115 million dollar budget, and the script was probably about 90-120 pages long with tons of dead space and visual notes. Not to mention which, it's all celebrity, and those guys aren't being paid by time. They're getting X million to do the job, however long it takes.
With television, you probably have actors who are being paid by the session rather than a flat fee (or more of them, anyway), but it's still a bigger budget (though not nearly so much as film), and an even shorter script. You can blow through an episode in not much more time than it will take to air. So basically, you pay each actor for one session regardless of whether you record them together or separately.
But to do that for an adventure game? First, the scripts are much, much bigger. Think of how much time you spend listening to dialogue in a Monkey Island playthrough, and how that compares to watching a film or a TV episode. Then consider that if everybody is in the room at once, you're not only paying them for the time it takes them to read their lines, but for the time it takes everybody else to read their lines as well. If there's, say, 120 hours worth of recording time needed for the dialogue (I did roughly 80 for each of the MI games) and you break everybody up, you're paying for roughly 120 hours worth of VO work (not exactly because of the session structure, but bear with me). But if there are ten actors in the game and you put them all in the same room, you're paying for 1200 hours worth of VO work. Then consider that most adventure game budgets (especially today) are a tiny fraction of budgets for film or TV, and I think you'll see why it just isn't done except in very limited circumstances, or sometimes with rare blockbuster games that have huge budgets (but even then, I think they're selective about how they use people together).
It's not quite that simple, of course. I'm just throwing numbers out there for demonstrative purposes. But hopefully that helps to explain.
Thanks Dom!
I honestly can't think of any apart from maybe Zach Braff from Scrubs. I think it's the naivety, though I can't really explain it.
I guess maybe that's why people like Guybrush so much? Because he's quite harmless, yet is sarcastic and not nerdy. Quite an anachronism when you think about it :P
silverwolfpet ROFLMFAO! That's right up there with Majus' 5-minute recap of SMI
If you make a huge scene at reception, screaming things like "I AM A CHEF AND A FAMOUS ACTOR - I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS CRAP" (referring to the internet connection) you will most likely get a refund or free room service.
Just go and make a huge scene. Start threatening legal action etc. You might just get somewhere.
No prob.
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Wow, thank you! It means a lot to me!
Ok then, tell me...what does it take to be Dominic Armato's friend on Facebook?
Sorry, I still can’t think of any cool question. But thanks, for the nice kind words about my Monkey Island Flash Movie, I was flabbergasted (he he, funny word.)
Majus, it was pure genius! Any chance we'll see MI2, CMI, and EMI anytime soon? (In English, please...for me?)
Seconded! I loved the flash movie also! I saw it a few months ago
Thirded :-)
Sorry for off-topic.
BTW in re: Guybrushesque characters. I always think of Harry Palmer (when played in the movies by Michael Caine) as a kind of grown-up Guybrush if you get what I mean. He's sort of got the harmless charm about him, is very sarcastic, and his criminal ways aren't much of a surprise given what a klepto Guybrush is. Not a game or TV character, but I always see Joe from Joe and Monkey as being a bit like Guybrush, just a bit more of a loser :P