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Dear Sailor Moon Fan,
Thanks so much for your interest in Sailor Moon. I appreciate
your patience with my taking so long to get back to you. We received
a monumental number of letters for the show and the actors - more
than anyone expected. That, combined with my other work and family
obligations, has prevented me from responding sooner. So, now,
I'm yours, and I will make every effort to answer your most frequently
asked questions. And for this task, I summon "Moon, Prism,
Power!!!"
Is that your real voice? Do you sound like Sailor Moon?
Not exactly. I certainly don't sound like Sailor Moon on a daily
basis. My natural voice is a bit lower and hopefully more mature.
However, I am capable of hitting those somewhat hysterical upper
register notes under the right circumstances. But not quite that
high. Not that wacky. Not often… hmmmm.
How do you do the voice?
I usually approach voice work from intellectual, emotional, and
physical/technical points of view.
Intellectually, it made sense to me that Serena/Sailor Moon is
a girl as well as an emerging young woman. Thus, she still has
a girlish voice and goes through numerous different emotions on
a moment to moment basis. Yet, as a teenager (and superhero) she
still shows moments of great strength and maturity.
On the emotional front, when I started working on the voice of
Sailor Moon/Serena, I wanted to find her sense of humour, emotionalism,
and great spirit. I was able to find her sense of humour by being
willing to laugh at myself. I brought in a number of 'vocalisms'
that slip out of my own mouth whenever I "goof up".
I exaggerated these sounds, and tried them as Serena. Since Serena/Sailor
Moon is a bit klutzy at times, these quirky little sounds seemed
to really work for her.
I also wanted to explore Serena/Sailor Moon's strong emotional
life. She definitely goes through a roller coaster of emotions
in each show. Thus I used the full extent of my lower and upper
registers. However, I mostly utilized my upper register with Serena/Sailor
Moon. These higher and sometimes warbly sounds seemed to underline
Serena's occasional feelings of helplessness and hysteria. I also
called on my own emotional experiences to find those serious moments
when Serena is facing her own fears and sorrows.
Alternately, when Serena becomes Sailor Moon and faces her own
challenges, she becomes empowered. For these moments, I really
tried to create a strong, powerful sound that soared. For those
empowered Sailor Moon moments or 'battle cries', I did the following:
physically, I would plant my feet in front of the microphone,
take a deep breath, support my breath with my diaphragm, and think
about empowering myself to 'fight the negaverse'. I also raised
my arm in Sailor Moon's gesture and imagined my own spirit soaring.
On the physical/technical front, I have studied voice work and
singing for years. I also studied dance extensively, which I believe
contributes to my voice work, even indirectly. For Serena/Sailor
Moon, I tried a few different vocal techniques, but for all of
them, I used a great deal of physicality. For example, I 'acted
out' almost every scene- simulated the impact of jumping when
she jumped, contracted my stomach muscles to create the effect
of being 'punched' in the stomach when Sailor Moon was winded,
running when she ran etc.
Does creating Sailor Moon's voice hurt?
On those days when I taped three or more shows in a row, I must
admit my voice did tire. As much as I warmed up before taping,
and tried to use my voice correctly, this was a very demanding
role. With Sailor Moon's many 'battle cries', it was a challenge
not to hurt my voice.
How do they dub the voices when the mouths don't move right in
the cartoon?
This is an interesting question with a complex answer. The series,
Sailor Moon, is dubbed, as opposed to being original animation.
In original animation, the actors are given a script, and record
the lines before the animation has been drawn. A 'rough' version
of the audio portion of the show is then completed, and the animators
draw the movements of the characters to match the voices. This
is challenging in that the actor doesn't have as much visual information
to work with (i.e. how the character moves, what the surrounding
circumstances are etc.) However, original animation also gives
an actor great leeway and flexibility in creating something very
original. With this technique, the actor also does not have to
match his or her voice with a pre-drawn character.
However, when an animated series has been created in another
language, and is then dubbed into a second or third language,
the actor's job becomes challenging in a different way. The actor
still tries to stay true to the story on the screen, while giving
a fresh, original twist to the character's voice. This can be
tougher when the actor must match the existing visual images.
What is even harder, is, as you guessed, matching the movement
of the character's mouth.
There are at least a couple of dubbing techniques I'm familiar
with. The first involves the actor and voice director paying close
attention to the movement of the character's voice. The engineer
rewinds the tape, and the actor tries to record the voice while
matching his/her vowels with the character's vowels, as well as
the consonants with the character's consonants etc. This is tough
and very time consuming.
Another technique, which was devised to make this process easier,
utilizes a tool called the 'rhythmo band'. This is a multi-step
process. First, the script is translated (in this case, from Japanese
to English). Then someone sits down and painstakingly analyzes
the visual pictures of the pre-existing show. This person breaks
down the mouth movements of the characters into different categories.
For example: a wide, open vowel, a more closed vowel, a consonant
with lips open, a consonant with lips closed, a loooooooooong
vowel sound, a clipped consonant etc. He/she then transcribes
these mouth movements onto a long tape, which can be played at
the same time as the animated tape. He/she then writes the script
out, long hand, above the vowel/consonant symbols on the accompanying
tape. Thus, he/she has effectively mapped out the words the actor
must say, with the (almost) precise timing necessary to match
the character's mouth. The original animation tape and this 'coded'
tape are played simultaneously. Now the actor's skill comes into
play.
The actor must watch both tapes, and read the 'rythmoband' at
the right speed, in the right tempo, and match the words to the
mouth. This requires a good ability to read, a good sense of rhythm,
and flexibility (as the rythmoband is not always accurate). In
addition to these technical skills, the actor must be able to
read convincingly with the same degree of passion and inventive
interpretation required in original animation. This combination
of skills is, as most actors will tell you, quite a challenge.
When accomplished well, the end result can be quite rewarding.
How did you get into voice acting?
I have been involved in performing arts since I was a child (musical
theatre: singing, acting and dancing). After I graduated from
University, I started acting professionally in theatre. A few
of my earliest jobs were in Edmonton, Alberta. I researched other
job opportunities at the time, and contacted a producer from CBC
radio in Edmonton, a man by the name of Fred Diehl. He gave me
the opportunity to act in my first radio drama, a piece entitled
"Mom, the Wolfman and Me". Subsequently I moved to Toronto.
I continued to work in radio drama for Fred Diehl and a number
of other producers. I also started to obtain voice auditions in
the world of animation through my agent. I believe the first animated
voice I did was for Nelvana, as an 'elf' in the film 'Herself
the Elf'.
What do you like most about voice acting?
No makeup.
Seriously, the anonymity is kind of fun. I enjoy creating a character
solely with the use of my voice. In radio drama, the final result
is a collaboration of the writer, director/producer, engineer,
sound effects technician and actors. However, it's the actor's
voice that ultimately brings the character to life. I find voices
so magical, so distinct, so enigmatic that I love helping audiences
create their own visual idea of who the character is and what
she or he is doing.
In animation there is also a huge collaboration. (Check the credits
on the next animated production you watch.) However, in animation
the actors rarely meet the animators or writers, though it still
feels as if it's a collaborative effort. It's kind of magical
to experience the visual and aural elements joining together to
create one complete character.
How did you become Sailor Moon?
I received a call from my voice agent, to audition for the role.
I auditioned for the voice director, producer and a representative
from DIC in Los Angeles. They were replacing the title voice actor
after having already recorded six episodes of 'Sailor Moon'. They
offered me the job, and since they were behind schedule they asked
me to start recording that night. I accepted, and we began a long,
friendly relationship.
I continued to tape numerous Sailor Moon episodes and films with
DIC and Optimum [Productions] for the next few years. In 2000,
I was asked to tape a number of new episodes. However, I bowed
out. At that point, I was pregnant and needed to devote my energies
to a healthy pregnancy. Although I missed the show, I made a good
choice.
Are you anything like Sailor Moon?
I suppose most of us are like Sailor Moon in that we want to do
good things with our lives and help the world in some way. Serena/Sailor
Moon also embodies her fair share of imperfections, and I must
admit I can relate to some of those as well. I also like to think
I see a lot of humour in life, like she does. However, I am a
little older than Serena, and have no experience as a super hero,
so I think the comparisons stop there.
Were the rest of the Sailor Scouts good to work with?
Yes. The whole cast of Sailor Moon was a treat to work with. However,
I did much of my recording solo, so I spent more time with the
voice director, Roland Parliament (also the voice of Melvin),
Sal, our first engineer, and Nicole the producer. I truly enjoyed
those recording sessions. I also was lucky enough to have had
Roland guide me and teach me some of his voice directing skills
so that I had the opportunity to work with some of the actors
as an assistant voice director later in the series. I had a great
time in that capacity as well.
Are you friends with the other Scouts?
I am very friendly with the other actors on a professional basis.
We all lead busy lives, but occasionally cross paths in work situations.
I'm always glad to chat and catch up.
How can the other actors be contacted?
The best way to reach the other actors would be through their
agents. You can obtain this information through the Association
of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, web site http://www.actra.ca
Will there be new episodes?
There was talk of lengthening pre-existing episodes, but I haven't
heard anything about that in quite a few months.
Do you plan to go back to do Sailor Moon's voice?
If more Sailor Moon episodes are to be dubbed into English, and
if I were asked to reprise my role, I would be very receptive
to the offer.
What are some other cartoon voices you've done?
I've been fortunate enough to have created quite a number of animated
characters over the years. Some of my favourites include: Princess
Sissi in Princess Sissi, Baby Hugs and Shreeky in The Care Bears,
as well as Franny in the adult animated series, Quads (presently
on Teletoon in Canada). If you're interested in a more complete
list of my voice work, please click on to the resume section of
this site.
What is your current life situation? What are you doing? Acting?
Voice Acting?
I am presently focused on being a good Mom. Professionally, I
am doing occasional voice work (Quads and Bob and Margaret). I
am not accepting any on camera or theatrical acting jobs at the
moment. When I return to work full time, I will also be turning
my focus more towards writing and directing. I enjoyed voice directing
the animated series 'Flying Rhino Jr. High' for Nelvana and CBS.
I also had great fun writing the premiere episode of the animated
series 'Anne of Green Gables'. In 2003, I will experience my screenwriting
debut with the Lions Gate release of the feature film, THE BOOK
OF EVE, starring Claire Bloom. Writing that script was both a
pleasure and wonderful challenge. I look forward to continuing
to collaborate in telling interesting, provocative and entertaining
stories. In years to come, I'd like to explore creative opportunities
while challenging myself more as a writer/actor/and director.
Basically, like Sailor Moon, I'd like to think that my work might
bring a smile to someone's face, prompt introspection or make
some small difference in the world.
Til then, keep fighting the Negaverse!
Moon, Healing, Activation!!
Sailor Moon
(aka Terri Hawkes)
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