Keeping the Roles Straight

I’ll be the first to admit that iSundae had way too many characters for our small group of seven. So many, in fact, that somebody had to pick up the slack. Well, that somebody happened to be me, and I ended up playing as many parts as we had actors.

Malfhok was my favorite. I’ve never been a floating head before, and he proved a challenge, as I couldn’t gesture. His voice was somewhat deeper than my own. To get a floating effect, I was stuffed into a green box and composited into the film during the editing stage. Oddly enough, Malfhok sings better than I do.

The other big one, Somindeo, required me to do some swordsmanship. He was the easiest, because I used my natural voice. My looks were changed by a joint effort from a wig and a make-up mustache.

Mr. Kitty was easy. I’d done his high, airy voice a multitude of times before. Rebekah (and some strings) supplied his movement, but I did plenty of arm-waving while recording his lines.

Well, I could sing in Malfhok’s voice, but not in this unnamed mouse’s squeaky one. He had to be content with rapping the verses to Cheese Souffle.

The Tiny Knight was my most hilarious role. I had the crew in stitches by the time I’d blundered my way through his lines in his high pitched voice.

I was dressed up in a trench coat that was too short, a pair of sunglasses, and my sister’s hat to play the Officer of the Laws of Physics. Strangely, his voice sounds a lot like Somindeo’s.

Well, you’ve probably got a spinning head by now, and are wondering how I ever kept them all straight. I didn’t. Several times, I started singing Malfhok’s verse in a song with Somindeo, and vice versa. I tried to keep confusion to a minimum by memorizing lines right before the scene, but I could never remember them all.

To finish, I will warn everyone out there who thinks a job playing six or seven parts will be fun. It is, but you may tire of having to be on stage for every scene as one character or another. Content yourself with one, and you’ll be much happier!

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