Mr. Jeremiah was kind enough to answer some of my questions
about his characters, his profession. Thank you, Mr. Jeremiah!
How did you choose the characters Dud Bolt and 'Bullseye' Navior?
Picking Dud Bolt and Navior was very easy..........while flipping through the
stack of characters and their profiles, I loved the look of these two
characters and immediatly got an idea for their voices. I did a few lines
for Darrah (the director) and he thought they worked just fine.
...The sessions for Lucasfilm are very interesting because of the
secrecy involved with every project. For example, every project is
code-named during production and we have no idea what episode we are working
on at the time. I think the code name for episode one was
"Diablo".......that's what the script said on the front cover........kind of
interesting. Also, the characters themselves are very secret.......the
producer will sit down with me and show me a booklet of black and white
pictures and/or pencil sketches of the characters and ask me which ones I
think I would be best for. He always has a few in mind for each person,
but sometimes when the actor sees a certain look in a character, he gets
inspired to do a voice for that character.
How do you go about creating a voice for a character? Are you told much
about the character's background?
We don't know much about a particular character's background. But it's fun to
come up with a "back story" to add to the personality of each
character. Sometimes the producer is in such a rush I don't have time to
think about it very much, but on the Lucasfilm stuff we're usually allowed to
get pretty creative........It's more fun that way.
How long did you spend in the studio for the 'Racer' video game?
I did a total of three days in the studio............mostly 6 hour
days. I know that doesn't sound like a whole lot of time, but you can
imagine the energy it takes to carry some of these characters. When the day
is over, I'm pretty much beat up.
Was your voice also used in the film, "The Phantom Menace"? If not, do
you know why?
Boy I wish it was. I think the truth is, the reason I was picked to help
out on the games was because the original actors were busy doing other
things.
What is your favorite part of voice-over work?
I love working with producers who know what they want and are willing to
allow me to take risks once in a while. Today, on the other hand, that
wasn't the case. I was working on a presentation film for a police training
video and the producers were writing the script as I was doing the job. It
kind of makes for a long and confusing day. The lucasfilm projects are
a great environment to work, because everyone is competent and talented at
what they do. Oh, but my favorite part....PROMOS.....what a
blast. I walk into NBC or CBS or Discovery and they hand me a sheet of
paper with a bunch of promos, and you pretty much have to do them in one
take......loads of pressure and loads of fun.
How did you get into this profession? What did you do before it?
I've been in the music business since i was 18. In 1986, I was working
for a band and had to go pick up a tape at a studio in Seattle. While
sitting there waiting, a commercial producer came out into the lobby all upset
because his singer hadn't shown up for a "Red Robin" commercial. The girl
at the front desk pointed to me and said "he can sing" so he said "come in
here and sing this for me......if I like it I'll pay you". So I
did and he paid me......but as I was leaving he said "just do me a quick
favor and read the voiceover part for me so I can have a scratch track of
it." I did, and when I was done, he wrote me another check saying "I'm
going to pay you for that too." I was hooked.
What are your upcoming projects?
Well, I just finished a Christmas CD that I'm very proud of. I called
it "Simply Christmas". It's a bunch of Christmas tunes done with players
from all over the country. Each song is done with only one
instrument and one voice (mine).........it's a very easy-to-listen-to
cd........it should be on amazon.com by mid November. Voiceover
wise, it looks like another "Ace Ventura" project is in the works and
I'll play sargent Zammit. Loads of fun.
What is the project of which you are most proud?
I voice a daily radio show for a group called
"Food For The Poor".
They're based in Florida, and I love the work they do. They help to feed and
shelter poor people in the Caribbean. I traveled to Jamaica a few
months ago with them and was devastated at the living conditions of the poor
folks there. So in that light I do all I can to help with their
work.
Do you have a web site?
I have the URL set aside but no sight yet........
Do you have a fan mail address?
Sure do..........
Sandie Schnarr Talent
8500 Melrose #212
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Attn: David Jeremiah
What else would you like your fans to know about you?
I have two teenage boys that keep me hoppin' and a great wife who puts up
with a whackey work schedule........I love to go to Church on sunday, and I
love to sit down and chat with good friends as often as I can.
Source: David Jeremiah
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