Those keeping up on Grand Theft Auto IV (that's all of you, right?) will remember that a few weeks ago Michael Hollick, best known as the voice of Niko Bellic in GTAIV, was covered by the New York Times in an article pointing out that the actor will receive no residuals or royalties of any kind for his performance. It's important to note that he doesn't point the finger at Rockstar but rather the Screen Actors Guild, which does not have specific rules regarding electronic performances.
While Hollick may have landed the New York Times, Jason Zumwalt, the voice of Niko's cousin Roman, has turned to YouTube. Where it could be argued that Hollick's approach to the matter had a certain degree of tact, Zumwalt's approach is a bit ... different. Essentially, he's asking gamers to "Rent Roman." It's all a little hard to explain. Maybe you should just watch the video. Find it after the break (NSFW thanks to some salty language).
Maybe I'm just out of the loop on this, but aren't the voice actors on these games unionized? If so, while a union member may ultimately share some responsibility in what he gets paid, the real issue is the union's responsibility to stand up for these guys. I can definitely seeing crap like this boil over to a strike similar to the WGA's recent strike.
All that being said, it's the creative folks and the programmers that need to be making the dough on these things. Until they are making what they should, I'm not sure these voice actors should be making anything more than they already are.
The injustice here is that BIG NAME actors who do a voice-over gig get WAYYYYY more than these guys. A good chunk of the budget on Oblivion was for Patrick Stewart's paycheck, and he did what? Ten minutes' worth of vocal work? They could have used that big wad of cash to pay for a bunch of unknown voice-actors (and then everyone in Oblivion wouldn't sound identical) but nope-- Stewart got the big payday here.
That's why the folks at Rockstar were smart with GTA IV. They didn't NEED a big name to sell the game, and they didn't try to wedge Keanu Reeves or James Earl Jones in there at the cost of other development dollars.
But if someone gets residuals for a Geico commercial or announcing "COME ON DOWN!" on The Price Is Right, then video game actors should get a little of the backend of game sales. Not much-- Just a few cents per sale-- and it would make a huge difference without hurting the company's bottom line very much.
Can you guys rent him for the fancast? Just to chime in randomly with random lines from GTA? Then, when addressing each one of you, he would always end with "my cousin". For example, "Reeechard, my cousin!".
I am so renting this guy this week if possible im calling the number now.Im gonna make him clean the shit stains from toilet 4 real and do beer runs while i drink the beer in front of him.
It's not pathetic. This game is gonna make billions. These guys should get more BUT,,,. they should have negotiated better contracts. But lets be honest they did use Ray Liotta in Vice City. Maybe that left a bad taste in their mouth. I dunno. At this point R* is in the drivers seat. Using no-name voice actors doesn't really matter to them. THere is always some desperate "good" voice actor ready to sell their soul. So this will probably never change.
Gotta love the comment system. That reply was for UNSCleric.
These guys are pathetic. It's called business, either get your own degree or hire someone to represent you. With all this whining, were I R*, I'd make damn sure I hired unknowns forever, or do it in house.
LMAO. That was good! Obviously he's just trying to get his name out there for some more gigs, but IMO he did a pretty good job. Props to him for using Youtube as the medium.
And what is it, exactly, that makes people believe that they deserve millions or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to voice a character in a video game. Heck, I'll do a weeks worth of recording for $1000. I say, let the free market work. It's not like no-one else could voice him. Be happy you don't have to have a real job.
And yes, I realize the video is a joke, however the sentiment of "we don't get paid enough" is not. Grow up.
Heh, I was just going to point that out. It was a joke, and an apology has already been issued due to the amounts of flaming the R* got from said joke, but it was all in good humor. Although the thought of renting roman to sit shotgun in my car talking about "BEEG AMERICAN TEETEES!" is somewhat relevant to my interests...
OMFG that's the funniest fucking thing I've ever seen. I like how he's like "I'll run some errands for ya, buy ya some cigarettes, if your underage I'll get you some booze." LMFAO. Wow I wish this was real I'd totally rent this dude lol. That's a funny fuckin dude...
He obviously likes getting the word out... ala the fake video premise. It would be cool to get him on the podcast and do some... you know, reporting. Heck, you might get a nice Roman intro out of the deal.
Its a joke im sure, at least a little. But I dont feel sorry for any of these people. Wether it is electronic media, music, tv, or the movie industry, why the hell should I feel sorry for someone who pretends to be someone else or whatever for more money than Ill make in a couple years or even a lifetime in many cases? IF I as a consumer, saw bigger breaks and savings come my way, perhaps Id feel different. But I dont, so screw em. Another reason why, I seldom pay for music anymore, I rarely go to the movies, Ill rent or borrow a game more often than buy it, etc. Actors, corporations, even atheletes are all so over paid at our expense. I dont even go to ball games anymore because Im sick of the greed. Screw all of em
I heard about this a while ago while I was driving to work. I was interested in seeing the video but forgot about it do to more pressing matters.
So even though this is old X3F did a great service by posting this. For those who bitch about old news remember that there is always someone out there who hasn't heard the whole story yet. And in the end does it matter is every single post isn't breaking news? Who is keeping score? (besides you)
Well, not everybody is a sit-at-home loser who spends every waking moment on the Internet. . . Some of us have jobs, lives, and other people and things to do.
This is the first I've heard of this. It's funny, though.
i feel so bad for the guy. roman is a hilarious character and he has a voice to be desired. if the guy truly didn't get any money, rockstar should be ashamed. they could've at least given him like $100k.
If one thing is clear it's that like it or not, GTA is a game changer. Each game brings up new issues, and R*'s unapologetic stance means no one bending over and changing something because some one complained. Although it isn't the company out front demanding more dollars for voice actors, the actors have a great opportunity to get their voices heard. At 6 million copies sold, these low profile actors (and their low profile paychecks) are getting the kind of attention that could be the foundation for some real change in the industry.
