Chapter 218: Voice Shaping Characters

Chapter 218: Shaping Characters Through Sound

Ding! Achievement task [Studio Worm] triggered.

Task requirements: Voice 100 characters and accumulate 10,000 minutes of time in the recording studio.

Task completion grants the achievement title [Studio Worm] (Voice Acting Technique +5, Vocal Charisma +3).

The task is divided into three stages.

Task Stage 1: Voice 10 characters; Reward: Voice Acting Technique +1.

Task Stage 2: Voice 50 characters; Reward: Voice Acting Technique +1.

Task Stage 3: Voice 100 characters; Reward: Voice Acting Technique +1.

A voice acting task!

Meng Fan had been waiting for this, yet no matter how he tried, he couldn't trigger it, almost doubting the chicken soup for the soul in his mind: "Try, persist, and achieve a beautiful life."

How much more could he try?

What he wanted remained elusive, while what he didn't care for triggered out of nowhere in a heartbeat.

He finally understood: playing around with voice acting was useless; it had to be official.

He recalled the timing of the trigger—it happened only after Charlie, the voice director, approved the take. Perhaps the system determined his performance was the official or original voice for the character?

Official cast, original voice?

Regardless, Meng Fan figured that must be the reason.

As for the title [Studio Worm], Meng Fan knew it was a nickname for voice actors who spent long hours in the booth; it fit perfectly.

The rewards were decent: 8 points in technique and 3 in vocal charisma.

The three stages didn't offer progressive rewards, but they were acceptable.

As for the 100 characters, Meng Fan felt that once he broke the ice, it wouldn't matter if they were leads or bit parts; the difficulty shouldn't be too high.

Ten thousand minutes?

To be honest, this requirement terrified him.

The stages had no time limits, but to get the title, he had to meet the total time requirement alongside the character count.

Why was he scared? Because Meng Fan was truly terrible at math!

Seeing the number ten thousand made him shrink back. He quickly used the livestream assistant to calculate it in stealth mode. Phew, 10,000 minutes was less than 167 hours. If he ground out 10 hours a day in the studio, he’d finish in about half a month.

The task wasn't that hard after all.

Of course, that assumed he could land that many roles.

"That take is set. Let's move to the next line."

Seeing Meng Fan standing there looking dazed, Charlie pressed the button and spoke into the booth.

Because the sound requirements were so strict—not a hint of noise allowed—the studio was a hermetically sealed space. Even with high-tech climate control, it was stiflingly hot.

Meng Fan had only been in there a short while, and he was already sweating.

So, the 10,000-minute requirement was no small feat.

But Meng Fan had a solution!

He signaled with his hand, stepped out to use the restroom, and returned wearing athletic gear. The studio's climate control was mediocre to avoid noise, but it couldn't compete with the moisture-wicking properties of sportswear.

He felt refreshed instantly!

There were a dozen lines left for this game character. Meng Fan would try one, Charlie would offer guidance, and the official take would be nailed in one go. By the end, he didn't even need to rehearse.

The efficiency was astonishing, and the results were superb.

Charlie was delighted; he had truly struck gold. Meng Fan was even better than he had imagined.

The bearded assistant on the side looked bewildered—is he this good at recording, too?

There was another game character. Meng Fan reviewed the background and listened to Charlie’s introduction, quickly grasping the character’s essence.

"I think we could make him a bit warmer, maybe a touch more intense?"

"Sure, give it a try."

Truth be told, voice directors don't like actors having too many ideas, unless their talent is so undeniable that the director respects them as a peer.

Was Meng Fan that kind of person?

Clearly not yet.

But Charlie listened to the suggestion, even quite willingly.

Was it just because Meng Fan’s ability was decent? Obviously not. More importantly, Meng Fan’s vocal charisma made him persuasive, and his skill proved he was worth listening to.

"Are you looking for me?"

"Fengshan? That is where my dreams were shattered."

"Hunter, stop here."

"Don't do this."

"The color of blood drives men mad."

"..."

This character also had about a dozen lines. Meng Fan finished in twenty minutes, with excellent efficiency and quality.

The two characters’ voices were somewhat similar, yet Meng Fan’s performance made them distinct, each with its own unique flair.

The ability to shape characters through sound!

This was a vital skill for any voice actor.

Although Meng Fan had only voiced two characters, he had already shown Charlie that he possessed this talent.

What shocked Charlie most was that Meng Fan had no formal experience, yet displayed such stable control. Only the word "genius" could explain it.

"Meng Fan, take a break."

Charlie waved him out of the booth.

Meng Fan thought, wouldn't it be better to just talk through the glass? I could keep racking up time inside.

Once out, Charlie didn't pull out the remaining roles. Instead, he prepared to conduct a comprehensive assessment. Clearly, in Charlie’s eyes, his previous understanding of Meng Fan through submissions, livestreams, and singing was far from enough.

He wanted to know what other capabilities Meng Fan possessed.

The assessment was simple: he pulled out classic lines from well-known characters to see the limits of Meng Fan’s vocal shaping ability and to determine his range.

This assessment left Charlie baffled.

It seemed, perhaps, that he was suitable for almost any male character!

He could tell Meng Fan’s technical training was average, but his vocal control was incredibly strong.

These classic clips weren't just about mimicry, but being able to mimic them all was a feat in itself!

Charlie also realized that Meng Fan wasn't just imitating the original voices; he was imitating the emotional expression behind them. That was truly impressive!

To rely solely on imitation is to be nothing more than a mimic, never a true voice actor.

What is a voice actor? It is one who breathes life into characters and conveys the depths of human emotion through sound alone!

Meng Fan understood perfectly what Charlie was doing, so he struck while the iron was hot: "Director, I have a genuine passion for voice acting. If you find any role that suits me, please, do not hesitate to call. No matter how small the part, even if it is only a line or two, I would take it. I simply relish the process of sculpting a character with my voice."

Just as he spoke, a knock sounded at the door, and a staff member ushered a group of people in to see Charlie.

(End of chapter)