The Freedom is the Right of All Sentient Beings Speech by Optimus from Transformers. By Sam John
2All rights belong to Paramount Pictures
As I began researching for this video, it became clear that this voice wasn’t the typical reach into the lower tonality kind of performance. Peter Cullen truly created an iconic and deeply varied voice for this character. As I began recording for this project it became incredibly clear that I would need to employ as much trial and error as possible to strike that perfect balance of a bass-centric voice with a heroic set of objectives and moments of roughness. I was finally able to find this voice but even then, creating a version of it where it had enough elements to be identifiable but also clear distinctions that were uniquely my own was a huge hurdle.
I thoroughly enjoyed the recording process because it was such a new kind of voice for me and helped me expand my range and ability to tap into a brand new voice using my vocal techniques. Another challenge that presented itself was the acting and delivery of the lines. At first, I thought the voice was rather too dry but upon multiple listens I figured out that it only sounded that way as a sum of its parts and when dissected has these moments of nuance that unconsciously present the character's goals and objectives.
The editing process of this project made me very keen to try out ways to give my recording that typical Transformers cybernetic vocal layer. Following through on some advice my brother Brian Shaji gave me, I decided to dive headfirst into the program and find a way to mimic that overlay. I am very excited about how it came out although I am still aware that I have so much more to learn and that truly excites me.
It is with great excitement that I present to you all the Freedom is the Right of All Sentient Beings Speech by Optimus Prime from Transformers (2007)
Content: Paramount Pictures
Music: The All Spark by Steve Jablonsky
Performance: Sam John
The Freedom is the Right of All Sentient Beings Speech by Optimus Prime from Transformers (2007)
Performed by Sam John