*UPDATE:* All roles are cast!
Thank you so much to everyone who auditioned! It was a very hard decision because there were so many great auditions! The roles have been cast as follows:
- Nikolaos Perin: Jerron Bacat
- Valerie Sparkov: Meredith Nudo
- Jezu Grandil: Jarvis Bailey
- Belatrix Grandil: Blair Greene-Osako
- Kallias Jeridar: Tom Laflin
- Xavier Wolven: Norris Packard
And reprising their old roles:
- Arken Jeridar: David Dixon
- Reuben Jeridar: Jacob Anderson
About the Game
Serafina’s Saga: Awakened is a complete remake of the original Serafina’s Saga, released first in 2013 then remastered in 2014. The new version is an otome-style visual novel made in UE4. The script will be mostly rewritten, the art entirely redrawn, and the music remixed. Intrigue, romance, and drama combine in a rich fantasy world with animated character sprites and lush 3D environments.
Young Serafina has spent her entire life alone in the jungle with only her guardian, a mysterious man named Arken, as company. When Arken is captured by a group of soldiers and carried away, Serafina must venture outside the forest to save him. On her journey to the heart of the kingdom, Serafina discovers a whole new world beyond the shadows of the jungle.
As Serafina, you will mingle with noble warriors and salacious nobles to infiltrate the royalty of Castle Krondolee and save Arken. But in the process, you will become entangled in a wide web of relationships, schemes, and beliefs that may set you on a different path than the one you began. Learn the dark truth of Arken’s past and thus Serafina’s. Decide whom to trust, fight, or love. Your choice will change the fate of the entire kingdom.
Expected Work and Payment
Payment will be $0.10 per scripted word, with a minimum of $0.25 per line (for instance, a very short line or sound instead of a word).
*Side Note
This project is early in development. Please be aware that batches of scene dialogue might be requested in gradual stages, such as once every few months over the course of a year or longer as the game nears completion.
Rating/Maturity
This game will contain mild adult language, violence, and sexual themes. Romance lines might get a little racy. I expect it to get rated somewhere in the Teen category (but I can’t officially say yet for sure).
Audition Process
Please record the included audition lines for the roles that interest you and send them in either .wav or .mp3 format to jenny (at) woodsy-studio (dot) com. Please include your name and the character name in the files, such as “YourName_CharacterName.mp3”. Multiple takes and styles are highly encouraged so I have a good sense of your range. The last day to audition will be Sunday, April 3, 2022.
WHAT I LOOK FOR WHEN CASTING:
When I cast voice actors, what I care about most is acting ability and emotional expression. This is more important to me than vocal range, accent, or other secondary details. Although I generally don’t judge your audition on a resume or past roles, I *am* impressed when voice actors to have theater experience, so feel free to mention that if you have it.
As for demonstrating your ability to act, try to fully embody the character your voicing and let their personality shine through every line. Major bonus points if you can somehow help me see the character in a new way I never even thought of before. Err on the side of feeding an audition line too much emotion rather than too little; I always know I can ask you to tone it down, but I don’t always know whether you can kick it up a notch (and do it well).
SIDE NOTE ABOUT ACCENTS:
Due to this game’s setting of a diverse fantasy world, the accent of some characters can be whatever sounds best. Those characters will have the note “Accent: Optional.” You could do normal American, British, Australian… or whatever strikes your fancy as feeling good for that character. That said, please don’t be too sloppy or or extreme with using accents to the point it distracts; the focus should still be on the emotion of the character.
Some characters have had previous voice actors from the original animation. If so, it might be helpful for you to listen to the previous voice actors as a starting point. But don’t feel obligated to copy them exactly. I’m open to new interpretations of the characters if they’re good ones!
CHARACTERS!
Nikolaos Perin
(Male, Love Interest) Nikolaos is a playful spirit trapped in the harsh role of a Royal Scout in King Kallias’s army. He descends from the noble House Perin, so he’s obligated to some involvement in the royal complications of Castle Krondolee. But if he could, he’d actually spend his life as a theater actor, performing dramatic roles on stage! He’s compassionate and light-hearted by nature, but he has a slight dark side: in a conflict, he’ll take the easy way out to avoid more trouble, whether it’s running away or deceiving the people around him.
OVERALL PERSONALITY: Playful, enthusiastic, but annoyed when people make his life more difficult
AGE: 20s
ACCENT: British or American (you can hear the original voice actor for Nikolaos here: https://youtu.be/ZMVwmMJrCbQ?t=706 but don’t feel like you have to copy it, just use it for inspiration)
***********Audition Lines************
Line 1:
(playful, flirty) “Seems to me like you need to relax. Let’s get out of here. How about I give you a private tour of the castle?”
Line 2:
(flustered, angry) “Hey! Any more of that and I will break this thing, got it?”
Line 3:
(nervous, dodging) “Oh, that’s just servants’ gossip. I bet the story got passed around and exaggerated. You know how it is! *nervous laugh*”
Jezu Grandil
(Male, Love Interest) Jezu Grandil is the General of the Royal Guard and he takes this role very seriously. His father died on duty when Jezu was very young. Jezu now wants to continue his family’s military tradition, but he wants to win and survive. This can lead to Jezu being cold, ruthless, and unforgiving on the outside. But underneath his harsh demeanor, he has a fragile heart that never wants to see his loved ones suffer.
OVERALL PERSONALITY: Dignified, Proud, Often cold, but occasionally that cracks and he shows his soft/caring side
AGE: Late 20s
ACCENT: Optional
***********Audition Lines************
Line 1:
(cold, haughty) “Becoming a member of the Royal Guard is no simple matter. But you’re free to try, as freely as you might fail.”
Line 2:
(angry, threatening) “You are not ready for this, fool. Make a single misstep and I’ll smear you through the dirt.”
Line 3:
(guilty, upset) “I made a mistake. I never should have put you in that position. I deserve… to be punished.”
Kallias Jeridar
(Male/Gender-Fluid) Made King of Darzia at a young age, Kallias always intended to do what was best for the kingdom. But his idea of “what’s best” is flooding the kingdom with gold at the expense of everything else: including food, shelter, and all the things one would usually spend gold to obtain. Kallias descends from Mallion, the god of greed, and his personal greed for gold is insatiable. So he remains blind to his country’s starvation while he tirelessly works to acquire more gold.
Beyond his greed and kingly pride, Kallias still possesses a child-like personality that never quite grew up. He’s quick to throw a tantrum or chase after a promising prize. He can be playful, friendly, and humorous–when he’s not busy starving the country.
OVERALL PERSONALITY: Spoiled, Playful, Greedy
AGE: 20s
ACCENT: British (you can hear the original voice actor for Kallias here: https://youtu.be/ZMVwmMJrCbQ?t=884 but don’t feel like you have to copy it, just use it for inspiration)
***********Audition Lines************
Line 1:
(flustered) “No, no, no! I’ve counted each one of them several times now. And every time, I come up with a different number!”
Line 2:
(joyful, excited) “Well well well! Isn’t this a surprise! Show me what you can do! How about one of those Wolven dance… thingies.”
Line 3:
(flippant sadness, disdain) “Too bad for the Elborns, divine magic was not enough to save their lives.”
Xavier Wolven
(Male) Descended from Belazar, god of anger and death, Xavier is a devoted Wolven assassin. His passion is to kill and he’s very damn good at it. He’s not exactly the type of person you invite to a party–unless you want someone dead.
Xavier is not always just a hired hand, of course. He has his own needs, desires, and grievances. Right now, his desire is to kill Arken Jeridar. He thinks Arken destroyed the best chance of love he ever had with a woman named Vivian Trell. That was 18 years ago… but Xavier’s not the type to let go of a grudge.
OVERALL PERSONALITY: Dangerous, discerning, Cold and callous until sparked to anger
AGE: Unknown, appears to be in 40s/50s
ACCENT: Optional
***********Audition Lines************
Line 1:
(Cold, threatening) “Do you know who I am? I could slit your throat right now and no one would challenge me.”
Line 2:
(annoyed, then uncertain/interested) “I don’t want tea. I want you to leave me alone until–… is that ginseng?”
Line 3:
(angry, hurt, passionate) “It has to do with EVERYTHING! You miserable pondscum. You seduced her. You won her affection. You made her believe you cared about more than the key. You LIED.”
Belatrix Grandil
(Female, Possible Love Interest) Belatrix is the Commander of the Royal Guard and she’s good at her job. Like her younger brother Jezu, she takes her role seriously and works to maintain the noble military traditions of House Grandil. Unlike Jezu, however, she harbors some doubts about the current structure of Castle Krondolee. She is a personal friend of King Kallias, but as such, she also questions his ability to rule the country. Most of the time, she keeps her doubts silent, and leads the army ruthlessly under Kallias’s supervision. But if she sees a chance to change the world for the better, she might take it.
OVERALL PERSONALITY: Strong, proud, ruthless
AGE: Late 20s/early 30s
ACCENT: Optional (you can hear the original voice actor for Belatrix here: https://youtu.be/ZMVwmMJrCbQ?t=945 but don’t feel like you have to copy it, just use it for inspiration)
***********Audition Lines************
Line 1:
(cold, ruthless) “The Grand Traitor is the scum of this planet. He has no honor. No loyalty. No principles. He cannot be ‘talked’ to. The truth must be wrested out of him, but carefully, like pulling the heart from an animal before it stops beating.”
Line 2:
(Uncertain, In Denial) “That can’t be true. The queen’s daughter did not survive. I only took up this search to prove that.”
Line 3:
(angry, taunting) “COWARD! You would spy on us from the shadows, then flee when you fail to hide yourself?”
Valerie Sparkov
(Female, Romance Interest) Valerie is a farmer living on the outskirts of Darzia–in more ways than one. She is a free spirit who has never “fit in” anywhere, so she often keeps to herself and dances to her own tune. After meeting Serafina, she’s drawn to follow her to Castle Krondolee and embark upon a new adventure with her. But Valerie has no set agenda of her own. If anything, she just likes to throw chaos upon the rigid nobility and see what happens next.
OVERALL PERSONALITY: Mischievous, Cheerful, Playful, maybe a little crazy
AGE: 20s
ACCENT: Optional
***********Audition Lines************
Line 1:
(happy, flirty) “I’m happy I met you, jungle princess. I like a little danger in my life.”
Line 2: (uncertain, whimsical) “And what will I get in return? Can you give me joy? Can you give me sustenance, for my body or soul?”
Line 3:
(annoyed, mischievous) “This castle is a hornet’s nest. But I’ve dealt with those before. I think it’s time you and I did some swatting.”
Instructions (Refrain)
Once again, please record the included audition lines for the role that interests you and send them in either .wav or .mp3 format to jenny (at) woodsy-studio (dot) com. Multiple takes and styles are highly encouraged so I have a good sense of your range. The last day to audition will be Sunday, April 3, 2022.
Thanks to everyone who auditions!!
Also posted on the following sites:
https://www.castingcall.club/projects/serafina-s-saga-awakened