Upcoming Workshops and Talks
ADDON Game Conference
I’m an invited speaker at ADDON games conference in France. Looking forward to giving a talk on casting and directing performances for Baldur’s Gate 3 on Thursday April 25
The Versatile Voice Actor - The Halp Network Entertainment Academy online workshop
The Versatile Voice Actor with Kirsty Gillmore
6:00pm - 9:00pm GMT/10:00am - 1:00pm PST
Voicing 10 different NPCs in a single session? No problem! Learn the tools from experienced Voice & Casting Director Kirsty Gillmore (Baldur’s Gate 3, Call of Duty) to help you create compelling and distinct characters quickly and get booked again and again.
Game Developers Conference 2024
I’ll be speaking at GDC 2024, bringing my talk Sensitive, Emotional & Intimate: Working with Challenging Themes in The Quiet Things to the Independent Games Summit
Vocal Extremes for Video Games with Vocal Combat Technique (Mar 2-3, guest director Kirsty Gillmore Mar 10)
Vocal Extremes for Video Games with D’Arcy Smith - guest director March 10
Training Dates with D’Arcy March 2nd - 3rd - 10am - 12pm ET
Guest Director Kirsty Gillmore March 10th - 10am - 12pm ET
Want to voice characters in video games, but not sure how to protect your voice? This three session workshop series will give you a fundamental understanding of how to safely portray vocally strenuous roles.
Be A Better Self-Director - The Halp Network Entertainment Academy
SOLD OUT
Be a Better Self-Director with Kirsty Gillmore - hosted by The Halp Academy
6:00pm - 9:00pm GMT/10:00am - 1:00pm PST
Learn how to direct yourself more effectively to nail games auditions and impress in sessions! Voice & Casting Director Kirsty Gillmore (Baldur’s Gate 3, Call of Duty) gives you her tips and tricks for success in this workshop!
**SOLD OUT** Embrace, Inhabit and Embody - 2 Day Video Game Voice Acting Workshop - London Jan 2024
SOLD OUT - Join the WAITING LIST
Hone Your Character Skills and Boost Your Castings
2-DAY IN-PERSON WORKSHOP IN LONDON - PERFECT FOR PROFESSIONAL ACTORS AND VOICE ACTORS WHO WORK OR WANT TO WORK IN GAMES
2 FULL DAYS of focused instruction to help you EMBRACE a deeper understanding of of how to find truthful, emotional depth with video game characters
Discover the flexibility to EMBODY different characters
Create new parameters within the same character so you can INHABIT them in any situation
Master the skills that will help you consistently book video game roles and enrich your work for other voice acting mediums
Following the sold-out success of this workshop in Brighton in 2023, Randall Ryan and Kirsty Gillmore bring their intensive game acting workshop to London!
This workshop will use higher-level acting concepts and is suitable for experienced professional actors who already work or wish to work in games.
Day 1: Break into 2 groups. Every actor works on their choice of character across a range of scripts with Kirsty or Randall in the morning, then works with the other director in the afternoon.
Day 2: Divide into 2 different groups. Repeat the process with a 2nd choice of character
Cost: £495 for the full 2 days, including lunch
Location: OMUK, 22 Pakenham St, Unit 2, London WC1X 0LB, UK
Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RKkntrivtjnyPcvFA
SOLD OUT - Join the WAITING LIST
Download the flyer
About Kirsty
As a Voice and Performance Director and Casting Director, Kirsty’s experience spans games from AAA to mobile, and genres from animation to audio drama. Her directing and casting work includes Baldur’s Gate 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Shasha & Milo, Synapse, Destruction AllStars, theHunter: Call of the Wild series, LiveALive and upcoming projects for Sega. She is an in-demand masterclass teacher and speaker, having directed and spoken at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, GDC, GameSoundCon and One Voice Conference. She has served as a judge for the BAFTA Games Awards, BAFTA Film Awards, One Voice Awards, Audio Production Awards and BAFTA Young Game Designers Awards. In 2021 was selected for the prestigious BAFTA Breakthrough UK programme as a Voice Director for Video Games.
About Randall
Randall’s journey into voice casting and directing was an unusual one. A musician from the age of five and a touring songwriter/performer for 15 years, he stopped touring to co-found InternetSound (later HamsterBall) in 1995. Quite by accident, Randall found he had a knack for directing talent, and soon voice-over became a bigger and bigger part of HamsterBall’s mix.
Randall’s casting and directing video game credits include Chivalry 2, World of Tanks, Lord of the Rings Online, Hearthstone, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Vacation Simulator, World of Warcraft, Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues, and GI Joe: Operation Blackout.
Randall has spoken and taught at events all over the world. He co-hosts the Let’s Talk Voiceover podcast at www.letstalkvoiceover.com. Residing in both Akumál Mexico and Los Angeles, he still composes music, performs the occasional live gig, and believes that dogs make the best people.
GameSoundCon 2023
GameSoundCon 2023
Working with Extreme Vocals in VO Sessions - Kirsty Gillmore and D’Arcy Smith
If you handle game dialogue as a director, sound designer, dialogue engineer or game audio professional then at some point you'll find yourself working with vocally stressful VO. This 50 min interactive talk is for VO Directors, audio directors, dialogue engineers and anyone who needs to work with or manage actors for vocally stressful recording sessions. Two experienced directors/dialogue producers and coaches will provide methods to support actors with their vocal health before the session, improve their mic technique and performance, reduce vocal injury and improve the audio quality and efficiency of your sessions.
Embrace, Inhabit and Embody - 2 Day Video Game Voice Acting Workshop - Brighton
BOOK NOW https://community.thevoicedirector.world/events/42916/
Hone Your Character Skills and Boost Your Castings
2-DAY IN-PERSON WORKSHOP IN BRIGHTON - PERFECT FOR PROFESSIONAL ACTORS AND VOICE ACTORS INTENDING TO VISIT DEVELOP!
2 FULL DAYS of focused instruction to help you EMBRACE a deeper understanding of of how to find truthful, emotional depth with video game characters
Discover the flexibility to EMBODY different characters
Create new parameters within the same character so you can INHABIT them in any situation
Master the skills that will help you consistently book video game roles and enrich your work for other voice acting mediums
This workshop will use higher-level acting concepts and is suitable for experienced professional actors who already work or wish to work in games.
Day 1: Break into 2 groups. Every actor works on their choice of character across a range of scripts with Kirsty or Randall in the morning, then works with the other director in the afternoon.
Day 2: Divide into 2 different groups. Repeat the process with a 2nd choice of character
Cost: £495 for the full 2 days, including lunch
Location: ALT Recording Studios, Hove, Brighton BN3 2BE
https://goo.gl/maps/qiLo25WKpefiXqNg6
BOOK NOW https://community.thevoicedirector.world/events/42916/
Download the flyer
About Kirsty
As a Voice and Performance Director and Casting Director, Kirsty’s experience spans games from AAA to mobile, and genres from animation to audio drama. Her directing and casting work includes Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Destruction AllStars, Expeditions: Rome, LiveALive and upcoming projects for Sega and Ubisoft. She is an in-demand masterclass teacher and speaker, having directed and spoken at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, GDC, GameSoundCon and One Voice Conference. She has served as a judge for the BAFTA Games Awards, BAFTA Film Awards, One Voice Awards and BAFTA Young Game Designers Awards. In 2021 was selected for the prestigious BAFTA Breakthrough UK programme as a Voice Director for Video Games.
About Randall
Randall’s journey into voice casting and directing was an unusual one. A musician from the age of five and a touring songwriter/performer for 15 years, he stopped touring to co-found InternetSound (later HamsterBall) in 1995. Quite by accident, Randall found he had a knack for directing talent, and soon voice-over became a bigger and bigger part of HamsterBall’s mix.
Randall’s casting and directing video game credits include Chivalry 2, World of Tanks, Lord of the Rings Online, Hearthstone, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Vacation Simulator, World of Warcraft, Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues, and GI Joe: Operation Blackout.
Randall has spoken and taught at events all over the world. He co-hosts the Let’s Talk Voiceover podcast at www.letstalkvoiceover.com. Residing in both Akumál Mexico and Los Angeles, he still composes music, performs the occasional live gig, and believes that dogs make the best people.
One Voice Conference - London
I’ll be at the One Voice Conference in London in May giving two workshops, a talk and appearing on a panel.
Tickets and Schedule: https://www.onevoiceconference.com/one-voice-conference-uk-2023/
WORKSHOP: Is It A Bark? Is It An Emote? It's Game Dialogue! (online)
Thursday May 11 2:30pm - 3:30pm (online only)
Free for conference attendees
How do you approach a script that's all grunts? What's the difference between barks and gameplay dialogue? How do you make a dramatic cinematic scene sound natural when you don't have other actors to play off?
Game dialogue is distinct from other mediums and requires a unique acting approach. This hands-on workshop for all levels of voice acting breaks down different types of game dialogue, explores their purpose and takes you through how to approach them in auditions and sessions.
Unlock the mysteries with top Voice & Performance Director and Casting Director Kirsty Gillmore, your guide to bringing game dialogue to life.
This online-only workshop will have only a few limited places and will be available to book on a first come, first served basis one week prior to the conference.
PAID WORKSHOP: Find Your Character Truth in the Booth
Saturday May 13 8:30am - 11:30am
Villain or villager, hero or hellspawn, naturalistic or bombastic; character comes before everything else when crafting believable game performances.
Led by top games Voice & Performance Director and Casting Director Kirsty Gillmore, this workshop is designed for voice actors who want to level up their game character skills. Learn how to use improvisation, text analysis, voice and physicality to embody a character and create naturally compelling performances.
Whether you're playing a traumatised mother or a tyrannical monster - or both! - unlocking the essence of a character will allow you to explore, play, and react truthfully to direction in the booth. This workshop will involve some movement and physical exercises, please wear comfortable shoes and clothes you can move in.
All premium 3 hour workshops are a seperate ticket. Conference ticket holders will be informed when tickets become available.
Casting Agents & Directors Panel: The Inside Scoop From The Industry Decision Makers
Saturday May 13 3:30pm - 4:20pm
We'd all love a crystal ball in order to see into the mind of the VO industry gatekeepers.
While we can't provide any magical relics to give you the industry secrets, we can do the next best thing by bringing together decision makers from across the VO industry and answer your questions directly.
In this panel, our casting agents and directors will be discussing questions provided by our panel chair, as well as audience questions, to give the most complete insight into what the modern industry gatekeeper needs from their talent.
This panel is perfect for voiceovers who are just starting or veterans who want to stay ahead of the next industry trends.
TALK: The Hidden Unlockable: Discover The Secrets of Acting for Video Games
Sunday May 14 11:00am - 11:50am
If you've always wanted to act in games, here's your chance to get inside knowledge from a top games Voice & Performance Director and Casting Director.
Kirsty Gillmore will take you through the skills you need to have honed and ready, how and where to find work and what casting and voice directors really look for in auditions.
Get insight into the quirks and challenges of game performance and find out what it is game developers actually do - and how that benefits you!
Game Developers Conference 2023
Game Developers Conference 2023
San Francisco, USA
Independent Games Summit: Indie Soapbox
Cast Better, Direct Better: Top Tips for Effective and Diverse VO (micro talk)
A micro talk as part of the Independent Games Summit Indie Soapbox at GDC 2023, where indie devs from diverse backgrounds and projects come together to share their thoughts, lessons and provocations about indie game dev.
Adding voice performances to your game can be a daunting prospect, especially if you’re planning on doing all the casting, directing and production in-house.
Voice and Casting Director Kirsty Gillmore (Independent) discusses her top recommendations for indie devs looking to implement VO in their game and explores methods that work, ones that don’t, and how you can commit to diversity and supporting under-represented actors at every step.
Through clear, concise, practical tips, learn how to focus your casting method to find excellent actors for your characters, approach directing on the actor’s level to create compelling, collaborative performances and avoid a few dialogue pipeline headaches while you do it.
Location: Room 2005, West Hall
Date: Monday, March 20
Time: 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm (slot within this hour)
Up Your Game! - Full Day Workshop in Brighton, UK
BOOK NOW https://www.thevoicedirector.world/register-for-sessions
Do you want to break into video games, increase your video game bookings, or land the bigger video game roles?
FULL-DAY IN-PERSON WORKSHOP IN BRIGHTON - PERFECT FOR ACTORS INTENDING TO VISIT DEVELOP!
You know that video games are incredibly rewarding, both from a creative and a career standpoint, but there are key differences from other genres.
This full day of focused instruction from two of the top directors in video games will take you from the audition through the booking to unlock the secrets of what casting directors are looking for, how to better perform video game roles, and help you not only book more jobs, but BETTER jobs.
The Morning – Casting, led by Kirsty Gillmore
You’ve got an audition for a great video game voice role...now what? Get an insight into the game casting process and discover how to deliver truthful, captivating performances for both self-tape and in-person auditions. Learn
how to interpret video game voice audition sides and casting briefs, apply compelling acting choices, and add the sparkle that will make you stand out.
The Afternoon - Intensive Character Dives, led by Randall Ryan
You’ve landed the role, and now you need to be ready for the session and make your character real. More importantly, you want to create something memorable that catches the attention of the audience as well as casting
directors. Randall will work with you to go beyond the two-dimensional caricature. Create backstories, know nuances about the character, and be ready: it’s not uncommon to have something completely different thrown at you by the director, writer, or others on the team!
Cost: £299 for the full day, including lunch
Location: ALT Recording Studios, Hove, Brighton BN3 2BE
BOOK NOW https://www.thevoicedirector.world/register-for-sessions
Download the flyer
About Kirsty
Voice Director, Casting Director and Voice Actor, Kirsty’s experience spans games from AAA to mobile, and genres from animationto audio drama. Her directing work includes Destruction AllStars, Baldur’s Gate 3 and upcoming projects for Ubisoft, Square Enix, THQ Nordic and Activision. She is an in-demand masterclass teacher and speaker, having directed and spoken at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, GameSoundCon and University of Sussex. Her has twice served as a juror for the BAFTA Games Awards and Young Game Designers Awards and in 2021 was selected for the prestigious BAFTA Breakthrough UK programme as a Voice Director for Video Games.
About Randall
Randall’s journey into voice casting and directing was an unusual one. A musician from the age of five and a touring songwriter/performer for 15 years, he stopped touring to co-found InternetSound (later HamsterBall) in 1995. Quite by accident, Randall found he had a knack for directing talent, and soon voice-over became a bigger and bigger part of HamsterBall’s mix.
Randall’s casting and directing video game credits include Chivalry 2, World of Tanks, Lord of the Rings Online, Hearthstone, Dungeons & Dragons Online, Vacation Simulator, World of Warcraft, Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues, and GI Joe: Operation Blackout.
Randall has spoken and taught at events all over the world. He co-hosts the Let’s Talk Voiceover podcast at www.letstalkvoiceover.com. Residing in both Akumál Mexico and Los Angeles, he still composes music, performs the occasional live gig, and believes that dogs make the best people.