the voices. Well he lived in Chicago at the time where I was on the air and he heard me on the radio, and was a fan. He thought that my voice would be the right voice for Master Chief. So I obviously say that it’s the biggest gig of my career and the only one I never auditioned for. He just called me and said, ‘go! Here we are. Let’s do it.’ Paul: Are you surprised at the level of fandom the game series has? Steve: Shocked! I don’t think any of us, even the Bungie people were going to have any idea it was going to become what it became. The massive, immediate success of Halo: Combat Evolved, and then the subsequent games after that, not only was it a huge success for Bungie. It was a game changer, to use a coin of phrase, of the entire industry, and it changed the way video games are produced and marketed and presented, and we had no idea. When I did Halo 1, the day after the session if you were to ask me the name of the character I did I probably couldn’t tell you. Because you move on, always looking at what’s next. It was months later that I realised that the game had become what it was, and then we were called in for Halo 2 and the subsequent games after that. It just became a run that, here we are 16 years later talking about it, so it’s pretty amazing. Paul: How do you feel about the isolation of recording in a booth, compared to recording in a radio station where you can bounce off people? Steve: Well you can, although for most of my career I worked alone. The latter half I had a partner and we would work together, but for most of it, it is an isolating experience, and voice over is a completely isolating experience most of the time. You’re usually by yourself. Sometimes I’m recording at home and I am literally by myself, and there’s just someone on the other end in my headphones. But even in a studio you may have an engineer, you might have a director or a writer on the other side of the glass who’s directing you but it is an isolating experience and I think that’s where you have to draw on... it’s not just enough to have a good voice. In fact I often say the quality, the technical quality of your voice sometimes has nothing to do with it. It’s ‘can you get those words off the page?’ Is what we say. ‘Can you get them off the page and into somebody’s head or heart?’ Depending on what it is you’re trying to convey. Many times you have to do that alone and be able to draw on things, and that’s where voice workshops, acting workshops come into play as to help to teach you to be able to tap something without somebody telling you how to do it. You have to create those characters and sometimes you’re creating something for Master Chief and sometimes you’re trying to sell a drill bit, but you gotta figure out what voice is, that will get you on the other end to buy that drill bit, because that’s your job. But that’s what also makes it exciting and fun, is that every day, every job is a new experience. It taps something different in you every time, and that’s exciting to be able to come in and be like, wow, OK. I get to try on this shirt, or these boots or whatever. In fact, when I do Halo I have a specific pair of cowboy boots that I only wear when I’m recording for Master Chief. Paul: Really? Steve: Because I learned this from a voice coach years ago who said, ‘whatever it is that helps you get into character. If it’s a hat, if it’s a shift, if it’s a pair of shoes. Whatever it is that helps to give you a physical cue to be in the place you want to be, use it.’ And so for me it was this pair of cowboy boots that I had for 10-15 years before I ever did Halo, but I happened to have them on the first time, and maybe part of it’s a good luck thing. I don’t know. Maybe it’s superstition but it helps but helps me. It’s just like the character putting on his armour. For me it’s a physical cue that reminds me of where I’m going, and so whatever works, that’s what I do. I’m just glad it’s not a tutu! *laughs* It could have been that! At least it’s cowboy boots. Paul: Exactly. Any future projects you can tell us about, or is it NDAs (non disclosure agreements) and all of the rest of it that prevent you from... Steve: Yeah, unfortunately none that I can tell you about. When people ask I say, ‘well I can tell ya, but I’ll have to kill ya.’ Unfortunately I get way too many fans who will take me up on that and say, ‘fine!’ *laughs* But yeah, with the NDAs being what they are you’re not really at liberty to discuss it. All I can tell you is that I believe that there will be a future, and I hope I will be part of it, and it will be exciting to continue this sort of amazing journey that we’ve been on with Halo.
“It taps something different in you every time, and that’s exciting to be able to come in and be like, wow, OK. I get to try on this shirt, or these boots or whatever. In fact, when I do Halo I have a specific pair of cowboy boots that I only wear when I’m recording for Master Chief.” Steve Downes Paul: Fantastic. Thank you very much for your time Steve. Steve: Thank you Paul. Paul: It’s been an absolute pleasure. Steve: I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Thanks for having me. Paul: Thank you INTERVIEWED BY PAUL MONOPOLI
Change language