“A picture is actually worth ten thousand words”: Bruce Timm’s Approach to Making Voice Actors Get the Right Pitch Makes Batman: TAS Creator a Genius Like No One
Bruce Timm is rightfully held by many as the Godfather of DC with his unique take on popular superheroes and bringing them to life in the animated medium. Bruce Timm’s work on Batman: The Animated Series remains legendary to this day. Superman: The Animated Series followed right after and it was one of the most faithful depictions of the Man of Steel.
The DC animation revolution did not just stop after that, as one show after the other took center stage and built the pillars of the DC animated universe. However, Bruce Timm’s creativity does not stop with just creating fantastic shows. In fact, he is one of the very few talented mentors who can bring out exactly what he wants from his voice actors through an ingenious method.
Anthony LaPaglia Was Confused About His Approach To Lex Luthor In All-Star Superman
In animated pieces of work, it is crucial that the voice actor gets the right tone or pitch. Take, for example, DC’s one of the most popular animated works, Batman: The Killing Joke. The visual was truly daunting but it is the Joker’s eerie laughter that sends shivers down the spines of every animation lover. So, there is no doubt about the importance voice actors hold to make or break a certain piece of work.
During a session with LaPaglia for All-Star Superman, words fell short between Andrea Romano and him about what she wanted out of him for the character of Lex Luthor. However, there were some communication issues and LaPaglia could not understand Romano’s vision for the character, no matter how many approaches she took. This is when Bruce Timm came along like a genius to save the day.
Bruce Timm Made Sure Anthony LaPaglia Understood The Mission
When all the words fell short, Bruce Timm took a unique approach that nobody could dream of. He quickly made a sketch of Lex Luthor’s face and the picture was worth a thousand words. Andrea Romano was especially impressed by how non-verbal communication worked better than any method ever could, as she mentions in an interview with Comic Mix:
“When Bruce did that for Anthony, I thought that was one of those great moments where a picture is actually worth ten thousand words.”
And it is not even the first time he has done it. According to Romano, whenever someone new comes in to play a character, he will whip up a sketch of that character to establish a tone for the character.
“One of the things Bruce has done a million times before is, when someone comes in to play a role, he’ll draw the character right there on the spot. That almost always helps an actor establish a voice.”
Bruce Timm’s genius would be forever a legacy in the DC Universe.
All-Star Superman is available to rent on Prime Video.
