Gaming Talking to Mario

[James]

[color=#507AAC]Since some of you might have missed it, I thought I'd actually post up the article I recently wrote about Charles Martinet.

For those of you who don't know, Mr. Martinet is the voice of Mario, Luigi, DK, Wario, Waluigi and several others. He's even the voice of the announcer in Super Mario Sunshine! ^_^

Since I know there are quite a few Mario fans on this board and since N-Sider Media didn't send out a press release for this article (which was a shame; it didn't get the coverage it deserved), I thought I'd actually post the thing up. I hope you find it interesting. ^_^[/color]

By now, most of you will already know who Charles Martinet is. His list of credits is as extensive as it is varied; you will have seen Mr. Martinet in movies such as [i]The Game[/i] (Michael Douglas' father), [i]Nine Months[/i] (Arnie the Dinosaur) and [i]Ishi[/i] (the assistant museum curator). Martinet has also been involved in television, with roles in shows such as [i]Nash Bridges, Deadline, Midnight Caller, Starman[/i] and [i]Brotherhood[/i].

Charles Martinet studied acting at the Drama School of London and apprenticed at Berkely Repertory Theatre. Subsequent to his studies, Martinet performed in more than seventy five plays, before turning his attention to the corporate and entertainment fields.

This is truly where Martinet's career flourished. So far, he has performed in over five hundred corporate videos from companies such as Sun Microsystems, IBM, Apple, SGI and many more. Martinet has also won awards for his portrayal of various characters, as well as for his work as a host at various corporate events.

Despite Charles Martinet's extensive history in the field of acting, he has become most noteable over the last few years for his work with Nintendo. Martinet voices a number of Nintendo characters including Mario, Luigi, Wario, Donkey Kong and Baby Mario among others. Without doubt, Martinet's voice work has been instrumental to Nintendo. Mario is the world's most recognizable video game character, and clearly, it was essential that Nintendo select an appropriate actor to fill such a challenging role.

Obviously Nintendo made a wise decision. Ever since [i]Super Mario 64[/i], Mario's voice has been instantly recognizable the world over. And games such as [i]Super Mario Sunshine[/i] and the [i]Mario Party[/i] series continually remind us of Mr. Martinet's impressive talents.

Recently, Charles Martinet visited Australia to promote the local release of [i]Super Mario Sunshine[/i]. And myself, Mark Medina, Will Stevenson and Tim Knowles were lucky enough to sit down in Mr. Martinet's hotel room and speak to the man himself.

The first thing I noticed about Charles is the way he put everyone at ease; his lighthearted nature made him instantly accessible and easy to talk to. And during the interview, I found myself hanging on his every word. Martinet is highly engaging and always seems to have something interesting and entertaining to say. I definitely came away with the feeling that his incredible voice talent is perhaps matched only by his fun sense of humor and engaging personality. You can read a transcript of our interview below.

[i]Note: Parts of this interview have been edited for clarity.[/i]

[b]James: First and foremost, how are you enjoying Australia so far?[/b]

[b]Charles: [/b]I love Australia. It?s fantastic. My favourite thing is the Australian people. They?re really terrific; everybody?s been really nice and gracious.

[b]James: Mario is the world?s most recognized video game character. What does your family think about your role as Mario?s voice?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] Oh gosh, they love it. I?m lucky because my parents have always been incredibly supportive; they put me through college, then left college and then they put me through drama school. They helped me get started and it?s been nothing but love and support.

[b]Will: Do they play games themselves?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] You know, I?m still trying to get my mother and father into games. I?m on email right now, but my dad is like ?so I can really check stocks? Well maybe I?ll play with it one day!?

[b]Mark: Can your parents actually tell that it?s you?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] Oh yeah, they recognize their son. [laughs]

[b]Tim: Do they boast to their friends that their son is the voice of Mario?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] Yes they do! You know, of course?proud parents. Mom tells everybody and they go ?And what?s that, dear??. [laughs]

[b]Will: My son?s a plumber![/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] That?s right, yeah. ?Oh that?s wonderful! Mine?s a doctor!? [laughs]

[b]Mark: Do you ever feel that you?ve reached a limit with Mario? I mean, for the last 22 years Mario has been doing nothing but saving the Princess. In terms of your voice, do you feel that there isn?t much more to do with Mario as a character?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] You mean is it a restriction that it has a limited plot?

[b]Mark: Yeah, pretty much.[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] No, to me it?s an absolute joy. I think one of the many ingenious parts of Mario, is that here you have this every man hero. I mean, he?s a plumber in love with a Princess! His life is dedicated to loving this person and rescuing this person [as well as] doing good on this island [Isle Delfino] and making his name right. So you know, [these are] universal principles and values that are almost archetypal. So I can never get tired of playing the hero who is this incredible person!

[b]Will: What is your opinion on Mr. Miyamoto?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] He?s a terrific guy. You see this incredible genius that has absolutely created a world of entertainment for people; many worlds of entertainment for millions and millions of people. You know, obviously he?s employing us all, isn?t he? [laughs]

He?s a genius. And yet here?s a man who is genuinely humble and accessible and kind as anyone alive. You know, he?s like Mario.

[b]James: Yeah, we?re all his followers.[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] Yeah! [laughs]

[b]Mark: Does Mr. Miyamoto ever place any restrictions on you when it comes to the Mario character? [/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] No, he?s very generous in his praise and his freedom for me to do [voices]. But of course, you know, no matter what I do, he?s the one that selects it. So he doesn?t have to say ?Don?t do that?. He can just listen to the freeform [voice work] and say ?Oh I like that and that? or ?I don?t like that?. So it?s the most professional way of doing it.

[b]James: You?ve also done recording for cartoons in the past. Is the process for recording cartoon voices any different than with video games?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] It?s very similar. And it really depends on the project. One of the great things about the Nintendo projects is that they are so brilliantly planned out, you know. The making of a video game is a lot like making a movie or a cartoon, but with a lot more dimensions and a lot more possibilities to it. So it?s more complex, in that there are more possibilities, more dimensions, more depth and more things that are happening throughout the game. So I think the game creator plans for so many more possibilities. And plus, [the game creator] has to plan for the repetition. So they have to be a lot more intricate in their sound design.

I get these tapes in the mail that are [i]top secret[/i] tapes that show some of the action we?re going to be putting sound to, as well as some scripts. So I look at those and think ?Okay, I?ve got this many seconds? and then I fly up to Seattle and we do a session. Some of it is called ?looping?, which is where I see the action and I have so much time to put in whatever sound or word we?re going to use in that phase. It?s a little bit more intricate to record that way, but then I?ll also do a lot of free flowing things and a lot of improvisation.

[b]James: A lot of people have said that they?d like to see Mario talking more often in Super Mario Sunshine. Is that something you would like to have done?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] You know, that?s the sort of thing where I leave it to the genius of Mr. Miyamoto. He has very clearly defined ideas on what he wants to hear and see. So if he thinks that it?s the right amount, then it?s the right about.

Whereas Mario Party 4, which comes out in November here, has a lot more speech in it. But you know, it?s a different style of game. I?ll be doing Mario, Wario, Luigi, Waluigi. So, it?s a different game. Whereas this game is really the flagship game, so it just focuses on that one character. But of course I?m an actor, so I always want to speak more! [laughs]

[b]James: Have you played Mario Sunshine? What are your impressions?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] Non-stop, I?ve been doing a lot of product research since I?ve been here! [laughs] It?s amazing. It?s just astonishing. I?m okay; I can wander around and discover new things every half an hour or so. But we had a guy come in that was just brilliant at this game. He?d played the Japanese version a little bit and of course he didn?t understand anything. But he was showing us levels in this game that would take me six months to get to! When someone is that good, you get to see that they are uncovering the genius and the creative mind of Mr. Miyamoto.

[b]James: Other than Mario, what games do you enjoy playing?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] I?ve got Luigi?s Mansion at home that I?m trying to master! ?Maaario!?. (He said that in Luigi's voice; very funny. ^_^)

[b]Mark: Are there ever situations where you hear Mario say something and you think ?I should have said that a bit better??[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] You know, you always think of new ideas when you see your stuff. But mostly what happens to me is that I go ?Oh I remember doing that?.

[b]James: Changing gears a little; Nintendo has always had a history of producing family oriented games. What is your opinion on video game violence?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] My personal feeling is that I believe in freedom. I believe that people have the right to do whatever they want. I think that video games do not promote violence. I think that if anybody plays video games they see the incredible amount of intricacy that goes into it. And it?s very clear that it?s not the world of reality we?re in here. That?s another world that is fascinating and intriguing and full of incredible adventure.

I personally love the GameCube because they can develop so many games for it. So you can have something for absolutely everybody. For example: Resident Evil. That?s an incredible game. I can play for about thirty seconds and I?m like ?Okay, okay, if I?m going to be eaten five times in thirty seconds, I don?t want to do that?. But you know, that?s me. Other people just absolutely love it. So I?m like ?Yeah, go for it, enjoy it?. But I don?t ride roller coasters or go to horror movies either! [laughs]

[b]James: Are there any games that you would choose not to work on because of their content?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] Yeah, there definitely are. With Mario, I crashed the audition, I went in there and I could have done ?Hey, how ya doin?? I?m Mario alright, so shut up!?. And I don?t want to do a voice like that. I chose a character that would be friendly and personable in an every man sort of way, so that people could relate to him at any age.

And all the characters that I like to create are characters that have a positive impact. Even if they?re bad boys like Wario or Waluigi, they?re going to still have a sense of humanity about them. So if somebody wants me to create a character that is just, you know, evil?I?ll do that for fun, if I believe that the game has merits. But I suppose there are circumstances where possibly I wouldn?t. My preference is to create characters that have a lot of depth and a lot of humanity. I do believe that as an artist you have responsibility.

[b]James: In terms of sound, games now utilize hundreds or thousands of lines of dialogue. How do you feel about the evolution of sound in video games?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] I think it?s great. That?s one of the great things about GameCube; you watch this Mario Sunshine and you look at the glimmering on the water and the shadow of the boat on the sand underneath. And it?s unbelievable, the quality of the video. And then you listen to the music, which is always ingeniously created. So I think it?s great. And then to be able to hear the sound more clearly is awesome. The GameCube is so easily to develop for; I mean, there are more than 100 games coming out before Christmas.

[b]Kate:[/b] 120 in Australia.

[b]Charles:[/b] 120 in Australia? That?s unbelievable! So you guys have a lot of playing ahead of you just to catch up!

[b]Will: Too much. I?m too poor![/b]

[laughter]

[b]James: Do you feel that games have become much more accepted as a legitimate entertainment medium (like movies or music)?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] Yeah, I do. You know, I think there are a lot of combined factors to that. First of all, you know, the guys that started with Mario 21 years ago are grown up! And everybody loves technology. Just look at the WaveBird. You can play with a freight train between you and the TV set and you?ll still be playing the game 30 meters away. It?s incredible. So the technology brings on people [as well as] the age of people growing up and playing games. And hopefully parents get more aware. First there?s a shock; ?Oh my god! Videogames! Bad, bad!?, and then ?Oh, my kids really enjoy that. They really have a way of thinking that?s very interesting?.

If parents mind what their children are doing and listen and watch how they evolve inside the game, [with the] creative process and investigation and discovering things, they?ll see that there?s a lot more than meets the eye.

[b]James: As someone who has been involved in movies, theatre and voiceover, what is it about video games that interests you professionally?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] It?s just fun. The great thing about video games is that it?s kind of like the new frontier of entertainment, especially with games by Mr. Miyamoto and the Nintendo people. Because their dedication to creating games that are adventure-based, complex, multi-level [and] multi-dimensional means for me as an actor that I get to play in this world that is so much deeper and richer.

Plus, you know, it?s a cartoony world. Just like mine! [laughs]

[b]James: What do you think about the creative potential that games might offer in the future?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] It just means more fun. Better technology means more fun for me as an actor, me as a gamer and me as a person who marvels at the incredible dimensions of games. And for everybody I think.

[b]James: What do you think of online gaming? Does online gaming present any new possibilities in terms of using voice/sound?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] Yeah, I think it does. Australia is built for fibre optics. You know, there?s a tremendous pipeline there that, at some point, someone?s going to go ?Oh, we can put voice through here easy. We can have everybody sharing the same voice or whatever?.

You know, that?s the great thing about technology. It just opens up the possibilities.

[b]James: What other projects do you have coming up in the near future?[/b]

[b]Charles:[/b] Well, the most exciting thing is Mario Party 4. And Yoshi?s Island [is] coming out too! So those are two of the most exciting things for me. And I?m going back to Sydney to do some more interviews and stuff like that.

I?m loving Melbourne, loving Australia. So that?s my near future. So, just having more fun here in Australia and then the incredible launch of Mario Party 4 and Yoshi?s Island!

[color=#507AAC]And there you have it! I hope it was interesting for some of you. ^_^[/color]

[center][img]http://www.n-sider.com/media/MarioScreen2.JPG[/img][/center]

[Shy]

[size=1]I read this when you gave me the link to that "BMX XXX" article at the end of October. N-Sider always has wonderful articles to read, heh *insert more shameless compliments here*.

It is really interesting to see how knowledgable some voice actors are on the material they work with. Charles Martinet seems to be a very cool person, and he knows an awful lot about the industry. This is a lot better than many animation voice actors who do not know to respond to a [i]certain fan's[/i] questions. While I have some complaints about the voices of the Mario characters, I admit that this is a very good interview, James.

-Shy

BTW: I got an "A" on my research paper, thanks for your help. ;)[/size]

[James]

[color=#507AAC]An "A" on your research paper, eh? ^_^

Anyway, yeah, I'm glad you enjoyed it. For me...being someone who has grown up with Mario, it was just a huge blast. Charles Martinet is a lot like Mario, in the sense that he has a very cheerful and bubbly personality. Even when you talk to him on the phone, you can tell that he plays Mario. lol

[/color]

[Turkey]

An excellent read. I was quite surprised by the liveliness of the interview. It seemed as though he was talking with his friends, instead of being interviewed.

[James]

[color=#507AAC]That's true. I had my own guidelines in terms of how I wanted the review to be conducted and what subjects we'd discuss. But much of the discussion was unrelated to what we'd originally planned; it was great because we were in the hotel room with Mr. Martinet and as such, we weren't competing with any other media outlets. So, it was a more relaxed atmosphere.

But yeah, there really haven't been many interviews with Charles Martinet. GameSpy did one and there was one on NPR and a few magazine publications. But I would venture to say that N-Sider's interview was the largest and most comprehensive so far. It was a lot of fun. ^_^[/color]

[Sniglefager]

so, you actually got to talk to him? You're lucky. I've wanted to meet that dude for a while

[Red]

[b][color=003399]I think I read this a while ago on N-Sider, but it was great to read again. :)

As Smoky Joe said, it seems a lot like Charles Martinet is just talking to a friend, which is very refreshing in an interviewing article.

I'd probably be lost for words if I ever even saw him in the street, let alone an interview.[/b][/color]

[Phantom]

Wow! I actually read the whole thing... *praises myself for reading one long post a week*

Yea, I dont know why but this topic just caught my attention and I didnt wana stop reading. Heh!

Your interview was the most entertaining, probably because you were talkin' to Mario heh! :)

I just wanted to comment on that whole "family game" part... You think if Nintendo thought they could make more money from another resource other than children worldwide that they would have taken that into consideration? OR do you (James, or anyone really) think that their choices in designing generaly family-oriented games was strickly a bussiness decision? :)

[James]

[color=#507AAC]Glad you liked it, MK. ~_^

Nintendo has always been a company to focus on family-oriented games. This is primarily due to their own design philosophy. If you ever read comments by Shigeru Miyamoto, you'll find that he seems to strongly oppose very violent games. The reason is not because they hurt children or anything, it's because he finds no challenge in that type of game.

And to an extent, he's right. If the sales of Mario and Zelda are anything to go by, then we can be sure that Miyamoto's ideology has paid off for Nintendo.

In more recent times, Nintendo has attempted (and continues to attempt) to produce a wider variety of games. So on the one hand, the company will produce titles such as Zelda and Mario...but it will gain exclusive rights to games such as Resident Evil.

Nintendo itself has also published adult games, such as Metroid Prime and Eternal Darkness.

So, to answer your question...Nintendo's decision is mostly ideological. But really, their core business also lies in the "family" market. This is a market than neither Sony nor Microsoft have come close to penetrating (even though reports suggest that the average GameCube owner is older than the average PS2/Xbox owner). But over time, Nintendo is developing a wider variety of games to cater to older audiences too. Clearly, Nintendo wants to utilize its development resources to attract every corner of the market.

I hope that's answered your question. It was really interesting to ask Charles what he thought of adult games and such. I think his reaction was very fair...and I know that he's already done voices in several games that could be considered more "adult" than Mario. He's done voices for various gaming villains as well. So yeah, his talents are extremely varied.[/color]

[Juu]

[color=ff00cc] [size=1]Wow. @_@;
That took me forever to read... >>;

That's really interesting!! ^^
I was really curious about what his personality would be like. I never knew he'd be so bubbly-ish. ^^ How long did you get to interview him?[/color] [/size]

[Syn]

You lucky lucky guy, he seems really nice. I always thought he'd be all italian and corny but he seems so normal from what i've read.

[conpiracymonki]

[b][size=1]
Wow, zeh wasn't lying

*wonders thoughtfully again*

How come you got to interview him? >.>[/b]

*is very jealous and wants to meet some neat gaming person also*[/size]

[James]

[color=#808080]I'm a freelance journalist, Ajeh. I met Mr. Martinet through my work with N-Sider.com.[/color]