84 réponses à ce sujet

[ziloe]

This is something I've been kind of curious about, and I know it's a little different when voice actors are picked for the characters, etc. But for say, Orlesians, how do you explain their culture and their accents without saying straight out, this is like France and they have a French accent? Or other various things that are inspired by real culture, without being outright obvious about it? This is of course in the context of writing, and not what we see and hear on screen.

Even reading the Dragon Age books, perhaps it's something that I've just taken for granted and haven't noticed. So if there are any particular things or styles to go with, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Modifié par ziloe, 13 février 2014 - 06:31 .

[Grieving Natashina]

Good question. Hopefully the writers can take notice of this.

[Grieving Natashina]

KC_Prototype wrote...

Not to be rude but who cares?

Hell, I'm curious.  Besides, do you really want another thread whining about Anders or Skirts versus Robes again?  This is a nice change. 

[Cainhurst Crow]

Simple. They don't. And nobody gets bothered by it. Clearly this is a french analog, otherwise they wouldn't use terms such as chevaliers, or have a notre dame equivalent in the form of the chantry, or have an emperor as sovereign of the land, or have such a focus on fashion.

I don't know who can't handle this as just a fact, but if you can't, well whatever.

[KC_Prototype]

You're right Star, this is a fresh change. But I really don't see another answer than, "this based off of France".

[ziloe]

The Mad Hanar wrote...

It's just inferred based upon what character's from a particular country say about their country. If we don't hear a character talking, and the accent is important, then a writer will usually draw attention to the accent. Otherwise, yeah, writers generally just drop clues and leave it to the imagination of the readers/viewers.

Of course, but if you have a specific vision for your characters, there will no doubt be more than simply, "an elegant accent," etc, I assume. I'm especially curious because it's no doubt easier to simply explain in the writer's room, "Think Germany," then to have to come up with something fancy. However, when it comes to a book, you just can't do that.

[Zack_Nero]

They may or may not explain that when the Dev Dairies comes out.

[Maria Caliban]

ziloe wrote...

This is something I've been kind of curious about, and I know it's a little different when voice actors are picked for the characters, etc. But for say, Orlesians, how do you explain their culture and their accents without saying straight out, this is like France and they have a French accent?

Why would they not tell the voice actors that?

[CybAnt1]

Mostly, I hope the VA's for Orlesian NPCs are good at doing real, believable French accents. While presumably reading lines in English (at least for the U.S. etc. versions of the game.)

Hokey French accents for Orlesian VA's will be ... painful.

[ziloe]

Maria Caliban wrote...

ziloe wrote...

This is something I've been kind of curious about, and I know it's a little different when voice actors are picked for the characters, etc. But for say, Orlesians, how do you explain their culture and their accents without saying straight out, this is like France and they have a French accent?

Why would they not tell the voice actors that?

This isn't about the VAs. This is about how they, the writers, write it out, without using straight up real world analogies.

[Sylvius the Mad]

Maria Caliban wrote...

ziloe wrote...

This is something I've been kind of curious about, and I know it's a little different when voice actors are picked for the characters, etc. But for say, Orlesians, how do you explain their culture and their accents without saying straight out, this is like France and they have a French accent?

Why would they not tell the voice actors that?

Or just cast French actors...

[Sylvius the Mad]

ziloe wrote...

This isn't about the VAs. This is about how they, the writers, write it out, without using straight up real world analogies.

Why wouldn't they use real world analogies?

[TheMoonArcana]

This isn't about the VAs. This is about how they, the writers, write it out, without using straight up real world analogies.

[/quote]


Well, French usually places more emphasis on the vowels than consonants. I suppose you could reference that somehow in writing. 

[ElitePinecone]

KC_Prototype wrote...

Not to be rude but who cares?

This is rude and obnoxious. Why would you even post it? Close the thread and move on with your life, if you don't find it interesting. Posting that you don't care is just a waste of everyone's time.

ziloe wrote...

But for say, Orlesians, how do you explain their culture and their accents without saying straight out, this is like France and they have a French accent? Or other various things that are inspired by real culture, without being outright obvious about it? This is of course in the context of writing, and not what we see on screen.

I'm sure when they were coming up with things internally, they'd have to use real-world analogies at some point. We've already heard devs talk about how the Tevinter Imperium is partly based on Byzantium, say. If it involves something as universally-recognised as a French accent or a country that's clearly "magical France", I fail to see how you couldn't say that it was inspired by a real country. 

Eventually people will just take the lore on its own terms (like the convention in high fantasy that everyone has British accents - nobody even questions that anymore), but I don't see why they'd want or need to shy away from making those comparisons. 

[metatheurgist]

Can you imagine inventing an accent? Sometimes actors do that accidently, when they try for one accent and fail. The result is usually laughter. Maybe they should hire French actors and ask them to do a Scottish accent?

[HiroVoid]

metatheurgist wrote...

Can you imagine inventing an accent? Sometimes actors do that accidently, when they try for one accent and fail. The result is usually laughter. Maybe they should hire French actors and ask them to do a Scottish accent?

If I remember right, this was actually one of the praises for Tali unless someone can correct me.  As for the topic, I'm with some other posters when I say 'Orlais is based off France, so telling the actors that the character is basically French should be fine.'

[ziloe]

Sylvius the Mad wrote...

ziloe wrote...

This isn't about the VAs. This is about how they, the writers, write it out, without using straight up real world analogies.

Why wouldn't they use real world analogies?

Because when you're writing a fantasy book, you don't want to keep calling back to reality?

I can just imagine: "The party stumbled into town, exhausted. As the Inquisitor looked with weary eyes ahead, he was reminded of his home. These buildings were quite similar to those that could be found in the Capital of France."

Modifié par ziloe, 13 février 2014 - 03:28 .

[KaiserShep]

KC_Prototype wrote...

Not to be rude but who cares?

Sentences that start off with "Not to be..." never end well.

[Beerfish]

They essentially have come right out and said, this is like france, this is like spain, this is like germany.

[drake heath]

I don't get what you're trying to ask.

Do you mean, how will they tell the VAs doing Orlesian characters to do a French accent?

I'd imagine they'd just say "do a French accent", Orlesians are pretty obviously French, I don't see why they would try and skirt around just saying to the VAs that they're French.

In-universe you don't go out an say "yeah they're like X", but when describing it to people out of universe, you'd say "they're x".

Modifié par drake heath, 13 février 2014 - 04:16 .

[Rixatrix]

I think the parallel comes in conceptualizing the country/people. It becomes fairly obvious with the names of people and places as well as culture (Orlais, chevalier, Marjolaine, Celine, extreme fashion, etc.). No one really needs to say "This is like France" after that. If you've read the Kushiel's books, for example, Terre D'Ange obviously borrows a lot from the French, but there is never a point when Phedre walks around and says, "Wow, this is like Paris!"

You just get some context clues and can draw the inference or not.

Modifié par BlueMoonSeraphim, 13 février 2014 - 04:24 .

[HiroVoid]

ziloe wrote...

Sylvius the Mad wrote...

ziloe wrote...

This isn't about the VAs. This is about how they, the writers, write it out, without using straight up real world analogies.

Why wouldn't they use real world analogies?

Because when you're writing a fantasy book, you don't want to keep calling back to reality?

I can just imagine: "The party stumbled into town, exhausted. As the Inquisitor looked with weary eyes ahead, he was reminded of his home. These buildings were quite similar to those that could be found in the Capital of France."

There's a very large difference between writing dialogue, codex, etc. and giving someone voice direction.

[ziloe]

HiroVoid wrote...

ziloe wrote...

Sylvius the Mad wrote...

ziloe wrote...

This isn't about the VAs. This is about how they, the writers, write it out, without using straight up real world analogies.

Why wouldn't they use real world analogies?

Because when you're writing a fantasy book, you don't want to keep calling back to reality?

I can just imagine: "The party stumbled into town, exhausted. As the Inquisitor looked with weary eyes ahead, he was reminded of his home. These buildings were quite similar to those that could be found in the Capital of France."

There's a very large difference between writing dialogue, codex, etc. and giving someone voice direction.

And I'm not talking about voice direction...