I’ve got a show where three of the characters are robots and I STILL didn’t use AI voices

Papa Om Mow Mow from 'Song in Space'

Believe me, technology doesn’t scare me. I worked in video games for 11-years. I’m a composer. A script writer. I know tech. I use software. I embrace it. I own it. You have to, don’t you?

You need to record and distribute online. You need all sorts of tech in a creative career these days. A.I. is the thing. You have to know about it, and how to use, and what’s it’s good for, all that.

“I've been doing silly voices since I was a child.”

HANK AZARIA

So when we were casting for Song in Space, I definitely checked out some of these new tools available to create voices. I was skeptical but I needed to check all of this stuff out. It’s part of my job. And I had a series that has three robots in it as characters. I mean what could be better than using robots for robots?

Only it didn’t work.

Why?

1. No control: And for a writer who lives 24/7 with voices in his head, particular reads, cadence, nuance, that’s non-negotiable. I need to direct the voices.
   

2. No collaboration: Actors elevate my work, show me the tides of character I didn’t know were there.

Those two reasons alone meant AI voices were going to miss the grade. No juice, no joy no sexy, too brittle, stiff, and perdictable.  Nothing to make the blood surge, the heart dance. Like a plaster wall painted flat white.

“If you're going to have a voice, you'd better be careful what that voice says.”

TONY SHALHOUB

But there was another deeper reason the robots were bad robots.

Story is everything. And the fuel  of story is character. And the center of character is revelation. Revelation is the point. And the deeper the revelation, the stronger the engagement, and engaing people is the entire point. Without full, exciting engagement, there simply is no point to story, no legs, no lasting impact, no encore.

So in ‘Song in Space, the robots are full-blooded humans, with all the great story this level of actor brings to the mic. You can’t beat it. Don’t even try.

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