BotCon , briefly known as "The Official Transformers Collectors' Convention" (or OTFCC), is an annual convention for Transformers fans and collectors. BotCon has been held annually since 1994. BotCon is a syllabic abbreviation for "Robot Convention" but also refers to " Autobot " and " Decepticon ", the protagonist and antagonist robot factions in the many continuities in the Transformers franchise.
41-419: Featured BotCon guests are usually involved in the creation of Transformers media in some respect, whether as voice actors from the animated series, artists or writers from the comic books , or actual Hasbro employees. Fun Publications has held the convention for a number of years, with 2016 being its final year. It was replaced by the now defunct HasCon , Hasbro's own convention, in 2017. The first BotCon
82-473: A brand new convention in Nashville. The return of the convention on August 26, 2022, marks a new era for the once official transformers convention. While Transformers are still the main focus, the convention will also embrace other properties that many in the fandom already enjoy. (see botcon.com) At the 2010 BotCon, Hasbro introduced a "Hall of Fame" awards ceremony to commemorate the people and characters of
123-505: A breakthrough due to its supposed ability to give actors more control over licensing their voice and how it may be used, the deal received backlash for its actual lack of protections from prominent voice actors such as Steve Blum , Joshua Seth , Veronica Taylor , and Shelby Young . The use of AI voices in video games and animation has also been criticized in general by voice actors such as Jennifer Hale , David Hayter , Maile Flanagan , and Ned Luke . AI voices have caused concern due to
164-768: A career of it across many of the main game-manufacturing countries, mostly the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Their names have sometimes been linked to a particular character they have voiced. Notable video game voice actors include Maaya Sakamoto (the Japanese version of Lightning in Final Fantasy XIII ), Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Noctis Lucis Caelum in Final Fantasy XV ), Miyu Irino (the Japanese version of Sora in
205-459: A film, the voice actors spoke instead of the film actors. Although this type of voice is related to years ago and now with the increase of facilities, it is possible to record the voice of the actors at the same time, but even today, sometimes the voice of the voice actors is used instead of the main actor. The tail of the voice is on Iranian animations, and like in other parts of the world, voice actors speak instead of animated characters. But most of
246-471: A foreign-language film or television series. Voice-over translation is an audiovisual translation technique, in which, unlike in Dub localization, actor voices are recorded over the original audio track, which can be heard in the background. This method of translation is most often used in documentaries and news reports to translate words of foreign-language interviewees. Automated dialogue replacement (ADR)
287-463: A narrow, flat inflection pattern (or prosody pattern) whereas radio commercials, especially local ones, tend to be voiced with a very wide inflection pattern in an almost over-the-top style . Marketers and advertisers use voice-overs in radio, TV, online adverts, and more; total advertising spend in the UK was forecast to be £21.8 billion in 2017. Voice-over used in commercial adverts had traditionally been
328-559: A voice actor in Brazil, one needs to be a professional actor and attend dubbing courses. Some celebrities in Brazil have also done voice acting. Voice acting in Iran is divided into three categories. Voice over Persian films , voice over Iranian animations, and dubbing of films and animations related to other countries (in non-Persian language) In the first category, due to the lack of facilities for simultaneous recording of sound while filming
369-451: A voice actor may involve singing, most often when playing a fictional character, although a separate performer is sometimes enlisted as the character's singing voice. A voice actor may also simultaneously undertake motion capture acting . Non-fictional voice acting is heard through pre-recorded and automated announcements that are a part of everyday modern life in areas such as stores, elevators, waiting rooms, and public transport. Voice acting
410-528: Is a required story element; in other types of (chiefly non-literary) narratives (such as plays, television shows, video games, and films) narration is optional. One of the most common uses for voice acting is within commercial advertising. The voice actor is hired to voice a message associated with the advertisement. This has different sub-genres such as television, radio, film, and online advertising. The sub-genres are all different styles in their own right. For example, television commercials tend to be voiced with
451-440: Is more freedom because there is no need to match a dub to the original actor or animated character. Producers and agencies are often on the lookout for many styles of voices, such as booming voices for more dramatic productions or cute, young-sounding voices for trendier markets. Some voices sound like regular, natural, everyday people; all of these voices have their place in the voiceover world, provided they are used correctly and in
SECTION 10
#1732772581687492-555: Is not over. It just has a new chapter. On behalf of myself, Bret Lovell, Andrew Hall and the rest of the BC Productions crew, I am honored and humbled to announce: BotCon 2021". Over the years, BotCon has featured many individuals who have worked to bring the Transformers multiverse to life, including voice actors, animation staff, and Hasbro design team members. BotCon returned in 2022 under new ownership (Agabyss), with
533-427: Is recognized as a specialized dramatic profession in the United Kingdom, primarily due to BBC Radio 's long and storied history of producing radio dramas . The voices for animated characters are provided by voice actors. For live-action productions, voice acting often involves reading the parts of computer programs, radio dispatchers or other characters who never actually appear on screen. With an audio drama, there
574-454: Is the process of re-recording dialogue by the original actor after the filming process to improve audio quality or reflect dialogue changes, also known as "looping" or a "looping session". ADR is also used to change original lines recorded on set to clarify context, improve diction or timing , or to replace an accented vocal performance. In the UK, it is also called "post-synchronization" or "post-sync". Voice artists are also used to record
615-1823: The Kingdom Hearts series), David Hayter ( Solid Snake and Big Boss in the Metal Gear series), Steve Downes and Jen Taylor ( Master Chief and Cortana in the Halo series), Nolan North ( Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series and Desmond Miles in the Assassin's Creed series), Troy Baker ( Joel in The Last of Us series) and Charles Martinet (former voice actor for Mario , Luigi , Wario , and Waluigi in Nintendo 's Mario franchise). Other actors more linked with film or television acting have also voiced video game characters, such as Ray Liotta ( Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Billy Handsome in Call of Duty: Black Ops II ), Michael Dorn (various characters in World of Warcraft and Gatatog Uvenk in Mass Effect 2 ), Kaili Vernoff (Miranda Cowan in Grand Theft Auto V and Susan Grimshaw in Red Dead Redemption 2 ), Ashley Johnson ( Ellie in The Last of Us series), Kristen Bell ( Lucy Stillman in
656-585: The Diaclone Car Robot line (with additional design work by Shoji Kawamori ) and Car Microman figures, which drew the attention of the U.S. toy company Hasbro . Hasbro amalgamated the Diaclone and Microman figures and, along with a story treatment developed by Marvel , created the toy cult phenomenon known as the Transformers . Ōno continued to design Transformers throughout the 1980s until
697-684: The Hartman brothers revived the BotCon name for their final convention in Pasadena, California . That fall, 3H Productions lost all of its Transformers-related licenses, leaving the convention in a state of limbo. In early January 2005, Hasbro announced on its official website that Fun Publications , owned by Brian Savage, had been awarded the convention and fan club licenses. The Hartman brothers and prominent fans Pete Sinclair, Benson Yee, and Rik Alvarez were invited to form an advisory council to help ease
738-449: The activities of Iranian voice actors are in the field of dubbing foreign films. In this case, the main language of the film is translated into Persian, and the dubbing director compiles the sentences according to the atmosphere of the film and the movement of the actors 'mouths and other such cases, and finally the voice actors play roles instead of the actors' voices. Actors often lend their voices to characters in games and some have made
779-778: The community, particularly among fans who missed the convention. The Transformers Collector's Club also releases exclusive figures, which are also remolds and repaints of regular Transformers figures. Voice acting Voice acting is the art of performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animated , off-stage, off-screen, or non-visible characters in various works such as films, dubbed foreign films, anime , television shows, video games, cartoons, documentaries , commercials, audiobooks , radio dramas and comedies , amusement rides, theater productions, puppet shows, and audio games. The role of
820-559: The convention the organizers often chose to reveal one or more of the exclusives ahead of time due to repeated problems with stolen prototypes being sold on eBay . In 2008, organizer Brian Savage ordered all eBay users selling these prototypes to return them to their rightful owners. Although the toys are always unique, financial costs prohibit the creation of entirely new molds. As such, the toys are redecos or repaints of previously used toys given new identities, occasionally switching allegiances and even gender. Beginning in 2003, some of
861-708: The creation of believable audio deepfakes featuring celebrities or other public figures saying things they did not actually say, which could lead to a synthetic version of their voice being used against them. In October 2023, during the start of the British Labour Party 's conference in Liverpool , an audio deepfake of Labour leader Keir Starmer was released that falsely portrayed him verbally abusing his staffers and criticizing Liverpool. That same month, an audio deepfake of Slovak politician Michal Šimečka falsely claimed to capture him discussing ways to rig
SECTION 20
#1732772581687902-491: The end of the original series. Ōno designed most Transformers manufactured by Takara, including Metroplex , Fortress Maximus and Powermaster Optimus Prime . Among the hundreds of Transformers that he designed, he considers the Decepticon Triple Changers Blitzwing and Astrotrain to be his finest achievements in toy design. Although Ōno no longer designs Transformer toys, as of 2005 he
943-446: The entertainment industry have reacted negatively to this development due to the threat it poses to their livelihood. The 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike included negotiations between the union and Hollywood studios about the regulation of AI, as well as discussions with video game studios about new terms that would protect voice actors who specialize in that field. Although SAG-AFTRA heralded the deal it struck with AI company Replica Studios as
984-407: The exclusive toys made available to the attendees. The toys are different every year and are not retailed anywhere in the world. The number of exclusive toys increased significantly in 2005 after Fun Publications became the official license holder of the convention. The identities and designs of the toys were originally kept a close secret until the opening of the convention, but in the later years of
1025-453: The exclusives were given new, retooled heads to further differentiate the new characters from previous uses of a mold. As the number of exclusives offered at each convention grew, so did the number of retooled parts. Since then, it has been standard practice to produce three or four newly tooled heads (or other parts such as wings in the case of 2007) for each BotCon. After the convention, exclusive toys usually become valuable collector's items in
1066-669: The first three mainline entries in the Assassin's Creed franchise) and Kevin Spacey (Jonathan Irons in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ). Some actors from both live-action and animated works have also reprised their respective roles in video games, such as Kevin Conroy ( Batman ) and Mark Hamill ( The Joker ) in the Batman: Arkham series, Sylvester Stallone ( John Rambo ) in Mortal Kombat 11 , various actors from
1107-449: The franchise's toys. For 2011, Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay were inducted for the success of the Transformers live-action film franchise. In 2012, the first posthumous award was given to voice actor Chris Latta , who died in 1994. Wheeljack, one of the characters he voiced in the original series, was selected as the Fan's Choice recipient. One of BotCon's most popular features is
1148-471: The franchise. Hasbro selected the first four robot inductees, while fans worldwide voted for the fifth. In the end, Dinobot from Beast Wars: Transformers won the votes. Among the human inductees were Bob Budiansky for helping create the franchise through comics and personality profiles, Peter Cullen for giving Optimus Prime his voice, and Hideaki Yoke and Kohjin Ohno of Takara Tomy for creating many of
1189-549: The individual sample fragments played back by a computer in an automated announcement. At its simplest, each recording consists of a short phrase which is played back when necessary, such as the " mind the gap " announcement introduced on the London Underground in 1969, which is currently voiced by Emma Clarke . In a more complicated system, such as a speaking clock, the announcement is re-assembled from fragments such as "minutes past", "eighteen", and "p.m." For example,
1230-588: The main show that summer, 3H decided it was too much work to hold two separate conventions, and officially announced that they would never hold BotCon outside the US again. In 2003, the convention changed its name to "The Official Transformers Collectors' Convention" (OTFCC), due to the Hartmans' ownership of the BotCon service mark. The fandom held dueling conventions in 2004, as 3H held OTFCC in Chicago, Illinois , while
1271-541: The new company, 3H Productions, Inc. In the winter of 2002, 3H sought to expand to Europe , holding an official European convention in Cheshunt , UK . However, the event, which was held in conjunction with the main BotCon 2002 in the US, had much less advertising and the registration did not open until a couple of weeks before the convention. Since the attendance at the European BotCon had been much smaller than
BotCon - Misplaced Pages Continue
1312-438: The only area of voice acting where "de-breathing" was used. This means artificially removing breaths from the recorded voice, and is done to stop the audience being distracted in any way from the commercial message that is being put across. However, removal of breaths has now become increasingly common in many other types of voice acting. Dub localization is the practice of voice-over translation , in which voice actors alter
1353-569: The opening or closing themes of shows in which they star, or become involved in non-animated side projects such as audio dramas (involving the same characters in new storylines) or image songs (songs sung in character that are not included in the anime but which further develop the character). Most of the films in the theaters are dubbed in Portuguese , and most Brazilians tend to prefer watching movies in their native language. Many voice actors are also dubbing directors and translators. To become
1394-482: The organizers' last names). In 1999, BotCon Europe took place in Clapham Common, Wandsworth, South West London, England. At BotCon 2002, Hallit announced that 3H had secured the official Transformers convention license, as well as licenses to produce comic books and start a fan club . Shortly thereafter, the Hartmans were removed from their organizational duties, leaving Glen Hallit as the sole organizer of
1435-623: The people who had been banned. Voice actor ( Japanese : 声優 , Hepburn : Seiyū ) occupations include performing roles in anime , audio dramas, and video games; performing voice-overs for dubs of non-Japanese movies; and providing narration to documentaries and similar programs. Japan has approximately 130 voice acting schools and troupes of voice actors who usually work for a specific broadcast company or talent agency. They often attract their own appreciators and fans, who watch shows specifically to hear their favorite performer. Many Japanese voice actors frequently branch into music, often singing
1476-479: The right context. In the context of voice acting, narration is the use of spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. A narrator is a personal character or a non-personal voice that the creator of the story develops to deliver information about the plot to the audience. The voice actor who plays the narrator is responsible for performing the scripted lines assigned to them. In traditional literary narratives (such as novels, short stories, and memoirs) narration
1517-529: The transition of organizing the convention for the new owners. Once the Hartmans' service mark was transferred to Fun Publications, BotCon regained its status of being the official Transformers collectors' convention. On February 2, 2020, people started to observe new activity on the official BotCon website. On February 3, 2020, Karl Hartman announced BotCon 2021. In a post on the Official BotCon Facebook page, Hartman said, "The story of BotCon
1558-698: The upcoming election. In January 2024, voters in the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary received phone calls featuring an AI-generated voice of U.S. President Joe Biden that tried to discourage them from voting. In films, television, and commercials, voice actors are often recruited through voice acting agencies. The UK banned broadcasting of the voices of people linked to violence in Northern Ireland from 1988 to 1994, but television producers circumvented this by simply having voice actors dub over synchronized footage of
1599-719: The word "twelve" can be used for both "Twelve O'Clock" and "Six Twelve". Automated announcements can also include on-hold messages on phone systems and location-specific announcements in tourist attractions. Since the late 2010s, software to modify and generate human voices has become more popular. In 2019, AI startup Dessa created the computer-generated voice of Joe Rogan using thousands of hours of audio from his podcast , while video game developer Ubisoft used speech synthesis to give thousands of characters distinguished voices in its 2020 game Watch Dogs: Legion , and Google announced that same year their solution to generate human-like speech from text. Most voice actors and others in
1640-651: The works of Walt Disney Animation Studios in Kingdom Hearts , and Mike Pollock ( Doctor Eggman ) in Sonic the Hedgehog . Kohjin Ohno Kojin Ono ( Japanese : 大野 光仁 , Hepburn : Ōno Kōjin , born May 11, 1959, Tokyo ) is a toy designer employed by Takara since 1980. Ōno's early designs included the Diaclone Walk-In Centre and Microman Acro Saturn . He designed most of
1681-468: Was held in Fort Wayne, Indiana , United States in 1994. Organized by brothers Jon and Karl Hartman, the convention had 180 attendees. BotCon was organized in 1995 by Raksha, a prominent figure in the fan community, and in 1996 by Men In Black Productions, headed up by Dennis Barger. In 1997, the Hartmans brought Glen Hallit, a fellow fan, into the fold, forming 3H Enterprises (based on the first letter of