Monster Hours (Animated YouTube Series)
Project Overview
Introduction
Hello all! We are so incredibly happy that you’re interested in our project. We are independent creators with a passion for bringing this project to life. Our Leading Director, Blake Douglas, has been working on this story for a full two years. What we are searching for is dedicated and passionate voice actors who will stay with us as the project grows. You may leave the project if you wish, but it is highly discouraged, as your voice is unique to you and would be extremely difficult to replace. As we are independent creators, we have a limited amount of money, so you must be okay with the payment going up and down in pricing before you join this project. With every episode that is produced, you will of course be credited at the end and have your socials linked if you so desire.
Story
Monster Hours is the story of spoiled rich kid Nicholas Helings, and his misadventures with a group of monsters that work under the iron grip of Nick's father/boss Vince. When Nick is assigned to work the night shift at the headquarters of extermination company "Pest Reapers Incorporated," he soon finds that he'll be in charge of managing a witch, a gillman, a vampire and a re-animated corpse. Over the course of the series, Nicholas and the monsters grow and change as they bounce off of one another as characters. At the same time, darkness threatens the wellbeing of Nick and his friends, in the form of an ancient vampire named Caladur.
Requirements
- Good mic quality
- At least 16
- Ability to portray a character with gusto
- No background noise
- Can work with other people
- Shows passion towards the project
- Discord
What we expect of you
We expect a hardworking individual who can work well with others and does not start needless drama. We need you to have at least some flexibility when it comes to recording lines and can set aside set dates. We do group recording so things are more coherent and not robotic.
Thank you once again for your interest in our project, and good luck!!!
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Latest Updates
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I'm having trouble finding words. The Casting Call Club community has truly lit up my confidence in this project. When we first posted this audition, the response exceeded far beyond my expectations. I believe that in just the first 24 hours, over one hundred auditions flew in. Many, many of these line readings were excellent, beautifully bringing these characters from the page to the world of sound, even if it was for just a few moments. In the end, there were almost 250 recordings submitted. Unfortunately, we could only pick seven, so please do not feel discouraged if we did not select you. The competition you were up against was brutal, and I had a difficult time narrowing it down to just one talented individual per character. Performers, please, continue acting, continue creating, continue doing what you were born to do. There will hopefully be more opportunities to work on Monster Hours in the future, and we will certainly come to Casting Call Club for any remote work we need to accomplish. Each and every one of you who applied have helped me to realize that we really have something special on our hands. So to that, I extend the greatest of thanks. All the best, Blake Douglas.
Nicholas Helings is a smug and distant man, often turning to substances to “let loose”. He’s quite a bit of a playboy and a downright prick at times. While not the biggest jerk in the world, he’s definitely not likeable in the early stages of the story, which this pilot takes place in of course.
Nicholas isn’t simply the “I’m better than everyone else” type. He sees the average joe as below him, as a subhuman, while he sees himself as “normal.” With this in mind, Nicholas is a dynamic character. His ‘70s childhood was friendless. It was also simultaneously privileged and tough. There wasn’t anything he wanted that he couldn’t have (besides friends). His multi-millionaire parents would buy him whatever he asked for just to keep him busy, and he could watch whatever he wanted at the nearby movie theaters. At the same time, he was subject to things a child shouldn’t see. His mother partied a lot with him around the house, and we’re talking parties. His father often substituted fatherly advice with lessons in business that went in one ear and right out the other, so there was no real parental connections to be found.
Nicholas has a very smarmy sounding voice. It’s not exactly aggressive or fake, just a very “I’m better than you in every way” type of flavour. His voice is not too high nor too low pitched, it is at a pretty average level for a man in his early twenties. Think spoiled rich fellow from California U-S-A and you'll nail it.
1. (Said to a cab driver) “Your seats are ass on ice.”
This is one of the first lines we hear out of Nicholas in the story. It is at the height of his douchebaggery.
2. (Said to the monster employees) “Ah, shut up and get back to work.”
Nicholas’ voice should quiver a little here. Like he almost wants to cry. This line comes right after Patrick the Gillman really told him off, and after Nick gave names to all of the monsters (they did not have names before Nick arrived in the the story). He’s begun to humanize the monsters just a little, and has had all of his insecurities laid out in front of him at the same time.
3. (Said in reference to Pip, a small demon with a gun) Who’s the short, tubby one with the… gun?
This is his first time seeing Pip. He is witnessing an imp holding a gun. He’s seen enough so that at this point he’s not really surprised, but he’s nervous. Say it with humor. Give us what you believe to be a humorous delivery of this question. Don’t oversell it, don’t undersell it. Just be funny.
Silver the vampire is always somewhat lost in her own world, looking misty eyed at the ceiling, floor, whatever and whoever is around, in an almost childlike manner. She’s laid back, but very sweet, somewhat affectionate. She’s about as easy going as one can be in her situation, always willing to help out her fellow monster employees.
Her roles at the company include pest control and assassinating corporate rivals (which often serves as the way she gets food). She does not particularly enjoy the act of killing. In many ways, her perpetual detachment from the Earth is a coping mechanism. She also tends to justify what she does for the company by noting that the bosses tell her the people she kills are “the bad people.” I know, that sounds dark. I promise this is a comedy though!
Silver has a very wispy and kindly voice. It is just the slightest bit high pitched yet filled with fluttery warm undertones. Again, she can be described as sounding like Luna Lovegood as well, a bit absentminded. As she speaks, words just sort of flow out from the forefront of her consciousness. She usually tends not to search for the words. Whatever vocabulary comes to her mind first comes out first.
1. (Said to Nicholas upon first meeting him) “You're the new manager then?”
Nicholas is terrified in this moment, upon realizing he’s talking to a vampire. Silver isn’t responsive to his fear however, as she’s quite used to people being scared of her, and sometimes doesn’t even notice it. She speaks normally.
2. (Telling Nicholas about herself) “Sometimes I help prepare meat for events too, and other times, they have me suck the bad people's blood.”
Her voice is as glassy as her eyes. She is dissociated from the fact that she’s murdered people, but is fully aware that she’s sucked their blood. Remember, she thinks whatever happens is fine, because they’re “the bad people.”
3. (Said to Nick, Rhonda and Boris) “I just really like being near you guys, I wanna... be in the same room as you guys a lot.”
Her voice is more present than in the previous lines. Her mind has come down from space. She is showing off her affectionate side. You can slow down as she struggles to find the right words to sum up her feelings.
Boris the reanimated corpse (Frankenstein Style) is a huge pushover, but also somewhat of a father figure. He allows the company he works for to trample all over him, no sweat. At the same time, he takes care of his coworkers, as much as he can. He ensures everybody is fed, that they’re doing the best to complete their tasks so they don’t get reprimanded or punished. Being the most human of the monsters, it’s clear that he could run off whenever he wanted. He stays for a variety of reasons, but mostly so that he can keep an eye on the others.
Boris' character arc shall be finally gaining a spine and doing what the other monsters need from him the most, fighting back. It’s the one thing that he’s always held back on.
Boris’ voice is low and kindly yet a little bit scratchy and weezy, like someone who has smoked the majority of their life. His vocal cords are quite literally stitched together. Don’t lean so hard into it that it’s annoying and hurts your own throat. Just give him a deep voice, with a bit of a sickly edge.
1. (Explaining to Nicholas why his arm fell off) “Right before you came in, this little old thing decided to up and fall off while I was merely stretching it a bit.”
This is Nicholas’ first monster encounter, but he didn’t even realize what Boris was until he saw that his arm had become detached. Boris is explaining the fact that he is undead, being as gentle as possible.
2. (Being frank with Nicholas) “You are going to be keeping logs of all the monsters employed here, ensuring that they're filling their work quotas.”
Boris is giving Nick the grand tour at this point, detailing the work that gets done on the clock. He’s just giving a practical explanation.
3. (Fatherly towards Silver) “Now now Silver, you mustn’t leave anything half done. You remember what happened last time, right?”
A gentle push in the right direction. A reminder of some unknown punishment. He cares for Silver, and doesn’t wish to threaten her. Just to make sure she remains out of harm’s way.
Rhonda the witch was bought by a then 25 year old Vince, a few years after he began the use of monster labor. By all accounts, her position is one of the safer ones , right next to Boris, which is why she’s been able to last so long. The only real danger is messing up a potion, which doesn’t happen often. Potion making is all she knows. She’s not very different in age from Boris, but Boris was basically born at age 40, so their emotional maturity is quite different despite the fact that they had a similar upbringing. Rhonda is a strong woman with a powerful heritage that has unfortunately been lost to her. Hopefully she might trace her lineage a little once she’s free of the company’s grasp.
Rhonda has a very mature yet warm sounding voice. Her tone is almost always motherly, and makes one feel like they’ve just drunk a warm cup of tea. At the same time, there is a bubbly edge in there, a bit of lost youth waiting to come forward.
1. (Talking to Nicholas) “We turn green in our seventies.”
Matter of factly. She's telling Nick that witches are in fact green, like in The Wizard of Oz, but that doesn't happen until their 70s.
2. (Talking to Nicholas while in the shower) “Hello! I know you might be a little busy but can I just have one toenail clipping?”
Rhonda barged in on Nick while he was in the shower, forgoing human decency to ask for a toenail clipping to use in a potion she's making. Yup, just give us some humor.
3. (Talking about Pip) ”Hmph! That little brute needs to learn some manners!"
Pip's a bastard, she's just putting that fact out there.
Pip is a complete and utter pain in the “you know what”. Summoned from the darkest depths of hell. The only reason Pip is still hanging around the company is because Vince took a liking to his vindictive and vile attitude towards the Monsters. He does not speak anything close to any sort of human language and tends to communicate is growls and disgusting noises, like the gremlins.
Pips voice is high pitch and sounds congested. He communicates mostly in growls though occasionally he likes to make horrible squelching noises too. This will be a "Frank Welker" style role. No words, many sounds.
1. (Talking to the other Monsters) *Hissing and spitting noises*.
2. (Talking to Nicholas) *Gross gurgling noises*.
3. (Talking to Nicholas) *Evil laugh*.
Woe is the tale of Caladur of Transylvania. One of many children of the great Dracula, and one of few to survive the grand vampire purge. The people’s hatred for Dracula and much of his family was justified, but the slaughter that took place afterwards was not. Most of the few vampires that survived fled Europe. Caladur, who was in his forties at the time of the purge, stood his ground, blending in with the general public, and beginning to plot revenge against the bloodline that instigated this event. The Helsings… Edward Van Helsing was quite against the vampire culling despite his position as a monster hunter. That didn’t matter to Caladur however, who generated a scapegoat in the form of the Helsing bloodline.
The thing is, his desire for revenge is not motivated by the loss of his family and vampire friends. It was more motivated by his loss (or his lack) of purpose. He’s immortal, with sooooo much time on this Earth, to do what? Whatever! The plight to bring down the Helsing bloodline is practically motivated by the fact that he has NOTHING ELSE TO FREAKING DO. Might as well get empty revenge on the people related to a guy who’s kinda sorta responsible for the killing of a family you didn’t really care about. One thing that troubled Caladur however, was that it’d be too simple and too quick to simply kill the remaining Helsing family members. His quest for revenge would be over immediately, and he’d have nothing to look forward to. No, he needs some dramatic irony. Why not make the grandchildren of Edward Van Helsing into vampires themselves? Perfect! But how? How indeed…
(Note: Nicholas and Vince are Helsings. Their name was slightly altered to keep their family's history out of the public eye. This is a revelation realized late into the story.)
Caladur has a very scratchy yet commanding voice with a strong British accent. Keep in mind he should sound like a man in his 70s, who is always just the slightest bit unhinged, like he’s one step away from entering a psychotic break.
1. (To Vince) “ I hope you don’t mind, I helped myself to one of your employees on my way in”.
He's drinking the blood out of a decapitated head while speaking to a horrified Vince. It's worth noting he's working with Vince (or moreover, Vince is working for him.)
2. (To Nicholas) “Hello young man! Welcome to my humble abode”.
This is the first time him and Nick have come face to face. It's all coming to a head now. Remember, Caladur is a villain, and is constantly on the brink of losing it.
(To Vince) “You’re not very bright, are you?”.
All the condescension in the world. Vince is below him, and he needs to make that clear.
Patrick’s always been told he, and any fish men that came before him, were human/animal embryos brewed in a Russian laboratory. This is simply not the case, and Patrick doesn’t even want it to be true, due to his general distaste for humanity. No, the truth is, some fishermen from an undisclosed European country wound up stumbling upon an island of Fishmen and stole a bundle of eggs. They were paid handsomely to sell them to their government for research purposes as long as they all kept it a secret. They were all later found dead by gunshot wounds to the chest or head, each death being declared a suicide.
The location of most of these eggs are mostly unknown due to a lab accident in the unknown Eastern European country. Some of them however, were stolen and of course, sold on the elusive Monster Black Market for hefty prices. Vince only managed to snag two of them at auction.
Out popped Patrick, then known simply as Fishman #1 and Fishman #2. They began life being trained in the art of assassination and plumbing. Let’s talk about the assassination part. When Silver or any other vampire employed by the company is unable to perform an assassination, the fishmen are. The company prefers vampires because their methods are cleaner, but they’re willing to compromise. They often take out their targets by moving through the sewers or other sources of water. Fishman #2 was more hesitant to kill than Patrick, which inevitably led to his downfall when he was shot by a target’s guards off the coast of Maine. Patrick is actually a surprisingly brutal killer, and definitely enjoys the action more than any other character. As mentioned before, he’s not a fan of humans. He would be delighted to kill the boss with how much plumbing he's forced to do. Work around the office is hell. The very, very occasional assassination he gets to perform is but a brief reprieve. He would escape during the assassinations, but he has a built in tracking device that was surgically embedded into his flesh as a child, and he isn’t allowed to leave his "home" without a Pest Reapers Bomb Collar © (Patent pending). Patrick’s difficulty with humans will be a growing point as he and Nicholas interact. His bitter attitude towards the world in general is also something that could use improving. It’ll all come together soon.
Patrick has a deep husky voice from the strain of speaking human languages, as squeaks and whistles are his native tongue. He sounds very monotonous most of the time and only ever shows emotion when he laughs at someone else's expense.
1. (Talking to Nicholas) “That’s not true, this guy’s one of those unreliable narrators”.
2. (Talking to Nicholas) “Hey! Listen here, Daddy’s money. I’ve killed people ten times your size”.
3. (Talking to Nicholas) “God, you’re such a loser”.