Behind the Audiobooks...
~You've read the books--but have you HEARD them as well?~
The Creators of the Harry Potter Audiobooks: Tim Ditlow and Jim Dale's interview (although we only used parts of it). (information found in the magazine AudioFile)
Q: Gentlemen, what does the aduiobook format bring to Harry and Company?
A: Jim: J.K. herself has said that one of the most-asked questions when she tours is how to pronounce the character "Hermione". One young girl in an autograph line said her favorite character is "Hermee One". Even Rosie O'Donnell manages to mispronounce the characters or other words in the book every time J.K. appears on the show. So, for one, every child who listens to the tape learns the correct way to pronounce the characters. Imagine the child on the playground who knows the right way to say "Quiddich" when it comes time to pretend to play the game.
Tim: Also, a very important point is teh little-known fact that children can listen at least two grade levels above their reading level. With all the hoopla over Harry, there were so many younger siblings who were feeling left out of the "in thing" who, by listening, can fuly enjoy the story and keep up with their older brothers and sisters. Of course, I hope many parents are also reading teh books to these younger children. The last point is that J.K. has basically written a novel which, like so many other classic children's novels, is just perfect for reading aloud. These kinds of fantasy novels make for great audiobooks. Listen to the BBC's version of The Chronicles of Narnia or The Golden Compass to hear why fantasy is perfect for the audio medium. So many people tell me that Jim Dale's interpretation of the voice Hagrid is what makes the tape for them.
Q: Jim, what is your favorite character?
A: Jim: Speaking of Hagrid, he nearly caused an acute problem for me after talking in his voice for two hours. He had so many lines at teh beginning of the first book, and by the end of the morning, I hadlost most of my voice. He is one of teh lovely gentle giants of fiction, uncomplicated, a true friend, someone we all wish were part of our own lives.
Q: Tim, why did you choose a single voice for the Harry Potter series, rather than a full-cast production?
A: Tim: I originally planned on working with Cover to Cover in the UK on a co-production, but due to the numerous text changes in teh U.S. edition, this was not possible. At that point, I was already thinking along the lines of a single-voiced production because our unabridged full-caast recordings feature the author as narrator, but I knew that J.K. Rowling would be unavailable for two weeks in teh studio. The real struggled was finding a British-born actor living her in New York who didn't sound so British that American children wouldn't be able to understnad him and who had the "chops" to be able to carry off, not only to dozens of voices in the first ook, but also the hundreds of character voices coming in the next six books. Thankfully, a good friend at HBO reminded me of Him Dale's wonderful work in Barnum.
Q: Jim, how do you 'create' a new character?
A: Jim: the first consideration must be to the audience, who should hear teh voice clearly and distinctly and be able to understnad every word. Therefore, the character's accent or dialect should not be toobroad. Even when the voice has to project mumbled or muttered words, our listeners should know exactly what is being said. With that criteria established, I search for a voice that relates to the character from teh description that the author has given me in the book. I once met a very fat country gentleman who was rather partial to more than a few drinks every night. I remembered his voice when it came to introducing Autn Marge in teh third Harry Potter book. When I was recording her lines, I kept visualizing this awful man who burped and belched his way through every sentence. Katherine Hale, my producer, had to continually stop the tape because I was falling off my stool with laughter.
