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Shoutcasting tips

Blogs > Kage
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Kage
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
India788 Posts
Last Edited: 2010-08-28 09:25:52
August 28 2010 08:30 GMT
#1
There seems to be a lot of riff raff on the Husky and team vs Day9 team and these were some of my thoughts on how to go about shoutcasting and some notes I had.

The Flow
In any talk show you'll see that the most important thing is the flow of the conversation. Certain masters have it within them to keep people entertained by constantly talking. However the only way to make this seem unnatural is to talk in the story flow. That is either building up a previous thread and adding new insights or to pick up a new interjection and tie it in. Because every story has a beginning and ending and involves high points of drama.

This was evident with Day[9] and not so much with JP. Day9 picks up a story while they were waiting for the audience and then ties it back to the game. It also has a lot to do with being very comfortable in front of the camera. Which HD and Husky seem to lack. So point here is to
either think of the flow before hand (eg:- I will start with talking about the map, then some interesting thing i saw in a replay, then end it with what this guy did different and what is coming up next or what could be interesting in this map or different matchups on this map).

You can see how much experience plays a factor here because DJWheats a master of this. His flow is so good you almost think he knows Starcraft 2 through in and out but if you observe carefully you'll see he pauses to let the other player offer insight because they know more than him. The tag-teaming part is very important here which is a thing HD and Husky aren't quite getting. They go silent together, they don't compliment each other on humour or flow (explained below). But nothing's terrible, just needs practice.

The Humour
Humour, in conversation (and in dating) is a vital element. If you cannot be funny, you cannot succeed. This doesn't mean you start in with yo mama jokes. You gauge the audience and then supplement your commentary accordingly.

The thing with Husky and HD is that they are very game specific joke tellers. They use units and very specific inner jokes to highlight something funny. Day[9] and Tasteless (who is a master of this btw) use jokes that humanise the situation a lot more. They can instantly relate it to something funny outside the game and hence appear to be more than just game-nerds.

The Analysis
This is the key difference between both the teams. Day[9] has very very strategic insights and since he's a great player is able to quickly distinguish what the player is going to do and then explain why or why not the player is doing what he is doing.

On contrast Tasteless emphasises on the humour part but doesn't lay out a strategic plan. He does a better job explaining the current status of the game, as opposed to the future path that the players are going to take. This is what Husky and HD fall into the in game right now thinking.

Artosis is a master in this analysis game. He is not funny but recognises humour quickly. He'd pass as an intelligent guy but not a charismatic guy. But if you want to really "learn" the game you need a guy like Artosis. If you want to stay entertained you need a guy like Tasteless. Day9's almost perfectly in between and hence he's so good.

The Mechanics

You can't offer insight into a game if you haven't played it yourself at the highest level. Talking about flanking and back door entry, macro micro supply blocking etc etc are all things you know when you play enough. I don't want to comment on that part but from what I saw Husky and HD clearly don't play the game at the highest level. You can't talk about muta micro or building positioning importance if you don't know about it. This was again a tactic that Day9 uses to one up the competition.

Chill btw is very good at this too along with the fact that his flow and humour are very very good.

That's not saying much that toss that played nadagast was terrible for an 800 diamond player so this is not their fault.

The Camera Angle and looks

This is something I read. But if you look weird and scrubby then you are mentally (and subconsciously) perceieved to be inferior. Im not calling anyone out on looks cause hey that's genetic. And we all dont think we look good anyway. But I'd suggest taking a good angle to show your face to the camera at whenever you talk. That's why you'll almost always see models pose to the right or left and show part of their profile when they take pictures and not a frontal assault. This is esp true of fat guys (like me) to take note of.

This is no ones fault but the camera man's to find out what looks good and then relay it. It wouldn't help husky to comb his hair a bit and appear neater (pushing your hair back and giving it a wet look perhaps).

Voice Modulation
The second most important thing after the flow is the voice modulation. Day9s just really gifted in the department and has improved with his training of his dailies. In research there is a perfect pitch or vocal tone that human beings have that are instantly melodious to hear. That's why when someone sounds like a tin drum you are instantly put off because their base resonant vibration of their pitch is hurting to the hears. But it's also tied in with the image to a large extent (ever found a super hot woman talking like a man hotter than a super hot woman talking in a softer tone?) of how you appear to be.

Tasteless goes in thinking hes a pimp and knowing hes going to come out as one. There's that confidence that translates into charisma. Artosis knows he cant match that so he goes in as a professor. It boils down to your style really and Day9 picks up the standup style while JP knows his role as Watson (or Robin).

Husky and HD unfortunately haven't really figured out their style yet. Except to talk really fast and thus come across as no voice modulation. At one point when they scream about the raid on a protosses base my roommate comes screaming in saying why are you watching rape videos at 3 am (prolly my mistake for not having headphones). As the excitement builds up husky should prevent himself from squealing. That is really really unpleasant.

Look at Tasteless getting excited he shouts and does all that jing bang but doesn't resort to a twang pitch.

Stamina
This is where I think everyones on par. They are all doing a great job casting and keeping the energy and rythm you can really see they love what they are doing here.

And I fail here because I can't write anymore lol.

****
krndandaman
Profile Joined August 2009
Mozambique16569 Posts
August 28 2010 08:53 GMT
#2
--- Nuked ---
Dfgj
Profile Joined May 2008
Singapore5922 Posts
August 28 2010 09:06 GMT
#3
He's using them as examples because they're both casting in the same event, an event which is ongoing. Also, because there's so much discussion about them anyway.
Kage
Profile Blog Joined May 2007
India788 Posts
August 28 2010 09:32 GMT
#4
YA that's what I'm doing. More like wanting to know what you guys want in shoutcasting, what style works? And why you love the casters you love (could be non esports too)
VERMM
Profile Joined August 2010
United States39 Posts
August 28 2010 20:44 GMT
#5
This is an interesting post. I've found myself turning off the stream because of Husky's constant chatter. It's just straight up annoying sometimes. He seems to think that a good commentator must always be talking. And while that may or may not be true I definitely think sometimes it's better to be silent than cram your listeners' ears with mindless filler dialogue.

I'm not one to talk as I know nothing of commentating but I think Husky and HD should alternate who speaks more frequently. At the same time they should be more involved with each other instead of just blatantly taking turns. While one is talking the other should be thinking of something profound or humorous to say. Instead of how I see it now as "oh the other person stopped talking I guess I should talk now."

On a side note, viewers should stop criticizing the commentators for explaining a game mechanic or something that may seem simple to you. I often see people saying "Did he really just explain X?" when they are obviously catering to those who are new to StarCraft. At the same time we don't need to be told that a supply depot is being built. We see what you see, we are not blind and this is not a radio broadcast.
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