Michael Hollick?

[French Tom]

I know this is old news but how do you guys feel about him getting payed only $100,000 for 15 months of voice and motion capture.

 

I feel bad for him, knowing he's probably never going to get anything better than GTA and they only payed him that much. But, at the same time aren't you suppose to get all of that sorted out before you actually do the role?

 

 

ANOTHER QUESTION,

 

About the thing on monday with video games at the supreme court, is it only in California that kids can buy M rated games without parents, or is it everywhere?

[Kwandilibro]

I think it's only in California, but don't quote me. That sh*t better become a law in NY...

 

And didn't Ray Liotta have problems with payment from R* too? Seems to me that they might just be stingy.

[French Tom]

I think it's only in California, but don't quote me. That sh*t better become a law in NY...

 

And didn't Ray Liotta have problems with payment from R* too? Seems to me that they might just be stingy.

Well at least we know they treat everybody that way, not just less popular actors.

[GR7]

I think it's only in California, but don't quote me. That sh*t better become a law in NY...

 

And didn't Ray Liotta have problems with payment from R* too? Seems to me that they might just be stingy.

They are more than fine with the money when the project uses its temporary name. But as soon as they find out it's GTA their demands seem to rise . No wonder V is supposedly called RUSH right now.

[*MURDOC*]

 

I think it's only in California, but don't quote me. That sh*t better become a law in NY...

No, it's the entire U.S., and it's not a law, it's actually a ruling which prevents laws like CA had, that make it illegal to sell games to underage kids.

 

 

But that doesn't stop the actual stores that sell the games from having a policy that their employees can not sell M-rated games to underage customers.

 

It just means that an employee can't get in trouble legally for violating that, but they can be reprimanded or lose their job.

[CryptReaperDorian]

Last I've heard about Michael Hollick, he's on good terms with R* again. I believe he has calmed down enough to not ruin his relationship with R* for some extra money. However, being the game's star character, I can see why he wanted more when GTA IV pulled in about $500,000,000 in the first week.

[Finn 7 five 11]

I think it's only in California, but don't quote me. That sh*t better become a law in NY...

 

And didn't Ray Liotta have problems with payment from R* too? Seems to me that they might just be stingy.

Every company is stingy, and he signed up for it, he knew what he was getting into.

I wouldn't say it would have been 15months day in day out work anyway.

[Sam998]

100,000 seems fair to me. That being said I don't know much on the subject.

 

 

[Rucke]

ONLY $100.000 for 15 months of voice over and motion capture? I wouldn't've said no to that. If it was a movie he would of course have made a lot more so I can see why he was pissed.

[TrevorSpeed914]

ONLY $100.000 for 15 months of voice over and motion capture? I wouldn't've said no to that. If it was a movie he would of course have made a lot more so I can see why he was pissed.

Oh really? You're an actor, trying to get a decent gig, and Rockstar games approaches you to do a game for 100,000 dollars, and you would turn it down? Sure, and they'll just find someone else with a Russian accent.

 

Michael Hollick... He got a raw deal, but he's the main character, and an iconic one at that, of one of the best selling games within one of the best selling game-franchises. If he hasn't gotten other job offers, I hope he makes use of the 100,000 bucks most people don't make in a year.

[French Tom]

I just find it pretty sad that he played an iconic character for a game thats made millions and he doesnt see much of it.

[adamcs]

If there's any spare cash lying around at R*, there are people far more deserving of it than voice actors. Pisses me off when guys like Hollick come away from these projects thinking that they are the stars.

[Finn 7 five 11]

If there's any spare cash lying around at R*, there are people far more deserving of it than voice actors. Pisses me off when guys like Hollick come away from these projects thinking that they are the stars.

Yeah i would say the real stars are the guys who make the game possible, who work long ass hours and worked very hard to get where they are by going through University, rather than some guy who has been doing some plays and got a lucky break.

[adamcs]

If there's any spare cash lying around at R*, there are people far more deserving of it than voice actors.  Pisses me off when guys like Hollick come away from these projects thinking that they are the stars.

Yeah i would say the real stars are the guys who make the game possible, who work long ass hours and worked very hard to get where they are by going through University, rather than some guy who has been doing some plays and got a lucky break.

True. I'm not trying to discredit the work of voice actors, but I'm sure their jobs are comparatively much easier than most of the devs working at R*.

 

Can't believe he's complaining about $100k!

[mikkenugent]

Hollick shoulda chilled the fuk out, who was he before IV? All he did was read lines in a air conditioned booth then do some motion work, big fukin deal. Talk to the people who bust their ass' day in day out in factories or people who do road work or any hard manual labor every day gettin far far less than what Hollick did. Some people get pissy about sh*t like this, the fact is he was a nobody before IV and he was lucky to get what he did. He signed the dotted line and agreed to the terms knowin full well what the deal was. If there was an agreement in the contract statin that after so many units sold he would receive more funds from the project and didnt, I could fully agree with how he acted. Ive dealt with this style of business alot in my line of work and the fact is that unless you are a publisher, writer, or producer you are takin the dick on these things. Point is he got paid and paid well for the work he did, and by extension R* gave him a huge shot in the arm for his career with the starrin role. So did he make a huge lump sum from the 500 mill? No but did they give him huge exposure that is almost priceless? Yes, so he still got more out of it than $100000 which BTW anyone of us on this board would take and the people who say they wouldnt obviously are lyin or dont know sh*t bout the entertainment business.

[Snake Without a Tongue]

I'd do horrible things to myself for that much money, but I can understand his grievance. His voice was a major part of a product that grossed a crap-load of money, and he sees none of it. Gaming is already bogged down the expense of sheer development, but I hate to see real talent get screwed. After finding out David Bateson won't be in the next Hitman, I now appreciate how much voice actors can bring to a game.

[the hadoken nigga]

another sad story get a dope lawyer and your paper work in order and if the glove dont fit you must aquit, hes a dumbass in this day in age even rockstar will give you the okie dokie if you let them

[Capricornus]

If there's any spare cash lying around at R*, there are people far more deserving of it than voice actors.  Pisses me off when guys like Hollick come away from these projects thinking that they are the stars.

Yeah i would say the real stars are the guys who make the game possible, who work long ass hours and worked very hard to get where they are by going through University, rather than some guy who has been doing some plays and got a lucky break.

As cliche as that statement is the post is nonetheless true.

 

At any rate, I laugh at the people who come in here and say "oh I wouldn't accept the 100k!" Give me a damn break. No one on this site can say that they wouldn't accept 100k for such a job, especially if you have never seen that much money at one time before. Lord knows I would take it and do more work for R* if given the chance.

[wannaslide]

i'd take that job in a heart beat ,it may have been 15 months but i bet it wasnt monday to friday work each week for that whole 15 months .

[cosmicboy]

If there's any spare cash lying around at R*, there are people far more deserving of it than voice actors.  Pisses me off when guys like Hollick come away from these projects thinking that they are the stars.

Yeah i would say the real stars are the guys who make the game possible, who work long ass hours and worked very hard to get where they are by going through University, rather than some guy who has been doing some plays and got a lucky break.

Agreed.

He was picked because the people who developed and wrote the character think he suited the voice and could pull off their character.

 

Hollick didnt create Niko.

[Rucke]

If there's any spare cash lying around at R*, there are people far more deserving of it than voice actors.  Pisses me off when guys like Hollick come away from these projects thinking that they are the stars.

Yeah i would say the real stars are the guys who make the game possible, who work long ass hours and worked very hard to get where they are by going through University, rather than some guy who has been doing some plays and got a lucky break.

Exactly. If those people doesn't get paid millions of dollars, then why should the actors?

 

Video games aren't like films. There are a lot of aspects that are just as important as the plot and characters.

[Magic_Al]

Did Michael Hollick do less work on GTA IV than Aaron Staton on L.A. Noire? They both acted similarly for motion capture, and they both did facial capture, the same work but with different technology recording them. Hollick's facial performance was tracked in 3D as low-resolution motion only and controlled the face of a digital puppet that didn't look like him, while Staton's facial performance was tracked in 3D in much higher resolution, capturing the whole surface of his head which was transferred directly into the game world. It looks completely different but the actors did comparable work. In Hollick's case, animators had to do additional work to create Niko's eye movement and complete his expressions since the facial capture technology was less detailed than L.A. Noire, but Hollick still did the acting whether it all comes through or not.

 

Despite the similarity in what the actors do, I bet more people would think the actors in L.A. Noire should be paid the same way as TV actors, who always get a percentage of the profit of the show they're in, only because in L.A. Noire you can actually see the actors. The actors in GTA IV did the same work but they are hidden behind digital characters. Where's the logic in saying TV actors get a percentage of profits but video game actors get paid only for hours worked and no share of profits?

Edited July 2, 2011 by Magic_Al

[The Wallet Inspector]

If there's any spare cash lying around at R*, there are people far more deserving of it than voice actors.  Pisses me off when guys like Hollick come away from these projects thinking that they are the stars.

Yeah i would say the real stars are the guys who make the game possible, who work long ass hours and worked very hard to get where they are by going through University, rather than some guy who has been doing some plays and got a lucky break.

Exactly. If those people doesn't get paid millions of dollars, then why should the actors?

 

Video games aren't like films. There are a lot of aspects that are just as important as the plot and characters.

So video games are like films, then – three-act visual entertainment with an enormous crew of hundreds of underpaid people making it all possible.

 

I see no reason why a good voice actor shouldn't be paid as much as a mainstream movie actor, particularly when the script is as large as GTA's.

[Rockstar20124]

 

If there's any spare cash lying around at R*, there are people far more deserving of it than voice actors.  Pisses me off when guys like Hollick come away from these projects thinking that they are the stars.

Yeah i would say the real stars are the guys who make the game possible, who work long ass hours and worked very hard to get where they are by going through University, rather than some guy who has been doing some plays and got a lucky break.

Agreed.

He was picked because the people who developed and wrote the character think he suited the voice and could pull off their character.

 

Hollick didnt create Niko.

Hollick maybe didn't create the character on paper. But he did make the character Niko Bellic come alive. Just like Al Pacino made Tony Montana come alive for instance Programmers can make great believable visual models of people, they can't give it a soul without a voice. Without a convincing voice with emotion even the best looking character would be flat and forgettable. And maybe they didn't use the technology from LA Noire or even the older motion capture technique with dots in the face. He is acting hard. You can't raise your voice without using the corresponding facial and other muscles. In a sense there is no difference in voice acting "just" for a microphone and regurlary acting for the cameras.

 

Michael Hollick deserves more. At least 5 million if not 10 million that being only 1 percent of the earnings of GTA IV. This was pretty naive by Rockstar North. Because this would have raised the bar for the gaming society compared to the movie society called Hollywood. It would have generated even more buzz. Even to audiences who never play games before at the time and didn't take gaming society serious but are huge movie fans. Blurring the lines between movie and games is a great thing. You would have had so much more publicity even on light channels like E! Entertainment and such and other movie oriented shows on all kinds of other more serious (news) channels. Money talks. And your product will be talked about when there is the word "millions" involved And giving people a face and voice, the lead (voice) actor, makes it more personal. Just like these new pretty much (at the time) unknown actors like Sam Worthington with Avatar and a Chris Hemsworth with Thor who get lead roles in huge big budget titles. "They get paid millions? They must be good then. Such a big 100+ million movie/game budget? Now I'm interested in this movie/game" That's the way a lot of people think. And the cinematic trailers with the great voice acting by Hollick were and still are AMAZING*. If there were Oscars for movie/game trailers GTA IV would have won easily.

 

Anyway, Michael Hollick deserves millions. He is the best actor GTA ever had. Outshining famous Hollywood actors Ray Liotta, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Penn and James Woods easily. And GTA IV wouldn't have been the highest rated game of all time on PS3 and 360 without him. If you want to create a dark, gritty and serious storydriven masterpiece you had better have a great lead and Michael Hollick nailed his role perfectly

 

* Still my favorite trailer of all time for my favorite game of all time

 

 

[Duxfever]

Did Michael Hollick do less work on GTA IV than Aaron Staton on L.A. Noire? They both acted similarly for motion capture, and they both did facial capture, the same work but with different technology recording them. Hollick's facial performance was tracked in 3D as low-resolution motion only and controlled the face of a digital puppet that didn't look like him, while Staton's facial performance was tracked in 3D in much higher resolution, capturing the whole surface of his head which was transferred directly into the game world. It looks completely different but the actors did comparable work. In Hollick's case, animators had to do additional work to create Niko's eye movement and complete his expressions since the facial capture technology was less detailed than L.A. Noire, but Hollick still did the acting whether it all comes through or not.

 

Despite the similarity in what the actors do, I bet more people would think the actors in L.A. Noire should be paid the same way as TV actors, who always get a percentage of the profit of the show they're in, only because in L.A. Noire you can actually see the actors. The actors in GTA IV did the same work but they are hidden behind digital characters. Where's the logic in saying TV actors get a percentage of profits but video game actors get paid only for hours worked and no share of profits?

I heard that the reason Staton didn't get a big pay was because he already makes a lot of money from Mad Men. It kinda makes sense actually.

[mikkenugent]

 

Michael Hollick deserves more. At least 5 million if not 10 million that being only 1 percent of the earnings of GTA IV. This was pretty naive by Rockstar North.

Hollick signed the dotted line, he knew well in advance what he was to get paid long before he even said one word as Niko Bellic. He doesnt deserve a penny more simply because he had a binding legal agreement as to what his payment would be simple as that black and white. Like I said in my earlier post if it was stated in his contract that after so many units sold he would be entitled to more money and did not receive said money than yes he would have a pot to piss in but apparently that wasnt so.

 

Also like I said before R* gave him exposure which for anyone in Hollicks shoes would kill for. He walked away with alot more than $100000 I can tell you that much. R* gave him a golden ticket for future work on other high profile projects. Its up to him to go out there and parlay the success he had with IV into other things.

 

The statement you made about 5 or 10 mil should be his is pretty naive thats not how that business works at all, like anyone in entertainment will tell you the talent is last in line on the pay scale unless you are talkin an established personality which Hollick even now still is not (despite his involvement with IV).

 

At the end of the day if he wanted more for his work he should have had his lawyer fight for more but that didnt happen. He didnt get robbed or anythin like that and if he felt that then thats on him because in any business if you dont get it in black and white you arent guaranteed sh*t. If you have good business savvy you can achieve alot in entertainment but if you do what Hollick did by complainin about R* all you do is burn bridges and loose potential work. It seems Hollick chilled out and now is cool with R* and that just proves what I just said about burnin bridges.

 

 

[Finn 7 five 11]

If there's any spare cash lying around at R*, there are people far more deserving of it than voice actors.  Pisses me off when guys like Hollick come away from these projects thinking that they are the stars.

Yeah i would say the real stars are the guys who make the game possible, who work long ass hours and worked very hard to get where they are by going through University, rather than some guy who has been doing some plays and got a lucky break.

Exactly. If those people doesn't get paid millions of dollars, then why should the actors?

 

Video games aren't like films. There are a lot of aspects that are just as important as the plot and characters.

So video games are like films, then – three-act visual entertainment with an enormous crew of hundreds of underpaid people making it all possible.

 

I see no reason why a good voice actor shouldn't be paid as much as a mainstream movie actor, particularly when the script is as large as GTA's.

See the thing is, when your making a movie, the actors are pretty much the number 1 people, there is no film without the actors, and acting for movies takes a lot more time

 

A video game on the other hand has a lot more to it than just acting, whilst actors are important they are not as important as they are in films, many video games don't even have voice acting (mario, Racing games ect).

If a game company can get away with hiring actors for less, they will do it, Hollick isn't exactly a household name.

 

[adamcs]

 

And GTA IV wouldn't have been the highest rated game of all time on PS3 and 360 without him.

You could say that about anyone who worked on the game. What makes Hollick more deserving than the devs who spent 4+ years pouring their heart and souls into the game, working long days (and nights), while no doubt seeing little of their families as the release date approached? The idea of Hollick getting not just more, but substantially more money than those people is wrong IMO.

[Rucke]

ONLY $100.000 for 15 months of voice over and motion capture? I wouldn't've said no to that. If it was a movie he would of course have made a lot more so I can see why he was pissed.

Oh really? You're an actor, trying to get a decent gig, and Rockstar games approaches you to do a game for 100,000 dollars, and you would turn it down? Sure, and they'll just find someone else with a Russian accent.

 

Michael Hollick... He got a raw deal, but he's the main character, and an iconic one at that, of one of the best selling games within one of the best selling game-franchises. If he hasn't gotten other job offers, I hope he makes use of the 100,000 bucks most people don't make in a year.

Didn't you read what I said? I said I WOULDN'T have turned down the offer.

[Magic_Al]

 

Hollick signed the dotted line, he knew well in advance what he was to get paid long before he even said one word as Niko Bellic.

I don't think Hollick ever said he disputed his contract or was tricked or treated unfairly by Rockstar. He was citing his situation as an example of the fact that all professional performers, not just him, who work in multiple industries (film, television, stage, music, radio, and video games) don't get paid the same way for video games that they do for most other things, and that it's reasonable to question why that is.

 

The argument that an actor is less important in a video game than in a movie fails when you know that actors are paid royalties for appearing in TV commercials, which obviously are about a product and not really a story. Every time a commercial airs, the actors in it get another check, even if all they did was walk up some stairs looking hopeful while some voiceover drones about high blood pressure medication. The acting unions got that deal, but they haven't got that deal for video game actors. Hollick was questioning why not and it's not an unreasonable question.