The Energon Pub

They used the orginal cartoon vioce for optimus Prime, but how come they couldn't use the orginal g1 vioce for megatron?
My brother asked, I wasn't sure how to answer him for sure, so I ask the inhabitants of siebertron.com.

They didn't use Frank Welker because his version of Megatron—the original cartoon version— was just too light and cartoony. It didn't fit with the more beastial movie version and they didn't feel comfortable asking him to deepen his voice and take it to a lower timbre. Frank Welker's Megatron voice is more in the tenre range, and they wanted something more in the baratone or bass range, which Hugo Weaving was able to supply.

thats a load of crap. frank would of been awsome in the movie, its a serious diss that they were like "hey we dont want you for the movie but now the game, ya you can be megs again but in the game"... now if megs comes back in TF2 they could so pull something like this. his yr (or howevere long it will have been) underwater along with him being rebuilt, his vocal receptors were damaged so it sounds different, cue Franks voice as megs speak. now thats perfect.

Frank should have been Megs in the movie! I liked Hugo weaving's voice but Frank still sounds the same as he did 20 years ago. Micheal Bay's just too stupid to realise that.

Have you heard Frank doing the voice in the game?

IT SUCKED and sounded so wrong for the character.

Original Sin wrote:Have you heard Frank doing the voice in the game?

IT SUCKED and sounded so wrong for the character.

I would unfortunately have to agree. It sounded like Grampa Megatron. The joys of getting older.

He was born in the '40s, I think. He's like 65 by now. Not a knock on him, but he wouldn't have sounded that great in the movie.

edit: ok, he's only 61.

Megatrons voice fit nicely in the movie but in all honestly from just the voice can any one tell that was hugo weaving?

no

I thought the voice was perfect. That deep, thundering growl just sounded so... so... RIGHT coming from a giant robot resembling a silvery version of the Devil himself.

Night Raid is correct. Weaving's voice was better suited to this design of Megatron. It was more beastial, yet at the same time, "cultured" in a sinister vein. Welker's voice really wouldn't have fit.

Original Sin wrote:Have you heard Frank doing the voice in the game?

IT SUCKED and sounded so wrong for the character.

That's just your opinion. I was happy when I heard his voice in the game and I wondered why Bay went with Weaving. Weaving is boring.

Not using Weaving because of how he sounds isn't really valid... The man can pretty much do any voice you ask of him.

The reality of it is simple. They only needed one G1 name for the fans, and wanted a big celebrity for the counterpart. Business. Cold, hard, dry.

I heard from someone that they auditioned both voice actors and they felt that Welker's voice had aged too much and it didn't sound right anymore.

i hope in the sequal they use frank

Cthulhunicron wrote:I heard from someone that they auditioned both voice actors and they felt that Welker's voice had aged too much and it didn't sound right anymore.

They did audition both actors, and Welker was passed over not because of his age, but because of his pitch. It was too high for this version of the character. His cartoon voice just didn't fit the more beastial live-action version to Michael Bay and the producers. They wanted something deeper and more sinister.

Personally, I don't mind the movie Megs voice that much. Though, I disagree with any rational that says that a characters voice has to sound deep and bestial just because the character looks like a giant jagged piece of shrapnel. Part of me would have almost dug hearing David Kaye's Megatron voice coming out of movie Megs. Scary, yet smooth and sophisticated when he has to be. Yes. I could have dug that alot.

That was their reason for not going with Welker, though I do agree with them.

You know I saw a couple psots here crapping on Welker and I was a litlte upset. So here's my thoughts:

1. Didn't like the movie but

2. I heard Welker voice for the game and yeah it sounded bad.

3. Welker was Megs perfect voice.

Oh! Kaye for my Megs is nice I loved the BM Megs and his voice.

Even Hugo’s involvement were such a short time, but I also liked his Megs. For the movie Megs,Hugo's voice had the perfect sense along the scenes. Such as the scene that Megs tear Jazz , Megs’ sound really sadism with madness along with his line, but it like they turn the voice volume down. They just made Hugo waste his talent in some disaudio scene.

I disagree with someone who said he try to imitating Frank or Kaye. Since they made the single voice reocrd just 4 hours via internet, he even not know what’s Frank ,Kaye or Peter sound like same as Peter didn’t know what Hugo’s sound like.

Did Hugo know that he will replace Frank for this role? I assumed he doesn’t know. They said Both Hugo and Frank made the audition even in the same day. Where is the evidence of that audition clip for both Hugo and Frank did in the same day?

My answer to the OP is Bay is not a fan of Frank’s . That is all about.

Bay gave in interviews that he's a fan of Hugo's (or of the Agent Smith character..Megatron had a similarity to Smith in some ways.)that the reason he hired Hugo to do it, Hugo may agreed to do a few hours' worth of voice work for him as a favor.

Later on Bay even forget Hugo's name(the person that Bay said he is a fan of him) when he did promoted TF film at Australian Film Festival while Bay gave a nonsense reason to ignoring Frank.
I dislike Bay at this point, he not even open mind talk to Frank whether he could made some change , not even try to keep Frank or give him any role.

Don't worry, I think Hugo don't want to return for my Megs and there is the rumor that they're supposedly running to get James Earl Jones (almost 76 year old) to voice a villain robot in the sequel. Oh!! My Megs will get another Great "Darth Vader" voice. Bay may say to Earl he is his Darth Vader’s fan to get him and I hope Bay will not forget James name later on at the next TF2 promoting.

For Frank’s voice in game, I agree he still had the voice.
The person who begin created the stupid reason "his voice too aged, too cartoony" is BAY.

C'mon Frank is just 61 year old, he just need the right of voice directing who is professional and know how to directing the voice work in this film.

Tramp wrote:

Cthulhunicron wrote:I heard from someone that they auditioned both voice actors and they felt that Welker's voice had aged too much and it didn't sound right anymore.

They did audition both actors, and Welker was passed over not because of his age, but because of his pitch. It was too high for this version of the character. His cartoon voice just didn't fit the more beastial live-action version to Michael Bay and the producers. They wanted something deeper and more sinister.

What about Welker's voices for characters like Soundwave, Dr. Claw, and Malebolgia? Those sounded very deep and sinister.

Skullgrin140 wrote:Frank should have been Megs in the movie! I liked Hugo weaving's voice but Frank still sounds the same as he did 20 years ago. Micheal Bay's just too stupid to realise that.

i think i'mma have to disagree with u, i think he DOESNT sound the same anymore, at least thats what im getting from playing the game with his voice in it.

He sounds different now, I actually thing Hugo did an AMAZING job...

Okay original megatron still OWNS. But still, Hugo did us justice.

Cthulhunicron wrote:

Tramp wrote:

Cthulhunicron wrote:I heard from someone that they auditioned both voice actors and they felt that Welker's voice had aged too much and it didn't sound right anymore.

They did audition both actors, and Welker was passed over not because of his age, but because of his pitch. It was too high for this version of the character. His cartoon voice just didn't fit the more beastial live-action version to Michael Bay and the producers. They wanted something deeper and more sinister.

What about Welker's voices for characters like Soundwave, Dr. Claw, and Malebolgia? Those sounded very deep and sinister.

My point was that the voice he used in the audition was not. It was G1 Megatron's voice, which did not fit what they wanted for this version because it was not deep enough nor beastial enough. It was high and raspy, not deep and throaty. Could he have gone deeper? probably, but Bay didn't feel comfortable asking Frank to try again with a different voice. If they were going to use Welker, it would have been with the G1 voice, and they felt that that voice did not fit the new version of Megatron.

I originally wanted Welker but after hearing his voice in the game and Weavings voice in the movie I honestly think that Hugo Weaving did the better voice.

Tramp wrote:My point was that the voice he used in the audition was not. It was G1 Megatron's voice, which did not fit what they wanted for this version because it was not deep enough nor beastial enough. It was high and raspy, not deep and throaty. Could he have gone deeper? probably, but Bay didn't feel comfortable asking Frank to try again with a different voice. If they were going to use Welker, it would have been with the G1 voice, and they felt that that voice did not fit the new version of Megatron.

Tramp, I understand your point and no against your comments.
But I would like to say to Bay at the side of artist like Frank.
Bay is a director, he can tell his actor or actress to made change on some performance if he fell it is not good enough and it is the same way that he could ask Frank to try to do it if he really want to give him a chance. I think It better that Bay open mind talk in front of Frank than he just let Frank go and later on Bay said to the public that "his voice is too cartoony" I think this made Frank hurt more than Bay get talk to him frankly.
While Hugo is the voice my Megs in this film, Hugo never came to talk even one time about this, he was not appear.
which this is quite wired since he is often attented the events even he got a tiny role or the small film.
Did he had anything he don't want to speak?

One shell stand ,One shell fail. But I think both Hugo and Frank fail with their felt. Hugo get the role,but he can't speak, it hurt. Frank not even get any role, he get hurt.

Why Bay didn't understand that not matter Frank's voice will be same or not if you are his fan you still always loved his. Ok if Bay think Frank's voice not for Megs, I didn't believe that Frank could not do an other one, like Soundwave. But Bay never speak that he had a plan to give this role to Frank at the begining. SO my hope is just want to see Frank get the role of SOUNDWAVE if the return of my Megs, they will go with James Earl Jones.

I just get the TF movie DVD today, I play it almost 20 time more to listen to the voice and especially for Hugo's Megs
He really give me surprise that how he could made his voice base so different sound, I even closed my eyes when I want to listen it carefully such as line of "PRIMMMMMEE", "Noooo It's just me PRIMMMEEE" ,"No! I want two" with his madness breath ,"Mmmyyyyy ALLLLLLSPPPARKKKK"and yes that was him and sometime I get it a different on some 2-3 scenes that possible from the cutting on each hour recording may occur.

This time,I would say I loved Hugo's voice for my Megs, his voice is deep but powerful,mad ,very hugry ,trickly and E G O sense to the character of movie Megs. While I also liked Frank's voice in game.

Oh! I think someone said that Starsteam was transfromed in to the one human jet and team up with them to shoot my Megs, that quite true after I replay in this scene.