2009 July | Mike Cooper - Voiceover Artist

“Fahrenheit 2010″ set for Durban Film Festival premiere

I recently voiced a documentary feature for a film producer called Craig Tanner. “Fahrenheit 2010″ looks at the build-up to South Africa’s staging of next year’s football World Cup, and it opens at the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa next Friday, 30th July.

Here’s what Craig says about the film:

“For four action-packed weeks in June and July 2010, the largest international television audience to ever follow a single event will be watching the football World Cup in South Africa. As the clock ticks down, and the nations of the world anticipate the beautiful game’s showpiece, questions are being asked about what will happen after the trophy is lifted, the caravans move on, and the dogs stop barking…

Fahrenheit 2010 cuts through the hype, with an uncompromising examination of what the World Cup means for South Africans themselves – in particular, who actually stands to benefit from the diversion of millions of dollars to build 21st century sports arenas in a country in which, 15 years after throwing off apartheid’s yoke, millions live in shacks and have no access to water – a South Africa where life expectancy has plummeted beneath that in Ethiopia.

International heavyweights like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, construction workers, FIFA’s Communications Director, street traders, politicians, and sports celebrities, wade into the debate. National pride, corruption and even murder feature in this astonishingly candid film which peels back the glossy media veneer to expose the real concerns of ordinary South Africans: hopes about jobs, the eviction of school children to make way for construction company offices, the removal of an inconvenient community, and what traditional medicine and the influence of the ancestors might mean for the fortunes of the local team…

From visuals which capture the exuberance and unique dress of South African fans in full cry, to graphic archive footage of the nation’s liberation, Fahrenheit 2010 brims with energy, colour and texture. The soundtrack kicks off with the African house music hit “Money Maker”, and is then underpinned by the unique collaboration between Zulu music legend Madala Kunene and electric guitar virtuoso Nux Schwartz, who generate a fusion of African rhythms and rock elements that range from haunting to infectious.

Fahrenheit 2010 takes the temperature of the Rainbow Nation as it prepares to roll out… the Greatest Show on Earth.”

The movie was a long-distance collaboration, with me recording locally in my home studio here in London and Craig listening into the session via Skype from his base in Sydney Australia. A full-quality 48K AIFF audio file was supplied after the session for his editor to marry to the pictures.

Encouragingly, other film festivals around the world – including the US and the Middle East – are also showing interest in screening the movie. I’ll post more when I get more details.

In the meantime I wish Craig the best of luck with taking this project to audiences around the world, and I’m watching the post for my own DVD copy in the next few days. Hopefully Craig will allow me to post a clip when I receive it!

July 23, 2009 | Filed Under News | 1 Comment

“Planet You 3D” opens this week, with voiceover by Mike Cooper

Planet You 3D is a new science documentary feature which mixes live action, animation – and a lot of humour – to take viewers into what seems like an alien world, but which turns out to be the surface of their own skin.

Produced by Chedd-Angier-Lewis of Watertown, Massachusetts, and voiced by me in my home studio here in London, it’s a collaboration between the Museum of Science in Boston and The Health Museum in Houston – and it opens in Boston later this week! If you’re in the Boston metro area and would like to take a look, you can check out the schedule at the Museum of Science website here. Planet You 3D opens in Hoston on Friday, August 7th. From here it’s hoped that the movie will roll out to science centres across the United States.

July 20, 2009 | Filed Under News | Leave a Comment

Mike Cooper voices “Ultimate Africa” for National Geographic

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been chosen to provide the voiceover for some more programmes for National Geographic in the UK.

Called “Ultimate Africa”, the programmes are currently scheduled to screen from the middle of August on Nat Geo Wild HD.

I’ll post more information, including content, as it becomes available.

July 15, 2009 | Filed Under News | Leave a Comment

Mike Cooper joins Kathy Evans Voice Management, Sydney

Im pleased to report that Sydney-based Kathy Evans Voice Management is now acting as my agent for voiceover work in the Southern Hemisphere.

Kathys agency is one of the major players in the Sydney marketplace and her agency represents some of the finest talents in Australia, with a track record dating back over fifteen years. With the launch of her Global Voices section, Kathy is aiming to offer a select group of international artistes who can provide authentic accents for the perfect read for her clients.

Clients coming to me via Kathy will be able to connect with me live using ISDN, Source-Connect or AudioTX, or have the option of the audio I record locally being sent on to them in a format of their choice after the session — which they can even direct via Skype in the absence of the other methods.

Im very much looking forward to being party of the Kathy Evans Voice Management stable and hope this will be the start of a great partnership for both of us!