I’m delighted to announce my involvement with the Sony Pictures blockbuster movie Passengers. It’s a mega-budget sci-fi film starring a glittering cast – Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne and Andy Garcia. And, amazingly, me (well, my voice). I play the part of the Starship Avalon, the super cool spaceship that carries our heroes, the passengers, on their incredible journey across the galaxy.
Thereβs no end to the secrets the ship holds. #PassengersMovie pic.twitter.com/sM4wrTMQdG
β Passengers Movie (@PassengersMovie) December 6, 2016
I was contacted by Sony a few months ago asking if I’d be interested in trying out for the role. (Interested? Ha! You betcha.) And after I’d submitted a demo, I was told I’d got the part. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it. I’m so, so lucky.
I’ve worked on some fantastic projects but never on a Hollywood movie before. I had to liase with many departments (post-production, audio production, IT, legal, ADR, finance) and what was so impressive was just how efficient it all was. Even though many people were involved, decisions were made quickly and communication between everyone was brilliant.
We had to record the audio in my studio in the UK. I sent a studio demo over to the audio guys and they liked the sound – even the ‘dead’ silence in my voice booth. In particular, they liked the sound of my mic. (I use a Neumann U87A). The session was scheduled for the evening (UK time) and as I worked through my time zone’s daytime, I was waiting for California to wake up.
I’d been sent the text the night before so I could do some prep. I was delighted to see that my voice would appear in all 8 reels of the film and I had a lot of lines. I didn’t see any other dialogue though, just my lines. The afternoon before the session I took myself off to a coffee shop to work through the script.
It occurred to me that the Avalon had different ‘modes’: customer care, information, announcements to first-class passengers, and the emergency voice. I emailed over an mp3 of me demoing these different styles so Morten and the guys in ADR would be able to make the most of our session time and give me clear direction. (I LOVE getting direction). Above all, I wanted to check they agreed with the ‘mode’ idea. I also asked some questions about the Avalon: was it sentient, was it aware of any danger, did it have a secret? I’m used to doing lots of different types of voices in my work every day, so these kind of questions were nothing unusual.
When the sound crew got to work at the start of their day, the audio guys – who were just fantastic to work with – gave me my answers. (For more on the audio approach to ‘Passengers’ click here). When the session time rolled round I felt I was as prepped as I could be and waited for them to log in from Los Angeles via Source Connect.
I made myself a coffee and while my kids were eating dinner and doing their homework, I was getting ready to do my first recording session with Hollywood.

At the beginning of the session, I just chatted generally about my lines with the guys in the audio department. The director Morten Tyldum and the editor Maryann Brandon arrived and we discussed the Avalon’s different ‘modes.’ My husband – who had been sworn to secrecy about the whole project – asked me if I felt nervous speaking to such well-respected movie people, if I felt intimidated. I honestly didn’t. I was having the best fun.
The Avalon needed to sound friendly, authoritative, safe and maternal. The passengers are being supported and nurtured by the spaceship and this is their home. It has to sound approachable and caring, sophisticated and human. There shouldn’t be any trace of dodgy text-to-speech jerkiness. And no, the Avalon isn’t sentient. It’s just a computer.
On December 21, mark your calendars for a coffee date with Chris Pratt in #PassengersMovie. https://t.co/cpx0e5y3zj pic.twitter.com/2TlRAQ13oD
β Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) December 12, 2016
Once I’d been briefed, Morten, Maryann and the audio team left me to record my lines alone in a self-directed session. I was delighted they trusted me to do a good job on my own. They said they were confident I could do what they needed and they just cleared the line and left me to get on with it. It took about two and a half hours to record the first batch. I sent over the audio reel by reel through their secure system so they could be working on my stuff while I was recording the next bit.
The customer care voice needed to sound friendly, fresh and clear. The information mode needed to be slightly more authoritative but still friendly. The first-class voice a little curvier, a little more sensual and a little bit deeper in pitch. The emergency voice was the one that had the most possibilities.
I described this voice as being the ‘core’ of the computer. Its chimp brain. The least sophisticated, most base part of it. The part that the programmers never thought would ever have to be used. Getting the tone right for this was the most challenging. I did three versions of this voice. One that sounded quite harsh and abrasive, one that I described as being ‘gut-wrenching Shakespearian tragedy meets The Software Update From Hell.’ And finally, the version we settled on – an almost expressionless baseline voice. It had to fit in with the special effects, the music and not compete in any way with the on-screen action. For this mode, I needed to sound not too dark, not too light, not too ethereal so that anyone watching could project whatever they wanted onto the voice. I gave the guys lots of versions with ever-so-slightly differing tone colour – some brighter, some more intense. Have a listen to the finished result.
Don’t miss this exclusive clip from the upcoming @PassengersMovie, starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence! #PassengersMovie pic.twitter.com/8TEgPGWsrE
β AOL Entertainment (@AOLEntertain) November 22, 2016
To voice the lines in this style I had to give each line of dialogue equal weight, with no inflection or intonation. It had to be dead flat, read with no facial expression, giving no account of the meaning of the words. If you’d have seen my eyes in that session you’d have seen the bland, dead eyes of a mannequin.
When the ADR guys put my dialogue into the film, they saw I had to record a handful of the lines 0.3 seconds quicker to match with the guide track and the way the visuals worked. So there was a quick pickup session where I gave them different speeds of the lines, accelerating my delivery 0.1 of a second each time to ensure they had plenty of choice.
All my dialogue was recorded in my voice booth in Cheshire in the north west of England. It was strange to think that my little studio had been host to Hollywood.
After the recording session I was buzzing. I didn’t sleep much as I kept checking my email as California time swung slowly towards their afternoon and evening. I knew they were working on the audio and I wanted to be sure they had everything they needed. Later that night the guys told me that the audio had been received and reviewed and they were really happy with it all.
The next morning it was back to my regular voiceover work. My first commercial opened with the line “From light bulbs to loo rolls, we’ve got it all” so I was certainly back down to earth.
I’m so chuffed to be part of this film. I really hope you like it.
Want to hear some of my more unusual voiceovers? Click here.
Excellent job Emm, it’s just awesome news, so so so proud of you.
December 15, 2016 at 3:34 pmTa v much indeed!
December 15, 2016 at 3:39 pmOh wow ! I’d better go and see the film now.
December 15, 2016 at 4:06 pmHope you’re on a percentage π
Ha! I really hope you like it! π
December 15, 2016 at 10:06 pmWow and I thought I was only going to see the film to gush over Chris Pratt π well done Em – that’s awesome !
December 15, 2016 at 4:20 pmAh, thanks hon x
December 15, 2016 at 10:06 pmWonderful, Emma! Thanks for sharing what the recording experience was like too. It’s great that the session was done from your studio.
December 15, 2016 at 7:51 pmIt was just fantastic it was done using my studio. Amazing really! x
December 15, 2016 at 10:06 pmAnd here’s me, asking you to add an S to Saturday because I cocked up! Little did I know I was talking to a movie star!
Really happy for you, Em. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.
December 15, 2016 at 7:58 pmHahhahhaaa! Always happy to help, hon. And thanks for all your support – means the world. x
December 15, 2016 at 10:06 pmFantastic Em, fantastic. Now I can say I know a movie star!!
December 15, 2016 at 11:08 pmHa! Thanks so much! x
December 16, 2016 at 7:23 amToday, Hollywood …. tomorrow …. erm … Hollywood! Can’t get any better, can it? Well done! Really chuffed for you. xxx
December 16, 2016 at 11:56 amPS. You shall now be known as ‘Mrs HAL’ π https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MMmYyIZlC4
Ha! Thanks very much indeed – v kind words. xxx
December 16, 2016 at 1:39 pmWow Emma I knew your voice was intergalactic. Your voice has hit the world and beyond in ways you should be proud of.
December 16, 2016 at 11:03 pmI am in knowing you.
Thanks so much for your kind words! It’s lovely to hear from you. I hope you and yours are well. Keep in touch! x
December 17, 2016 at 4:43 pmWhen I worked in Sweden, a colleague said he’d been to a social function (wedding?) where the woman who “did” all the stop announcements on the trains and buses in Southern Sweden, was one of the family guests; he said it was weird hearing her saying “normal” things !
January 8, 2017 at 11:57 amPS. We saw the film last night. “Calm under pressure” I think describes your role !
January 8, 2017 at 12:01 pmThink you need to be the go-to-person for star/spaceship computers and customer support !
Like the holographic hat (yes I know, someone else !)
Incidentally, apart from professional perfectionism, why should you be “nervous” …. They came to you because you are among the best in the world for the job – “make it so !”
January 8, 2017 at 12:50 pmThanks so much for your kind words! I’m very touched. π
January 8, 2017 at 1:05 pmJust been to watch passengers your voice is amazing well done
February 5, 2017 at 2:12 amThanks very much!
February 5, 2017 at 8:23 amImpressive work, but I had a real moment of cognitive dissonance as you sound remarkably similar to Amy Pemberton (the voice of the timeship “Waverider” in the television series Legends of Tomorrow. Check out some clips!
February 12, 2017 at 8:38 pmThanks so much for giving it a listen! I’ll check out Amy’s clips too. π
February 14, 2017 at 11:10 amGrand Concourse π
February 23, 2017 at 10:27 amπ
February 24, 2017 at 1:15 pmI just saw the movie. I didn’t know you were in the film but I heard the computer and I immediately recognised your unmistakable voice. Well done! Excellent work
March 2, 2017 at 11:39 pmThanks so much! π
March 14, 2017 at 2:59 pmFound you! Your voice is so impressive in the movie I kept replaying them and thinking wow you must have put a log of thought into it.
March 31, 2017 at 7:20 amAh, that’s lovely. Thanks so much! Really glad you enjoyed it. π
March 31, 2017 at 7:53 amGreat Post ! I have read your other posts which are really informative.Thanks
April 26, 2017 at 4:02 amI just loved the core computer voice! I seen more than 3 times the movie just to ear the excellent work Emma! Greeting from Portugal!
July 27, 2017 at 6:04 amAh thanks so much! Delighted you enjoyed the movie x
July 27, 2017 at 10:08 amgreat job as the voice. too bad it was the stupidest computer since the invention of the microchip in 1971. WOW. I hated that stupid stupid machine: “Iβm sorry. I donβt understand your question.” haaihhaha. OMG. what a nightmare, the stupidest sci-fi movie I’ve seen in decades. but GREAT VOICE WORK!!! π
June 14, 2018 at 7:49 amHa! Thanks…er…I think!! π
June 14, 2018 at 11:21 am