MY QUANTIC EXPERIENCE – AMELIA ROSE BLAIRE
My Quantic Experience is the story of those who lend their face and voice to our beloved characters. In this episode, meet the talented Amelia Rose Blaire, who portrayed Traci – well, the Tracis! – in Detroit: Become Human!
THE BEGINNING
I first learned about Detroit: Become Human when my husband (then boyfriend) Bryan Dechart auditioned for and booked the role of Connor, in 2014. I helped him get off book for his audition and even though I only read a couple scenes, I was immediately intrigued by the story. I did not grow up playing video games and my only gaming experience was with Guitar Hero and Super Mario. So, when I watched Bryan play some of Beyond: Two Souls, I was absolutely blown away by the visuals and dynamic storytelling that Quantic Dream was bringing to the table. I remember thinking to myself, oh wow, wouldn’t it be awesome if I could be part of this game too?
FILMING AS
Cut to – I join Bryan in Paris for his last two weeks of filming with Quantic Dream. I was helping him get off book and we started reading through his scenes with the Tracis. The writing was so powerful and I was overcome with emotion just reading through the dialogue. I remember thinking to myself, I wonder who they cast for this role? Later that day, as I was exploring the streets of Paris by myself, I got a call from Bryan telling me to get off book for the Tracis because I had an audition. WHAT?! I couldn’t believe what was happening. There had been an issue with casting and they were in need of a new actress. The next day, I went into the performance capture volume to audition for David Cage, Benjamin Diebling and Adam Williams. With Bryan as my scene partner, I went through each of Traci’s scenes and gave it everything I had. I turned to David, who smiled widely and asked “will you be our Traci?” It was literally a dream come true! Two days later, I was on set with Bryan, living out my wildest quantic dream.
My strongest connection to the Blue Haired Traci, was her overwhelming need to be with the one she loved and the hope and belief in something beautiful waiting for them on the other side. She couldn’t wait another moment for fear that she would forever loose what made her whole, what made her human. It was important for me to imbue the characters with hope. I listened to the song “Murakami” by Made in Heights on repeat because the lyrics really encompassed what I was running towards.
Performance capture is so freeing! It reminds me a lot of theater. I had done performance capture before when I played Amy Ferraro in Remedy Entertainment’s Quantum Break, so I knew what to expect. Performance capture really strips you of your ego, and invites you to play in the sandbox of imagination. Anything is possible as long as you believe it.
The whole team at Quantic Dream was so supportive, enthusiastic and wonderful. I could feel the passion each person had for the project. I didn’t realize it at the time, but getting to be a part of Detroit: Become Human was about to change my whole life.
AFTER THE RELEASE
Once the game released, Bryan suggested we play it live on Twitch. I was honestly really intimidated by the idea of putting ourselves out there like that, but decided to jump in anyway. We were blown away by the overwhelmingly positive reactions to the game! Getting to experience the rollercoaster of emotions Detroit: Become Human puts you through, live, with the community on Twitch, was electric. I was so inspired by the bending narrative and theme of the game. It totally revolutionized my point of view on what a video game could be.
Three years later, Bryan and I have played over 100 games and stream regularly on Twitch.tv/DechartGames. I am deeply inspired by and grateful for the wonderful community we’ve built on Twitch. They’ve changed our lives. My favourite thing is how they lift each other up with creativity and support.
Detroit: Become Human sparked my love for video games and has opened my eyes to the incredible array of stories that can be told through this medium. I’m excited to continue bringing video game characters to life through performance capture and voice over.
Also, together with our community, we’ve raised money and awareness for the World Wildlife Fund, the Amazon Rainforest Trust and the Trevor Project. We are very passionate about protecting and preserving our environment and look forward to supporting these and other charities in the future!
