Dive into the world of voice acting on the audio benches in Eye

High up in the museum building of Eye, at the top of the stairs of the restaurant, you will find the audio benches. Put on a pair of headphones, choose one of the stories for film classics from the menu, and let yourself be completely carried away in the power of music, camera, editing, screenplay, and color within iconic films. Slightly different is the cheerful story of Hiba (17), about her role as a voice actor in the stop-motion animation film Knor, because this audio bench story is especially for children. In this interview, Hiba gives a preview.

Voice acting was new to you.

'That's right, I played the role of Meral in the film Uilebal so I already had acting experience, but I never had voice acting lessons. I entered the sound studio blankly. Actually, it went fine right away. Fortunately, I can easily express emotions in my voice. Sometimes I do suffer from a skipping voice. That also happened when I acted that I cried. "I'm so sorry!" I said. But the makers said: “We like it, this is exactly what we want.”'

What is your touch in the character Babs?

'Surprisingly much! The moment when I saw the film Knor for the first time is unforgettable. It is a very nice animation film with puppets in mini sets. It was extra fun to discover that the director, Mascha Halberstad, really put something of my personality in the Babs doll. “I can totally see you in that doll!” my mother said. Babs is down to earth. She is not quick to judge others. When it becomes increasingly clear that her grandfather is actually quite an annoying man, she remains nice. But when it turns out that grandpa wants to make sausages of Knor, Babs takes action. I recognise myself in that and also in Babs' concern for Knor. It was very special to see how my voice came together with the moving puppet to form a lifelike character.'

Why are the audio benches highly recommended when visiting Eye?

'Filmmakers have a lot of resources at their disposal to make a film even more exciting or more beautiful. If an element is missing, like the music, the film just isn't complete and you don't empathize with the characters. Every detail is carefully thought through by the makers and all elements must fit together. As a viewer, you don't really realise that. You watch a film and that's just the way it is. The listening benches give you a good impression of what is involved and how it works. It makes you appreciate films even more.'