Main Page Editorial Column Anime 101 Features [1] [2] [3] [4] Reviews [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] ___________ Home    Email		The Low Down on: Dubbing continued... Scriptwriting      I’m concentrating on scriptwriting more than dubbing, because at the moment, I can make a script faster than anyone else in the outfit.      A decent script has to have all the lines, including reactions like grunting, screaming and stuff. Here are some markers in the dialogue for easier guidance: [mind] – a guy is talking in his head. [back] – guy is talking with his back facing the screen and his mouth can be seen. [off] – guy is too far away for his mouth to be visible, or his mouth is concealed. [vo] – guy is speaking but the video shows something else.      Every new scene is indicated with a sequence number.      The line begins when the character’s mouth opens, and ends when it shuts. A scriptwriter must know the dubbers dubbing his script, because different dubbers speak in different speeds.      The content of the line must be as true to the Japanese line, or if the story must be changed must abide with the guidelines mentioned in “restrictions”. Dubbing      Why is it hard to be a new dubber and actually make it? Because dubbing is a work in progress. It’s basically an on the job training thing. There are time constraints and in times like now when the outfit is dubbing everyday and what we dub is being aired as fast as we dish it out, it’s hard to find time to train neophytes, especially since we all have our day jobs.      A dubber has to have many consistent voices. Male dubbers must know how to talk like a kid, a teenager, a mid-age, an old man, a monster, a robot, just about anything the show calls for. You never know how you’re supposed to sound like, like in monster rancher. A female dubber has to have the same variety of voices, and since they have higher voices than the males, the role of kids male and female go to them.      Dubbers also have to be able to make a line on the spot, just in case the scriptwriter missed a line, or wrote a line that doesn’t conform to the restrictions. Therefore, dubbers need to have enough experience in the business to have a firm idea of what can and cannot be said.      None of the dubbers are underaged. So if you want to dub but you’re still below 18 years of age and go to school, forget it for now. Minors need a work permit from the department of labor and even if they did get a permit, there’s no way they can balance schoolwork and dubbing. Something’s got to give. And dubbing for a summer job wont work, because we can’t replace your voice if the series isn’t completely dubbed and vacation is over. Recognition      The owner of the dubbing outfit I work in doesn’t fully declare his taxes, so only your friends will know you’re a dubber. Don’t expect your name to appear in the credits of the anime. Shoji Kawamori used ideas from the books of Colin Wilson. [ prev page ] [ top ] [ next article ]
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