Creating a film has a million moving parts and if you need to include dubbing, it’s one more. Utilizing dubbing services can make all the difference in not only the quality of the dubbing but also in the ease of creation and professionalism of the piece.
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This post was updated in April 2021.
Understanding Dubbing and Dubbing Services
So what exactly is dubbing? According to Britannica,
Dubbing, in filmmaking, the process of adding new dialogue or other sounds to the sound track of a motion picture that has already been shot. Dubbing is most familiar to audiences as a means of translating foreign-language films into the audience’s language. When a foreign language is dubbed, the translation of the original dialogue is carefully matched to the lip movements of the actors in the film.
Dubbing is quite different than voice over. Dubbing should come across as a subtle, smooth, unnoticeable feature. Voice overs enhance productions with a creative element while dubbing is a technique that should be invisible to the audience. Its purpose is usually to either replace unusable sound or change a language. For instance, old sound can be replaced with new or an English film can be dubbed in Spanish to broaden the audience. With the proper techniques, dubbing will go unnoticed and just be a smooth part of the film.
Dubbing services can fulfill the requirements of dubbing. With professional expertise, the dubbing should be invisible. Because dubbing requires multiple steps and often multiple experts, it is worthwhile to reach out to a service. Otherwise, a novice dubbing job will be a distraction. This distraction could ruin an otherwise successful project.
Because of the intricacies involved in creating professional quality dubbing, it is a part of your production that is worthwhile to hire someone to do. Not only does the actual voice work require expertise, but there are also the components of scriptwriting, choosing and recording talent, and layering the sounds which are all involved in dubbing.
Let’s take a look at each of these parts and see how dubbing services can help.
Script Creation
Dubbing is much more involved than simple translation. Think about it. You are trying to dub a film from English to French. It’s not just a matter of getting the language right, but it’s also a challenge of getting the words to fit the actor’s lip movements. According to Careers in Film, in dubbing, timing is everything. The objective is not only to translate the dialogue but also to have it match in timing and/or sync up with that of the original language.
An example is that what is said in one language may take longer to say in another. The timing may be different as well as the number of words it takes to say it. For the dubbing to successful, however, the new dialogue must take about the same amount of time as in the original. Professionals who work with film dubbing services have the know-how and the talent to manage the succinct timing needs for successful dubbing. They also have the translation skills to keep the new dialogue faithful to the original. This combination of needs when it comes to creating a script for dubbing is an interwoven skill set.
Honing in on the Right Talent
One key in finding the right talent to make good dubbing is to use someone with a voice similar to the original actor. CMI shares that There is tremendous art, technique, and patience required in dubbing and voice-over – it requires timing and chemistry…the dubbing should feel organic and natural.
The right talent won’t rush through the project. Timing is essential in this work. For the best results, the voice actor who is dubbing the film will watch the original as he works. He should make sure mouth movements and words are timed correctly. We’ve all seen bad dubbing. No one wants to watch a hot mess full of distractions.
The point of language dubbing is to open up the film to wider audiences. You want the dubbed film voice to be as close a match as possible to the original. This way you can adhere to the original value and integrity of the film.
Part of the success of dubbing will depend on the talent in the piece as well as the process of putting it all together. When you choose to work with a dubbing service, they should be able to offer a wide variety of voices to choose from. No matter how much talent a dubbing actor has, if the voice is not similar to the original, the final product will not have the original vibe that you want. So it’s really a combination of high-level talent and similarity to the original actor.
Of course, depending on the type of piece you are doing, you could have some leeway here. For instance, a documentary dubbed piece may not have to adhere as closely as a film or animated piece. You could replace a male for a female voice in a documentary as long as they share the same tone and mood as the original. But when you are replacing an actor in another type of film, you’ve got to stay close.
The Recording in Dubbing Services
A dubbing service can help ensure that the recording goes as smoothly as possible with professional expertise. Often one of the main reasons people turn to professional dubbing services is to have the studio to record in. Though it may take a few takes to get the recording just right, it’s best to do it in as few sessions as possible. The more sessions it takes, the higher cost you’ll have.
If you are working with someone who has a home studio, make sure it is top-notch quality. You may want to hear a track recorded there or even check out the space yourself. A barking dog or traffic noises aren’t going to enhance the recording. A professional space in a dubbing service will provide the level of expertise you are looking for with a high-quality sound.
Editing and Layering
This is the part where the film is sort of disassembled and put back together using the new sounds. Whether you’ve been working with sound effects or vocal effects, you’ll have to edit and layer. Because this can be very technical, people often want to turn to dubbing services for this step.
Layering is essential to get the sound to precisely match the visuals. Dialogue must flow with the music and other effects. The same goes for effects that are dubbed in. Everything must flow naturally without clashing for attention. This is a difficult part of the process as timing is essential. Remember, you can choose pieces and parts of your project to outsource and this may be one of them. If that final product isn’t sharp, no matter how good your talent and translation is, it’s going to hurt the overall quality.
Working with Dubbing Services
Because there is a lot of technicality involved in dubbing, it is often worthwhile to work with a dubbing service.
Whether it is a movie, animated film, a documentary, or something, a service, like our own Bunny Studio, can provide you with the expertise you need for a successful project. Submit a project with us today!
Of course, when you are searching for the best company to meet your needs, you should have certain considerations in mind. Some of these are as follows:
- Teamwork – This consideration is really two-fold. Whether you are looking at film dubbing services, language dubbing services, or something else, like documentary, animation, corporate…it’s important for everyone involved to work together as a team. Not only does the service need to work closely with you as a team, but they should work internally as a team. Depending on your needs and requests, different players will be involved. However, they should work together to create a successful, cohesive final piece.
- Quality – Your final goal should ultimately be a high-quality piece. With all the work going into this, if the quality is shabby, your piece won’t fit the bill regardless of everything else. Part of quality means getting what you expect, nothing less. A good service will listen to your needs. They should understand the caliber of quality you are expecting. Then they will deliver.
- Budget – No one likes to discuss money, but it is all-important to determine a budget and stick with it. That means you have to share this upfront and understand any extra charges that may come along the way. A reputable service will not have hidden charges. Your cost should be completely transparent.
- Revisions – Before you make your selection on dubbing services, discuss revisions. More often than not, you are going to want them in one way or another. Companies like Bunny Studio allow multiple revisions until you are 100 percent happy. This is how it should be done. Sometimes it takes a few tries to match visions, and you should not be paying for each revision.
The Big Takeaway of Dubbing Services
Dubbing is not an easy project to take on. However, how great will it be to have your piece available in other languages or with a new, refurbished, clean sound? Think of how much broader your audience could become. If you don’t have the skills for this part of the production, consider hiring a dubbing service. With a talented team of professionals, each aspect of the process can be handled in an expert way to leave you with a professional-grade, top-notch piece.
You can also work with one dubbing service to dub in a variety of languages instead of finding the talent on your own. You’ll have a large talent pool of both voice artists and technical professionals to put together a piece as good as your original. So don’t feel you have to take this all on yourself.
If you’re looking for the best dubbing sevice on the internet, Bunny Studio is it. Submit a project today and watch the magic happen!
