Anchoring: DUBBING BASICS

DUBBING BASICS

Dubbing means recording voices for a movie in some different language. Recording of sounds for the movie in original language is called voice-over.

In Voice-over, the original actors record their dialogues in a recording room. In dubbing, a dubbing artist  records the dialogues in local language.

Dubbing a movie is complex process. Translators have to keep the meaning as well as lip-sync of actors in their mind while translating for the movie.

The translated version should have same time-length for a dialogue as the original movie. Dubbing should also be able to catch the "mood" of the dialogue.

Dubbing for a song is even more difficult. The lyrics has to be translated with similar meaning and similar time-length to make it sync with actors' lips and music.

Dubbing, mixing, or re-recording is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production in which additional or supplementary recordings are "mixed" with original production sound to create the finished soundtrack. The process usually takes place on a dub stage.

Employed through various ways in cinema, the technique actually has a more common, practical use in day-to-day news and radio.

When an interviewee speaks a foreign language, production companies typically use voice actors to record over the original audio. This way, the viewer hears the interviewee in the background speaking his or her language, while the voice actor interprets. In most cases, the volume of the voice actor is much louder and lags seconds behind the original audio track. This voice-over technique is useful because it allows the viewer to both hear and understand the speaker’s words at the same time. This is typically referred to as UN-Style voice over.

Another audiovisual process is called dubbing. Not to be confused with the electronic music genre (yes, that one), dubbing is when all the elements of sound are mixed including the original production track with any additional recordings; joined together, they make a complete soundtrack. In the video production world, the phrase “dubbing” is used when the original speaker’s audio track is replaced entirely by the voice actor’s. Contrary to voice-over (UN-Style), which preserves the original track underneath the voice actor, the dub must be carefully timed and synchronized to match the speaker’s lips, meaning, and even intonations.  To be more specific, this is often referred to as lip-sync dubbing. As imagined, this process is arduous and lengthy; often times, the voice actor is required to work with editors in a studio re-recording segments where the audio and visuals struggle to match.

Dubbing for a film/documentary is the process of furnishing a film or tape with a new sound track and for getting a noise free dialogue track we follow the process for dubbing.

In the process of shooting there will be lot of disturbances and noise distortions and the chances are high that the dialogues which is being rendered by the actor / actress might not get captured during the process.

During dubbing, the artist who played the role in the film or any other dubbing artist whose voice resembles the same as the artist repeats the dialogue in the studio. The dialogues are being repeated while having a look at the movie sequence with lip sync, added with pertinent feelings and felicitous expressions.

The dubbing is being done relatively in dry studios wherein the artist will hear the pilot track or the location sound via a headphone in adding life to the character .

Here are some basic tips which you can be followed by dubbing artists or sound recordists:

1. Microphone should be very sensitive and must have good gain, preferably use cardioid microphones

2. Headphone leakage is not at all allowed
The artist should wear the headphone properly or use a quality over-ear headphone otherwise pilot track leakage can occur which might get recorded with the voice of the dubbing artist.

3. Avoid any type of disturbances during the dubbing process such as rustling of dress, body movements, poping(blow) etc.

4. One Project One Studio.
If a dubbing project has started in one particular studio the it is better to continue and finish it in the same to keep the acoustic continuity. There are chances that when ambience of the studio or equipment or even the recordist change there will be a changes in the recording pattern and the output. It is better to continue with the same acoustics otherwise you will loose the continuing of dubbing.

5. Don’t correct the script.
Script correction is the not the job sound recordist. As a sound recordist you are supposed to record what the dubbing artist speaks over the microphone and maintain the quality of it. It is not the recordist job to correct the script.

6. Confirm it with director
As a sound recordist you are only a part of the movie if you have any doubt regarding the dialogue or the way in which the dubbing artist has rendered it, do confirm it with the director, because he is the creative force behind the movie, controlling its artistic and dramatic aspects as well as visualizes the script.

7. Artist maximum efficiency is around 4 hours
Keep in mind that dubbing artists needs voice rest and it is quite natural that their dubbing efficiency lasts only up-to 4 hours. After 4 hours of work, there are chances that their voice may dwindle and might not be unable to provide quality output. Offer them adequate rest and only hot water to drink.

8. For quality dubbing output, acoustic continuity, system continuity, monitor continuity has to be maintained