VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Philip Banks · Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 1:42 am Post subject: Factual dubbing, not silly voices

I sometimes get asked to read the English translation for foreign nationals doing pieces to camera, I'm certain the same is true for most of you..

"Philip, please change your voice for Mr A and again for Mr B" asked Sabine the Senior Producer. I sort of started to do it and then politely explained why it would sound silly. It not only sounds silly when I do it but also when any VO does it. Not drama, not voice acting, it's just translation.

I did it the way Sabine asked and then did my - This is what you do - bit, politely.

"In the dub/edit allow the person doing the piece to camera to speak for a second or two then fade their voice to allow me to do the heavy lifting." I am not in character, I am simply telling non German speaking, non Korean speaking people what Dave and then Dave are saying.

Anyone who believes that it is our job to educate clients has delusions of adequacy. We sometimes should make constructive suggestions, diplomatically, for the good of the project.

"Sabine, lovely to meet you, the session was a delight and you have options"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZXnCTJazPc

Bruce · Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 6:46 am Post subject:

Your Koreanness and your Germanness on the overdubs was as lovely as a lovely thing could be.

And you were lucky to have a foreign script written by someone who actually knows English!

B
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I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

Bish · Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:28 am Post subject:

Lee Gordon · Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:29 am Post subject:

Jack Daniel · Cinquecento Joined: 23 Jun 2016 Posts: 585 Location: SoCal

I cringe when I hear "we need to educate our clients." I think: "Who's this 'we,' bub?"
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Jack Daniel
Narrator / Man About Town

Kim Fuller

Bish · Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2019 1:06 pm Post subject:

"Educating" clients... the only "education" they need is my correct address for the cheque, or my bank details for the transfer Smile

Seriously... I had an interesting exchange with a VO friend the other day. She's fairly new to the business and local to me. We have coffee occasionally and I try to be helpful whenever she needs some help or guidance (without being too didactic). Anyway, she had her first directed session (local recording) and we spent some time setting-up her Skype and going through expectations for when the producer and the client are on the line. To make it more interesting, the others would be in Portugal. The script arrived, and while it was easy to understand the meaning, the grammar had been taken out, stood against the wall, blindfolded, and shot. Probably Google translate from the original Portuguese.

OK... first run, read it as best you can and then gently volunteer that you're "not getting the meter of it" (There's a massive difference between "I'm not getting it" and "Your script sucks!") Have alternatives ready to offer. Bottom line is that the client understood the failings of the translation and was grateful for the suggestions. No one was "educated"... but everyone was helped.

(... and if one more VO proudly tells me they've given their client the GVAA rate guide, I'm going to have the mother of all hissy-fits!)
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Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

Yonie · CM Joined: 31 Aug 2011 Posts: 906