As you might know, it’s been a few weeks since we started looking for new voices to add to our actors portfolio (don’t forget to contact us as we’re conducting weekly castings!). Dubbing season is always upon us, and we’re looking forward to putting interesting new professionals in the booth, alongside major actors, to work on some exciting projects that might very well be the next big thing in pop culture.
We know that the voice acting world is often perceived as a closed circle of the same actors doing pretty much every role but, as always, there’s more to it than meets the eye… or the ears. While setting up the cast for a new series (more on this soon!), one well-established actor we work with remarked that, no matter how meticulously you master the audio and pick a voice that matches the original, some fans will often be disappointed with the results. This is not because the final mix is out of sync, or due to a mistranslated phrase that spoils an entire episode, but because they want a famous actor cast as a main character no matter what. Even if the voice doesn’t fit, they just want to feel the warm embrace of familiarity as they embark on a new show.
As fans ourselves, we know how important it is to start watching and playing something new and have a well-known voice to walk us through. And we also know that there will always be some die-hard fans who watch the movie or the series with subtitles, just to compare the original actors with the localized version. But as professionals we know that all actors have their own range, and settling for fan favourites will potentially compromise the growth of what we do, sooner or later.
Casting for a project is always tricky, in every respect. From translators to testers (if needed), directors to voice actors, we’re constantly tweaking and adjusting to deliver something we can be proud of. During countless hours in the booth and on the mixer, we strive to ensure audience satisfaction, enabling people to familiarize themselves with a new franchise or movie while keeping them engaged. We know that there are a lot of interesting voice actors out there, and we believe that balancing rising stars with established actors is the key to creating something of enduring value. As the saying goes, “There are no strangers, only friends you haven’t yet met”.