Forum - View topicAnswerman - How Are English Dub Voice Actors Cast?
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levonr
 Posts: 820 |
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I agree. I'm a fan English dubs and they get better & better the more experienced the actors get. Steve Blum is the perfect example. I've heard a lot of his older 90's roles and he was bad but started to greatly improve in the late 90's and now he is freaking amazing. |
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SpacemanHardy
Posts: 2509 |
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I remember his very first voice role in the old Guyver OVAs, and even though he wasn't "good" back then, he was still heads and shoulders above anyone else in that hilariously awful dub. 
But yeah, these days Steve Blum is the golden standard of what every anime voice actor should strive to be like. |
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mgosdin
 Posts: 1302 Location: Kissimmee, Florida, USA |
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That can be said of almost all businesses, entertainment or not.
Mark Gosdin |
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GalicianNightmare
Posts: 124 |
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Once again Justin, no evidence for your statements. There's no evidence that the licensors who are interested in how English versions of anime should sound look for people who sound like the Japanese. Use citations or your statements are just hearsay. Two, even if there was, that doesn't matter. I'm not interested in what the licensor says a dub should sound like. I'm interested in a solid dub script that sounds believable, good voice acting and the ability to talk to people about the show without any major issues, when watching it in English.
@Krokietto I didn't know there was scientific evidence for this. Please share this evidence! |
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Aquamine-Amarine
Posts: 276 |
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That sure explains a lot. The Japanese pick people who are actually talented and can do a really good job, whereas here they don't seem to care and don't invest in it quite as much.
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GalicianNightmare
Posts: 124 |
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Comparing voice acting totally different languages is asinine, number 1. Number 2, if you realize that most JP VAs don't get anymore (they actually get less, contrary to what Justin said some weeks ago) than English dub VAs, you'll know that "money" is irrelevant. That and anime is piss cheap to make. By that stance, Breadwinners is superior to Guilty Crown in every way. |
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banichi
Posts: 3 |
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I love anime (Shirobako is great intro to the creative process) and I have wondered how the studios pick English voice actors - and how one could get into that work - for some time. Thanks for answering the first part of my question.
I live in the San Francisco area and see ads from time to time about a voice acting academy in the Los Angeles area, but I don't know if a school here is worth a look or not. I just found the Funimation web site and its series on voice acting so I will check that out. Thanks, Answerman!
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thecritter
Posts: 69 Location: Northwest GA |
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From past observations, any and all of the below may apply:
1. They're cast from a studio's stable of contract or incidental players. Old hands get used a lot, sometimes newcomers break in. Most are generally local talent, at least for a while. 2. A la Disney's Ghibli dubs, they choose a lot of big names, some of whom are not particularly good voice actors and do considerable damage to the dub or simply fit the role poorly. Most are good, but not stellar, and some voices are so identifiable that they distract from the character. 3. Some are contacted and contracted because they're among the best there are, and they have dozens (or even hundreds) of roles. These are the steadiest workers, but they may become a bit too recognizable . . . 4. Problems may arise, and they'll use anybody who can read and speak because they're in dire straits. Sometimes an unexpected gem will emerge. Most often it's what you would expect. 5. Some studios try to at least match the original Japanese voice's delivery or character, especially if the original is remarkable and role-defining. That's rare; mostly they use whoever for reasons of whatever, and some VA's in English dubs are horrific mismatches to the character. Examples of horrendous mismatches of voice to character abound, and some of the larger names in production and distribution are among the worst and most constant offenders. And if the products keep making money, the studios don't mess with success. Or excess. Some voice directors seem to not care at all whether they get a good performance that matches the character or the onscreen action. It's as if they're in too big a hurry to get just anything they can throw into the mix rather than something really good. Budget, time, and availability are always major factors. On the other end are voice directors, casting directors, and actors who do it right, and do it right with regularity. If only they were the rule and not the exception . . . |
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AbZeroNow
Posts: 519 |
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Um no. LA dubs have a dedicated casting director so some care is obviously taken with them https://twitter.com/tsunderica/status/641362670982029312 Also to that poster who won't take Justin's word for it since you know he worked in the anime industry, One Piece and Sailor Moon are two examples of the Japanese being active in casting choices(Oda insisted that a woman had to play Luffy for example in the English dub) Last edited by AbZeroNow on Fri Sep 11, 2015 4:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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DigitalScratch
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Now that's just not true, at least based on the accounts of the Anime Dubbing business I've heard from multiple Voice Actors at Panels. They do care to the extent that they want the most capable and talented people they can find in a short amount of time, especially for big productions such as Attack on Titan (which Funi went all out on.) The people in the English Anime Dubbing industry are far more talented than you're giving them credit for, and it's not that they don't invest much into a production, it's just that most of the time they can't. As the article said, they have to do things fast while often having to meet high expectations. Voice Acting in general is not that big of a market in America, and Anime Dubbing even less so. There's very few people involved, and you can't just live off of dubbing alone. In Japan there are apparently schools dedicated to just Voice Acting, so not only do they receive more training but Voice Acting there gets far more recognition and they are far more celebrated in both sides of the fanbase. They don't get paid any better, but boy to people just love them like regular celebs. And that's not getting into how different Anime Dubbing is compared to other Dubbing media, or the differing views of what it means to be a "good actor" in Japan and America. Let's just say that Japan loves going Over-The-Top, while America prefers the more realistic and subdued. In addition a majority, if not all, English VA these days had previous experience in theater. A lot of them are/were stage actors, are part of theater groups, or have experiences voice acting in other mediums such as Cartoons, Video Games, or Commercials. Even the directors of the dubs are usually voice actors themselves, have been directing Anime dubs for years, or are stage directors in some plays or theater groups. In fact all VAs recommend that you get some theater experience and slowly move up from their if you want to be involved in voice acting, and not to just jump in and expect them to take you just because you did a few amateur YouTube dubs or sent in an audition tape. The audition tape method is how Funi VA Micah Solusod got in, but he doesn't recommend anyone repeat his attempts because there are easier ways. tl;dr- It's not that the American dubbing companies don't care, it's just that they are a lot more limited in terms of actors, resources, and production values. They would put more into it if they could, and when they can they do a damn fine job. Last edited by DigitalScratch on Fri Sep 11, 2015 4:49 pm; edited 6 times in total |
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Levitz9
 Posts: 1022 Location: Puerto Rico |
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Um... you do know that Justin has worked in the anime industry for a really long time, as well as has ties to several people who still do... right? He's not flying by the seat of his pants, this is his actual work experience. |
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Emerje
 Posts: 7403 Location: Maine |
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This article isn't exactly sharing the industry's deepest secrets. Go to voice actor and industry panels at conventions or listen to VA interviews on YouTube and in podcasts and you'll hear the exact same thing Justin said over and over and over and over again. Whether the question is "how do I get started" or "how did you get started" you're going to hear the same rundown about how actors are chosen and where they come from. Plus keep in mind that Justin has been employed in these positions, so much of what he says about the industry comes from firsthand accounts. And you should care what the licensors say, nobody can pull the plug on a project faster than them. Emerje |
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AbZeroNow
Posts: 519 |
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Yes, Eva 3.33 has been delayed to hell because Anno apparently hated the Funimation dub of it, and he's micromanaging how Funimation will do the dub for the home video release from what I can gather. The Japanese can be very strict about how dubs go. Just ask the dude who got a katana from Miyazaki. |
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Hoppy800
 Posts: 3331 |
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I see why dubs get such a bad rap, many are still done at the last minute and not always with the most talented people although some do take their time and hire big name talent just like in Japan. You don't hear of seiyuu in Japan hired off the street unless they've won some award thus having natural talent or have connections, the rest are current and former idols, singers, with some actors and actresses in the mix.
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Hypeathon
Posts: 1176 |
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Ya know at this point, I'm not sure if he insisted so much as he simply preferred that kind of voice for an English dub and gave his approval for what became the result. Whoever from Toei Animation or Shueisha that were involved with the audition process were probably more hands-on about that kind of thing. 'Insisting' comes off as if Oda firmly puts his foot down with a low tolerance for any vision other than his own. Given how busy manga artists can be that they don't have much time for much outside of dishing out chapters on a weekly/monthly basis and how humble some are, I have a hard time seeing Oda coming off as otherwise. Interesting thing about the dubbing process for One Piece though, I recently listened to an episode of the One Piece Podcast, Barbecue Time, while catching up and there was an interesting segment about them listening to episodes of One Piece dubbed by different companies back when the show was being bid to see who would distribute the show I think (and we all know the initial outcome of that). It's funny listening to Zach, Steve, Jammer, Jose and Josh talk about the dubs themselves and identify the voices. Supposedly Luffy was male in all of the dubs and whoever voiced him in the one episode of the Ocean dub which was from the Apis arc would use the phrase "barbecue" as a catchphrase and Apis herself was voiced by Chantal Strand. |
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