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Answerman - Are Dub Crew Members Taking Over Voice Actors' Jobs?

I thought it was the other way around... people start off in places like Funimation and Sentai as voice actors, and as time passes, they take on more roles in the place, as ADR Directors and Writers. After all, dub actor salaries are hardly enough to live on, and if you have transferrable skills and have built up XP in a company who you work for, other opportunities open up. Companies get to keep things 'in the family' which cuts down their overheads.

As for what the question asks, engineers and producers as actors, I've noticed that they usually get bit parts or wallah, at least at first, where they can do less 'damage'.

Just Passing Through wrote:

I thought it was the other way around... people start off in places like Funimation and Sentai as voice actors, and as time passes, they take on more roles in the place, as ADR Directors and Writers. After all, dub actor salaries are hardly enough to live on, and if you have transferrable skills and have built up XP in a company who you work for, other opportunities open up. Companies get to keep things 'in the family' which cuts down their overheads. As for what the question asks, engineers and producers as actors, I've noticed that they usually get bit parts or wallah, at least at first, where they can do less 'damage'.

It usually does work that way since it would be pretty tough to jump straight into things like writing and directing since it's a different beast from most other types of productions. As far as producers go, some moved up the chain long enough ago that I think some people are unaware that they started out as actors. Justin Cook would be a good example. I've also noticed that some staff members, like Clarine Harp, are cast much less than they used to be now that Funimation has expanded its actor pool.

Wow. Is this something that happens regularly in the US? I worked in the dubbing industry for a number of years (not anymore though but I was production manager at a dubbing studio) and I've never heard of actors working other jobs in professional dubs. Sure, I've known an actor who had a sort of one-man dub service where he had a small studio at home where he would record stuff for a couple of steady clients (these were usually commercials that he could do a lot cheaper than if the clients were to hire a studio).

But I've never heard of something like an actor also handling the script in any capacity other than performing it, or doing any other non-acting task... let alone production using someone who is not, by profession, an actor, to act in a dub as something other than walla (unless it was absolutely necessary, which is how I ended up in a number of dubs/voiceovers in tiny minor mob roles). Never mind the person then not getting paid for it. What.

(I've also never heard of time stamping dub scripts unless absolutely necessary, but I suppose that can be chalked up to different dubbing traditions...)

As for royalties, I've heard that voice actors are paid a small amount when a show airs on network (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, CW), at least if it's a SAG-AFTRA project. That might be one reason why 4Kids was always non-union, despite allegedly paying their voice actors better than union rate.

Japanese licensors don't approve or disapprove of dub casting. That's a myth.

Japanese licensors don't approve or disapprove of dub casting. That's a myth.

Japanese licensors don't approve or disapprove of dub casting. That's a myth. A lot of people say that Japanese licensors approve or disapprove based on the sound of the actor's voice relative to the Japanese original, but most leads sound nothing like the Japanese which debunk the myth. It seems voice actors use the myth to deflect criticism. Like Sonny Strait said that the Japanese director of Escaflowne was involved in the dub to deflect criticism.

Don't peddle the myth, Justin.

NearEasternerJ1 wrote:

Don't peddle the myth, Justin.

NearEasternerJ1 wrote:

Japanese licensors don't approve or disapprove of dub casting. That's a myth. A lot of people say that Japanese licensors approve or disapprove based on the sound of the actor's voice relative to the Japanese original, but most leads sound nothing like the Japanese which debunk the myth. It seems voice actors use the myth to deflect criticism. Like Sonny Strait said that the Japanese director of Escaflowne was involved in the dub to deflect criticism. Don't peddle the myth, Justin.

I have to think Justin knows a few things after being in the industry for 20 years. If you're going to call him and various other industry figures a bunch of liars, why not come out and give it to us straight?

I don't think anyone's said that the licensors approve casting based on similarity to the Japanese. Japanese involvement with dubs can have wildly disparate results, as seen with cases like FLCL (good) and Love Hina (...not so good). Licensor approval of dub casting may not deliver the results you desire, but that doesn't invalidate its existence.