DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part II: Creation"

[JB2448]

Update (October 9, 2011): Part two of the set has been posted. This one focuses more Pokémon, but still manages to avoid detailing too many specifics. It also comes with this picture of Tom Wayland:

DuArt, the current English dubbing studio of the Pokémon anime since season 11, just wrote a blog post that's kind of like a Q&A on different aspects of sound and animation. It's a pretty cool article, and it's also the first mention on the studio's website of how they approach the dubbing process for Pokémon (even if it really doesn't go into any fine points).

You work on several international animation projects at DuArt, like the long-running “Pokemon” series. What adjustments do you have to be able to handle to bring a Japanese series like that over to the English-speaking market?

When a show like “Pokemon” already exists in another language, that brings its own special set of challenges to translate it. The “lip flap” when they open their mouths has to match in English from the Japanese that it was originally written in and drawn for.

That’s a little tricky, because Japanese has a different structure than English – they might have a phrase that’s one or two lip flaps in Japanese, but after the literal translation into English, it would be several more. So we have a scriptwriter who translates the original Japanese show that’s delivered, and then ends up adapting a lot of the script in English, while still retaining the original meaning. Along the way, the writer watches the video and tracks every line of dialogue to make sure the dialogue will match up seamlessly.

 

[Jukain]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

I'm pretty sure with some simple editing tricks and digital repaints, the lip flaps could match better in some instances. I know it's probably not possible to do this for some scenes.

 

[AtoMan]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

It's also pointless since other dubs aren't gonna reanimate stuff and then you can't have multilingual broadcasts/releases.

Nah, the answer is nothing new, really.

 

[Dogasu]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

The “lip flap” when they open their mouths has to match in English from the Japanese that it was originally written in and drawn for.

"Luckily, we can just have everyone say "let's go!" after every attack command, ever, and call it a day."

 

[WatcherMark]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

Please tell me someone asked "Why do you bother changing the instrumental music when there's already decent stuff there to begin with?"

 

[투 애니원]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

This is great and all but I much prefer focusing on the voice actors to sound natural when their trying to match the flaps.

 

[matt0044]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

"Luckily, we can just have everyone say "let's go!" after every attack command, ever, and call it a day."

I'd prefer it if they rewrote the commands to sound less forced and more cooler. Like instead of saying, "Use Bubblebeam," they say, "Blast your Bubblebeam!" Something like that.

 

[Grave-E]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

"Luckily, we can just have everyone say "let's go!" after every attack command, ever, and call it a day."

I hope that in the 6th generation, there'll actually be an attack called 'Lets Go'.

 

[Giovanni Sakaki]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

"Luckily, we can just have everyone say "let's go!" after every attack command, ever, and call it a day."

Is it just me, or does 'let's go' sound really bossy and forceful too, like, 'let's go already or I'm going to whack you one'? That's always what it sounds like to me.

 

[Eitarou]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

I'd prefer it if they rewrote the commands to sound less forced and more cooler. Like instead of saying, "Use Bubblebeam," they say, "Blast your Bubblebeam!" Something like that.

That sounds kind of gross...

Is it just me, or does 'let's go' sound really bossy and forceful too, like, 'let's go already or I'm going to whack you one'? That's always what it sounds like to me.

Trainers command animals to beat the living tar out of each other, it's kind of supposed to be forceful.

 

[Giovanni Sakaki]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

That sounds kind of gross...



Trainers command animals to beat the living tar out of each other, it's kind of supposed to be forceful.

It doesn't exactly go with the whole 'partners' kind of approach to Pokemon training that Ash favours, and how when one of his Pokemon is pathetically defeated the stock phrase is generally 'you've earned a good rest'.

 

[WatcherMark]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

You know, I'd be happy to hear 'Let's go' if we could get rid of the phrase "That's all she wrote" for good (luckily it doesn't seem to have popped up in BW).

 

[matt0044]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

Please tell me someone asked "Why do you bother changing the instrumental music when there's already decent stuff there to begin with?"

Probably because it's too personal.

 

[Aestivate]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

Veering a leeeeetle off-topic here, guys. Discuss the content inside the blog post, por favor.

 

[matt0044]

Re: DuArt Blog Post "Sound for Animation, Part I: Conception"

I wish they wouldn't have Ash say an attack order like, "Use Water Gun! Let's go!" It feels kinda forced even for the character itself. Maybe something more cool like, "Blast your Water Gun now!"

 

[JB2448]

Part two has been posted.