Voice-over dubbing has gained popularity in the advertising and film industries in recent years due to its captivating nature that draws viewers/listeners to the intended message. As a result, possessing an expressive voice has become a decisive advantage for achieving success with a product.
To gain a better understanding of the value of voice-over, let’s take a look back with PLG at the stages of development in dubbed films, as well as the audience’s response to this film style upon its introduction to the Vietnamese market.
The History of Television and Film around the World
In 1925, the Scottish inventor John Logie Baird successfully researched the television’s operational mechanism. He also became the pioneer in color television, premiering the first television program on January 27, 1926, with a puppet show that he performed. Baird’s development of broadcasting in the United Kingdom, the United States, and other countries in 1928 marked an important milestone and transformed the history of television during that time.
Photo: John Logie Baird standing next to the television machine he invented.
At that time, filmmakers began to tap into the film market, primarily producing silent black-and-white films with mostly animation and no sound, dialogue, or captions for dialogue or narration. In 1926, the Warner Bros film studio, a part of the Warner Brothers conglomerate founded by businessman Jack Warner in the United States, a renowned Hollywood studio, produced the first film with added music, Don Juan. It was then that the audience began to take notice of cinema.
Photo: Mr. Jack Warner – the founder of Warner Bros film studio, who made significant contributions to the development of the Hollywood film industry.
In 1927, Jack Warner invested $422,000 in the film “The Jazz Singer” directed by Alan Crosland, primarily to incorporate 2 minutes of synchronized dialogue for the characters in the film. This opening film created a huge impact on the American film industry and attracted a lot of public attention when it was released on October 23, 1927. Two years later, he released “On With The Show”, the first color film with over 90 minutes of recorded character dialogue, which was released on May 28, 1929. This made Warner Bros. a pioneering film studio that led the world in film technology.
Photo: “The Jazz Singer” is the first motion picture in history that attracted a large audience to cinemas.
In the 1930s, the cinema-going movement gradually became popular in countries around the world
The early period of foreign films being introduced to Vietnam.
According to historical records during the French colonial era, Vietnamese intellectuals were influenced by Western culture and ideas. Therefore, silent films were already being imported into the country at an early stage. In the mid-1930s, the first color sound film to arrive in Vietnam was “All Quiet on the Western Front”, directed by American filmmaker Lewis Milestone, adapted from the novel of the same name in German “Im Westen nichts Neues”, one of the famous works by writer Erich Maria Remarque that were published on December 9, 1927, in Germany.
Photo: Photo: Foreign film dubbed in the French language for the first time in Vietnam
Back then, French was considered the language of the elite and intellectuals, so foreign films brought to Vietnam were either dubbed or subtitled in French. Later on, translator Vu Huong Giang translated the English film “All Quiet on the Western Front” into “Phía Tây không có gì lạ” in Vietnamese, which was well-received and highly promoted by domestic audiences.”
The first film ever self-produced by Vietnam
After Vietnam gained independence in 1945, the government created a state organizational structure that included 13 ministries, established on August 28, 1945, under the guidance of President Ho Chi Minh. One of these was the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, which was responsible for managing cultural heritage, physical education, sports, and tourism, including the performing arts, entertainment, and film industries.
During the resistance war, cinema played a crucial role in disseminating true stories and celebrating the patriotism of heroes who sacrificed their happiness for the country’s independence and freedom. In addition, to improve people’s spiritual lives during the economic reform period, President Ho Chi Minh issued a decree on March 15, 1953, to establish the “Vietnam National Cinema and Photography Enterprise.” Later, it was renamed the Vietnam Feature Film Studio (VFS) and became a subsidiary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.”
It wasn’t until 1959 that Vietnam completed its first black and white film with synchronized sound called “Chung một dòng sông” (On The Same River). The movie was produced domestically and won the Golden Lotus Award at the Vietnam Film Festival in 1973, leaving a special mark on the country’s film industry.
Photo: The first Vietnamese-language film produced by Vietnam Story Film.
The development stage of dubbed and subtitled films
The period of transition from propaganda films to critical films, particularly from 1975 to 1986, brought a lot of success to this film company. Thanks to their flexibility and the increasing demand for movies from domestic audiences, Vietnamese films began to appear with dubbed voices from the southern or northern regions to cater to the tastes, including movies such as First Love (Mối tình đầu–1977), The Last Mistake (Tội lỗi cuối cùng1979), The Abandoned Field (Cánh đồng hoang–1979), The Town Within Reach (Thị xã trong tầm tay–1982), The Village of Vu Dai in the Old Days (Làng Vũ Đại ngày ấy–1983), When the Tenth Month Comes (Bao giờ cho đến tháng Mười–1984), The Story of Kindness (Chuyện tử tế–1985), The Girl on the River (Cô gái trên sông–1986), The Saigon Special Forces (Biệt động Sài Gòn 1982-1986), and Cards on the Table (Ván bài lật ngửa 1982-1987)
However, since 1990, war-themed movies have almost ceased production because they were deemed unsuitable. Private film companies emerged one after another, making the film market more vibrant by exploring diverse themes and increasing competition between TV series, cinema movies, instant noodles movies, foreign films, etc., giving audiences more choices. Therefore, investors are more cautious in production, especially seeing “voice-over actors” as the soul of the film. However, Vietnamese movies have not satisfied the audience of the 60s generation, often criticized for poorly synchronized dubbing, unnatural dialogue, inadequate character development, and limited special effects. Meanwhile, television stations are turning to Chinese historical dramas, which use voice-over narration that preserves the original sound and dialogue, such as the popular trend of “Journey to the West” and Hong Kong martial arts movies, which were warmly received by the public.
Recognizing the high demand from audiences, coupled with the underdeveloped dubbing market, Fafim Vietnam was established in 1992 and originated from the National Cinema and Photography Enterprise under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. Fafim Vietnam pioneered becoming a professional dubbing agency while also exclusively releasing the most popular Hong Kong films of that time.
Photo: Beloved martial arts movies in Vietnam during the 90s.
Leaving a lasting impression on Vietnamese audiences, all thanks to the post-production efforts of the dubbing actors who successfully conveyed the emotions and psychology of the characters, while also demonstrating their ability to change their voice for children, adults, and seniors, creating a unique performance for each role. In addition, syncing the dialogue to match the lip movements after separating the audio track is what makes viewers forget they are watching a foreign film.
Indicating the development of dubbing and voice-over business evolving over historical periods, and also helping to increase attention towards the film industry. Since then, and up until now, the role of dubbing and voice-over has become a top priority choice in films.
The different forms of post-production dubbing and subtitling techniques
From those advantages, post-production filmmakers and new media have exploited the strengths of TV commercials, also known as advertisements, by combining attractive voices to increase the brand reputation of the business. Therefore, customers often choose voice-over or narration services to introduce their products or projects for marketing activities
After more than 14 years of experience, PLG Translation has connected with hundreds of professional voice actors nationwide, allowing our customers to choose the preferred voice that suits their branding and target audience. We believe and commit that you will find satisfaction with our service.
By TVVN Press
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