Dubbing / Voice Over Artist

Who is a Dubbing/Voice Over Artist?

A dubbing/voice-over artist provides for the voice of characters in TV serials, movies, animation films and so on. As media houses want to expand their audience base, they hire dubbing artists to translate their content into several regional languages. It is an essential exercise to be able to communicate with the public of as multilingual a country like India. They can then recycle their content and reach a wider mass of the population.

What does a Dubbing/Voice Over Artist do?

A voice over artist’s job is not restricted to simply providing a voice for the role of TV/movie characters. They also need to be able to match their inflexions, tonal quality and pauses to synchronize with the lips and body language of the character on screen. They need to align with the timescale of dialogue delivery. A dubbing artist may also be required to translate from the source language to choose their words in the delivery language, for maximum comprehension by the audience.

Who is eligible?

There is no eligibility requirement for the job.

What are the skills required?

As already discussed, a dubbing artist needs to have a verifiable set of skills which isn’t confined to simply being fluent in the target language. Additional skills required to be a dubbing/voice over artist are –

• Versatility in vocal tone and inflexions

• Clear and loud voice

• Well pronounced diction

• Smooth dialogue delivery

• The ability to convey emotion through your voice

Top Colleges offering courses on Dubbing/Voice Over Artistry 

Dubbing/Voice Over Artistry is taught as a certificate course/diploma program in several institutes across India. You can complete your education in any field of your choice and then pursue a certification in Voice Over Artistry to land yourself a career in dubbing. The following courses will help your chances of gaining a job in the dubbing industry in India –

• Certificate in Voiceover and Dubbing – Academy of Radio and Mobile, Delhi

• Diploma in Professional Voice Designing – NEO Film School, Kerala

• Voicing and Dubbing – Ronkel Media Education and Research Institute, Mumbai

• Radio and Voice Dubbing Courses – R.K. Films and Media Academy, New Delhi

• Voice Over Training – Deepak Agnihotri School of Voice Over and Acting, Delhi

While these voice over training courses will allow a layperson to understand the nuances of voice modulation and dialogue delivery techniques that could benefit a career in dubbing, they also need to practice this at home along with regular voice exercises. Being observant about other people’s mannerisms and ways of speaking, learning about the role they have to dub for and revising their language skills will also help them succeed in this career field.

Career Scope

An entry level or part time dubbing professional may be required to provide voice over services to videos or radio jingles. A more experienced voice over artist may easily bag more reputable projects like dubbing for a cartoon, film or television serial.

How much does a Dubbing/Voice Over Artist Make?

The dubbing/voice-over industry is extremely flexible in terms of payment. You may choose to be compensated on a daily basis or a contractual basis. The salary you will receive as a voice-over artist will depend largely on the length of your script, the complexity of character and how popular the medium is.

The average daily salary of a dubbing artist in India is Rs.2500 and his/her monthly average salary amounts to between Rs. 30,000-40,000. The scope for salary growth in professional dubbing is also immense. Where a beginner dubbing artist can expect to make between Rs.15,000-Rs.25,000 per project, an experienced senior dubbing artist can even earn approximately Rs.1.5 lakh.

What are the books and study material available?

You can pick up essential dubbing and voice over skills from the following books –

• Dubbing and Subtitling by Josephine Dries

• Dubbing by Sreeja Ravi

• The Art of Voice Acting:The Craft and Business of Performing for Voiceover by James R. Alberger

• Secrets of Voice-Over Success: Top Voice-Over Actors Reveal How They Did It 

• Voice Acting for Dummies

Major Recruiters

The following organizations are some of the dominant recruiters for the role of dubbing/voice over artists in India –

• The Audio World, Jaipur

• One97 Communications Limited, Noida

• Yellow Digital, Chennai

• Deepakvoice.com, Delhi

• Kamadhenu Telefilms Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru

Interesting Facts

Piyush Pandey, who is the director and executor of O&M India and South Asia, is also a prolific voice over artist who has lent his voice to the famous Asian Paints “Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hain” ad.