Although dubbing rates are often proportionately less than voiceover rates, dubbing work is still especially valuable to voice actors.
Finding work in the voiceover industry is a constant grind, and maintaining a steady workflow requires opening yourself up to as many revenue streams as possible.
Putting yourself forward for dubbing work is a logical next step when you have voiceover experience, but some voice actors are shocked to discover that dubbing rates are usually lower than voiceover rates.
Of course, this all depends on the medium and usage, as rates for dubbing a blockbuster movie will generally be higher than rates for dubbing a YouTube channel, and rates for commercial voiceover will be higher than rates for organic social content. Talent can also secure higher-paid dubbing opportunities if they are regularly cast as the foreign voice of celebrities, but these gigs can be few and far between.
So, why are dubbing rates generally less than voiceover rates?
Purpose, Creativity & Replication
The primary purposes of voiceover and dubbing services are distinct.
Voiceover aims to create an original performance, entertaining or informing audiences while placing high value towards the quality and creativity of the final project. This role in entertainment-based projects will usually also require character development, creating the specific tones and nuances of the role – there is no previous version to base the performance around.
Dubbing focuses on global understanding. The intention is to adapt that initial performance for worldwide audiences. The characters have already been created, and dubbing simply allows the replicated performance to be accessible – dubbing actors simply need to recreate the content with the brief provided. Translation and synchronisation take precedence here over performance originality, and the budget for this process must include translation and high-quality audio engineering.
Clients have different expectations of dubbing artists and voice actors, with original voiceover requiring more originality and development.
Time, Quality & Workflow
The talent’s recording process will vary, whether recording original voiceover or dubbing existing material. This affects the discrepancy between voiceover rates and dubbing rates.
Time & Quality:
The voiceover recording process will likely demand multiple takes, more rounds of feedback and revisions, live direction, and more external input to consider in the performance.
The emphasis in voiceover is on delivering high-quality, nuanced performances. The voice actor is accountable for creating the character or brand’s vocal identity, engaging mass audiences, or selling the message with extreme clarity and persuasion in accordance with feedback and a more collaborative process.
Dubbing artists are expected to recreate performances while maintaining the original tone. This process is quicker, with the talent aiming to re-do what already exists in an efficient and less collaborative manner.
While talent should always aim to give it their all, the perception is that dubbing is of lower quality than voiceover, and for most mediums, this is usually true. Clients are also more likely to accept this slightly reduced quality with the intention of offering global understanding, not absolute perfection across all language variations. The reality is that this would cost more to the client than it’s worth for most projects, leading to dubbing rates being lower than voiceover rates and a different expectation of the talent.
Workflow:
Workflow is one of the biggest reasons why dubbing rates are lower than voiceover rates.
Voiceovers, especially for commercial purposes, are usually recorded as individual projects, with some as short as 15-30 seconds of completed audio. When projects are this short in duration, each detail of the performance is scrutinised, and revisions are expected.
More importantly, voice actors looking for steady work must put a lot of effort into the auditioning process of a 30-second gig… and then that’s it. It’s over. Onto the next job search.
Dubbing will usually be recorded in much larger batches in an effort to localise huge volumes of content. This workflow process offers voice actors a larger volume of work, and while dubbing rates may be lower per minute, you are also given a far steadier income with the amount of content required.
Think about it: when you buy huge volumes of anything, you expect a bulk discount because you are ultimately giving the business more of your patronage. It’s the same for dubbing, offering voice actors a unique opportunity for regular work in the voiceover industry and less wasted time on constant auditioning for short roles.
Market Reach
Dubbing rates depend on a range of factors, including the reach of the content and the perceived value to the client.
Although not always the case, original content is usually expected to go further and be seen by more audiences than the dubbed version – More views = higher rates.
The initial version, which may also have subtitles, is most likely to be considered the iconic go-to version of the content by audiences, contributing more to its identity.
While the dubbed version of the content usually achieves fewer views than the original, it will also reach audiences much later than the initial version, with less or even no paid promotion.
The impact of the dub is tied more closely to accessibility than it is to uniqueness or entertainment value, which in turn justifies a slightly reduced rate for dubbing over voiceover.
Of course, this is not always the case, as many dubs can achieve more views than the original – especially for movies that market their dubbed content!
Dubbing Rates with Voquent
At Voquent, we dub all kinds of content – From YouTube videos to movies.
Our dubbing rates will vary depending on the details of the project and the language in which it’s being recorded. We also offer different styles of dubbing to suit different budgets, with some of our projects being lip sync and some phrase sync.
To ensure our talented voice actors find great value in our dubbing projects, we’ve set a minimum duration for all the work that comes through us. This means more consistent and substantial opportunities for our talent, even though dubbing rates are typically lower than voiceover rates.
We pay per minute of completed content, so the amount our talent earns will depend on the pace at which they work. This is why we wanted to keep our dubbing process streamlined, so we created a detailed guide for our talent to follow:
Conclusion
Due to different expectations of the talent, workflow, reach and purpose, dubbing rates are usually lower than voiceover rates (per minute).
However, this shouldn’t deter talent. Dubbing is a more streamlined process that focuses on accessibility and performance replication. This can be achieved at a faster pace than smaller voiceover gigs, giving voice actors the opportunity to streamline their craft and increase their earnings per hour.
Dubbing is also usually recorded in batches, offering voice actors more work at a slightly reduced rate.
If you’re interested in working with us, create a voiceover account today – It’s Free!
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What are The Different Types of Dubbing?
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