The English-language
voice of Kei in the newest Akira dub, Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop and
Vanessa in Robotech loves the art and storytelling of anime, but isn't
in love with the pay and politics of anime dubbing. Wendee Lee made the
long trip from California to Indiana to meet Indiana anime fans with Rosearik
Rikki Simons, and didn't hold back on her opinions. "I think that what's
so cool about anime is that it's a different kind of storytelling than
we have in the west," said Lee. "It doesn't spoon feed the story to you,
it lets you reach your own conclusions." As we heard from a panel of actors
at the New York convention in late August, Lee suggested that fans don't
think about getting into acting unless they're ready for a difficult time.
"It's a really tough, tough field," Lee said. "Everyone in L.A. is transient.
They're there because they want to get a break. What I'm not looking for
is favoritism, I'm looking for a chance. In our field there's only so much
work and there's more people than there's work - and it's not the best
way to make a living."
One fan
asked about a lack of screen credits for dub actors, and Lee said there's
no single good answer to a question that many dub fans ask. "I say if you
want to know who plays the roles, write the companies," Lee said. "As a
director I'm trying to get the producers to list those roles, because I'm
proud of their work." According to Lee, union production rules require
producers to list the actors, but not the roles they play. Non union productions
tend to follow those rules. "It's not the unions, it's the
production houses," she explained. In addition, Lee wonders why dub actors
sometimes get less attention than the animators on a dub project. She pointed
to two high-profile dub move premieres - the Vampire Hunter D and Cowboy
Bebop films - where the dub actors seemed to have been all but forgotten.
"I have to remember not to take it personally, but i know it's part of
the system," she said.
The competition
in the dub world goes beyond acting roles. Lee said that anime rights holders
typically use independent dub production houses, and there is competition
between those companies - competition that includes Canadian companies
which can take advantage of that county's cheaper dollar. The rise of anime
dubbing also has meant new U.S. dubbing companies that can underbid established
houses; Lee feels that leads to lower acting salaries and potentially sloppy
work. Add to that the insecurity that any dubbing job brings: Lee said
she was writing and directing the Digimon series, went on a two-week honeymoon,
and returned to find that she had been replaced. "I really fought for it.
I said `I'll do it for free,' and the answer was `no,' they wouldn't pay
for the studio time. It's a very fickle and strange business with no loyalties.
The only exceptions are a few producers who believe in what I do."
The English-language
voice of Kei in the newest Akira dub, Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop and
Vanessa in Robotech loves the art and storytelling of anime, but isn't
in love with the pay and politics of anime dubbing. Wendee Lee made the
long trip from California to Indiana to meet Indiana anime fans with Rosearik
Rikki Simons, and didn't hold back on her opinions. "I think that what's
so cool about anime is that it's a different kind of storytelling than
we have in the west," said Lee. "It doesn't spoon feed the story to you,
it lets you reach your own conclusions." As we heard from a panel of actors
at the New York convention in late August, Lee suggested that fans don't
think about getting into acting unless they're ready for a difficult time.
"It's a really tough, tough field," Lee said. "Everyone in L.A. is transient.
They're there because they want to get a break. What I'm not looking for
is favoritism, I'm looking for a chance. In our field there's only so much
work and there's more people than there's work - and it's not the best
way to make a living."
One fan
asked about a lack of screen credits for dub actors, and Lee said there's
no single good answer to a question that many dub fans ask. "I say if you
want to know who plays the roles, write the companies," Lee said. "As a
director I'm trying to get the producers to list those roles, because I'm
proud of their work." According to Lee, union production rules require
producers to list the actors, but not the roles they play. Non union productions
tend to follow those rules. "It's not the unions, it's the
production houses," she explained. In addition, Lee wonders why dub actors
sometimes get less attention than the animators on a dub project. She pointed
to two high-profile dub move premieres - the Vampire Hunter D and Cowboy
Bebop films - where the dub actors seemed to have been all but forgotten.
"I have to remember not to take it personally, but i know it's part of
the system," she said.
The competition
in the dub world goes beyond acting roles. Lee said that anime rights holders
typically use independent dub production houses, and there is competition
between those companies - competition that includes Canadian companies
which can take advantage of that county's cheaper dollar. The rise of anime
dubbing also has meant new U.S. dubbing companies that can underbid established
houses; Lee feels that leads to lower acting salaries and potentially sloppy
work. Add to that the insecurity that any dubbing job brings: Lee said
she was writing and directing the Digimon series, went on a two-week honeymoon,
and returned to find that she had been replaced. "I really fought for it.
I said `I'll do it for free,' and the answer was `no,' they wouldn't pay
for the studio time. It's a very fickle and strange business with no loyalties.
The only exceptions are a few producers who believe in what I do."
