My Dubbing Career ()

Author: Su Xi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: This book reviews Su Xi's forty-plus years of artistic work and life in the voice-over industry, recalling her interactions and collaborations with veteran voice-over masters like Qiu Yuefeng, Shang Hua, and Bi Ke, as well as younger talents such as Tong Zirong, Li Zi, and Cao Lei. It also shares her experiences and insights from classic dubbed film projects, making it highly vivid and engaging to read. A bonus CD is included——《Selected Voice-Over Segments of Su Xi》, featuring her duets with Qiu Yuefeng, Hu Qinghan, and Shang Hua, as well as representative works from different periods of her career. The world Su Xi portrays extends far beyond her personal experiences. In the first section, "Charming Anecdotes of the Past," she writes about the early spring of arts in 1957, the origins of "internal reference films," and her own moments of innocence and enlightenment—Yan Feng's Good Sound has been widely circulated online, with one passage reading: "Ironically, many excellent dubbed films were completed during the cultural desolate period of the extreme-left line, such as The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Sound of Music, and Jane Eyre. At that time, they were produced as 'internal reference films' for the 'Gang of Four's' pleasure. Actors like Qiu Yuefeng, our outstanding voice-over talents, approached their work with serious artistic attitudes, dubbing numerous classic films for the few people in the world." For those who remember this, reading Su Xi's chapters will surely bring many artistic and non-artistic insights.
In the third section, "My Predecessors, My Comrades," she wrote about over thirty individuals, from the former factory head Chen Xuyi to Wei Yuping, Qiu Yuefeng, Bi Ke, Li Zi, and the legendary names like Cao Lei, Liu Guangning, Tong Zirong, Shi Rong, and Shen Xiaoqian, all of whom evoke unforgettable voices of an era. These chapters bring to life the days spent in the sacred yet almost mystical Yujia Road recording studio, where these figures, or depicting the divine, or mimicking the human, or being solemn or playful, effortlessly transport us back to those closed yet open years, where countless pure and innocent youthful memories lie buried.
The second section is a collection of notes on translation directors and film art, including "What Exactly Do Translation Directors Do?", "My Thoughts on Dubbed Films,", "Dialogue: A Thousand Ways to Interpret," and "Psychology Behind the Microphone." In these chapters, Su Xi's very unique and exceptional talents are subtly revealed. As a translation director, how she collaborates with translators to revise scripts, fully grasps the original creators' intentions, assembles actor teams, guides actors into character during recording sessions, and why great dubbed films should make the audience forget the voice-over actors' presence. Her directorial art, work experience, and rich scholarly demeanor, combined with her decryption-style analyses, make this section of professional writing particularly valuable. The anecdotes and figures she casually brings up are both familiar and fresh, making the reading experience anything but dull. Even, I dare say, it will captivate you.