Voice dubbing is a craft that requires passion and a willingness to learn. This was emphasized by experienced Venezuelan actors Kaihiamal Martínez and Rubén León during a talk organized by La Rueda de Edcom and the Cómic Club of Guayaquil at the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL).
The event took place in the auditorium of the Centro de Información Bibliotecario (CIB) and was attended by about 80 enthusiastic students. Among the most well-known characters voiced by Martínez are SpongeBob SquarePants, in the first season of the animated series, and Terry McGinnis from the animated show Batman Beyond. On the other hand, León is the almost irreplaceable Spanish voice of the Joker in all animated series and movies since the 1990s.
He has also worked on documentaries for The History Channel and Hollywood films. Both voice actors agree that studying how people speak is essential for dubbing. The secret, they explain, lies in perfecting diction so that later you can "dirty" the pronunciations and make the language more natural.
For this reason, the translator's country of origin does not influence their ability to dub voices. For Diana Rodríguez, a Social Communication student at ESPOL, the event was novel and surprising. "Everyone in the auditorium was fascinated to share and learn from these great voice actors. My favorite part was when Kai (the voice of SpongeBob) recreated a scene from the Opposite Day episode. I think we were all transported to that moment when he was dubbing that episode for the first time," explains Rodríguez, who managed to get Martínez to sign a SpongeBob plush toy.
The most exciting moments of the conference were the live performances that Martínez and León dedicated to the students. The Joker's evil laugh and SpongeBob's "Krusty Krab Pizza" song were the most requested and recorded performances.
With these lines and great charisma, the Venezuelan actors earned the euphoric applause and cheers of the young fans. At the end of the event, León and Martínez signed autographs, took photos, and filmed greetings for the audience.
Click on the images to discover unforgettable moments from the conference!
©Photography and Writing: EDCOM Writing Club
07/10/2016
