Hollywood Localization Meets Content Marketing
Like oil and water, corporate content marketing and TV shows and movies historically have been two different worlds when it comes to talent and processes.
Up until recently, these two worlds haven’t shared much—especially when it comes to the localization process.
The Video Game Transition
This reminds me of the time when the games and film industries were at a crossing point.
One day, a director from one of the world’s largest game localization companies called me and asked, “How can I make the dubbing of my game sound like the dubbing of a theatrical movie?”
I responded, almost without thinking, “You have to dub it like a movie.”
Shortly after that, I had to handle the first Batman game for WB (Batman Asylum), and I had a choice. I could:
- Rely on the games studios and their pool of talent to dub it, or
- Try to convert the traditional dubbing studios to handle game localization.
I’m glad I picked the second option.
Now, dubbing a game is handled more and more like dubbing a film. The goal is to give to the players the same experience we provide moviegoers.
Branded Entertainment Has Arrived
A few years later, we are almost in the same situation for corporations and the entertainment industry. We are seeing exponential growth in a new form of content marketing called branded entertainment.
In some cases, branded entertainment requires a higher production value. Branded entertainment combines all brand-produced content with the result being that audiences watch or engage similarly to a film or TV series.
Corporate companies—who are responsible for marketing some of the largest brands worldwide—should have access to the same talent pool and processes used in television and film dubbing. These companies could benefit from dubbing technologies like the digital rythmo band, cloud recording, and auto speech recognition.
So, how can corporate companies benefit from our dubbing expertise in the entertainment industry?
Corporate Companies Turned Movie Producers
With the creation of branded entertainment, corporate companies are starting to think more and more like movie producers. They need creative translators and the capabilities of both experienced actors and directors to provide the finest viewing experience. Companies are sending messages to their audience that require the same level of quality as the movies or the television series that the public is used to watching.
Due to the pandemic, cloud recording has completely transformed the dubbing industry. We can now locate the desired voice anywhere in the world, even when a talent is living or even vacationing in another city or country.
Our physical studios continue using state-of-the-art gear and software to edit and mix content as usual. They continue to help corporate companies get a final localized product that sounds more like a movie than the usual corporate voiceover piece.
A New Old Tool
Another process being implemented is the rythmo band. This ancestor of karaoke was invented in France in the 40’s and is still used today in its digital form in all the Francophone countries.
Since they only need to look at one screen, actors can dub faster with better lip sync and better quality. This system, which is part of our cloud-recording platform StudioNEXT, can also be used in our studios. It ensures great actors’ performances while controlling cost efficacy, as the rythmo band saves approximately 30% of studio time during recording.
Move Over Hollywood
MediaNEXT is in a unique position to service clients in all verticals.
Let’s start with the physical facilities.
MediaNEXT owns 47 recording rooms and 32 mixing rooms worldwide.
In Spain, there are dubbing studios in the two main dubbing cities: Madrid and Barcelona. Here, we can cast and record with two distinctive pools of actors.
Historically, one city was dubbing films and the other was dubbing television shows. The former had larger recording rooms designed with theatrical sound in mind. This enables the sound engineer to get a bigger, larger sound with the desired perspective. The latter had rooms designed with the home experience in mind. These two worlds are slowly coming together with the improvement of home surround sound systems.
Hollywood localization is now a reality in not only our Spain facilities but also all over the world. Now is the time for corporate companies to take advantage of all this technology and expertise. Contact us today so we can help.
