A voice actor recently vented on social media: "The industry is becoming increasingly competitive. Working late into the night is the norm, and clocking out on time has become a luxury. My daily routine involves taking fragmented lines and imagining the scenes, dubbing for short dramas I've never even watched. Coupled with increasingly sophisticated AI technology, it's hard not to feel anxious."
This is not just the reality for a few voice actors; it's a microcosm of the entire short drama dubbing industry. As AI voice technology matures, this highly efficient tool is posing an unprecedented crisis for voice actors.
Before being replaced by AI, what kind of “human-centered” revolution does the short drama dubbing industry need?
The Three Survival Dilemmas for Voice Actors
1. Extremely Compressed Timelines
For a roughly 100-episode short drama, directors often demand completion within three days. Faced with this immense workload, overtime and late nights have become routine. Prolonged fatigue leads to vocal strain, higher error rates, and leaves no time for carefully studying the character or plot.
2. Disproportionately Low Pay
One voice actor complained: "Payment is calculated per episode or minute, but the rates are exceptionally low." Under survival pressure, actors are forced to prioritize quantity over quality, further cementing the client's stereotype of voice actors as cheap labor, creating a vicious cycle.
3. "Blind Dubbing" – Disconnected from the Character
Normally, voice actors receive the full script, analyze the story background, and study their character thoroughly before dubbing. But the workflow for short dramas is different. They often get bare-bones scripts devoid of story context or character motivation. For instance, with just one line full of resentment, it's challenging to grasp the story's direction or the character's emotional drive, forcing actors to rely on experience and stereotypes, unable to deliver nuanced emotions.
This is not just the dilemma of voice actors, but for the entire dubbing industry. So, how does it kills the soul of the work and reduce dubbing to a cheap, disposable step?
How These Dilemmas Kill Quality
1. Homogenized Performances and a "Plastic" Feel
Different short dramas—costume, suspense and fantasy drama—feature characters with distinct personalities and experiences. Therefore, voice actors cannot use same vocal style dubbing for different character. This homogenization fails to engage the audience's senses or emotions. When one short drama aired, viewers quickly criticized the voice acting as "awkward" and completely mismatched with the character, breaking their immersion.
2. Breakdowns in the Production Chain
Some short dramas have inherent flaws from shooting, like mismatched lip movements or poor live sound. However, as dubbing is often relegated to the very end of production and undervalued, these issues are frequently dumped on the voice actors to fix. The difference between such productions and well-made dramas that value dubbing is poles apart.
3.The Existential Threat from AI Technology
In recent years, AI dubbing technology has advanced rapidly, offering varied tones and basic control over speed and emotion. It's cheap, fast, and works 24/7. Many budget-conscious producers are already opting for AI, leading to decreased work—or even unemployment—for voice actors. This also creates a barrier for newcomers, potentially causing a talent gap in the future.
While AI threatens the livelihood of voice actors, the root threat is actually to the production model that disregards creative principles and treats voice actors as mere tools. If the short drama industry remains complacent, indulges in AI's convenience, it risks its own eventual obsolescence.
The Path to a "Human-centered" Revolution in Short Drama Dubbing
1.A Revolution in the Workflow
Invite voice actors to read scripts, view early footage, and communicate with directors and actors. Provide them with complete scripts and recordings to facilitate a deeper understanding of their characters.
2. A Revolution in Valuing Voice Actors' Worth
Dubbing, the final step in breathing life into a short drama, must be valued. The most direct method is to increase pay and reform the current payment models. Industry associations should promote fairer working hours and remuneration standards. Additionally, implement tiered bonuses based on dubbing difficulty.
3. A Technological Revolution for Human-AI Collaboration
AI is clearly regarded as an assistant tool. Use it for less demanding tasks like narration or crowd sounds, or to generate initial drafts for actors to reference. This frees up top-tier actors to focus on core roles requiring complex emotions.The explosive power of emotion, improvisation, and subtle vocal nuances are unique human strengths—the essence of performance art and a height AI cannot reach.
The boom in the short drama market should not come at the cost of overdraft the industry's future. The human-centered revolution must focus on human value and subjectivity. Only by respecting the creativity of voice actors, the complexity of characters, and the perception of the audience can the industry truly win the market and develop sustainably.
When each voice is granted sufficient time and context, voice actors cease to be easily replaceable laborers and become instead the creators who imbue short dramas with their soul.
