Danica Davidson
August 4, 2020 
Many things are being done differently as we move through the COVID-19 pandemic, and that includes voice-over work in Japan for the latest anime. Anime News Network interviewed Seiichi Nakayama, a sound engineer from the production company G-angle, to see how things are being handled.
“We’ve implemented a number of measures including having all company staff who aren’t directly involved with the voice recording studios work from home, restricting areas in which active staff can work while at the company (to avoid cross-contamination), and new procedures for remote recording sessions,” said Nakayama. Instead of being in-person, they use things like Zoom and SourceConnect. “We’ve introduced special studio equipment allowing us to stream non-compressed vocal audio to our clients in real-time. This allows for clients to directly monitor and coordinate the recording session with little to no delay while ensuring the highest quality recording at a safe distance.”
He also discussed the outlook of voice-over actors in Japan, based on his experience with them. “Of course, as professionals, they wanted to work, but they also had to consider taking a brief hiatus to decrease the risk of infection.” Not many of the actors have the ability to record at home. “The majority of these actors wanted to work in a safe studio environment with measures taken to lower the risk of infection, and they’ve been very satisfied with our studio’s preliminary measures, as well as our efforts to decrease the total number of people in close proximity throughout the recording process.”
For parting words, he noted, “Luckily, we have managed to remain relatively unscathed thanks to our new remote recording system in spite of the global crisis. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has brought hard times for everyone in the entertainment industry, which means the amount of work brought to us has decreased. However, I think we’ve taken a step in the right direction by employing remote recording methods to keep staff, clients, and actors safe.”
Source: Anime News Network
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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