Killing me softly...with your sound ทีมพากย์พันธมิตร (part 2)

In the dubbed soundtrack for the Japanese film Ju-on 1, a serious movie, Thai voice artists reproduced faithfully what was in the script - only to draw laughter, which Poripan says risks sullying the mood of the film.

The company was also criticised for its treatment of Battle Royale, a Japanese film about junior high school children forced to kill each other on a deserted island. The last survivor is declared the 'winner' and allowed to go home.

Poripan says the film was violent, and had not yet passed the censor when it came to be dubbed. The film company which asked his team to dub it wanted it to be funny, to make it less strong for local viewers.

'We put in seven or eight jokes. At the media screening, journalists laughed - but we disgraced ourselves. If it were possible I'd like to fix it. That film was not intended as a comedy. We destroyed that film, and to this day I still criticise myself for doing it. From that day on, I have told film owners that if it is not a comedy, then I'd rather not play it that way.

'The problem is that if audiences know Phanthamit has dubbed the film, they are waiting for a laugh. Even if we perform seriously, they are still expecting a laugh. Sometimes we follow the translated script faithfully, and audiences will tell us it was really funny. It's like, if Pantamit dubs it, it has to be a comedy.

'There are two types of audience. Those who like that kind of thing enjoy our stuff, and are waiting for a laugh. Audiences who do not like it will have a go at us: ''Any moment now, there'll be a joke...'' They are waiting for us to make a mistake.

'I am not shirking responsibility. If you want to criticise, go ahead. But ever since Battle Royale, we have tried to keep the integrity of the original film intact.'

Poripan boasts that his voice artists have made the soundtracks of some films better than the original. However, he insists that it is not their job to carry on as if they are bigger than the movie.

'We have to be humble and stay in the background. We are just there to get across the work that has already been made. You can't get ahead of the movie; we are just there to ensure it makes sense to the audience.

'However, we can communicate feelings, so when the character in the movie cries, we get across that feeling. If someone dies, we will talk to make people feel as if he really did it.'

I wonder how many Thai cinemagoers really feel as if voice artists are convincing, and can get across a range of emotions or situations without detracting from the film - or whether, as Poripan says, they are just waiting for their next laugh.

For fans of Thai dubbing, try this FB site (คนรักหนังพากย์ไทย).