Which Comes First: Animating Mouth Movements or Recording Dialogue in Voice Acting for Animation?

When it comes to voice acting for animation, the process is often a debate of timing and precision. Typically, the first step is to record the dialogue, followed by animating the characters' mouth movements to match the recorded performance. This approach ensures that the dialogue and lip movements are synchronized to create a seamless and authentic experience for the viewer.

Common Practice: Recording Dialogue First

The traditional process in voice acting for animation is to record the dialogue first. This allows the animators to create mouth movements and facial expressions that closely match the timing and emotion of the recorded performance. This method is widely adopted because it simplifies the synchronization process and ensures that the performance voices drive the animation, creating a more natural and engaging experience.

In my animation studio, we also align with this common practice by recording the voiceover first. This ensures that it is easier to synchronize the animation with a finalized voice recording rather than attempting to adjust a voiceover to pre-existing animation. However, there are scenarios where the voice recording comes after the animation.

Exceptions: Voice Recording After Animation

There are special circumstances where voice recording is done after the animation. For instance, when a video needs to have various language versions, voiceover artists for other languages need to adapt to the pace of the movements in the video. This can be a practical approach to ensuring that the dialogue matches the lip movements across different translations.

Unique Examples of Voice Recording After Animation

One notable example of this is the Dark Crystal TV series. Here, master puppeteers and actors performed the characters simultaneously, making it easier for the dialog actors to adapt in post-production. While this method is rare, it demonstrates that there can be flexibility in the typical workflow.

Another important factor to consider is the visual aids provided to voice actors. Even when the animation is done before the voice recording, sketches or images of the characters can be provided to help the actors understand the character's personality and tone. This ensures that the voice acting aligns with the intended character development.

Rare Cases: Animating to Prerecorded Voice Over

There are instances where the animator is animating to a pre-recorded voice-over, and the opposite approach has been used in the past. For example, in Shrek, the animators recorded a version of the dialogue to craft the lip movements, which was then dubbed over later. This process was also used by Mike Myers, who redubbed his Scottish accent in Shrek to enhance the overall humor of the film. Despite these exceptions, it is quite unusual to record the voice after the animation has been completed.

Conclusion

While the dialogue is typically recorded before animating mouth movements to ensure impeccable synchronization, there can be exceptions based on project requirements and specific circumstances. Understanding the nuances of this process can help in choosing the most appropriate approach for a given project, whether it involves providing voice actors with visual aids or adapting after the animation has been completed.