Sandbox:Axis International
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Axis International, also possibly known by other names, was a Hong Kong-based film dubbing group operated by Ted Thomas from the early 1960s to early '80s. It primarily dubbed East Asian films, frequently in the martial arts genre, including those from its native Hong Kong as well as Japan, Taiwan, and beyond. Among its Japanese assignments were 12 kaiju and science-fiction films, mostly from Toho and Daiei. Axis operated as the primary English dubbing group for the Shaw Brothers in the '60s and '70s. The group was never credited for any of its work as, according to Thomas and his associates, notable members were primarily Hong Kong government employees brought in from the broadcasting world who treated their dubbing work as a sideline.
Name
When discussing his dubbing group in interviews, Ted Thomas described it as a “company” called Axis International.[1][2] Linda Masson, an ex-wife of Thomas, has at least one interview where she agrees that this was the name.[3] Currently, they are the only sources for this claim, no historical documents or other contemporary sources have been found that reference this name; also, by Thomas's own admission, it was not an actual company. Additionally, Thomas states that the Axis name was rarely used at the time, if at all,[2] due to the Hong Kong government discouraging its employees from doing outside work.[1]
History
By the 1950s, Ted Thomas secured his release from British Naval Intelligence and became a broadcaster for Radio Television Hong Kong.[1] He was later invited by Shaw Brothers’ co-founder Run Run Shaw to test out film dubbing and see how well he liked it.[2] Thomas enjoyed the experience and began his career in the dubbing industry, going on to produce English dubs for Shaw Brothers’ movies. Ron Oliphant served as Thomas’ partner, helping him run the dubbing group.[3][4]
The dubbing group mainly consisted of expatriates from English-speaking countries, such as the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Canada. The majority of the dubbers involved, including Thomas himself, worked in broadcasting/communication with some also having backgrounds in professional and amateur theatre. American accents were generally encouraged because it was believed to have raised the value of the film.[5] Some of the actors dubbed multiple characters in a single film.
The films were dubbed via the looping method.[1] Thomas is known to have hired scriptwriters proficient in Chinese, including Oliphant,[6] Bob Toole[7] and Graham Earnshaw.[8] Oliphant went over dialogue translations inch by inch and counted syllables, making sure that the English words matched those of the original language. Certain alterations to scripts were also made to avoid labials when the on-screen actor had open lips.[1] Due to their day jobs, dubbing sessions were done during the night, these sessions took roughly 12-20 hours with the dubbers usually working from 6:00 p.m. - midnight.[2] Typically, there was only one rehearsal before recording.[5] Loops that involved fight scenes with grunts and groans were usually not dubbed, unless dialogue was included.[8] The main focus of the dubbing was the lip sync, more so than the actual acting, as it helped determine the value of the film dubbed.[5]
One of the studios used by the group was a flat; its living room was converted into a dubbing studio while a bedroom had holes cut into its walls to create a projector room. The flat was not entirely soundproof, meaning that any sounds from other rooms would result in the dubbers stopping a session and starting over. Conditions inside were poor, thick cigarette smoke surrounded the flat; dubbers felt that smoking helped them concentrate on their work.[2] Additionally, Shaw Brothers is known to have supplied their own studios to Thomas.[8] Another dubbing studio used by the group was one located in Kowloon.[4]
Bob Toole later went on to split from Thomas’ dubbing group and create a short-lived rival. Thomas was upset by Toole’s actions, seeing them as an act of disloyalty.[3][4] Toole is known to have used some of Thomas’s dubbers in his own recordings, including Barry Haigh, Barbara Laney, Carolyn Levine, Chris Hilton, Rex Ellis, Jack Moore, Saul Lockhart and an unidentified dubber. In spite of this, Thomas did not appear to hold any resentment towards their involvement with the rival group as they are known to work for him after Toole’s last known dub was produced.
Afterwards, other dubbing groups formed in Hong Kong, some by Thomas’s former dubbers such as the aforementioned Barry Haigh. Another notable Hong Kong dubbing group that utilised some of Thomas’s former dubbers was Matthew Oram’s group, whom Haigh was known to collaborate with and vice versa, with even Linda Masson dubbing for him following her and Ted Thomas’s divorce.[3]
The group’s last known dubs were produced in the early 1980s; Thomas seemingly ceased his dubbing operations thereafter. Several dubbers who had worked for Thomas continued dubbing, at least for some time, after they had left his group. Ted Thomas himself rarely provided voice work in other dubbing productions after his group was gone.
Selected films dubbed
- Note: Films’ ordering and years correspond to their domestic releases and not necessarily their dubs’ first availability.
- The Secret of the Telegian (1960)
- Matango (1963)
- Atragon (1963)
- Dogora (1964)
- Magic Serpent (1966)
- Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)
- The War of the Gargantuas (1966)[a]
- Return of Daimajin (1966)
- Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)
- Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
- Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
- Gamera Super Monster (1980)
Voice actors employed
- Hal Archer
- Peter Boczar
- Mark Broiles
- Mandy Cooke
- Rex Ellis
- Barry Haigh
- Chris Hilton
- Michael Kaye
- Nick Kendall
- Barbara Laney
- Carolyn Levine
- Saul Lockhart
- Linda Masson
- Jack Moore
- Ron Oliphant
- Warren Rooke
- Michael Ross
- Gary Sauve
- Rik Thomas
- Ted Thomas
- John Wallace
- Barbara Walter
- Geoffrey Weeks
- Ian Wilson
- Lynne Wilson
- Unidentified Gengo Odaka dubber
Videos
- Note: Not all of the roles featured in the compilations were ones that were recorded by Axis.
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Notes
- ↑ The 1998 books Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" by Steve Ryfle and Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo! by Stuart Galbraith IV state that the export dub was recorded by Tokyo-based company Frontier Enterprises.[9][10] This claim is dubious, however, as none of the voice actors identified in the available dub are known to have ever recorded outside of Hong Kong, and no dub featuring Tokyo voice actors has ever surfaced.
References
This is a list of references for Axis International. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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Bibliography
- The Straits Times. 18 January 1962 – via NewspapersSG.
- "Former TV chief dies at US home". South China Morning Post. 7 October 1994 – via scmp.com.
- Ryfle, Steve (1 April 1998). Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G". ECW Press. ISBN 1550223488.
- Galbraith IV, Stuart (1 May 1998). Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo!. Feral House. ISBN 978-0922915477.
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