In France, foreign films come out in two versions: the VF, dubbed, and the VOST, original with subtitles. The VF is still the most watched on television and in cinemas outside the big cities, and Quebec has its own dubbing tradition. A film dubbed into French also reaches Belgium, French-speaking Switzerland and much of French-speaking Africa. MovieCineLab prepares a VF automatically: one voice per character, with the film's music and sound underneath.
Listen: Charade in French
The clip is from Charade (1963), an American film shot between Paris and the French Alps. In the original, Regina's friend Sylvie says a few words in French to her son, «Va jouer, mon chéri»: in the French dubbing it simply becomes one more line.
Real lines, from English to French
| Character | Original (English) | Dubbed · French |
|---|---|---|
| Regina Lampert Charade (1963) | He's hiding something from me, Sylvie, something terrible, and it frightens me. | Il me cache quelque chose, Sylvie, quelque chose de terrible, et ça me fait peur. |
| Peter Joshua Charade (1963) | Do we know each other? | On se connaît ? |
| Regina Lampert Charade (1963) | Why, do you think we're going to? | Pourquoi, tu crois qu'on va se connaître ? |
| Regina Lampert Charade (1963) | Until one of them dies, I couldn't possibly meet anyone else. | À moins que l'un d'eux meure, je ne pourrai pas rencontrer quelqu'un d'autre. |
| Peter Joshua Charade (1963) | Shakespeare never said that. | Shakespeare n'a jamais dit ça. |
| Peter Joshua Charade (1963) | You just made it up. | Vous l'avez inventé. |
| Johnny Night of the Living Dead (1968) | They're coming to get you, Barbara. | Ils viennent te chercher, Barbara. |
| Popeye Popeye: Assault and Flattery (1956) | Your Honor, I'm innocent. | Votre Honneur, je suis innocent. |
Lines exactly as they came out of the automatic dubbing of the example films, untouched.
French often needs more syllables than English to say the same thing: «Shakespeare never said that» becomes «Shakespeare n'a jamais dit ça». That's why each line is measured and fitted, so it ends when the actor's line ends. The translation chooses between «tu» and «vous» by looking at the scene, and Popeye's judge becomes «Votre Honneur».
What you get
- The film dubbed into French, in full, as MP4.
- Subtitles as SRT, in the film's language and in French: in practice a VOST as well, included.
- The screenplay as PDF and Fountain, in French too, included with the dubbing.
Who it's for
For a ciné-club or media library that wants to screen a classic in a French version. For French teachers who want a class to hear a film the students already know, with French subtitles to read the words. For filmmakers who want to hear how a VF might sound before handing it to a dubbing studio.
What it costs
One minute from your pack for every minute of film: a 90-minute film dubbed into French uses 90 minutes. If the job fails, the minutes go back into your pack.
They don't expireYour minutes stay in your account until you use them.
10 free minutesWhen you sign up we dub 10 minutes of one of your films for free, in one language.
If a job failsThe minutes go back into your pack.
Other languages for the same film: German, Italian, Spanish. The method is on the multi-voice dubbing page.