 |
In 1989, Betty Givens, president of Lingo-Tech Dubbing Services, Inc., was welcomed to Otherworld Cottage, ostensibly to discuss a new project. To our surprise, Betty announced her retirement, and turned over her entire talent database listing the finest language experts in Los Angeles, including former U.N. interpreters, university language professors, foreign nationals, language adapters, and voice actors to Travis, who worked with Betty on several language dubbing projects, including as technical director for the English lauguage dub of Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander, that went on to win four Academy Awards. |
 |
If he was to continue dubbing movies, Travis wanted to make his subsidiary the best in the LA marketplace. He struck a deal with George Johnsen, founder of EFX Systems, but that marketplace was less interested in quality than costs, and greater opportunities arose. The November 21, 1990 Post magazine article on "Otherworld masters of dubbing" reported Travis' prediction that movies would move to discs, and with properly mastered music and effects tracks, different dialogue tracks could be seamlessly substituted by end users. Today, many retail DVDs offer language choices, but there was no DVD in those days, and Travis was talking about theaters offering different language days or hours, based on neighborhood ethnicity. |
