Entertainment

IN PHOTOS: Dubbing with Netflix, HIT Productions

Plus a quick glimpse of the Netflix PH office

Published

December 1, 2022

Have you ever been curious about how the whole dubbing process works? Netflix, along with HIT Productions, was kind enough to give us a quick tour showing how our favorite Netflix shows are dubbed in Filipino.

HIT Productions prides itself as “The Philippines’ top audio post production house and recording studio for advertising.” And they have the clientele to back up the claim. Other than Netflix, they’ve also worked with plenty of notable brands. These include but are not limited to Jollibee, Mitsubishi, Coca Cola, and many more.

They’ve partnered with Netflix on many shows and movies. For this particular tour, they showed us how they dubbed Season 4 of Stranger Things.

Different rooms for the talents and director

Dubbing Director Cheska Aguiluz

Heading in, I was fully expecting a Sound Booth like setup – you know, the ones we normally see in TV shows and movies. HIT has a different setup. They have the director in one room and the voice talents in another. The rooms are situated right across each other with sound engineers manning both rooms.

The communication between the director and talents still happens real time, and they see each other through an iPad.

Each room has a monitor that displays the scene that’s being dubbed. The talents’ audio goes straight into a computer that’s in the same room as the director.

Multiple talents will be in the same room at one time. This depends entirely on the scene that needs to be dubbed. They take turns dubbing with sound engineers adjusting the height of the mic each time to make sure it’s optimized for each talent.

Although, they did mention this isn’t always the case. Sometimes, there will be scheduling challenges, but they’re able to work through it.

The actual dubbing back and forth is fascinating. They go through each line meticulously, making sure the cadence, the breaths, the tone, and the emotion matches that of the original actors.

Recording a single episode will take days. And that’s just the recording. The next part is just as tedious.

Painstaking editing

The level of precision applied in the voice acting and directing extends to the cutting floor when the recordings go through post production.

Here, sound engineers go through each scene, switching between the original scene and the dubbed recordings to make sure they match. This includes how loud or soft the voice is as well as adding effects to mimic the room environment sound of each sound.

What makes the whole process tricky is a lot of it is guess work. I asked if they are given a cheat sheet of the effects used by the original production. They said that rarely happens. That means they rely both on their sharp ears and years of experience to make sure everything matches.

After post production, an entire episode goes through a quality check. If anything sounds off, it’s back to post processing again.

HIT says in a month, they’re able to finish roughly around three to four episodes. Of course, that depends also on the length of the episode. Stranger Things Season 4, for instance, typically lasts over an hour. With some episodes even running as long as feature length films.

Trying out dubbing

Head of Localization Rudolf Baldonado

After a look at the voice acting and post production process, HIT took us to a room where some members of the media got to try dubbing. Here, Head of Localization Rudolf Baldonado, led the way.

Baldonado explained that the most important part of the whole process is the script. Localization, as you may have surmised, is no easy task. There are so many things to consider: What words to use to match the movement of the lips, the general direction for each line, and making sure all the lines make sense when delivered together.

A couple of voice talents showed us the ropes first, recording a scene from the Don’t Look Up film. Baldonado, who also helmed localization for Trese, noted that mimicking the original actor’s voice is less important than delivering the right tone and emotion for the line and the scene.

During the recording, he also noted that dubbing is more about voice acting than actual voice quality. How well you convey the right emotion is more important than whether or not you sound pleasant or not.

Sit down with the voice talents

To wrap up the tour of the HIT Productions office, we sat down with the voice talents and the rest of the team that worked on the Stranger Things Season 4 dub. Here’s everyone who joined us:

Christian Velarde (MIKE)
Albert Silos (WILL)
Steve Bontogon (DUSTIN)
JM Canlas (LUCAS)
Steffi Bontogon (MAX)
JM Torres (VECNA)
Nelieza Magauay (ROBIN)
Ericka Peralejo (SUZIE)
Cheska Aguiluze (Dubbing Director)
Rudolf Baldonado (Head of Localization)

Many of them shared their experiences and lessons learned while working as voice actors.

A lot of the echo the same thing that Baldonado mentioned earlier. That the ability to understand the character’s emotion and act it out through your voice is the most important skill in the craft.

What stood out to me the most though, is how each of them seemed like colorful characters on their own. And they deserve just as much recognition as TV and movie actors.

Quick Netflix PH HQ Tour

After the session at HIT Productions, we were taken to the headquarters of Netflix Philippines. Some interesting things to note:

The meeting rooms are named after Netflix’s shows and films
There are areas designated for quiet time
The place is spacious with many areas for quick, breakout meeting sessions
It’s filled with books and other ornaments that have to do with Netflix shows
Free-flowing drinks!
This writer would like to spend a work day or two in the area (Thanks in advance, Netflix!)

Here’s a photo dump:

Photo c/o Netflix

Squid Game meeting room | Photo c/o Netflix

Photo c/o Netflix

Beverages | Photo c/o Netflix

Pantry | Photo c/o Netflix

Related Topics:HIT Productions Netflix specials Stranger Things

Entertainment

Now Playing: Spider-Man: Brand New Day

It’s a must watch for Spidey fans who want to see Peter Parker enter his sad boy era.

Published

July 29, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

The Holland-led Spider-Man trilogy is one of my favorite franchises in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Compared to other series with admittedly disjointed plots, all of Spidey’s storylines have a clear thread leading from one to the next. Since the fourth entries after trilogies are historically lackluster, I had a lot of trepidation heading into Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Thankfully, all those worries were unfounded. Brand New Day follows the same throughline as its predecessors, once again reinforcing Spider-Man as the strongest franchise that Marvel offers fans today.

A brand new day indeed

Coming from No Way Home, Brand New Day still has Peter Parker live a new life as a literal nobody where no one remembers who he is. So begins his existence as just Spider-Man with no friends or family.

When a new and unseen threat ravages through New York City, Spidey starts to wish that he still had friends to help him out, which leads him on an inevitable collision course with Ned and MJ. Ironically, it also leads him to other characters in the city, including the Hulk and the Punisher.

A cacophony of villains

When I first saw the trailer, I was worried about the astounding number of villains from the get-go. After all, one of the biggest problems in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, the most maligned entry in Spider-Man movie history, was the villains. Though far from the movie’s biggest problem, having too many bad guys without a solid plot led to its terrible reception. You can see why Brand New Day’s trailer raises some flags.

If you were thinking the same thing, Brand New Day does indeed have a cohesive plot. Everything flows neatly into one another. Each emotional beat of Peter feeling for his solitude mixes well with the action. In here, fight scenes feel like they have a purpose.

And there is a big bad here. It’s not just a collection of guys that Spidey has to go through. That big bad, who shall not be named at this time, doesn’t feel like just a placeholder for Peter’s internal struggles. They have a character of their own and their own struggles to solve. I wouldn’t say they’re at the level of Loki just yet, but they definitely have a better go at it than most of the MCU’s other villains.

Marvel’s New York City finally debuts

Despite being a prime location since 2012’s Avengers, New York City never really felt like the quintessential city for superheroes in the comics. In the movies, the city was just another city to be ravaged when a new villain comes along.

For the first time, Brand New Day makes the city feel like a lived-in world with a bunch of superheroes living in the neighborhood. And they do pop up.

Does Peter have a scientific problem that only a very specific hero can solve? It’s a good thing Bruce Banner is just around the corner. Does he need some muscle? Well, the Punisher is skulking around somewhere. Plus, there’s even a succinct reason why other superheroes can’t help out.

In this way, Brand New Day presents itself more like a comic book series than a one-off movie. It’s like following the story alone from issue to issue. It’s not the most perfect adaptation of the landmark city, but it goes a long way from just another ravaging of New York.

Peter’s sadness

Everything here hinges on Peter’s loneliness. Despite meeting a trove of characters across the cinematic universe, Peter yearns for time with his loved ones. But they’re gone.

Unlike the past three films where he always had someone to go home to, he has no one here. Tony Stark is dead. Aunt May is gone. Happy has gone to parts unknown. Ned and MJ have no memory of him. Brand New Day has a way of making you feel for his aches, whether the way he still keeps track of MJ or some physiological changes as a result of his predicament.

It also helps that the movie’s big bad has similar motivations. Both serve as perfect mirrors against each other, elevating both their stories effectively. And that’s all I’ll say about that.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a few steps behind from being a perfect Marvel movie, but it’s still an extremely strong part of the Spider-Man mythos. The trilogy, now quadrilogy, remains Marvel’s most consistent franchises to date. It’s an absolute must-watch.

Entertainment

UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony hits Makati in October

Determination arrives in October.

Published

July 28, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

For so small of a game, UNDERTALE quickly made it into the gaming world’s hall of fame. Despite being only a decade old, the small title has had a major influence for modern-day gamers because of its unique gameplay, its lo-fi art, and, of course, its catchy soundtrack. If you’re a fan of UNDERTALE’s soundtrack, a unique concert experience is headed your way.

On October 17, Film Concerts PH, in partnership with SOHO Live, is hosting UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati.

The concert will be performed by the Filharmonika Orchestra and conducted by Thanapol Setabrahmana. Personally curated by creator Toby Fox and developed by Lambert Jackson with Materia Music, the concert experience showcases the game’s most recognizable tunes laid over gameplay footage playing simultaneously. Plus, for the world tour, the experience will have expanded scoring.

In the game, you play as a small child stuck in the mysterious Underground filled with interesting characters and monsters. Unlike traditional RPGs, UNDERTALE asks players to choose between building relationships and chasing after wins. It’s a unique experience that’s defined by whether you chose to make friends or fought your way to the top. It teaches players to value different ways to solve problems, all while showering them with its one-of-a-kind humor.

Pre-sales for the concert, exclusively for members of the Film Concerts PH community, start on August 4. Public sales, however, will start on August 11 via Ticketmelon.

Entertainment

Marvel Studios announces Ghost Rider, Black Panther 3 at SDCC

What lies ahead of Multiverse Saga now taking shape

Published

July 26, 2026

GadgetMatch

All images courtesy: The Walt Disney Company

What lies ahead of the Multiverse Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is now taking shape, as Marvel Studios have made major announcements at San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) 2026.

The first major reveal was the Ghost Rider feature film, set to release in 2028 with Ryan Gosling playing the protagonist.

Shawn Levy, who directed Deadpool and Wolverine and the Night at the Museum trilogy as both director and producer, will direct the film. Jonathan Tropper is writing the script. All three worked with Star Wars: Starfighter in the same capacities.

Gosling said Johnny Blaze “is a character” he “wanted to play for a very long time.”

The Marvel character has been shown in two live-action movies between 2007 to 2012 starring Nicolas Cage.

More recently, Gabriel Luna played the younger host to Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes, in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in which the story revolved around him and Chloe Bennet’s Daisy Johnson/Quake for most of the first season.

Avengers: Doomsday panel, Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Marvel Studios then filled SDCC’s Hall H with the massive cast of Avengers: Doomsday, moderated by directors Anthony and Joe Russo.

This segment featured some of the biggest stars of the MCU. There’s Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Simu Liu, James Marsden, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman, Kelsey Grammer, Danny Ramirez, Winston Duke, Hannah John-Kamen, Rebecca Romijn, and Tenoch Huerta Mejia.

Hayley Atwell also joined the panel, confirming she will return in the new film as Peggy Carter.

WATCH: Avengers: Doomsday trailer assembles Marvel’s biggest heroes against Doctor Doom

After all, the mid-credits scene in Avengers: Endgame showed that when it was time to return the infinity stones back where they belonged, Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers/Captain America went back in time and instead lived the life he wanted to have with Peggy.

Meanwhile, Jon Bernthal later on made a surprise appearance. This was to talk about his role as Frank Castle/The Punisher in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Black Panther 3 revealed

To cap off the panel, Black Panther 3 has been confirmed for December 15, 2028. Writer and director Ryan Coogler came out to the stage to introduce David Jonsson as the new Black Panther.

The Alien: Romulus actor will play Toussaint/T’Challa II, the son of the late Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa. In the third Black Panther film, his character will be all grown-up. Naturally, the events in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will make the transition and his on-screen “aging” a lot smoother.

What this means is Letitia Wright’s Shuri is preparing to step down as the Black Panther. Doomsday will be among her final battles wearing the suit.

Winston Duke’s M’Baku, who is the King of Wakanda in the current events of the MCU, will also play an integral part in setting up T’Challa II for the throne — be it through a traditional Wakandan ritual for the leadership or through other means.