How Dubbers in Palette Came To Be: Jordences A. Villasan’s Voice Artistry Journey

        

“Trust in the process, eh. Hindi mo pwedeng pwersahin na umangat bigla na ganoon ka kaagad, kasi you’ll miss a lot,” is what Jordences A. Villasan’s, also known as Dubbers in Palette, reminded the new and aspiring dubbers as someone who walked along a rough path that eventually paved the way towards his success.

Prior to becoming a voice artist, he was initially a call center agent. However, his desire to become a voice actor is as undying as Goku’s will to fight and Ash’s determination to be a Pokemon master--the anime characters that he used to imitate during his childhood—to the point that he quitted his job in pursuit of his dream.

Joining the VoiceWorks Program Batch 43 marked the onset of his voice acting journey. Headed by Sir Pocholo “Choy” De Leon Gozales, the program reinforced his existing knowledge in voice acting during his FEU days under Sir Mark Aspinas.

Albeit, the journey towards achieving one’s dream was not smooth sailing, especially during the first few months. Eventually, equipped with talent and tenacity, together with the help of his mentors—Sir Choy, Papa Neil Tolentino, Ama, Direk Pinky, Direk Model and Sir Danny Madia---Mr. Villasan strived and landed his first character as a dubber: Octavius, the miniature Roman from Night at the Museum under Papa Neil.

From his first line “smiley face” and “kindat” as a dubber for a side character, he continued to persevere in voice acting, bagged a second lead, became the man behind a Domex commercial--an unexpected and his most favorite project that certainly impacted his career as a newbie in the industry which later on became an enormous help during the peak of COVID-19 in the Philippines—and snagged the lead role under Direk Pinky.

Dubbers in Palette also gave a few tips to the future voice actors, such as the essence of listening to criticisms and blending and being the character.  

“Learn how to listen to all kinds of criticisms. Sa dubbing kasi, part kasi ‘yon e, part ‘yon ng journey mo na you’ll get reprimanded by your directors. Kasi when you’re into dubbing, you're getting reprimanded not because of you as a person but because of your craft. You need to disappear when you're doing a character. Hindi na dapat ikaw ang makikita ko, dapat nag-bblend ka na sa character, dumidikit ka sa character, you’re dissolving to a character,” he stated.

He also highlighted how the fruits of their training as voice actors is always appreciated but the process of attaining their level is usually not.

“Kaya nga natutuwa tayo na nakikita sila na “uy ang galing nila”. Pero the effort, the years that they took to reach that kind of excellence in their craft, ‘yon ‘yong very underappreciated. We only see the result of the years of training,” he expressed.

 

Mr. Villasan also shared his two mantras in the industry: “Work in silence and let your success be your noise” and “Unlearn, learn, re-learn”, indicating the importance of being humble, helping others, and continuous learning under the guidance of different directors that would eventually hone an artist into their best version as a voice actor.

 

On the other hand, the veteran voice actor wishes for a united form of voice acting given the disparity amidst the industry.

 

“‘Yon yung number one na gustong-gusto kong mangyari sakin at sa industry in the near process, na there would be a unified form ng lahat. Kasi as of the moment, the industry is very divided, and I want something that would unite everything and every walks of life that everyone can try.”

 

The one and only Dubbers in Palette also shared the value of practicing with a guide and expressed his gratitude towards TagaDubb for serving as a tool for students that want to display their talents in the field of voice acting.

“You just need to believe and practice. But when you practice, make sure na mayro’n kang kasama and you have a guide. Kasi kung ikaw lang mag-isa, you might practice the wrong stuff. I’m thankful for TagaDubb for creating a platform such as this one kasi kahit papano, ‘yong mga students din who want their voices and their emotions to be heard, magkakaroon ng platform wherein they can showcase their talents, showcase their expertise without fear of doing.” 

 

In the end, he achieved his dream and became one of the greatest talents in the industry of voice acting. Just like how Goku attained the Mastered Ultra Instinct and Ash became a Pokemon master, the once hopeful Jordences A. Villasan became the Dubbers in Palette in the field of voice acting, a name that will go down in the history of voice acting.