How many roles can one play at one time? For Xu Xueren, a student majoring in Art of Broadcasting and Hosting of the Class 2023, ECNU, his answer is: infinite. Rather than going by his formal name, he is better known by his online name “胖雪人Ozu”.
Xu Xueren, a student majoring in Art of Broadcasting and Hosting of the Class 2023, ECNU
In his videos, he is able to dub five roles in SpongeBob SquarePants on his own. Meanwhile, he has done all the dubbing work and sound effects for films like Yip Man and Drunken Master, and games like Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies. His fans praise him by comparing his versatile voice to a dubbing studio.
Since 2018, he has accumulated more than 1.2 million followers on Bilibili, a leading Chinese video streaming platform popular among young people. He has also participated in many voice shows and has already made a name for himself as an online celebrity.
At present, on his upcoming graduation, he prefers to be a freelancer. Xu explained, “Even if many people are trying to persuade me to choose a more stable job, I would like to give it a try since I am still young”.
Xu’s bond with voice
“I found my passion in voice when I was thirteen”, Xu said. He recalls that he was strongly attracted by Ultraman dubbed by Shanghai Film Translation Factory.
After being admitted to the major of Art of Broadcasting and Hosting at ECNU through the arts college admission exam, he had the idea of becoming a voice actor. He has been obsessed with hiding behind characters and using his voice to play different roles and enrich their characters.
However, he had no reference to embark on the professional road. Therefore, he decided to depend on himself. At first, as a newcomer to the industry, when he was looking for a part-time dubbing job online, he could only get some narrator work.
After a year, he finally got a real voice acting job. From then on, Xu has achieved financial independence and had the bold idea of opening his own recording studio.
A five square meters dormitory at ECNU and a set of equipment form the prototype of Xu’s studio. He named the studio “Pangxueren Simulation Studio”.
His carefully produced programs have entertained netizens a lot, among which “Individual Dubbing” program has attracted numerous fans. For this, he has received a constant stream of offers.
In November 2020, Xu determined to become a full-time voice actor and incorporated a company. He moved from the dormitory to an apartment near the university. As he said, “I slept upstairs and worked downstairs. I myself was a workshop.” He also systematically studied music production, film and television sound production and other content so as to further enhance his competence.
There are 26 students in Xu’s class, but only 2 really step on the road of dubbing. Compared with his peers’ stability-oriented attitude, Xu’s decision to take odd jobs will inevitably be treated differently. However, Xu thinks to himself: work hard when young.
Xu firmly believes that with the development of the dubbing industry, more and more people will accept the profession of voice actor in the future. At that time, he will also be more confident to introduce himself: “Hi everyone, I am a voice actor, Xu Xueren.”
Source: Wen Wei Po
Copy editor: Melody Zhang Philip Nash
Editor: Yvaine Lyu
