Roma, 11 febbraio 2021

To:
A&E Networks
c.a. Andrea Marinari
BBC LONDRA
c.a. Saverio Perrino
Deluxe
c.a. Meghan Daffern
Discovery
c.a. Mariagrazia Boccardo
c.a. Cristina Mazzocca
Disney
c.a. Lavinia Fenu
c.a. Daniel Frigo
Dreamworks
c.a. Scott McCarthy
LA EFFE
c.a. Francesco Villa
Mediaset
c.a. Marco Leonardi
c.a. Ludovica Bonanome
c.a. Stefania Mona
Netflix
c.a. Gustavo Marcolla
c.a. Tovar Bar-Am
RAI
c.a. Francesca Iani
c.a. Violetta Parodi
c.a. Daniela De Angelis
Sky
c.a. Paola Rongione
Technicolor
c.a. Catherine Sutton
Universal Londra
c.a. Alberto De La Puente Nieto
Universal
c.a. Richard Borg – NBCUniversal
Warner
c.a. Annalaura Carano
c.a. Giovanna Marchi

Dear Client Companies,

we believe it is appropriate and necessary at this time to start an in-depth study with you on the subject of the so-called "Vocal age". We refer to the widespread practice of a part of clients for which it is required that the voice actor must have the same age as the actor being dubbed.

This in-depth conversation is required based on the following considerations.

There is, and it is clear, a right of choice that pertains to what is included in the freedom of enterprise, a constitutionally protected freedom. But we know that the Constitution itself places limits on this freedom. The delicate issue of discrimination that this practice contains is subject to precise and rigorous limits by domestic, EU and international law.

The question of vocal age has its own complexity, which has always been resolved in the very work of dubbing: each actor has, in fact, a vocal age, resulting from listening to the voice he uses while dubbing. Said voice may differ from the actor’s chronological voice. Proof of this is that there have been many cases in which even the positive passing of the voice test, and therefore the full adherence of the vocal age, was subsequently nullified following the verification of the chronological age. What happened, was that known professionals have been substituted in the dubbing of actors they had always been dubbing until then, and they lost roles they had always held, not for a fault, but for a mere question of age.

Without considering the underlying artistic and professional logic of this question, the reality of facts is that these choices have seriously damaged the careers and lives of many voice actors.

We believe that our role of intermediation must be carried out so that - in the delicate balance between conflicting interests, in which this issue is found - an intelligent and clarifying reading of this complexity and a consequent review of the practices set out above is possible.

Given this issue, we strongly suggest that people representing the clients should be involved, so that we can avoid any contrast and a stiffening of opposing positions.

Best regards

The National Secretarial Offices
SLC-CGIL FisTEL-CISL UILCOM-UIL