Appendix 1

Sound Edit Workfl ows
This means that you know if a sound is going to work the way you want it to as you are editing it
into the project. The need for a formal temp dub is diminished.
On a fi lm fi nish workfl ow, there are critical points along the way where a temp dub is needed. If a
work print is conformed, this should be interlocked with the sound track and projected. This requires
a temp dub to be transferred to DA88 or magnetic fi lm. So, in this case, the temp dub may be nothing
more than a touchup of levels and a transfer for screening.
It is also necessary to interlock and screen the fi rst answer print on workfl ows where a silent answer
print is made. And this, too, requires a temp dub.
On all projects, there may be a need to screen a temp dub for producers, the director, network people,
or whomever. In this case, the temp dub may be done in a Pro Tools mix room simply screening the
Pro Tools session. More than likely, this will be a more formal screening from videotape in a screening
room with a good audio system, such as the one shown in Figure 7.9. The temp dub will be
exported or “bounced,” sunc with video edit, and printed to tape. Pro Tools even offers a “bounce
to QuickTime” for just this purpose.
Figure 7.9 Brooks Institute Pro Tools mix room. The mixing console is a “control surface” that controls
Pro Tools and does not actually process any sound
On many projects, the temp dubs simply evolve into the fi nal dub. On very large projects, this is
common as they may have access to a mixing stage through the entire postproduction. This was the
case on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The mix stage was dedicated to the project for the entire time
the fi lms were being edited. The online session was mixed for months as the sounds including the
score were being recorded. At the end, they gave the fi lm a fi nal set of adjustments and it was
fi nished.
This is similar to how most small projects are mixed as well. As the no-budget gorilla fi lmmaker
may be mixing on his own editing system, at some point he will give it one last set of tweaks and
call it fi nished.
109