Dialogue Editing

CHAPTER 4
The Sound Department
There’s no such thing as a “typical” small feature fi lm, so it’s diffi cult to
describe a typical sound team. You may be working with a team of 15 or more
people, but more than likely it will be less than 6.
The Players
The following sections describe the important players who should be working
on any sound team.
Supervising Sound Editor
The boss. Commonly the only member of the sound team hired directly by
the production and usually selected by either the director or the picture
editor. The rest of the sound team is often employed by the audio postproduction
studio where the work is performed or is subcontracted by the supervising
sound editor. (As with all aspects of sound postproduction, the details of
employment and chain of command depend on the fi lm as well as the local
fi lm culture.)
The supervising sound editor has the enviable task of bringing the fi lm’s
sound to life, enhancing the narrative, developing characters, focusing the
viewer’s attention, and boosting emotions. He has the unenviable job of fi nishing
the sound within budget, on time, and balancing the needs of the
sound crew (who must remain loyal to him), the director (with whom all fi lm
birthing pains are shared), and the producer (who pays the bills and is often
unimpressed with excuses for cost overruns or delays). Since so much of the
job is administrative, the supervising sound editor must be as nimble with
Excel as with Pro Tools.
Sound Designer
This one is tricky. Not long ago, in the days before hair designers, lifestyle
designers, and food designers, this term was used to describe specialists
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