Dialogue Editing

52 GETTING SOUND FROM PICTURE DEPARTMENT TO SOUND DEPARTMENT
A contact list including the director, picture editor, producer, associate
producer, postproduction supervisor, and production offi ce. You never
know when you’ll need to contact someone.
Splitting Reels
Back when all fi lms were cut on upright Moviolas or console editors, sync
was a physical truth rather than a metaphysical goal, and editors’ work habits
were much more standardized. Picture editors and sound editors alike cut
on 1000-ft reels. Now most fi lms are picture-edited on one continuous timeline
because any decent video workstation will allow for such massive
sessions.
However, you can’t mix a continuous soundtrack that runs the length of a
fi lm, then send it to the lab and not expect to be laughed (or yelled) at. Films
are still printed in reels of no more than 2050 feet, so that sets the limit of
how you mix. And since fi lms are mixed in reels, so too are they edited for
sound, which means that before you accept a fi lm from the picture department,
it must be broken in to reels. This isn’t the dialogue editor’s responsibility,
but if your picture editor is inexperienced it’s in the interest of the sound
department to police the reel-splitting process. Here are some rules to observe
in order to have sound-friendly reel splits:
Avoid splitting within a musical cue or in a place likely to have one
later. Even if the mixer and sound supervisor manage to pull off this
feat (which isn’t assured), the music cue will be at the mercy of
projectionists and their ability to properly splice together the reels.
Don’t allow any signifi cant sound within the fi rst second of a new reel.
This sound will fall within the changeover and could cause trouble.
It’s usually easier to break a reel between scenes rather than in the
middle of a scene, where this transition will be very exposed. If timing
demands a reel change within a scene, pick a picture cut with a bit of
“air” on either side. Both traditional changeovers (two-projector) and
splicing reels into platters can result in eating into the fi rst and last
frames.
Protect yourself by refusing to begin work on a project whose reels aren’t yet
split. Such a premature start can come back to haunt you in the form of complicated
rearranging of scenes (work often not included in your deal with the
producer). Plus, a client who insists on beginning dialogue editing on an
unsplit fi lm is a client with other dangerous surprises lurking in the wings.
Make them split the reels. Properly. Period.