Dialogue Editing

CHAPTER 7
Screening the OMF/PostConform—
The Spotting Session
All fi lms have directors, and we must listen to them and honor their wishes,
even though any honest sound editor can recall times when he thought the
director was off the mark. “If only he’d listen to me, Rome would be saved.”
Get a grip. It’s not your fi lm, and you may not be seeing the big picture. Plus,
drawing blood over a breath or a chair squeak isn’t a sign of maturity. Besides,
the director just may be right.
On a typical small fi lm, you’ll meet with the director two or three times: just
after the OMF or autoconform is opened and checked for accuracy, near the
end of your editing, and perhaps again just before the dialogue premix.
Depending on the dynamics of the sound department and the fi lm’s budget,
you may see the director more often or you may have no meetings at all with
her, turning instead to the supervising sound editor for guidance.
Spotting Session Basics
The initial spotting session with the director is the most comprehensive
meeting, as it involves the entire sound crew along with people from the fi lm
you may never see again. In many ways, though, it’s one of the easiest because
there’s no baggage yet and expectations and spirits are often high. Most of
the burden in this meeting falls on the supervising sound editor. Still, there
are things you have to pay attention to.
• Note problems that may result in unexpected work on your part and
report them to the supervising sound editor during the meeting. It’s
best to put these on the table now.
• Discuss whatever general ADR issues you observe in the fi rst screening
(if there’s an ADR supervisor and/or editor, you’re pretty much off the
hook on this one). Most ADR calls can be made only after detailed
study of the tracks, yet it’s all but certain that the producer will want a
ballpark idea of the fi lm’s ADR load during the meeting.
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