Dialogue Editing

CHAPTER 10
Now, the Actual Editing
At last, it’s time to edit. No more setup to be done, no more preparation work.
As you begin, keep the following two main purposes of the dialogue editing
process in mind so that you can be effi cient and focused.
To serve the fi lm by creating clean, focused tracks, free of anything that
gets in the way. This is how you can help move the story along and
create minute details that enhance plot, character development, and
drama.
To prepare tracks that can be mixed easily and productively. No matter
how creative, clean, or detail-rich your tracks, if the mixer can’t
quickly make sense of them, all of your work is in vain. You’ll never
have enough time in a dialogue premix to give your tracks the time
they deserve, so you have to edit with an eye to the mix, presenting
your tracks in such a way that the mixer spends her time creatively,
bringing out the best in them rather than trying to fi gure out your
system.
Respect these two goals—craftsmanship and procedure—and the rest will
work out.
Splitting Tracks
The fi rst real step in editing is to split the tracks within a scene so that each
camera angle (shot) has its own track. This will make it easier for you to
understand the scene and allow the scene to “talk” to you. It will also make
for a sensible mix when the time comes. Give the rererecording mixer a beautifully
edited but badly organized scene and your work will be wasted (plus,
you’ll hear some well-deserved harsh words). If you’ve done any popular
music production, you know that you organize the recording, editing, and
mixing of each song by instrument. (See Figure 10-1.) You might have a
track for the lead guitar, one for the bass, one for the synth, a few for the
drums, and of course one for the singer. In your mix, you’ll want a specifi c
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