Dialogue Editing

Making Movies in the Digital Age 15
Premixes are about detail, getting the most out of the dialogue or the effects,
background, and so on. Here you focus shots to direct the viewer’s attention
or to enhance the emotion of a scene. The premixes are combined in the fi nal
mix to create the best fl ow, to move the narrative forward, and to create the
best “ride” for the audience. During fi nal mix, the playback sources are the
multitrack premix recordings. The fi nal mixed sounds are recorded onto
multitrack fullcoat stems, keeping the fi nal, balanced, beautifi ed dialogue,
effects, and music separate on different fullcoats to more easily create different
versions of the fi nal fi lm mix, whether for international, television, or
airplane distribution. The stems are then combined to make a print master,
whose number of channels depends on the distribution format (Dolby Stereo,
Dolby Digital, SDDS, DTS). The print master goes to a lab where it’s converted
to an optical negative, which is then joined with the color-corrected printing
negative to form a release print. Premiere, popcorn, fame, and fortune
follow.
Don’t let the whirlwind nature of this description scare you. The details of
the audio side of this production methodology will be discussed in much
greater detail later. What’s important is to understand the overall workfl ow of
making a movie. Take another look at Figure 2-1 before we move on to how
most fi lms are made today, how the new system compares to the mechanical
method, and where lie the traps that can get you into trouble.
Making Movies in the Digital Age
Moviemaking today isn’t all that different from when picture meant fi lm and
sounds were on mag. But the small differences between then and now can
be crippling if ignored. Two steps in the process require great attention. First,
the fi lm must be transferred to videotape (which runs at a different speed
than fi lm does) while maintaining an absolute reference between a frame of
fi lm and its matching video frame to ensure accurate negative matching.
Second, you must remember that NTSC video doesn’t run at 60 Hz (30 fps)
but rather at 59.94 Hz (29.97 fps). If you keep your wits about you regarding
the telecine transfer and pay attention to NTSC sample rates, you’ll fi nd
electronic editing pretty straightforward.
We’ll now look at seven electronic work models, with postproduction in PAL,
NTSC, and high-defi nition 24p. Again, remember the most basic questions
you should ask when approaching a sound for fi lm job:
How was it shot?
Where and how will it be posted?