Dialogue Editing

294 EDITING PRODUCTION SOUND FOR DOCUMENTARIES
• Depending on the type of documentary, there may be various ethical
restrictions on your language manipulations. Overwhelmingly, these
fall on the picture editor, but in certain cases you may be required to
document the source of the “fakes” you used to make the fi lm sound
like a fi lm.
• Documentary structure differs from dramatic structure. Narration and
interview/voiceover material and scenes, or B-rolls, are each handled
in their own way, so you have to adapt your workspace to let the
tracks speak to you and to prevent a confusing mess in the mix.
• Because of the way documentaries are fi lmed, the region names in the
OMF session will probably be of less use than what you’ll fi nd on
dramas. Sound reports also will likely provide less information than
you’re used to.
• Most documentaries have tighter budgets and schedules than drama -
tic features, so you have to get used to working more quickly and
managing the mix with greater effi ciency.
The Documentary Workspace
There’s no such thing as a “typical” documentary, so it’s diffi cult to create a
session template to suit all types. But I’ll try.
Imagine that you’re working on a documentary consisting of interviews,
occasional omniscient narration (a.k.a. “Voice of God”), and scenes that show
what everyone’s talking about. Most of the story is handled by interviews or
by voiceovers derived from them. The narration carries additional exposition
and background information, and the “scenes” are either freestanding and
follow the rules of drama or are simply illustrative cutaways.
When you receive the OMF, it’s likely that all of the dialogue elements will
be jumbled together, so your fi rst task is to sort out the mess. Just as with
dialogue tracks for dramatic fi lms, it’s impossible to make sense of what’s
there before you organize it. So, too, is it useless to wade through documentary
sound elements until you can put each one in its proper place.
Note that narration is defi ned as text spoken by an omniscient speaker who is
usually not one of the fi lm’s interview subjects. Voiceover, on the other hand,
is dialogue derived from interviews but temporarily disconnected from the
talking head who uttered it. Usually narration is recorded in a studio, generally
close-microphone recorded, and read from a script. Being part of an
interview, voiceover carries with it all the characteristics of location sound.