Dialogue Editing

Packaging and Backup 309
front of the mixer. Workstations allow tracks to scroll while playing and so
in many ways would seem to take the place of cue sheets. Taking cues from
them is easier than reading cue sheets because you can see events as they
approach the play head, which gives you much better timing information.
You can zoom close to a transition or a line of dialogue to make detailed
corrections, and you can zoom out very wide for an overview of a scene.
So, why bother with cue sheets? Simply because you can write on them,
noting valuable information about the cues and the mix, something you can’t
do with a workstation’s display.
Some very good automated cue sheet programs are available, and many
workstations have built-in utilities to create detailed rerecording logs. Still,
there’s still nothing like a hand-drawn cue sheet to get your point across to
a mixer. Color coding, illustrated fades, unambiguous cue names, and clear
word clues are just some of the reasons to draw your own. On the other hand,
time and money are the obvious reasons to have the computer do this for
you.
Tracking Your Premix Record Tracks
Whether you hand-draw your cue sheets or print them from a computer, you
can use this graphic display of your tracks to help plan the mix. As I said
earlier, the dialogue premix has a twofold purpose: to smooth, focus, and
de-noise the dialogue; and to organize the mixed tracks for maximum fl exibility
and comfort in the fi nal mix. Drawing a rerecording plan on your cue
sheets before you begin the premix will ensure that this purpose is fulfi lled.
(Chapter 18 discusses managing the dialogue premix.) Even if the mixer
changes your premix recording strategy, the time you spent planning will
help the mixer make wise decisions.
During the premix, keep track of the actual recordings by writing the record
track numbers directly onto the cue sheets. If dialogues A, B, and C were
mixed and then recorded onto record track 4, draw a circle around those
events in Dials A, B, and C and write “4.” This will help in the mix and
prevent accidental recording over tracks.
Packaging and Backup
The fact that you can carry your tracks on a hard drive the size of a cigarette
pack is a mixed blessing. Not needing a hand truck is undeniable progress,
but that precious little drive is attractive to thieves, easy to lose, easier to drop,