Dialogue Editing

Glossary
There are many outstanding fi lm sound glossaries. David Yewdall’s Practical
Art of Motion Picture Sound, Third Edition (2007), contains a glossary with
concise, no-nonsense defi nitions useful to sound editors and designers.
Another, Larry Blake’s “What’s a Binky?”—a legendary collection of fi lm
sound terminology—was originally published in Mix Magazine; it is now
available on a number of web sites. This is one of the most comprehensive
fi lm sound dictionaries ever compiled and offers a refreshing glance of what
things are really called in the working world. For a massive glossary of fi lm
editorial terminology, see Norman Hollyn’s The Film Editing Room Handbook;
for a narrative-treatment glossary with a historical bent, turn to Film Sound:
Theory and Practice edited by Elisabeth Weis and John Belton.
This glossary isn’t as comprehensive as those just mentioned. Instead, it
focuses on terms specifi cally applicable to dialogue editing and other concepts
that affect those who edit dialogue. Some terms fall into the realm of
picture cutting or mixing, but they’re nonetheless part of the basic vocabulary
of dialogue editors.
A/B reel A reel of fi lm not longer than 2050 feet (about 22 minutes). When movies
were edited on fi lm and mag, picture and sound editors worked in reels no
longer than 1000 feet. After the premixes, these reels were joined to form 2000-ft
lengths. Today, most sound editors work directly in 2000-ft lengths, since the
inconvenience of large fi lm units on a fl atbed or upright editor is no longer an
issue.
ADL (AES31 audio decision list) The ADL is a fi le format for exchanging information
between different types of workstations, both sound and picture. Its format
offers far greater detail and accuracy than the conventional CMX edit decision
list, which it’s gradually replacing. See EDL.
ADR (automated dialogue replacement or automatic dialogue replacement, depending
whom you listen to) An electronic means of rerecording dialogue lines that
combines machine control, monitor switching, and cues for talent and naming.
The term ADR is often used interchangeably with postsync and looping, although
there are mechanical and procedural differences between the three.
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