Note: The following excerpt describes the post-production process behind a movie scene, however, the term ‘post-production’ covers a wide spectrum of media from TV & film right through to radio and online podcasts. Accordingly, if you find that the following descriptions don’t cater to your specific needs, please don’t hesitate to get in contact and make an enquiry.
“Batman looks down from a Gotham rooftop into the dark alley below. We hear the sounds of the big city: cars whizzing by, sirens wailing in the distance, indistinguishable voices calling to each other from the street. The Joker and his henchmen enter the alley dragging a helpless Vicki Vale. We hear Vicki’s muffled screams and the Joker’s evil cackle.
The movie score swells as Batman dives from the rooftop. We hear the metallic whir of his zip line and his leather cape snapping as it cuts through the air. Then comes the fight — the punches, grunts, thumps and slams punctuated by blaring horns and sharp percussion from the soundtrack. On the screen, this scene takes less than a minute.
But behind the scenes, professional audio post production engineers worked hundreds of hours to make sure that every snippet of dialogue, every scrape of a shoe, every tiny detail of background noise, every sound effect and every second of the film score are perfectly blended to create a cohesive and powerful cinematic experience.”
Dialogue Inspection
Firstly, dialogue inspection is a measure to ensure that the dialogue captured adheres to the script and is spoken in a clear and distinguishable manner. In TV and film, this process can be used to ensure that on sight audio is of high enough quality– in many cases, background noise and/ or poor boom positioning may affect the clarity of the dialogue being captured. Accordingly, the dialogue may need to be re-recorded at a later date in a process known as Automated Dialogue Replacement or A.D.R.
Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR)
Automated Dialogue Replacement (a.k.a. Post-Sync) – involves re-recording unusable dialogue in a controlled environment such as a recording studio or post-production suite. The aim is for the actor/ actress to recite their lines in perfect sync with the film recording. In essence, the process is the inverse of lip-syncing.
Dialogue Recording
Dialogue Recording (a.k.a. voice over) – can apply to stand-alone applications such as the production of audio books, guided tours, radio adverts, etc. It can also fall under the category of post-production when used for dubbing and automated dialogue replacement in TV and film.
Audio Restoration
Audio restoration – In some cases, poor on-sight recordings may be reconcilable through audio processing. Using an array of specialized audio tools, it may be possible to restore the audio to its former glory.
Foley Art
Foley Art – is the introduction of everyday sounds such as footsteps, creaky floorboards, and dripping taps into a film or TV show’s audio sequence. These sounds are incorporated in a very subtle manner, introducing an air of realism to soundscape. Without these crucial background noises, films can seem unnaturally quiet uncomfortable.
Sound Effects (SFX) & Sound Design
Sound Design and SFX – applies to sounds that are difficult to capture in everyday life, for example, explosions, screeching tyres and the sound of a rocket launching into space. The process also involves creating sounds that don’t exist in the reality. Some of these sounds are abstract recordings that fit the task at hand and some are synthesized using audio equipment. An obvious example of the former lies in the iconic light sabre sound where Ben Burt ingeniously combined the hum of a running film projector with the interference caused by a television on a shieldless microphone. Playing the basic hum through a loudspeaker and recording it through a moving microphone achieved the Doppler shift displayed in every movement of the light sabre.
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