Audio Post Production is the process of creating the soundtrack for moving images. Ever since the once silent movies developed a prerecorded track, filmmakers have been looking to control and improve the quality of the sound of their visions. As soon as moviemakers realised there was a way to control and enhance the sound of their pictures, Audio Post was born and has been a fact of life ever since. In television, audio was originally "live," like the visual program it was part of. As TV evolved and grew to include "videotaped" and "filmed" programming, its need for audio post increased. Nowadays, it would be difficult to find any feature film or television show (or video game) that hasn't been through audio post.
What is involved in Audio Post?
Audio post usually consists of several processes. Each different project may need some or all of these processes in order to be complete. The processes are:
Production Dialogue Editing ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement or Looping) Sound Effects Design and Editing Foley Mixing and Editing Music Composition and Editing Mixing (also called Re-Recording)
What does all that mean in English ?
Production Dialogue Editing - In order for the production audio recorded on the set or on location to be properly mixed, a Dialogue Editor needs to prepare it. This means locating the takes used by the Picture Editor from the recorded production audio, checking sync (so the audio works with the picture properly), and eliminating extraneous noise so the Dialogue Mixer has clean dialogue to use during the mix.
ADR [Automated Dialogue Replacement] - In cases where the production audio is too noisy or otherwise unusable (bad line reading, airplane fly-by, etc.), or where the filmmakers want to add voice over narration or simply add dialogue that was never recorded, the line will be programmed or “cued” for “looping” or ADR. This process takes place on the ADR Stage, a specialised recording studio where the actor can record while watching the edited picture, matching the sync of the original line or fitting the new lines with the actions. After a loop lines have been recorded, the ADR Editor will check the sync carefully, modifying the take if necessary to precisely match it to the picture, and prepare it for the Mixing Stage.
Sound Effects Design and Editing - Are the people who add the computer beeps, gunshots, laser blasts, massive explosions; and more subtle sounds like background ambiences such as air, rivers, birds, and city traffic. Sound Designers use a variety of technologies and innovation to create unique sound effects that have never been heard before, or to artistically create specific "mood" sounds to complement the filmmakers’ vision of the visuals. Sound Effects Editors put those sounds in sync with the picture as well as selecting from libraries of hundreds of thousands of prerecorded sounds; and organise them so the FX Mixers can “PreDub” those sounds efficiently.
Foley - Taking its name from Jack Foley, the Hollywood sound editor regarded as the "father" of these effects, Foley effects are sounds that are created by recording (usually) everyday movement while watching the edited picture. Different from the environmental backgrounds (“BGs”) and hard effects (FX), Foley effects are sounds like footsteps, object handling, the rustling of clothing, etc. The people involved in this process are the Foley Walkers or Artists who perform those sounds and the Foley Mixer who records them. After the Foley Effects are “shot,” the Foley Editor will use his/her craft to polish those sounds to ensure that they are exactly in sync with the final picture.
Music Composition - Music for motion pictures falls into two general categories: Score and Source. The Composer is the individual hired to prepare the dramatic underscore. Source music is what we hear coming from an on screen or off screen device like stereos, televisions, ice cream trucks, and so on. Source music may be original or licensed from a number of libraries that specialise in the creation of "generic" music. Songs (music with vocals) may occupy either function, depending on the dramatic intent of the director.
Music Editing - The Music Editor assists the Composer in the preparation of the dramatic underscore. Frequently working also with the Music Supervisor, the Music Editor will take timings for the Composer during a spotting session in order to notate the specific locations in the film where underscore or source music will punctuate the narrative. Once the underscore is recorded and the source music gathered, the Music Editor would be the person who edits or supervises the final synchronization of all music elements prior to the mix.
Mixing (also called Dubbing) - The Mixers have the responsibility of balancing the various elements, i.e., the Dialogue & ADR, Music, Sound Effects, and Foley Effects, in the final mix. The Dialogue Mixer, (also called the Lead Mixer or Gaffing Mixer) commands the mixing stage; his/her partners in the mix traditionally were the Effects Mixer and the Music Mixer. As of now, the Lead Mixer commonly does the Music mixing as well, reducing the traditional mixing team by a third. On huge pictures with tight deadlines, it is possible that several teams of mixers are working simultaneously on numerous stages in order to complete the mix by the release date.
Audio Post Production for Television and Film: An Introduction to Technology and Techniques
Hilary Wyatt, Tim Amyes - Taylor & Francis, 18 Jul 2013
The Foley Grail: The Art of Performing Sound for Film, Games, and Animation
Vanessa Theme Ament - CRC Press, 3 Apr 2014
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