Sync Sound Effects
Recording sync sound effects can really help the editor, but strive not to risk dialogue by recording overlapping effects. If a sound effect falls between words, then it is no problem for the editor to drop it to another track and deal with it independently. But when a sound effect coincides over dialogue, then the editor is stuck with it as recorded.
You may think that just be adding another mic, and assigning the sound effect to its own recording channel will solve your problem, but sounds on a set tend to carry over and most likely will still be picked up by the dialogue mic.
If the sound effect is the result of the actor, then politely explain to the Director or Assistant Director why it is a problem and ask him or her to adjust the performance. The Mixer should never shout instructions to the actor directly; always follow the set etiquette. Sometimes the director may refer the actor to hearing an instruction from the Mixer, and that is okay so long as the director made that call.
Some simple solutions include: timing the sound effect so as to fall between words; faking the action so as to avoid making the effect (and then adding the sound effect in post); replacing a hard prop with a rubberized or soft one; replacing a hard surface with something softer to impact; or even cheating the camera angle.
Wild Lines
There are three basic categories of wild lines: off-camera; hidden lips; and protection tracks.
Off-camera or off-stage dialogue is pretty familiar to everybody. It is the voice on the other end of the phone, or the voice coming from behind the door. Or maybe it is the (person) hiding behind the drapes.
Hidden or distant faces. If you cannot read the lips, then synch does not matter. When clear view of the speaker’s lips are hidden by a prop, set piece, or mask – those lines of dialogue can easily be dropped in by the editor.
If the actor has their back to camera, lip synch is no longer an issue. Concentrate on getting good dialogue from the actor that we DO see! Be careful to avoid overlaps, so as not to ruin the quality of the visible actor. When the shot angle is reversed, you will have an opportunity to record clean dialogue of the (first) actor. Dramatic overlapping of lines can be achieved by editing the good dialogue of the (unseen) actor underneath the synch dialogue of the partner.
If an actor is rather distant (i.e. small in the frame), it is a simple matter to paste a wild line in to represent his performance. That can save you from having to run extra-long mic cables or to use up a radio mic.
Complex master shots from hell (panic when you see the words steadicam, motorcycle, cherry picker, and helicopter all in the same shot description!) can be simplified by use of wild lines and borrowed dialogue. When the camera and actors are all moving quickly through a scene, it is very difficult to discern lip synch. Clean dialogue can usually be grabbed from the series of close-ups that are inevitable. Should the frame actually stay on an actor’s face long enough and close enough to reveal lip synch, then it is merely an exercise in sound cutting for the editor to carve the wild audio to fit acceptably. I usually concentrate on getting the audio of the supporting cast members who will not be covered in subsequent close-ups, since there will be no future opportunities to “steal good dialogue” for them.
The third category of Wild Lines are what we refer to as Protection tracks.
Sometimes it is a lot easier for the editor to just manually cut in a short section of dialogue than to wait for a formal ADR session. Or perhaps the actor is just appearing out of courtesy or for a brief cameo, and will not be available for any future re-recording session. Before the actors leave the set (permanently), it can be valuable to just have them read through all of their lines so that you can get clean coverage.
If the script contains profanity, it is also prudent to record some alternate readings. Even though an R rating may be okay for theatrical release, one never knows what the future may bring. A PG version might be needed in a few years for television, or some other conservative market.
Along this same line of thinking, pay attention to any actual references of names, brands, trademarks, models, etc. The lawyers who initially approved the original script may be pressured into changing their minds, and having some alternate dialogue archived could come in handy.
Wild Sound Effects
Wild Sound Effects are sound effects that just play underneath a scene, and do not have a specific visual reference that they have to synch to. Or, if there is a starting frame or ending frame for the effect – it would be very simple for the editor to lay the effect in. For example, a door slam. Or turning a blender on. The wild sound effect is either non-sync or a simple sync.
These effects are recorded “wild” without picture and devoid of any dialogue. If you cannot record a good effect on the set, then they can readily be recorded or downloaded from an effects library in post. However, editors really appreciate it when you can supply them with good effects and save them the extra labor.
Background Effects are wild recordings that can be laid under a scene in order to establish the location as well as to convey a continuity of events. For example, a scene that supposedly takes place at lunchtime in a New York apartment may have actually been filmed over a few days, and at all hours of the day. After the scene has been cut, a wild recording of continuous “city traffic from outside the window” might be laid under it, to create the illusion that it was all shot in “real time”.
Background Effects are captured as good as possible, using the best available mics, optimum record levels, and optimum mic placement. Sometimes, we even opt to record the backgrounds in stereo or surround. Bear in mind that Background Effects are distinctly different than Room Tone/Ambiance!
If the time and situation permit, I also try to gather any unique sound effects or background tracks that may be available – even if they do not pertain to the current production. Editors love to collect exotic sounds for their working library; making them a gift of some rare effects will earn their gratitude (and that could lead to future referrals).
