Appendix 1

Sound Edit Workfl ows
Tape start at TC 00:58:50 followed by 10 seconds of black
00:59:00:00 30 seconds of color bars
00:59:30:00 5 seconds of black
00:59:35:00 15 seconds info slate (info about the program)
00:59:50:00 2 seconds of black
00:59:52:00 8 seconds of countdown leader (Picture Start frame)
01:00:00:00 Program Video (10:00:00:00 on PAL)
The head of the Pro Tools session will still be the Picture Start frame, but there will be more head
leader on the tape.
When working from a QuickTime video in Pro Tools, the fi rst frame of the QuickTime will be the
Picture Start frame on the countdown leader. This will be set to 01:00:00:00 by Pro tools on import,
but this can be reset to 00:59:52:00 in the session setup window. If you are cutting fi lm and using
the feet and frames counter, this can also be set to 00 ft, 00 fr in the session setup window.
It’s also a good idea to time stamp all of the imported audio regions in the tracks. This is done in
the region list pop-up menu at the top of the region list. Once time stamped, any audio inadvertently
moved out of sync can be moved back with the spot mode.
Sound Design
The sound design will consist of three basic elements: dialogue, sound effects, and music. These
three basic components have subcomponents, but the three basic elements must always be kept in
their own area and eventually mixed into their own master tracks. These components, known as
stems, are an asset of the project, and when a buyer makes a deal on the motion picture, they expect
these assets to be included as separate components. A distributor will want to cut trailers and spots,
and this is only possible if the stems are separate. Moreover, the fi lm may be “dubbed” into other
languages, in which case, only the effects and music (the M & E) will remain. It will require extra
sound work to prepare the M & E for the foreign language dub. Sound effects from the production
tracks that ended up in the dialogue stem will need to be replaced. A fi lm may be sold to a foreign
market even before it’s shot, so, often a complete M & E is cut in the sound design. However, it may
be mixed later after the comp dub is fi nished.
Dialogue—Splitting Off Production Tracks
Some editors like to do the basic production dialogue (dia) editing and track layout in Final Cut Pro
before exporting the project for sound design in Pro Tools. The Pro Tools session will have the same
layout and number of tracks as Final Cut Pro. The sound design will go much more smoothly if you
start with well-organized tracks. You also have better sync reference here with the sync markers,
showing how far out of sync any linked or merged tracks are.
The number of production tracks needed depends on the complexity of the project. A rule to keep in
mind: Don’t cut any sound clips up to each other unless they are derived from the same take. Although
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