Dialogue Editing

Shot Balancing and the Rules of Thumb 137
Figure 10-7 Try not to put adjacent scenes on the same tracks. Here scene 29 is on
Dials A, B, C, and D, plus PFX B and C. Scene 26 (including its split, which begins
during scene 29) is on Dials E, F, and G plus PFX A. The beginnings of scene 31A
can be seen on Dials H and L.
allow checkerboarding, just make sure that its fi rst couple of shots start on
tracks that weren’t used at the very end of the outgoing scene. (See Chapter
16, Preparing for the Mix, for more on this topic.)
Shot Balancing and the Rules of Thumb
Dialogue editing’s most important sleight of hand is taking the elements of
a scene, often shot at different times or under dissimilar conditions, and
nursing them into a living scene that viewers will truly believe to be real.
Matching the voice qualities, the degree of “on-mic” sound, and the level and
quality of the room tone and creating narrative-enhancing perspective are
what make a scene shine. Shot balancing removes the mechanics of fi lmmaking,
but exploits the language of fi lm to allow the sound of the dialogue to be
more than just the carrier of the text.
Remember, fi lms are shot with one camera, not in script order. Between each
shot or setup (not each take), the camera relocates, the lights are reset, and