Dialogue Editing

208 DAMAGE REPAIR
You need to fi x Alfred’s close-up lines, but you’ve already exhausted all takes
for shot 88A, the angle used in the fi lm. Where else should you look for
material that will save Alfred from looping?
Shot 88B isn’t likely to help, as Alfred will either be off-mic or
nonexistent, with the continuity person or director reading his lines.
Still, it’s worth checking the sound reports to see if your actor is
present and was given a mic. Unlikely, but possible.
You probably won’t fi nd joy in the master shot (shot 88) either. Because
it’s a wide shot, the sound will be either very wide or on radio mics,
both of which can make for a diffi cult match. However, desperate
dialogue editors do desperate things, so if all else fails give it a try.
The dolly shot (shot 88D), depending on what it is, could be of help,
but don’t make it your fi rst choice as it may introduce new problems.
Since this is a pickup (a take including only a part of the scene), you
can use the shooting script to fi nd out if it includes the parts of the
shot you want. Do this before you start looking to save yourself some
unnecessary wading through takes.
Head straight for 88C, the medium two-shot. It’s the most likely place
to fi nd Alfred with a microphone in the right place.
Once you fi nd some qualifying alternate takes, record them into your workstation,
making sure that the fi lenames refl ect the scene and take numbers.
A collection of fi les named “Audio 1” isn’t particularly helpful, especially
when it’s time to import the fi les into a session.
Finding Alternate Takes on Hard-Disk-Recorded Projects
More and more location mixers are recording fi eld tracks on portable harddisk
recorders. These recorders run the gamut in price and quality, but in
general they deliver good tracks, naturally better suited to the needs of postproduction.
There are many advantages to recording on hard disk versus on
a DAT.
Lot of tracks. With four to eight tracks, plus mixdown tracks, hard-disk
recorders offer powerful possibilities in fi eld recording. A location
mixer can provide both solo radio mic tracks and a boom track and
mixes of the two. This allows the picture editor to work with a mono or
two-track guide track mixed from all of the original channels. The
dialogue editor will later relink the original solo tracks to the guide
track to have better control. Multiple tracks can, of course, be a curse as
well as a blessing. You’re much better off with a quality old-fashioned
fi eld mix than with an undisciplined collection of solo tracks.