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ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


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Cowdog
Paso Robles California USA
CreativeCOW.net. All rights reserved.

At Creative COW, many of our audience work in the field of film, from those working with
small budget indie films that have been entered (and won) festivals like Sundance, all the
way up to major films like Hollywood blockbusters that have graced both the library and
the magazine here at Creative COW.
One of the interesting fields used in the production of films is the process of ADR:
"Additional Dialogue Recording" or, depending who you ask, "Automated Dialogue
Replacement." It also goes by names including "looping," and "post-sync. Whatever the
name, it means replacing spoken lines recorded on set or on location with audio recorded
in the studio.
The name "looping" refers to what often happens: actors re-record their lines while
watching their original performances in looped playback.
Dubbing is a more general term for generally replacing audio in post. At the "large" end of
the spectrum, entire movies can be dubbed from foreign languages into the local
languages. Or accents: all of the performances from the 1979 Australian film "Mad Max"
were dubbed for the US release -- except for one.(Nope, Mel Gibson wasn't the exception.
His voice was one of the ones dubbed.)
Sometimes, dubbing adds an actor's voice who didn't do the performance at all. The most
famous of these might be Darth Vader. Although David Prowse was the actor inside the
original costume, the character's voice was provided by James Earl Jones. (Cowdog is old
enough to feel strongly that this is the one and only way that Darth Vader was ever properly
portrayed, and will leave it at that.)
Dubbing has often been used to replace singing. Although actors frequently do their own
singing back in the studio, Mari Nixon is a singer who became famous for the actors whose

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singing she replaced, including Deborah Kerr in "The King and I," Audrey Hepburn in "My
Fair Lady," and Natalie Wood in "West Side Story." (In that movie, she even sings two of the
five voices in the song "Tonight!"
Dubbing is also sometimes used to refer to sounds, rather than voices, that are added in
post, more properly known as Foley.
Speaking of Foley, here's a great piece on the overall sound design of "Wall-E."

WALLE A Space Journey in Sound

But no, ADR is very specific: voices, most often a line at a time. Sounds easy, right? Wrong.
There's a whole set of "gotchas" that are a library's worth of articles by themselves, around
the problem of making words spoken in the studio sound like they were actually recorded
on location.
James G. Stewart, head of post-production at RKO Studios, talks about one such challenge
when working with Orson Welles on "The Magnificent Ambersons."

There were six principals involved in the dialogue, and I recorded each one
separately to the picture. This was done without Orson being on the stage. I
then combined these tracks and rerecorded them with the necessary motor
noise of the old-type automobile.
On running the result with Orson, he said "It's all right technically, but it's no
good from the standpoint of realism. I don't feel that the people are in the
automobile. There's no sense of movement in their voices; they're not
responding to the movements of the car. The voices are much too static."
So I went back to the recording stage and redid all of the lines. This time they
were done with the actor or actress and myself seated on a twelve inch plank
suspended between saw-horses. As we watched the picture I simulated the
movement of the car by bouncing the performer and myself up and down on
the plank. After a week of bumping, I had a track which I then rerecorded and
ran for Welles. His only comment was "That's very good". Orson was not given to
exaggerated praise of anyone's efforts.
(Here's the rest of James's story.)
George Groves worked with Marlon Brando, a notorious mumbler who was also very happy
looping. "He was very affable about it, very nice. He came up in comfortable street clothes.
He lay down on the dubbing console while we were getting ready for the next loop and
was very relaxed and was most accommodating. He really was very nice. Some people are
just terrible, they go into tantrums over it."
It's not just a matter of getting words in sync. Actors also have to get their performances in
sync, matching the rhythms and intensities of their studio re-recordings with what
happened on the set, in context with the actors and events on screen.
As well as being a regular COW poster and the Principal Product Designer at Avid, Michael
Phillips runs Miledia Films. His most recent movie needed about 15 lines of ADR.

"About 97% of the recordings were fine, but some key lines were
over-modulated or off-mike. We tried fixing these in Pro Tools, but felt that
re-recording the lines would be the best way to go.
Because the set was integral to the look and sound of the recordings, we knew
we had to go back to the same location with the same microphones. On-set we
had a software Media Composer with the sections for each of the 4 actors
broken out for a loop play to match the final edit. We had small speakers for
them to hear to get their pacing and emotional level.

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We then recorded to a digital audio recorder (Sound Devices). These recordings


were then reviewed by the director and selected takes were sent to the dialog
editor to cut into the track. In comes cases, only certain words were used, in
others, the entire line. And in one line, we went with the original recording due
to performance preference, which was key to the scene."
Speaking of performances, COW member John Fishback explains that "one of the more
common uses of ADR is to record 'efforts,' not lines." Efforts might be gasps, yells, breathing,
etc. A Criminal Minds episode we did had the character being chased through a forest. All
that was on the production sound track was Foley-ed running sounds. The actress supplied
the 'effort' sounds while she ran.
"Ironically, in the same episode, the actress replaced a line because the actor standing next
to her breathed too loudly, and it got into her track."
John's company, P&P Studio, is in a part of the state of Connecticut where many people in
the entertainment business live, so they wind up with a lot of ADR work for actors who
don't want to head into New York for re-recording. "We did two seasons of Nick's animated
kid show Avatar. The young actor playing the Avatar lives in Stamford and we did the
original records and subsequent ADR. He was also the lead kid in the movie Ant Bully and
we did ADR for that.
"In the last month we did work for Warner Bros.' Cats and Dogs 2. Joey Pantoliano voiced
the character Peek against the action of a puppet already filmed. We've just started working
with the TV show Damages and have done ADR for 2 episodes. Other actors who have
worked here include Gene Wilder, Christopher Walken, Robert Vaughn, James Earl Jones,
Christopher Plummer and more."
COW members at Atlanta's Doppler Studios have done ADR for movies including "The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail." For the 2009 film
"Obsessed," Doppler engineers John St. Denis and Jonathan Jory hooked up with Sony
mixing engineer Brian Smith in Los Angeles via an EDnet bridge. Doppler used an APT ISDN
codec for the connection and ran the session in Pro Tools 7.4.
The folks at Doppler have also worked on Pixar's "Toy Story 3." Actress Jodi Benson (also the
voice of "The Little Mermaid") performed her ADR in Atlanta, while producers in Hollywood
who were teleconferenced in received both the audio feed and timecode from Atlanta via
ISDN.
This is more common than you might think. The looping in John's facility is of course very
often for studios in Hollywood, 3000 miles away. "We have configured our setup to have
what Hollywood wants," says P&P's John Fishback. "We use Pro Tools HD with ISDN so the
folks in Hollywood can simultaneously watch picture in sync with the talent's voice. Toys
like Millennia mic preamps. Neumann U87s, Schoeps MK41s, Genelec monitors. We don't do
this every day, but when we do it's fun."
Here's a wonderful clip on ADR for Peter Jackson's "King Kong."

Sound Design for King Kong (Post/production) 3 of 7

Want to learn more?


"Designing a Movie for Sound." Here's an article by Randy Thom discussing the art and
science of sound design, with a great section on ADR. He also discusses how everything
from lens selection to visual editing style can help "sell" a sound design.
The James G. Stewart/Orson Welles story is part of a much longer, and very entertaining
article on the art of postproduction sound called "Sync Tanks" by Elisabeth Weis.

You can also check out, "Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures" in the COW's Amazon Store.

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And if you have questions about ADR for your own movies, and for anything audio, be sure
to check out the Cow's Audio Professionals forum. It's not just a community for people who
are audio pros. It's the perfect place for anyone to get advice from them, too.

View 14 Comment(s)
Audio Professionals Tutorials Audio Professionals Forum

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Comments

Re: ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by Richard Swearinger 1 week ago
I will add one caution, however...Not all actors are great at looping, so shooting with the idea that you'll ADR bad lines
has its own dangers.

Re: ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by Mike Boerman 11 months ago
Great article for a newbie like me! True, there weren't many "secrets" but the more I read up this ADR concept, the more
revulsed I become. Technically I actually just discovered the term "ADR" today, despite trying to research it a couple
years ago after witnessing the disasterous job ABC Studios did with the TV show "Revenge" where they clumsily spliced
in random lines of dialog here & there which sounded absolutely NOTHING like the rest of the scene! I tried to bring it to
someone's attention during Season 3 (the worst it had ever been) and the farthest I got was Temple Hill Entertainment.
Now today I just found out these glitches may have been caused by the company Blue Room Post and/or people
named Lance Wiseman & Stuart Martin. Anyway, whoever it was who was responsible for making the show
unwatchable with all the dodgy audio should be ashamed of themselves and banned from the industry. It was SUPER
obvious where the audio cuts were and the ADR new lines of dialog punched in.
As a huge fan of the show Revenge, it was literally painful for me to watch week after week and cringe in embarassment
for the people involved, as amateurly done ADR ruined any type of mood or momentum the story-line had going. I
remember the "Revenge" facebook page & fan sites at the time had tons of people complaining about the weird audio
in the show -- like no one could understand what words the actors were even saying cuz their whispering lines of dialog
weren't EQ'd right. You'd think a multi-million dollar television network like ABC would be able to afford
post-production audio guys who knew what the heck they were doing!

Re: ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by anand kamal 1 year ago
Dear friend, I am currently working on an independent project. I would like to know more about the independent way
of ADR. I have audio technica AT897 and TASCAM DR-mkII and Adobe audition, planning to do ADR myself. Do you have
any channels or websites that I can follow to have your instructions? Thanks.

Re: Article: ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by Richard Kuenneke 4 years ago
Thank you for the article. I was always under the impression most production units prefer NOT to do ADR. I worked with
an audio recordist this past summer on a network production - someone with feature film experience - and he said if
they can avoid the trouble/hassle of ADR, they do.

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Rich

Re: ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by Uwe Engel 4 years ago
Hi again,
my last post is now 2 years old and since then we have done so many ADR sessions here in germany. Its getting more
attractive to people due to the lower productions prices and easier produtcion processes. More Infos you`ll find here:
ADR_in_Germany
Uwe Engel
http://www.mixwerk.com/

Very interesting and incite of how they Do ADR


by trevor bye 6 years ago
i didn't know their was so much ADR in movies, 70% of kink kongs voice audio track was redone. not to mention all the
effects were made as well.

ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by Uwe Engel 7 years ago
This arcticle is very useful for us. We get more and more request for ADR here in Berlin. So if you have any more news,
we would really appreciate that.
Uwe Engel
http://www.mixwerk.com/

ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by Tim Wilson 7 years ago
I did the title, and fair enough. It wasn't very descriptive. But as you can see from other comments, and the many emails
we've received, most folks got it in context.
That said, you raise a good point. We're looking for more audio how-to articles. Drop me a line if you're interested. tim at
creativecow dot net.
Thanks for reading the Cow!

ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by Mike Lattimore 7 years ago
Ron, I wouldn't be offended if someone rated my work "low." We're all grown-ups here. Your article wasn't flamed.
However, the strawman argument of how I would feel in an unrelated situation is moot. We're discussing the merits of
the article. I do appreciate the research, time, and work behind the article. However, I didn't feel the body of the work
really supported the article title. As a READER of COW, I would hope that criticisms should be welcomed. Not many
people take the time to comment on an article. Even the not-so-flattering responses can be great tools in recognizing
the interests of your readership. Not every comment will be an at-a-boy pat on the back.
The title seems misleading when it comes to what a "recording secret" is connotatively. I wasn't expecting a "fluff"
article but one that gives some solid technical advice and sage experience.
+2

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ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by John Livings 7 years ago
Very Informative, Thanks for taking the time to share your Experience and Knowledge With us.
Mahalo, John

re; Mike Lattimore's comments


by Ron Lindeboom 7 years ago
Mike,
We didn't create the article for those who are already well-versed in the subject of ADR but, rather, more as a primer on
the subject for those who are being introduced to the subject. If you missed that, our apologies for not making it clear.
We have plans to expand on our audio features here in the COW as I am far more an audio centric person than a video
focused person. In fact, here in the new COW headquarters I am having a full recording studio built that is about two to
three weeks from having the room completed. I have been documenting the whole construction project and will be
creating an in-depth look at the project.
Once completed, I will get many more articles done that will cover mic preferences and strategies with engineers like
Steve Crimmel (who worked for LA's famed Ocean Way Studios for 15 years).
Lastly, one COW rating for an article that contains as much research and information as this one does? How would you
like me to rank your work using that critical, demanding and disrespectful a yardstick?
I think that Tim Wilson and Cowdog did a pretty good job myself, considering what the article focus was aimed at
doing. Sorry you missed the point.
+1

ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by Lawrence Vishnu 7 years ago
Thanks for the article. Very few editorials focus on ADR & we appreciate more such write-ups.
Thanks,
Media Movers, Inc.
+1

ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by Mike Lattimore 7 years ago
I was expecting secrets of microphone placement, mic preference, room design, and techniques for getting difficult
talent to give great performances. The article didn't even broach modern open secrets like Synchro-Arts "Voc Align."
This software is indispensible for taking near synced, but great performances and getting them to match. There are also
times where an actor just WON'T do another take, the budget won't allow it, schedules won't permit it, or the actor just
isn't very good at ADR.
There are other software packages from companies like ADR Studio from Gallery that really speed up and simplify the
process; handling naming conventions, track arming, script management, spotting beeps and automatic other
activities.
Anecdotes of spending an extra week on one scene to make Orson Wells happy is great, but I seriously doubt anyone
has the luxury of tying up a studio and actors for that long anymore.
+3

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ADR: Hollywood Dialogue Recording Secrets


by Johnny Wu 7 years ago
Great article, I've been making movies since 1998 and for my latest 3 films (A Joker's Card, The Rapture and now Jean
Claude the Gumming Zombie), we have to resort to ADR the 2 short films and 1 feature. All done in a very low
independent way: recording actors in one of my room with TV playback of the footage, a good shotgun mic and
headphones, then all go directly to 1 computer via a sound editing software, while another computer loops the footage
(in segments). For SFX, we just use canned SFX that is available at many places and just adjust pitch, volume, length, to
get what we want or record our own foley sound, it came out really good, especially amazes people.
Johnny Wu
http://www.mdifilm.com
http://www.rapturethemovie.com
http://www.thegummingzombie.com
+1
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