John Purcell

The second edition of Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures came out a couple of weeks ago. I'll take a little rest now. Who’d have thought a second edition could take so long (17 months)? Evidently I got ambitious, but I think it turned out well. If you’d like to know how the new edition differs from the first, let me know on the forum and I’ll do my best to help you decide if you’ll benefit from the new one. Naturally, the short answer is “Of course, buy it,” but that doesn’t really do much for my credibility. Remember, though, Christmas is coming. What better gift for Uncle Herbert, to whom you've given a lifetime's worth of ties and handkerchiefs, than three or four copies of a book about film production sound.? He’ll be speechless, which may be just what you want from him.

Thanks.

I meant to say that the dial editor needs to talk to the rerecording mixer concerning track design, preferences, mic choices. I didn't mean the location mixer.

Hi Sawrab, I'm in a crunch, so I can't give you the answer you deserve. Briefly: It's all a combination of communication with the mixer and common sense. Opinions about mics and tracks vary greatly among mixers. The second gig with a mixer is much easier than the first. If you can't get to the mixer, I'd say do whatever makes the most sense and sounds OK. Given the time, almost all mixers prefer choices over no choices, and they universally don't like to be boxed into a corner.

Hi vin, Thanks for the suggesion. I've considered this before, but I tend to think that it's outside the scope of this book. Also, the second edition is running long, and I have to cut back. But more importantly, there are so many people out there who know far more about this than I do (many on this forum, I suspect) that I feel silly getting into it. However, on a quick search I found many good articles on the subject. -John

Summer 2013, so say the folks at Focal Press.

Hi Matt, It's my way of saying that if you can accomplish something (a color, a transition, etc.) with fewer rather than more layers of roomtone, then that's the way to go. The point is to keep noise down, but this litte mantra also helps me to come up with a plan for a scene that is as efficient - as opposed to complex - as possible. Of course, thiis is just my way of doing things.

I have to admit that there was some inconsistent goofiness on this matter in the first edition of Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures, which I am (trying) to sort out in the new edition. Without going through the reasons (I was probably over-influenced by an unending series of hideously noisy films when I wrote 1ed) I was, indeed, over-dependent, or at least vague, on radios. With luck, the message in 2ed will be: Ask the mixer what s/he wants. Don’t be a nudnik, but get a general sense of mix strategy, preferences, and division of labor. Favor the boom, whenever possible, for all the obvious reasons but don’t write off the radios. Be aware of noise issues with the boom. It’s possible to cross cut between boom and radio, but it can be tricky. There is a place for boom in radio-driven scenes. The opposite is also true. Avoid unnecessary tone build up. “It depends.” Ask the mixer. Thanks for pointing this out. John