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Role of the Supervising Dialog Editor


elliotkelly

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I know this one seems pretty obvious, but I would like to know what are the duties of a Supervising Dialog Editor.

 

Of course he has the responsability to observe other Dialog Editors work and keep the quality as high as possible giving them advice, and providing them with tools and techniques that will help them to do their work better.

 

I also understand that a Supervising Dialog Editor is responsible to be in constant communication with the production team in order to give them feedback and letting them know what are the needs at Post or what can be improved.

 

However, I would really like to know with as much detail as possible about the specific duties of Supervising Dialog Editors at different Post facilities, and how is their Dialog Editing workflow (not in technical terms, but more about how they get involved in the production and their role in the overall process).

 

Thanks for your time.

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Bear in mind that sometimes the supervising dialogue editor is not signed until after production stops! In cases like that, it's very hard to stop serious problems from occurring. One hopes that the overall post supervisor is hip enough to solve the major issues before they start snowballing down hill and creating a total disaster.

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  • 2 months later...

I also understand that a Supervising Dialog Editor is responsible to be in constant communication with the production team in order to give them feedback and letting them know what are the needs at Post or what can be improved.

 

... more about how they get involved in the production and their role in the overall process).

 

 

 

Elliot, it's a lovely idea (and sensible option) for the (supervising) dialogue editor to be involved at the production stage, whether just on an advisory capacity between production and post before the shoot or involvement on or off set during shooting. Don't imagine however that it is a standard scenario to have a dialogue editor (or any supervising sound editor) involved or employed at or by the production stage. To have a 'post' person on set is quite rare and often as a result of certain circumstances (encouraging the production for instance to pay for it) - in my own case I have been on set on location as 'ADR recordist' (when a large cast from a variety of countries could have proved extra problematic to reach for post) but also to sort (last minute) workflow and instigate location post production services. There usually has to be a good reason for production to bring anyone in for more weeks or months than they think normal. It could happen that a production has an agreement with a post production house as early as pre-production, and have some contact with them during the shoot (whilst the super/dial editor is probably cutting something else) but don't assume this always happens - also, different size budgets can have totally different working methods: a low budget film may well have a post rep involved or out on set but not getting paid; the high budget Harry Potter had an ADR booth and recordist throughout production to record ASAP after shooting scenes for child actor availability, performance and breaking voices.

 

But in short, a supervising (or non-supervising) dialogue editor's responsibility is cutting production sound, ADR and getting the final track to sound as good as possible re quality and performance and director's wishes. Production may expect or require more than that which they're welcome to discuss and pay for!

 

I'm not sure what you're getting at re workflow, but if there IS a sound post-super person involved at preproduction stage for an actual production you're getting involved in, workflow(s) 'should' be worked out between not only sound (prod and post) but editorial ... camera ... (and I hope I don't open a huge 'responsibility' can or worms with such a vague simplification ... I just want to point out earlier rather than later that Elliot's 'understanding' could tragically turn out to be a 'misunderstanding').

 

Jez Adamson

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