Since the beginning of this year we have had quite a few requests to record ADR sessions for some very big productions. ADR stands for automatic dialog replacement. Anything but automatic, ADR is the process of re-recording onscreen dialog. The actor loop records the same line again and again while attempting to re-capture the feeling of the original recording without any noises that might have been a part of the original audio.
The beautiful Pam Grier, who is a part-time resident of the great state of Colorado, came into RMR and tracked ADR for “Just Wright”, a film in which Queen Latifah plays her characters daughter. Shortly after, Pam returned and replaced some lines for her villainous role in “Smallville.” Pam was a trooper in both sessions knocking out some high energy work while fighting pneumonia. Rick Vargas came through town and worked at RMR on some replacement dialogue for “In Plain Sight”, a show about the witness protection program. Again, we got the chance to connect up with Warner Bros. and their wonderful staff. Then the in-post-production movie “The Next Three Days” and Lion’s Gate sent actress, voice talent, and executive coach Denise Dal Vera to RMR for ADR. She re-recorded some of her lines for her role as Eugenie. To break up the ADR work we had Al Yankovic and Brian Dawkins roll in on the same day to record some voice overs. Al tracked dialog for his grammatically challenged character on “Word Girl” and Brian for his part on “NFL Rush Zone” for Nickelodeon. Then we got back to ADR. We just finished tracking ADR for the upcoming remake of “Red Dawn”. Denver’s own Mark Schlereth (yes, from the Broncos) plays a coach in the remake and needed some lines replaced due to his passion for the game and the power of his voice proving too much for their production rigs.
Having finished these ADR sessions, and many others in the past, we have learned quite a bit about what many major studios like to see and what they request from the remote location doing the session work. Here are some things to consider.
First, backup, backup, backup. Every one of the studios we’ve worked with has requested a TC-DAT rolling as a backup. Mostly they are looking to capture everything between takes when your computer is not recording, but they are also expecting a true separate tracking of the audio from your pre-amps just in case your hardware fails. After the session, the studios usually request a CD/DVD-R of the session and an upload of the whole session to one of their servers. You’ve got to remember that when there are two ISDN connections and a bridge occurring, they are spending about $1000/hour to record – and that doesn’t include the talent’s fees. Don’t loose the recording!
Second, match their mic from the original recording as closely as possible. Many studios in Hollywood have microphones which, honestly, the rest of the world cannot feasibly own. However, many production microphones have similar spec and sounds to the most common production mics the big studios own. Don’t skimp out and buy any old cheap boom mic and lav. Get mics that match, as best as possible, the majority of production mics without breaking the bank. Then, buy two… Of each. Sometimes a production company will ask to have a close mic and a matched mic 6 to 18 inches behind the first one. That’s a “safety net” mic. If the first one distorts the second one usually doesn’t.
Lastly, make sure you’ve got the world of time code ingrained into your brain. Many studios will want you to work in feet and frames, many will ask you to provide time code to them for sync, all of them will expect you to do so without wondering how.
Thank you to all of the production companies and talent who have sent us this work and please keep providing great references to your friends about us.
If you’re interested in learning more about RMR, please visit our web site at http://rockyrecorders.com
