Voice recording - IndieTalk

Patrick Soelberg · 10-28-2009, 08:39 PM

Hey,
I want the voices and dialogs of my final film to sound like in Lars von Trier's The Element of Crime. It feels like the voices are so intimate and close, almost like a voiceover. How can I catch the same effect? My guess would be that in post production they removed all the sound and recorded it again. But many places throughout the film their lip movement are so close. Could it be that simple?
watch scenes here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiOLz...eature=related

thanks!
Patrick Soelberg

**Zensteve** · 10-28-2009, 10:00 PM

It's quite common to ADR dialogue.

Is that the case here? I don't know.

It could be that they used the original audio and tweaked it in post, or maybe it's ADR which was tweaked in post.

At any rate, the magic has happened with the audio editor to give it that certain sound.

**Dave Pastecchi** · 10-28-2009, 10:30 PM

i watched it and was quite clear to be ADR.

Patrick Soelberg · 10-29-2009, 09:20 AM

okay, thanks!
Year, sometimes it does look alot like ADR, but I was in doubt as their lip movements are pretty perfect sometimes in this film. Does any of you have some advices or tutorials on the best way to do ADR? When I watch Fellini's 8½ the voice recording are not that good. Is't just hard work and watch the picture repeatedly and re-performe the lines untill it match the actual lip movements? Are their some good advices on how to obtain the best result?

**Alcove Audio** · 10-29-2009, 12:14 PM

It's just like lip syncing to your favorite song. The line is played over and over again while the talent repeats it. The problem is that there is no beat and no rhymes. You also have to do many lines an hour, so you need a great ear/memory for pacing and subtle intonations. Not only does the performance have to match the production sound, the emotional content has to match as well. On top of that, the technical side has to be perfect - mic choice, mic placement. EQ, etc.

There are softwares like Vocalign (Project - $300, Pro -$600) that can take a vocal performance and align it to another performance. It is not magic, the dubbed performance has to be very close to the original. It works best on words and short phrases.

ADR is a tough gig even for experienced talent; it can be a nightmare when working with "new" talent. I've done sessions where it took three hours to get five lines.

Here's some good info:

http://www.filmsound.org/terminology/adr.htm#adr

Patrick Soelberg · 10-29-2009, 02:16 PM

thanks for your answer! It's very helpful

billygraydon · 11-04-2009, 09:52 PM

I was actually wondering about doing voice overs maybe someone can help. If i get the Zoom H4n to record all the audio and time it so that when I am recording the video it is synced with the audio will the sound come out clearer in post? how hard will it be to sync?

p.s I mention the Zoom H4n because it seems to be the best bang for the buck as far as audio recording goes.

Thanks in advance guys.

**Alcove Audio** · 11-04-2009, 11:07 PM

It's going to depend upon how well your talent performs their lines and how well you record the ADRed dialog. It's going to be much, much more difficult because you are not going o be able to check the sync until you import the audio into your NLE/DAW.

billygraydon · 11-04-2009, 11:38 PM

Ok yea i think i was just getting a little carried away. the camera we will be using will have xlr inputs there really is no need to use the zoom right?

Thanks again.

**Alcove Audio** · 11-05-2009, 12:11 AM

If you're talking about dialog wilds on the set it's best to capture what you can with the same audio set-up that was used while shooting; the talent doesn't have to watch the video. The audio/tonal quality is very close to what was captured when rolling, the talent is still in character and their voice characteristics, delivery and pacing will still be very close as well. This is much easier to match to the on-camera performances in audio post than ADR that is recorded weeks or months after the shoot is completed.

billygraydon · 11-07-2009, 01:12 AM

i guess correct me if I am wrong here but what i had in mind was placing the small recording device somewhere no visible to the camera to record clearer audio while simultaneously recording video to the camera. I just thought if both the camera and the audio device were started at exactly the same time then it would match quite evenly in post.

**Dave Pastecchi** · 11-08-2009, 08:53 AM

that is no different that stashing a mic in the room. if you actors are moving and turning their head around, this is not going to work for you, also, stashing a mic is used when all other means of miking this sceen have failed.

put a mic in your room and do a test now. turn in all directions move around, even bump it, like the actors will more than likely do. i do not think you are going to like what you hear.

billygraydon · 11-08-2009, 04:56 PM

well if the zoom is a 4 channel recorder with two xlr inputs wouldnt it be possible to record good sound that way? In reality the reason I am asking is because I plan to buy the sony ex1r given that its price is similar to the current ex1 but for now i have a nikon d90 and was seeing if i buy the zoom h4n now and use with the d90 will it be beneficial to me later on with the ex1.

Thanks to all for the advice so far, please keep it up.