ADR, or “postsync,” is recorded in a studio, but must perfectly match dialogue

that was recorded in a limitless number of locations. The ADR engineer

selects and places the microphones, manipulates the electronics, and positions

the actors for the best match to the original recording.

Every film needs some help from Foley, which at the very least is used to

cover holes caused by ADR and fi x a few disastrous omissions of action. As

budgets increase, Foley can take on an ever escalating narrative role, adding

color, texture, and character. The Foley supervisor collects requests

from all of the sound editors as well as the supervising sound editor and the

director and picture editor, and then compiles the complex list of sounds and

props needed. He supervises the Foley recording sessions as well as the

editing, often carried out by an army of Foley editors.

Together these Foley artists bring you the actual sounds that liven up the

track, enhance the drama, and cover gaps. The Foley walker must figure out

which prop or shoe/surface combination will produce the right sound, and

the Foley engineer is responsible from all technical considerations, from

microphone placement to track layout.

Whether footsteps or key jangles, most Foley has to be edited after the recording

session. Foley editors must, of course, get everything into sync, but that’s

the most superfi cial aspect of their work. Rearranging a series of footsteps

for maximum dramatic effect or structuring the elements of a body fall

to suggest more than meets the eye is their job. Dedicated Foley editors

won’t be found on smaller fi lms. Instead, other editors will handle this

responsibility.

Few people understand the music department. For one thing, the music editor

often reports directly to the director, not to the supervising sound editor, and

so usually is a bit of an outsider. She must work closely with the fi lm’s composer

to “fi t” the score onto the fi lm and seduce acquired music into the fi lm’s

structure.

Sooner or later the fi lm gets mixed. The mixer has to make sense of the scores

of tracks generated by the sound guys. Somehow, it usually works. The rerecording

mixer almost always works for the studio that mixes the fi lm. He’s

the ultimate source of answers to the question: Can you fix this in the mix?

In many ways a sound postproduction crew is hierarchical. There are apprentices,

assistants, editors, and a supervisor. This may ruffle some egalitarian

feathers, but the system is designed to constantly train the next wave of

editors. Study all you want, but editing is still largely learned on the job, and

nothing beats working under an experienced craftsperson.