A COLLABORATIVE POST BY SAM BUSEKRUS
ASSISTANT EDITOR, BOOM BOX POST
A lot of our creative blogs are focused on sound effects editing so for today’s blog we are switching it up and giving you some helpful insight on dialogue editing with our in house dialogue editor, J-Lo.
Hey J-Lo! Could you tell us a little bit about what made you want to be a dialogue editor and what your favorite part about dialogue editing is?
Of course, I basically fell into dialogue editing. I started out here at Boom Box Post as an assistant editor to Kate and got offered to do some dialogue editing. It was pretty much a sink or swim moment and I ended up really loving it!
I would say that I have two favorite things about dialogue editing. The first one is that I love listening back and getting to see the work that I just did. There is something really satisfying about seeing the finished product. My second favorite part about dialogue editing would be adding elements. If I have enough time and feel that there is a line that could be added there and the client likes it, that is a great feeling.
What would you say separates a good dialogue editor from a great one?
I feel like the real difference is between someone who cares and who doesn’t. It is about taking the time to pick up details, not being lazy, and being someone who truly wants to make their work the best they can. There might be something that you could take the easy way out on like adding a plug-in but no you took the time to fix it. Maybe you noticed something such as an animation error that didn’t line up with the dialogue and lip sync and you took the time to reach out to the supervisor to let them know. I think it is about going the extra mile and making communication a priority. That level of care really makes a difference.
What are 3 helpful tips that you could give for dialogue editing?
Listen back on your work, twice if you can. The first time will be to fix any areas that need to be cleaned up such as ticks or pops. The second time is to check the lip sync.
You don’t have to time compress/expand a whole line. For example, you can do the back half of a line and cross fade it and it will sound great.
I know that there are other blog posts on perspective cutting so feel free to refer to those if you are unsure about what I am talking about but it is important to keep in mind that you are responsible for perspective cutting for dialogue.