MPSE Wavelength

M OT I O N P I CTU R E S O U N D E D I TO R S I 19 How you CUE can make or break your Foley stage. Keep it linear. Keep it simple. from CLIP GROUP. First, SELECT the entire length of the picture file. Go up to the top menu and click on CLIP. Scroll down to GROUP and click. A file has now been created as long as the picture file. It looks like a regular Audio File yet it has no center line. That's why it's called a Ghost File. You can CLIP GROUP many Audio Files together to make one file, or you can use CLIP GROUP as placements for cues. Each CLIP GROUP represents the beginning and the end of a cue. Tracks in PROPS are labeled as such in ALL CAPS. PROP CUES 1 PROP CUES 2 PROP CUES 3 PROP CUES 4 PROP CUES 5 PROP CUES 6 PROP CUES 7 PROP CUES 8 PROP CUES 1 is always HANDS. Hand cues are defined by any hand in contact with another hand, hand shakes, hand pats, hands down to leg, hand on shoulder, etc. Any hand that grabs something is now a Prop. Hand down on table is a Prop. Hand grab steering wheel is a Prop. Do not cue anything else in PROP CUES 1 except HANDS. The rest of the cueing tracks are arbitrary. This is how they are usually laid out. PROP CUES 2-4 are usually Impact Props. Sounds that make quick noises are usually in these tracks. Knocks, grabs, drops, kicks, switches, latches, etc. PROP CUES 5 & 6 are usually constant sounds. Jacket movement (MVT), paper rustling, dog tags, squeaks and creaks, purse mvt, baggage mvt, etc. The last 2-4 tracks are usually left for no-sync backgrounds. What makes the ambience of the environment is usually in a stereo pair. BG restaurant (dishes, glasses, silverware), BG bar (glasses, ice, pours, shakes), BG brush (leaves), BG airport (luggage on rollers, baggage), etc. Backgrounds are recorded in multiple mono. The odd number track, say PROPS CUES 7, is always the left side of the screen. The even number tracks, say PROPS CUES 8, is always the right side of the screen. You will not hear the same cues at the same time. There is no true stereo on a Foley stage, just multiple mono in stereo pairs. The timing of each cue is based on the 3 BEEPS. On the Foley stage, the Foley artists will hear 3 BEEPS and start their performances on the fourth BEEP. The timing of the 3 BEEPS is as such… Each BEEP is one frame long. Each BEEP is one foot or 20 timecode frames apart. Line up three 1-frame BEEPS one foot apart and add one more foot after the third BEEP which would land where the fourth BEEP would be. That's the beginning of the performance. CUEING is crucial to the 3 BEEPS. The beginning of the file created for the cue MUST START on the fourth BEEP. In PROPS, the fourth BEEP happens just a frame before the action. Human reaction time is 2-4 frames late. Life is 2-4 frames late. Cueing a frame early allows the Foley artists to perform the Prop in sync. At the end of the performance, allow a "BEAT" (6-8 frames) before the Ghost File ends. This allows for natural decay without clipping the performance. Always know what it is you are cueing. Most of the time, the element is pretty obvious. But make sure you know the definition of what the sound is supposed to be. The best example of this is the difference between a SQUEAK and a CREAK. There's a HUGE difference! CREAKS are caused by weight distribution on a solid object. When you walk on a wood floor, YOU are not creaking! The floor is creaking! When you sit on a wooden chair, it creaks. SQUEAKS are caused by two objects rubbing against each other. A door hinge squeaks. A chair on wheels squeaks. A shoe striking a basketball court floor squeaks! It takes two objects to make the sound. The shoe alone doesn't squeak. Neither does the basketball court floor! Take a folding chair. When you open and close it, SQUEAK! When you sit on it, CREAK! Make sure you understand the definitions of each cue. The standard is to watch the project first so you have an understanding of what the story is about. You don't want to cue comedic effects in a horror film. Then cue all of the FOOTSTEPS. This will allow you to acclimate to the reel and not have to worry about missing any cues. Then go back to the beginning and cue all of the PROPS. The CLOTH MVT track is always the last track of Props. It is separately recorded in a small tight space with a large piece of cloth. The entire reel is recorded. CLOTH MVT is the natural sound in the presence of people. If cued, begin again when people are present on the screen. Then, end the Ghost File at all establishing shots and anytime people are not on the screen. How you CUE can make or break your Foley stage. Keep it linear. Keep it simple.

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