Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1057439
58 F A L L 2 0 1 8 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y Re-recording mixers Gary Bourgeois CAS (Timeless, S.W.A.T.) and Mathew Waters CAS (Game of Thrones, Black Sails) joined production mixer Phillip Palmer CAS (Better Call Saul, Glee), supervisor Andrew DeCristofaro (Unbroken, Iron Man 3), and dialogue editor Kimberly Wilson (Shameless, The Wire). Kimberly Wilson started off by pointing out that it has become necessary to listen to all individual tracks. It is no longer common for the location mixer's "mix track" to be used, and that requires attention to all tracks recorded. "Listen for consistency; decay and rhythm are very important." Andrew DeCristofaro added: "We now have 18 dialogue tracks on one show. We never use the mix track. Unfortunately, the isolated tracks are often under recorded." This comment led to an explanation from production mixer Phil Palmer pointing out the difficulty of monitoring multiple mixes in the field, and that distortion is a much bigger problem for editors than low levels. Both Wilson and DeCristofaro agreed that dialogue editing is problem-solving, and that every location has its own unique challenges. DeCristofaro stated that they "still prepare the dialogue tracks, even if there is ADR," and added that "sometimes the ADR is a better performance," using a scene from Unbroken as an example. Gary Bourgeois explained, "Tracks have actually gotten better over the past few years. Dialogue editors get the tracks and clean them up before they get to me. Original tracks are also delivered to me on adjacent tracks so that I can compare the two. I also listen to the tracks from the editor's cut to make sure I understand the intention of the editor." He added that "Noise is acceptable if it is consistent, especially if you can see the source on camera." Phillip Palmer gave insight on how the process of good dialogue from set begins with initial conversations with the entire crew. He also reiterated Gary's comment about consistent noise and confirmed that good signal-to-noise and consistent noise level are acceptable but when locations and setups begin to exceed this, one must "throw up the appropriate flags." MIXING DIALOG: The Audio Pipeline Presented by the Cinema Audio Society MODERATOR: Karol Urban CAS MPSE, re-recording mixer and co-editor of the CAS Quarterly Photos by Sam Ejnes OBSERVATIONS BY David Bondelevitch CAS MPSE