Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/635406
30 W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y five-plus mics at any given time, and the list continues. There were often 100 takes of any given line. Security was extremely important and like no other show I have ever worked on. Sometimes we would be recording lines as files were being destroyed. So, in terms of a stage running at full capacity and on all cylinders, Avatar was definitely the most fun I ever had both professionally and definitely technically. It was an animation groundbreaking experience and simply an amazing time to be had by all! How do you help the actor do their job? One of the best things you can do to help the actor is first, put them at ease as much as you can. Make sure they have what they need—drinks, snacks, etc. If you detect an actor's struggling, access the issue and find a way to gently guide them in the right direction. Looping can be daunting and many actors do not particularly care for the process. If I can help an actor leave my stage feeling that they have, if not improved the loop, at the very least, matched the feeling and delivery of the day, then I have succeeded. That is the end goal. And nine times out of 10, if the actor is happy, then the directors and producers are happy. You have seen a lot of changes in the indus- try. If there was something you could change about the world of ADR mixing, what would that be? Well Jesse, you know, I really think it is the best it has ever been right now. I tell ya what my gut feeling is on this whole thing. The noise-reduction programs have decreased the amount of loops that are needed. So in today's world, technology has enabled them to strip much of the external noise that would once have been the reason to re-record a line. Which causes me to give pause. Do you ever see ADR becoming extinct ? Oh, no no no. You will be able to dub in a small room. You will be able to do Foley in a small room. But I think, there will continue to be noise issues and line-delivery issues that will forever require the need for ADR. And you will always need a nice room to record it in, whether it be VO or ADR. Yes, there will always be a need for some sort of looping and you and I are very, very lucky, I think! As the Obi-Wan of ADR, what is your biggest pet peeve regarding the recording process. Distortion! Sometimes you have only one chance to get the line, so it is important to have great plug-ins and to stay anticipatory and vigilant on the faders. So make it so, grasshopper! [ Both laughing loudly.] I will, I promise! [Laughs.] What would you say is your greatest love of the ADR process? I believe—[pausing to think]—it is when the actor and director agree and say, "You know what, I think we have Inside Out (2015) Lilo & Stitch (2002)