What is automated about adr?

[yoda313]

Ok I was wondering why it is called adr - automated dialog replacement.

What is automatic about? My understanding is that the cast members have to be rerecorded for much of a movie for things like inappropriate background sounds or weather conditions etc that make dialog hard to pickup on the original recording.

If they have to do a recording session where is the automatic part?

Also doesn't it have to be manually synched into the original film? How else would they do it? Even if they use time codes and stuff during the voice session to dub it in doesn't that still require some manual manipulation to ensure synchronization?

[filmboss80]

Good question. Alternatively, the "A" has stood for "Automated," but that doesn't really apply either. I know why it was formerly called "looping" (having to do with projected film loops that go around and around until the recorded person gets the timing right with the picture). I have done this sort of work in the past, and indeed, there's nothing automatic or automated about it. It's damn hard work.

In all cases, the person in front of the mic has to be watching the image on the screen, trying to match lip movements. With today's editing, it is much easier to sync the voice to picture. Not that long ago, a film editor literally had to splice in the mag track of the new dialog to replace the original. Arduous work. (I first started out editing on a 16mm Moviola. It would take an entire day just to sync up and cut a couple of minutes of the finished workprint. This is why I have little patience for some of the wussies who whine about today's editing software being too slow or hard to use. Things are an absolute breeze these days. But I digress...)

The Godfather series had tons of ADR because Coppola kept changing dialogue and story sequence. During filming, he purposely had actors either mumbling or speaking with their heads turned away from the camera. Lots of shadows were employed. This was done to give flexibility for last-minute changes in editing. Think about that the next time you watch those films.

[yoda313]

I have done this sort of work in the past, and indeed, there's nothing automatic or automated about it. It's damn hard work.

Thanks I was wondering about that. It seems inaccurate at best for describing what it is. And I have heard the term looping before also.

[guns1inger]

The Godfather series had tons of ADR because Coppola kept changing dialogue and story sequence. During filming, he purposely had actors either mumbling or speaking with their heads turned away from the camera. Lots of shadows were employed. This was done to give flexibility for last-minute changes in editing. Think about that the next time you watch those films.

One of the worst recent examples of this is Diehard 4.0, where they shot a PG-13 version of the film, the dubbed R-Rated dialogue for the so-called Un-rated edition. At times it feels like almost 70% of the dialogue was added in post and was nothing at all like the dialogue delivered on set.