"If it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed..." STANLEY KUBRIC
Automated Dialogue Replacement
From Encyclopedia PRO
Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR) is a technical term for a film sound technique involving the re-recording of dialogue by actors in a sound studio during post-production, usually performed to playback of edited picture in order to match lip movements on screen. ADR is done in addition to or as a substitution for Location Sound.
In ADR, the original actor or actress recreates his or her character's vocal performance, one line at a time, in a sonically controlled environment. This technique, though often necessary, makes it considerably more complex for sound editors to maintain the overall illusion of consistency.
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Purposes of ADR
The ADR is frequently used to replace production track of poor quality (e.g., due to high levels of background noise) or to change the delivery or inflection of a line. ADR can also be used to insert new lines of dialogue which are conceived during editing, although such lines can only be placed against picture in which the face of the actor speaking is not visible.
One of the primary goals of film is to create the illusion of consistent time and space onscreen. As with the visual aspects of the film, the sound - including dialog - must support this illusion. When a production recording of dialog is unusable due to intelligibility or noise problems, it is replaced by a clean recording that precisely fits the existing picture.
In conventional film production, a production sound mixer records dialogue during photography, but several uncontrollable issues, such as traffic or animal noise, during principal photography can cause the production sound to be unusable. [Dialog that cannot be salvaged from production tracks must be re-recorded during an ADR Session.
ADR Team
When the film is in post-production, a Sound Designer or ADR Supervisor reviews all of the dialogue in the film and rules which actor lines will have to be replaced using the ADR technique.
ADR Process
ADR is recorded during an ADR Session. An actor, usually the original actor on set, is called to a sound studio equipped with video playback equipment and sound playback and recording equipment. The actor wears headphones and is shown the film of the line that must be replaced, and often he will be played the production sound recording. The film is then projected several times, and the actor attempts to re-perform the line while watching the image on the screen, while an ADR Recordist records the performances.
An actor watches the image repeatedly while listening to the original production track on headphones as a guide. The actor then re-performs each line to match the wording and lip movements. Actors vary in their ability to achieve sync and to recapture the emotional tone of their performance. Several takes are made, and based on the quality of the performance and sync, one is selected and edited by an ADR Editor for use in the film.
ADR Techniques
There are variations of the ADR process. ADR does not have to be recorded in a studio, but can be recorded on location, with mobile equipment; this process was pioneered by Matthew Wood of Skywalker Sound for The Phantom Menace. ADR can also be recorded without showing the actor the image they must match, but only by having him listen to the performance. This process was used for years at Universal Studios.
Although actors are trained to sing, few are of professional quality. Therefore, if a character must sing well in a movie, ADR is usually used to redub their singing. This technique was used by Billy Boyd and Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings.