MAJOR-PROJECT UNIT: Voiceover Day

As the audio for the scenes in the Kent Owl Academy car park (scenes 7 & 9) is quite distracting due to the sound of the river behind the car park, Simon suggested that we do a bit of ADR to improve this audio. However, when it came to set up the sound recording equipment for ADR, it appeared that doing ADR actually requires a lot more work than voicing over the original audio. This meant that we couldn't do the ADR with the actors who were already scheduled to come in as we were unaware the sound recording equipment had to be set up differently to how it is usually set up - if we had been made aware that ADR requires a different set up, we would have allowed time to set up the equipment for ADR. However, as the actors were already on their way, there was no time to set up the sound equipment differently.

To make the most of the time with the actors, we decided to record some improvised material instead to accompany some of the van driving scenes. This was so that the ADR day didn't feel wasted - this extra voiceover can then be chopped up and used in different areas of the production to accompany shots where the van is seen driving - this will make it more believable that it is the characters in the van driving around from the locations- it will also help to transition between scenes. (i.e. we recorded a piece of dialogue from Luke where he said "It's just up here on the left" - this can be used in conjunction with a shot of the van turning left towards the Owl Academy to transition the action to this scene).

This improv can also be used in the credits as the final shots show Tim and Luke getting in the van and driving away - this voiceover can then be used to suggest they are reflecting on the events that have unravelled as they drive to their next adventure. This also helps to make the credits more interesting whilst keeping with the tone of the production  - most credits are accompanied by music and whilst we are considering the use of music within the production to heighten certain comedic elements, it won't be the typical upbeat music as heard in the majority of sitcom credits like It's Always Sunny or Not Going Out. This means using voiceover during the credits will retain the audience's attention right until the very end as the action is still unravelling through their dialogue until the last credit has rolled - this maximises the engagement with the product in the hope of making it be received more successfully.

What I learnt:

Whilst the ADR day largely didn't affect me as DOP and fine cut editor (although it does affect the overall quality of the production), it is still useful for me to listen through all the audio so that once Mel has cut up and re-assembled the voiceover into more fluent pieces of dialogue, I can check this and point out where alternate pieces of dialogue from the voiceover may be more beneficial to the comedy of the production. Mel will insert the audio and I will adjust it so that it fits with the rest of the audio of the production as my job as fine cut editor is to resolve any audio issues. The voiceover audio is already extremely clear due to being recorded in the sound booth, but the level will need to be adjusted to be consistent with the rest of the product.