How To Add ADR & Finish A Short Film?

I knew that the more I thought about whether I should proceed with the ADR the more likely I was to procrastinate on getting it done. Because honestly, I was incredibly tired and exhausted at this point. Then, knowing that the finish line was so close made me snap out of my daze, reach out to the two actors who needed to re-do their lines and set up a shoot date.

A few days later the date was set, and the sound engineer was booked.

Since the director was currently based in Los Angeles, she would have to join us remotely to lead the ADR session. Fast forward, it’s the day before the shoot. I got an email from one of the actors letting me know that she wouldn’t be able to make it due to a family emergency. (No, no, no).

I reached out to her and asked if pushing back her call-time by a few hours would help her situation and she agreed. (Whew.) She preferred to have her co-star with her to help perform her lines but with her new call-time her co-star would be unavailable. In the end, both actors agreed that they would be alright with saying their lines separately.

The next day the sound engineer and I arrived at the first actor’s residence to capture his lines. We initially thought we would perform the ADR indoors, but we eventually decided that it would be better to capture the lines in the same car that was used on set. But gosh it was cold and windy.

The winds were literally shaking the car. I was afraid that the strong winds would affect the sound engineer’s ability to capture the lines and room tone effectively.

As the sound engineer was adjusting the actor’s microphones, I brought Morgen (director) in to join us via zoom on an iPad and the actor’s ADR began. To perform the ADR, the actor would have to perform each of his lines in the scene exactly (i.e. tone, emotion etc.) as he performed them on the original shoot day.

To start, Morgen would replay the line multiple times for the actor to hear and then the actor would repeat the line to the best of their ability over and over until Morgen was satisfied.

Two hours later, the ADR for the first actor was complete. The second actor had already arrived and was waiting in her car. To properly mic her she would be unable to wear her coat, and she was shivering badly. I asked the sound engineer if turning up the heat would affect the sound and sadly it would.

I felt so bad, so I gave her my scarf to wrap around her hands for some warmth. She then persevered and began her ADR.

About an hour later we reached the actor’s final three lines. Suddenly, a man drove his truck and parked directly beside us in front of a neighbor’s house. Moments later, the owner of the house came out and they began to have a friendly conversation.

Their conversation was loud enough to affect our sound. We gave them a few minutes to see if they would go inside but they did not. Instead, they popped the hood of the truck and began to work on it. (OMG).

We ended up moving down the street in front of a mailbox that housed the mail of multiple residences. We proceeded with the actor’s ADR and just as we were about to capture her last line, a set of headlights pulled up behind us. It was another truck.

A man came out to get some mail from one of the mailboxes. But he doesn’t leave right away. He sat in his truck with the engine running for some time. (Oh c’mon! Seriously!).

Just as we were about to find another spot, the truck backed up and drove away. (Thank you!). Fifteen minutes later, the final line was captured. The next day the sound engineer sends the captured lines to the final audio mixer. A few days later, the final audio mixer sends over her second cut with the added ADR.

After 2 ½ years of constant struggle, the film was finally complete!

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• The Importance Of An Editor In Film

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The author is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions of failure to act related to the content in this article. If you need specific legal advice, consult with an attorney who specializes in your subject matter and jurisdiction.