What is ADR in Film (And Everything Else You Didn’t Know How to Ask)

If you have ever been on a film set, you know precisely how important it is to remain silent when the action begins. Unfortunately, there are some sounds that, despite all these efforts, can still be heard and can’t be properly controlled: planes flying overhead, nearby cars, unexpected coughs, all contribute to the need for re-recordings during the audio post-production stage.

What is ADR in filmmaking?

If you have no sound in your project, it will be hard to miss. Getting proper sound levels can make or break your project’s success. But deciding whether you should save some time in post for ADR is entirely up to you. Some well-known filmmakers are not really fond of ADR, while others are able to find more positive aspects about it, claiming it entirely saved their audiovisual projects.

In order for you to decide, it’s best you know what we are talking about.

ADR in filmmaking is the process of re-recording audio in a more controlled environment, usually in an audio post-production studio. It involves the re-recording of dialogue lines by the original actors after shooting as a way to enhance audio quality.

ADR stands for Automated Dialog Replacement, and although in earlier film days it was known as looping, modern techniques use computers to loop film sections which is why we refer to it as an automated process.

Even though the audio post-production industry has made great progress in ADR in film, it still requires a sheer array of work. During an ADR session, an actor watches the section he needs to add dialogue to over and over again while listening to the original track on headphones. The actor then re-performs each line to match both lip movement, pace and wording.

So, should you steer clear of ADR in your films or should you embrace it? Bad sound and bad audio is definitely the fastest way to condemn your project to failure. ADR might seem daunting to pull off well, but with the help of an experienced audio professional and an audio post-production studio, you will be fine.

When should you use ADR?

There are many reasons to replace or enhance the audio in a film or a TV audiovisual project. Here are the most common ones:

Pieces of noisy audio were recorded on set

The vast majority of directors prefer to avoid ADR if they can, but open locations like the beach, the mountain or Central Park are, by definition, noisy. While they may look incredible on film, they’re no less than terrible for audio recording purposes. 

If your film takes place in one of those places, it would be wise to explore the option of doing some ADR sessions later in post-production.

Adding dialogue lines to enhance the performance

Sometimes the dialogue can be slightly off compared to the ambiance of the scene, and perhaps the initially recorded lines don’t work anymore. Or perhaps the editor feels like a scene is missing something, a breath, a sigh, a pause, and without it, you can’t achieve the right emotional impact.

In both cases, ADR is the wisest solution as it allows you to add these elements and achieve the tenor you desire for your scenes.

Accentuation

More than often, actors must use different accents which can result in sections that need fixing. There are cases where a single lapse has caused the re-recording of all of a character’s lines.

Marlon Brando, for instance, was really fond of ADR, and it is said that during the recording of ‘The Godfather’, Brando mumbled his lines on set just so he could see the final cut in post-production and re-record his lines to the best of his abilities.

Fixing storytelling errors

When shooting a film you will more than likely come across unanticipated plot holes in your script that can come up after production has wrapped. When this happens, ADR comes across as a really handy tool to add those missing connections to your project needs.

There are even some cases where production decides to change a character’s name altogether, which forces them to set out on the lookout for another voice.

ADR group sessions

Film sets are silent as possible when the main talent is being recorded; however, when there are other actors in the scene, the audience expects to hear the associated noises coming from them. 

Whether it is a cafeteria, people at an office, or people jogging across Times Square, those indistinct conversations definitely add more realism to the film and definitely enhance the overall storytelling. An ADR group session helps filmmakers add life to those scenes where the main talent is also accompanied by secondary actors and helps to place the main talent into the world in which the film takes place.

*The images used on this post are taken from Pexels.com