A Comprehensive Guide To Audio Post-Production (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of this comprehensive guide to audio post-production. Our main goal with these 2 articles is to help educate filmmakers and creative minds about the intricacies of audio post-production and provide a clear image of what it entails.

In the previous post, we presented a comprehensive overview of the different roles, and today we’re going to address the actual workflow journey and its final deliverables.

Audio post-production workflow

Today’s fast-paced media juncture is highly demanding, and that’s why having a workflow is key. The following example is, of course, a depiction of the ideal scenario, one where filmmakers spend their time and, most importantly, their budget to make their audiovisual project brilliant with the inclusion of proper sound.

Pre-production

The supervising sound editor and the team are traditionally responsible for several tasks during the pre-production stage. They normally assist with the following:

1. Script Analysis

The sound team goes through the script, annotating ideas the director and the production crew can analyze and build upon.

2. Building a sound team

If the majority of the sound team is still not present, the sound supervisor focuses on building a team for both the post-production stage and the on-set sound stage. One key factor here is to build strong partnerships before production starts.

3. Location visits

The sound crew normally visits the locations chosen by the film crew to foresee any issues or assess whether there are further opportunities for additional sound effects. This is done so the sound team knows how to specifically troubleshoot or get past any issues should they present themselves.

4. Spotting session

The sound team and the director meet to go over the film and come up with a creative analysis that will help them determine the sound assets that will be required further down the line.

5. Custom sound effects recording

The sound effects professional captures sounds that will add personality and character to the project. These tracks can be recorded from a sheer array of places, both on-set and during post-production. 

6. Pre-production sound design

In some projects, depending on their complexity, some sounds may need to be created even before the actual production takes off. This part of the process is done also to provide the talent with cues while on set.

Post-production

Now that we’ve gone over the main tasks that need to be completed during the pre-production stage, let’s dive deep into what the actual audio post-production process entails:

1. Session preparation

The sound team, led by the sound editor and the recording mixer, start off by putting together a DAW master template that is suitable for the project. This template will be responsible for housing all the tracks needed to cover all the dialogue lines and sound effects tracks for the film.

2. Dialogue editing

The dialogue editor exports tracks from the template mentioned above into their own digital audio workstation so they can edit the dialogue lines. Dialogue editing involves cleaning up the original lines, trimming them down a bit if necessary, adding fades, rendering audio quality, and more.

3. Sound effects & sound design

The sound effects team is perhaps the largest sub-team within the whole film crew and is likely the busiest team as well. They are responsible for building layers of sound that will add authenticity to the film, enhancing the overall storytelling.

4. Foley

Foley artists then jump in. A Foley artist is responsible for adding extra layers of sound by recreating other types of sound such as footsteps, squeaky doors, bones crushing, gun handling, coins in pockets, lighters, and more. If the film requires it, Foley artists also manage to craft environmental sounds such as lightning, waterfalls, the wind blowing through the trees, and rain.

5. Final mix

This stage is where all the elements within the film’s soundtrack (dialogue and sound effects) are balanced into a cohesive macro layer of sound. Audio professionals resort to different devices and technology to carry out this pivotal piece of the puzzle. 

Mixing a movie also requires a lot of artistic character, as sound professionals need to make sure that the final product is pristine and brilliant. It is not a matter of putting everything together and balancing all the existing audio tracks —it’s about getting the most of all of the existing sounds while delivering a compelling story.

It’s also important to note that this process also involves including musical elements and the film’s musical soundtrack. Musical elements are often used to provide extra emphasis on different aspects of the film, such as creating tension, creating calm, adding joy, and more.

Once all the parts have been recorded, sound mixers and audio professionals work around the clock to deliver the best possible product —one where digital, real, and musical elements work together to deliver a compelling story.

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