ADR (last blog / next blog)
by Michael Neel & Greg Ansin

So you've put your film together, and you realize that some of your dialogue has some issues. Perhaps your script made sense on paper and on set, but now that you've cut it you realize that there are some lines missing. You need to add a line here or there, to clarify something or add emotional weight to a scene. Or perhaps you had a shooting day with difficult audio conditions (i.e. in a wind storm, near a construction site or airport, etc) and the dialogue you recorded on the shoot is not usable.

Good audio is an important part of film making.

This is where ADR (Additional Dialogue Recording or Automated Dialogue Replacement) comes in. What you are trying to do with ADR is match the actor's performance as closely as possible. As a director, put yourself back in the scene when you shot it. What were you telling the actors? How were you approaching the scene? This kind of mind-set can help you (and the actors) get the best ADR performances.

ADR can be challenging for an actor – on set, an actor gets into a groove and rhythm, with the part and the shoot as a whole. ADR happens months, sometimes years after the shoot. You want your actor to feel comfortable and confident in the role, so do whatever you can to get them back to where they were when you filmed it.

ADR might seem like extra work, but it can be a very important part of post-production, and it makes a big difference with your finished film.

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