Production Challenges: ADR

Every one of my projects has its own set of unique challenges. I’m working on a comedy trailer titled Santa Barbara: The Movie with a targeted release date of 6/26/16. Due to technical difficulties, every line of dialog on the trailer needs ADR.

The mic used during the shoot (Rode NTG2) was defective, and produced an odd sound effect, making the audio unusable. I sent the mic into Rode and even they are perplexed by the issue. In addition, the audio contained tons background noise from street traffic. Luckily I can use dirty audio from the NTG2 as a guide for actors to sync to.

Another related challenge is that since I used a Ronin-M with handleless Canon C100, I didn’t get any audio directly into the camera, which means I have to line up the dirty audio based on lip movement. Yikes!!

I had the actors come into a studio to record ADR. After the session I realized things didn’t sound quite right. I should have had them do ADR outside instead of the studio (since all the scenes take place outside). Hopefully they’ll all agree to re-do ADR with my newly purchased NTG3.

Despite all this I feel really good about the project and can’t wait to premiere it on the channel on 6/26/16. I optimistic the writing and acting can withstand these minor technical glitches.

Update: I decided push back the release date of the new short to 7/2/16 and release a Blooper Reel first.

Lessons learned for future shoots

Next time I will:

• Thoroughly test gear before a shoot and not use any equipment I have doubts about.
• Take the time to ensure the mic is as close to the subject in every shot, pointed at the right angle to ensure maximum dialog level and minimum background noise.
• Use my newly purchased NTG3 instead of an NTG2.
• Do ADR outside for outdoor shots, and inside for indoor shots.
• Get a cheap, powered lav to put on the C100 when it’s on the Ronin to capture dirty audio directly to the camera.