Dubbing (filmmaking) - Automated Dialogue Replacement / Post-sync

Automated Dialogue Replacement / Post-sync

Automated Dialogue Replacement, or Additional Dialogue Recording (ADR), is the process of re-recording the original dialogue after the filming process for the purpose of obtaining a cleaner, more intelligible dialogue track (also known as "looping" or a "looping session"). In the UK it is called "post-synchronisation" or "post-sync".

In conventional film production, a production sound mixer records dialogue during filming. Accompanying noise from the set, equipment, traffic, wind, and the overall ambiance of the surrounding environment often results in unusable production sound, and during the post-production process a supervising sound editor or ADR Supervisor reviews all of the dialogue in the film and decides which lines must be re-recorded. ADR is also used to change original lines recorded on set to clarify context or improve diction and timing.

For animation such as computer-generated imagery or animated cartoons, dialogue is recorded to a pre-edited version of the show. Although the characters' voices are recorded in a studio, ADR is necessary whenever members of the cast cannot all be present at once.

ADR is recorded during an ADR session, which takes place in a specialized sound studio. The actor, usually the original actor from the set, views the scene with the original sound, then attempts to recreate the performance as closely as possible. Over the course of multiple re-takes, the actor repeatedly performs the lines while watching the scene, and the most suitable take becomes the final version.

Sometimes, a different actor is used from the original actor on set. One famous example is the Star Wars character Darth Vader, portrayed by David Prowse. In post-production, James Earl Jones dubbed that character's voice.

Sometimes actors are hired to dub actors who speak the same language but delivered their lines with a foreign accent or poor diction. For example, Frenchmen Philippe Noiret and Jacques Perrin were dubbed into Italian for Cinema Paradiso and Austrian bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger was dubbed for Hercules in New York. Argentine boxer Carlos Monzon, who didn't have a clear diction, had his voice dubbed by a professional actor when he played the lead in the drama La Mary, and Gert Frobe, who played Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film of that name (Goldfinger) was because of his heavy German accent dubbed by Michael Collins.

ADR can also be used to re-dub singing. This technique was used by, among many others, Billy Boyd and Viggo Mortensen in The Lord of the Rings.

There are variations of the ADR process. It does not have to take place in a post-production studio, but can be recorded on location, with mobile equipment. ADR can also be recorded without showing the actor the image they must match, but only by having him listen to the performance.