Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures: A Guide to the Invisible Art [Paperback]

"The premise of the book is true: it is a necessary but usually overlooked part of film sound." LARRY BLAKE, SUPERVISING SOUND EDITOR/RE-RECORDING MIXER: FILMS INCLUDE "TRAFFIC", "ERIN BROCKOVICH" AND "OCEAN'S ELEVEN"

John Purcell's excellent book is a concise and detailed text on
the aesthetic and techniques of dialogue editing in the digital age. He
brings a wealth of knowledge of the entire production sound arc and how
dialogue editing significantly contributes to the process. Any filmmaker
who follows Mr. Purcell's methods will have gone a long way to producing a
very polished and professional sound track for their film."

"John Purcell's book is a comprehensive and detailed guide to the
arcane craft of dialogue editing. Both instructors and students will
benefit from his thoughtful examination of each stage of the post
production sound process as it relates to this crucial component of the
soundtrack."

"This is a great subject matter and I and my colleagues would have
loved to have had a book like this 10 years ago...there is very little
information on the specifics of dialogue editing available."

Dialogue editing is a crucial yet invisible part of filmmaking. Do it right, and no one notices. Do it wrong, and your film or video sounds messy, distracting, and unrealistic. This is a book for people who need to edit production sound for film, TV, or video but were never taught how to do it. It goes step by step through the process and covers all the workflows you are likely to encounter. Efficient working practices are emphasized throughout, so you learn to save time and avoid needless repetition. Many dialogue editors are hobbled by a lack of understanding of the non-sound aspects of filmmaking. Unlike editors who cut effects, backgrounds or Foley, a dialogue editor's work is directly affected by what has gone on before. How a film was shot, recorded and edited will dramatically influence the dialogue editing process. Much of this book, then, deals with things which at first glance don't appear to be dialogue. You will find overviews of film picture and sound postproduction - film, tape, NTSC, PAL, 24p, and HD. There are summaries of film picture editing, OMF manipulation, and ADR management. A veteran sound editor shows you how to produce a flawless dialogue track. It covers organization and time management so you can work efficiently and contains must-have information for sound editors, dialogue editors, and assistant editors. It comes with a foreword by Dominick Tavella, who mixes films in New York (some of his films include: "Chocolat", "Far and Away", "Vanity Fair", and "Chicago").

An Emmy award-winning sound editor based in Tel Aviv, John Purcell has decades of experience in film, video, and sound editing in the US, Europe, and Middle East. In his current role as a motion picture dialogue editor and sound supervisor, he is responsible for budget development, artistic direction, sound editing and mix preparation. He is often called upon to fix unprofessional or botched sound jobs.