You hear about “director’s cuts” in films. That’s because the original edit of a film is done by a professional editor. It’s their job is to know how to edit films. Depending on the deal made, usually the director will contribute at specific milestones along the way through post production. However, the “director’s cut” is really about putting back in what the studio took out, not the editor. But a good edit can actually make or break a film. So how does that transfer to audio drama?
While you won’t hear a credit for me as the editor on “Madison on the Air,” I do fulfill that role. I guess I watched too many student films where the credits rolled for longer than the film, itself, with the same guy’s name rolling by under every category. So I decided to credit myself in the most important of all of my responsibilities, “written and produced” with the additional credit for voicing Madison. But I came up through Hollywood in the multi-cam sitcom world, which handles editing differently than film. The director will map out camera movements for the entire show, but the writers are the ones calling the shots. Because the story is told in editing and they are the storytellers.
So my process when I get all of the lines back from the cast is I build each scene in my editing program. We use Logic Pro (because Jeremy already had it when this project started). I put each character’s lines on their own “track” and then load in all of the sound effects I need for the scene (doors, footsteps, background ambience, etc.) I then open the script and away we go!
Why I believe the storytelling is done in editing is because I am choosing which of the multiple takes my actors have performed for each line. I am building a tone with it. They’ve been given direction in the script for line deliveries, but now it comes down to how did they interpret those guidelines? And which of their takes works better with the other people in the scene? Multiple times I’ve had actors tell me they were surprised at a certain take I used of theirs, them preferring a different one. But since we record remotely, they are don’t hear the rest of the cast. But I do, and I know what fits together best.
Besides choosing takes, I also tighten performances. We have a fast paced comedy. And one of the ways I achieve that pace is through cutting out pauses. These are natural pauses that are made when speaking. And there’s nothing wrong with pausing. But as the editor, I am trimming out the pausing that may be slowing down the scene. Maybe one actor spoke slower than another (lord knows Madison is fast paced herself!) so how do I make them all match? Trim the fat. And I have trimmed absolutely everybody, myself included. No shame in it, but I’m glad to be the editor to keep that tight pacing.
But speaking of pausing… one main thing I scrutinize for each and every line is how quickly the next character speaks. There is an art to it. If there is a conversation with two people reacting to what each other is saying, I need to give a moment after the first person speaks for the second person to mentally process what was just said before they react. There’s also when characters are “cut off” or interrupted. I need to find the right moment for the second person’s dialogue to start over the first. Sadly, I have heard shows that don’t overlap interruptions and it is unsettling as audience to listen to. Then, of course, there are times (Madison does this constantly) when a non sequitur is blurted out. That comment is not linked to what the previous person said, so the space between lines can be tighter.
You also heard me mention gathering the sound effects. I find layering the SFX and background ambience in as a vital part of the storytelling. I like to play with the timing of when footsteps start, doors are opened, props are used. Those sounds are as much part of the scene as the dialogue. Adjusting is made so a SFX doesn’t overlap a joke, for instance, possibly stepping on the punch line. I know our show doesn’t have the “sound scape” of other shows, but the SFX still help create the immersiveness of the scenes.
I’ve been asked if I had the budget, would I hire an editor? No. For as tedious as it can get at times, I don’t think I could hand over the editing part of the storytelling to anyone else. So if I get the budget? Maybe I’ll hire a personal chef. So someone else can make me dinner while I keep on editing.
-Chrisi (aka Madison)
