Where are you currently employed?
I’m between seasons at the production offices of “King of The Hill.” Previously, I was at Formosa Group.
Current projects?
I’m doing small freelance projects, but mostly I’m focused on completing my first book, titled “Animation Dialogue Editing: Building the Voice of the Show.” I wanted to shine some light on this specific craft.
Describe your job.
I am a dialogue editor for live-action and animation. For each type of project, I begin with the end deliverables in mind so that my work will translate well and be easy for the other professionals to work with.
For live-action, the goal is to make the dialogue tracks play seamlessly for the supervising sound editor to review and for the re-recording mixer to polish.
I receive AAF multimedia file format tracks of all the mic feeds. Once the individual clips are assigned to carefully organized tracks, I keep only the most essential and reinforced boom and lavalier audio clips. Non-essential clips go to the X tracks in case the mixer needs to access them quickly; for television series and low-budget features, there isn’t enough time to edit every clip of every mic feed.
Each clip has its own type of background noise, or room tone. I use the audio plug-in Undertone to generate matching room tones to fade in and out of each clip. This enhances the consistency of playback. Lastly, I put a backup copy of these edits on another set of tracks, then I clean up the clicks, pops, and mic noises using iZotope RX.
The process I’ve summarized requires an extreme amount of mouse-clicking and typing. To speed up the working process and reduce wear and tear, I configure macros using the Soundflow software and trigger the macros using an Elgato Stream Deck.
For animation, the goal is to create an audio conversation that sounds both natural and has emotional impact, known as a radioplay. The artists use this audio to draw to, and later, the picture editors also work off this audio.
Actors are generally recorded one at a time due to availability, so I start with the script and the select takes, the line readings the director has liked and noted. Once I’ve pulled the selects (and alternate takes, since I’m listening to how the lines work together), I start timing the lines to sound like a conversation. I do multiple timing passes, using alternate takes where necessary.
The process of timing a show might sound simple, but there’s a lot of nuance within how the show should feel, both the series in general and each episode. The radioplay has to sell emotions, humor, and storyline, all before any picture is created. It is very conceptual and draws upon the skills music engineers and picture editors use in their crafts.
How did you first become interested in this line of work?
Through evolving interests. I grew up playing guitar in bands and went to Berklee College of Music, studying music production and engineering. I had a part-time job producing multi-cam shoots of the many live performances, so there was this constant influence of both audio and video, which I loved. After college, I was finding a lot of opportunities in audio postproduction, and while I kept doing music sessions at night, I found I preferred the pace of working in television and film sound.
Who gave you your first break?
After I graduated in 2002, I found a staff job at a small postproduction studio in New York City called Light at The End of The Tunnel. Thanks, Juan Aceves and Eugene Toale, for taking a chance on me!
I worked on an eclectic blend of Spanish-language commercials, the preschool television show “Dora the Explorer,” indie movies and music, infomercials, reels, and whatever else came in. It was a great opportunity to try out different things, see what I liked, and try different working techniques and sensibilities on a variety of projects.
What was your first union job?
A direct-to-video sequel called “Into the Blue 2: The Reef.” The original did fairly well at the box office. I was looking forward to doing more projects for that company, but then the 2008 recession hit. It took me another two years to do my next union project, but after that, work became steady for many years.
What credits or projects are you proudest of, and why?
“Bless the Harts” and “What We Do in The Shadows.” I love it when I get paid to laugh, especially when the subject is dysfunctional families because the humor is multi-dimensional. Both shows are very “paced up” – the jokes come fast, yet the storylines are so solid that there’s a potent clarity of information and feeling. The shows start with genius-level writing; add brilliant execution by the actors, directors, and editors, and these shows feel magical to me.
What was your biggest challenge in your job (or on a particular project) and how did you overcome/solve it?
There was an episode of “Family Guy” called “You Can’t Handle the Booth” where the characters played themselves while watching an episode of themselves, DVD commentary style. There were two storylines playing at the same time, with both needing to be understood without canceling each other out. To better grasp the challenge, try telling a story at the same time your friend is telling you a story. It sounds like insanity!
Scene by scene, I would build each storyline, put both on top of each other, and then stagger which storyline got precedence line-by-line. It took a lot of rounds of objective listening, adjusting timings, and reviewing with the director, all of which was exacerbated by big rewrites, which would trigger new rounds of listening, timing-adjustment, and another director review all over again.
What was the most fun you’ve had at work?
Directing loop group. You get paid to goof around with actors, and the looser the atmosphere, the better the results. I love the enhancement this material brings to projects, especially because a lot of these details aren’t noticed as much as felt subconsciously by viewers.
Jobwise, what do you hope to be doing five years from now?
I hope to be a supervising sound editor for series and/or a dialogue supervisor for features. It would be my pleasure to pass on my accumulated knowledge as a dialogue editor to other folks and take more of a role as a coach and a person looking at the bigger picture.
What are your outside activities, hobbies, passions?
Writing, reading, running, electric vehicles, crypto. What do all these things have in common? They don’t involve listening to things. My ears need a break when I’m not working!
Favorite movie(s)? Why?
“The Incredibles” — Made me entirely re-think how I wanted to raise my kids (before I had kids).
“Ponyo” — Without this film, I don’t think I would have the level of appreciation for animals and the natural world that I have.
“The Big Lebowski” — A masterclass on language and lifestyle, and (guilty pleasure) all the schtick that everyone else has parroted for the past 25+ years!
“The Danish Poet” — A wonderfully short statement about the interconnectedness of our existence. If I’m ever feeling purposeless, this cheers me up.
“Once” — Everything I love about music.
Favorite TV program(s)? Why?
“The Simpsons” — What show has covered more subversive ground? I’ll be chuckling at soundbites on my deathbed.
“Breaking Bad” — If the everything of it doesn’t hook you, the camera angles will.
“Nathan for You” — Many inconceivable moments, but oh my God, the finale.
“The West Wing” — My favorite all-time feel-good show.
“Monty Python’s Flying Circus” — Insanity can be fun!
Do you have an industry mentor?
Not specifically. The people and projects that inspire me, teach me.
What advice would you offer to someone interested in pursuing your line of work?
Let your curiosity drive you – if you have a question about anything audio-related, try to find the answer online. For larger concepts, seek out the people who’ve done work that inspires you, and try to meet with them to better understand how they accomplished what they did creatively. Always be learning and growing both technically and aesthetically. Enjoy all of life’s creative endeavors, particularly life itself.
Pursue work opportunities where people value your creative enthusiasm and work ethic. And if the job isn’t satisfying these needs, keep meeting people who share similar viewpoints, and pivot when appropriate.
You might find yourself in a different job title than expected, but stay open to where things take you. I originally thought I was going to be a music producer, then an advertising mixer, then a sound effects editor, before I found my groove as a dialogue editor. And perhaps I will have different job titles in the future.
Was there ever a circumstance when you had to rely on the Guild for help or assistance?
I’m grateful for the opportunity to write this piece for the Guild!
Is there anything you’d like to say to your fellow Guild members, some words of encouragement?
As a person who was greatly affected by the labor issues of 2007-2008 and the subsequent recession, I’ve learned that the industry goes through cycles. There are better times ahead! Creative people always find new ways to tell compelling stories, advance the art, and lift the tide for all workers in the business.