Cutting Films Shot with Sound

When you cut a film you cut picture and sound. The sound may be recorded when the film is photographed or may be added later in the cutting room. A film may be shot with sound synchronised with the action. Alternatively it may be shot without any sound at all, or with ‘wild’ tracks. When you cut a film you will also be responsible for preparing the final film soundtrack.

Cutting programme – synchronised sound

If the film has ben shot with synchronised sound you will be handling soundtracks throughout the cutting process. When 16mm synchronised sound scenes are filmed, the action is normally photographed on ‘mute’ film stock while the sound is simultaneously recorded on quarter inch tape, on equipment electronically locked to the camera by a synchronising pulse in order to keep in step with it. At the end of each day’s filming, the mute camera original is sent to a laboratory for processing and for a copy for cutting to be produced. The original sound recording must also be copied and should be sent to a sound recording studio where it can be re-recorded on perforated magnetic film. You will then receive the picture rushes and the perforated magnetic film sound copy in the cutting room. Your first job will be to synchronise the two separate strips of film: the sound and picture. Then you can cut sound and picture, making a first assembly and, after that, a fine cut.

Completing the soundtrack

It is extremely unlikely that all scenes will be photographed with synchronised sound. In the course of editing you will prepare several different soundtracks, all matching the one reel of edited picture material. Some soundtracks will contain the sounds recorded when the film was photographed. Other tracks will be needed to fill in the background sounds and the scenes which have not been photographed with synchronised sound. You will have to prepare these tracks in the course of cutting. When they have been prepared you can mix all your tracks together in a dubbing theatre and make the final mix soundtrack audiences will hear on the finished film. Then you can match the camera original to your edited cutting copy and make prints of sound and picture.

CUTTING FILMS SHOT WITH SYNC. SOUND

Production programm
Shoot on mute film stock (A) record on 1/4 in tape; (B). Process the original film (C) and print a cutting copy (D), Re-record taped location sound on perforated magnetic film (E). Synchronise sound and picture rushes (F). Log (G). Assemble and fine cut (H). Prepare additional soundtrack (J). Dub (K) to make final mix master soundtrack (L). Match camera original and cutting copy (M). Print sound and picture together to make copies for showing (N).