Unscripted Dialogue Editing Masterclass: Part 1

For this week and next week, we're diving into the nitty-gritty of dialogue editing for broadcast television.

This isn’t general advice, everything I’m covering is as if you were delivering a dialogue edit to me as a subcontractor/employee.

You'll learn quickly that mixers are especially picky when it comes to their dialogue editors. Having detail-focused edits increases your chances of being a mixer's go-to editor for any project they're working on in the foreseeable future.

So, how can I set you up for success? Every mixer likes things differently, but this is what I analyze when a dialogue edit is turned over to me.

Today, I will hyper-focus on the critical realms of Voiceover/Narration and Interviews.

Voiceover/Narration: Setting the Stage 

Voiceovers are the soul of your narrative, and precision is the name of the game.

Hit that sweet spot of -23LKFS on your Short-Term LKFS monitoring when gain staging your edits.

I personally like my VO to sit on top of the rest of the dialogue. Tighten those edits until they're as snug as your favorite sweater. Meaning any breaths are removed at the start or end of lines. 

Interviews: Where Precision Meets Personality 

Interview bites are the second important piece of information that stands out in dialogue. Apart from the narration, interviews serve as a reflective insight and anchor to your show.

If the session is not prepped like this already, make sure to organize each subject onto their own dedicated interview tracks. Duplicate tracks if necessary, with the boom mic on the top track and lav on the bottom, named after the talent and mic type (e.g., "Johnny Boom" or "Troy Lav").

Maintain a uniform volume clip gain around -24LKFS.

Prioritize clean edits at the beginning of lines, especially if the subject is off-screen.

Replace offscreen breaths with dialogue fill and handle miscellaneous noise before speaking with clean fill if subject is onscreen before delivering their line.

If there is a breath after they finish speaking, as if they’re about to say something else, replace with fill to make it a complete thought as the edit intended.

Focus on subjects rather than following chronological order to optimize your workflow.

For a deeper dive into the interview workflow, see the newsletter What’s The Best Way to Tackle Interview Edits?

Why follow these guidelines to the T?

Because your dream job isn't just about knowing the tools; it's about understanding the soul of the story and bringing it to life through your edits.

So, tighten those audio clips, replace those breaths, and set the stage for your journey towards becoming the dialogue editing luminary studios are dying to hire.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we'll delve into the advanced magic that will truly make you a dialogue editing wizard.

Let’s make your editing skills the talk of the town!

P.S. You can hear along, instead of reading along by shadowing my Superhot series! Learn more about shadowing my work every weekday here.