A COLLABORATIVE POST BY KATIE MAYNARD
SOUND EFFECTS EDITOR, BOOM BOX POST
Recently we decided that our library was lacking in non-English dialogue. Not only do our mixers constantly need grunts, sighs and other generic expressions on the stage, our editors in their day to day editorial also noticed we could use them. We had a bunch of fun recording ourselves acting out a long list of ideas. We hope you enjoy the funny faces we made!
Why do you need non-english dialogue?
Sometimes there may be a background character, crowd, or implied group of people who are not necessarily the center of attention. The sound effects editor needs to fill in those vocalizations. It's important for a sound effects editor to have a large library of non-English efforts, walla, and other vocal recordings.
The dialogue editor is in charge of all the dialogue recorded by the actors. This dialogue will be replaced for international versions of the show in various languages. The sound effects, however, will not be replaced for an international dub so it is important that there is no discernible language in the sound effects stem. Sound effects editors may cut large groups laughing, talking, or groaning as well as individuals coughing, giggling, grunting, and just about a million other sounds someone might make. We find the need arises often, especially in animation.
We decided to record an extensive list of non-English vocalizations that can be used in a wide array of projects. We recorded 4 males and 4 females, all with distinct voices of varying natural pitch and tabor. This variety gives an editor several options so they can choose which voice fits best. Our list included some of the following:
Attack and jumping grunts
Blowing out candles
Burps/Belches
Inhales and exhales
Crying and Whimpering
Falling Yells and Screams
Gasps
Growl
Gulps
Heavy Breathing/Running Breath and Panting
Boom Box Employees In Action!!
The recordings we did are great and all…. but the best part was watching everyone act out these recordings. Check it out:
What are some fun things you can do with these recordings?
We thought it would be fun to show you what can be designed out of these files. So, check out the recordings put into context!
Let’s say you’re cutting an episode and there’s a bunch of evil lizard monsters crawling in the sewers. What do you do? Take a few growls that you recorded and turn them into this:
If you hate clowns… don’t listen!! But, this recording gets me excited for Halloween and going to haunted mazes!
The first two designed files had only the vocals we recorded. For the one below, I wanted to place the recording into an actual scenario. To be honest, it’s 90% my wanting to make fun of my co-worker by putting a scream she performed into a cheesy murder drama show with suspenseful music and a storm. The other 10% is me wanting to show you the full effect of a recording into context!
If you want to learn more about how to edit these recordings and what equipment to use, check out some of our other posts below:
LUNCH AND LEARN: IZOTOPE SPECTRAL REPAIR
ESSENTIAL VOICE-OVER RECORDING GEAR ON A BUDGET