Overview 

This standard is about recording dialogue or narration in a way that conveys mood and information consistent with the intentions of clients. Dialogue can be recorded from scratch or rerecorded and replaced when original recordings are unusable.  It includes collaborating with, and managing, talent with a wide range of temperaments.

This standard should apply to anyone who is involved with recording or replacing dialogue.

 

Performance Criteria 

You must be able to: 

  1. develop approaches to dialogue with clients that to meet their vision and ideas
  2. evaluate existing material for audio quality against expected artistic and technical standards
  3. review schedule and cost to ensure required material can be recorded or rerecorded and incorporated within clients’ budgets
  4. advise relevant people on the impact of new recordings on budget, schedule and creative requirements
  5. maintain a diplomatic and professional approach to artists who are recording, adjusting your way of working to their mood and temperament
  6. adjust level, balance, tonal quality, perspective and dynamic range to communicate information and mood in narration and to match the position, movement and mood of characters
  7. determine suitability of dialogue against requirements, reviewing with colleagues and clients whether it has the intended impact
  8. create a mix with other sound that retains the qualities achieved with voice tracks alone
  9. assess final audio quality against expected artistic and technical standards
  10. maintain security for files and other materials in line with legal and organisational requirements

 

Knowledge and understanding 

You need to know and understand:

  1. how to collaborate and cooperate with clients in creative conversations
  2. the style of voice required for characters and narrators
  3. how to develop ideas that help meet creative requirements
  4. techniques and procedures for sound treatment
  5. how to assess visual and audio quality to expected artistic and technical standards
  6. characteristics of tonal quality and perspective
  7. operation of the sound studio
  8. recording formats, synchronization and reference systems
  9. statutory regulation and viewing standards that apply to content delivery
  10. national and international best practice for content delivery across different platforms
  11. when it is appropriate to rerecord and replace dialogue or narration and the implications for doing so
  12. characteristics of voices in different acoustic environments and when people are behaving in various ways
  13. the importance of audibility of dialogue especially with regards to the impaired hearing of an ageing population
  14. the use of mono, stereo and multichannel sound to realise creative ideas
  15. capabilities of and procedures for using sound recording equipment
  16. microphone techniques
  17. techniques for accurate timing and synchronization
  18. how to identify the ways that artists like to work and like a session set up
  19. the differences between speech and narration and how they mix
  20. health and safety factors of all equipment and the workplace
  21. legal and organisational requirements for storage, back up and security of files and other materials