Way of the Dragon

Historical Markers of the Modern Soundtrack

Developed for RMIT Media Arts

English language productions

Generally, post-dubbing refers to the procedure of recording dialogue after a scene has been shot and then somehow syncing it up with the edited footage of that scene. Just about any film you have seen (English language productions) will most likely have had some of its scenes post -dubbed. Sometimes it is noticeable, other times it isn't . Usually post-dubbing is required in English language productions when some of the original sound recordings from the shoot end up being unsuitable for final mixing. Rather than totally re-shoot the scene, it is more economical to post-dub the required sound, be it dialogue or SFX. Technically, two methods are used:

1. Recording the vocal dialogue or SFX "wild" (ie. without visual cues) and then editing the recorded/transferred sound in synch with the images on the editing bench (or via time-coded video).

2. Watching a screen showing the edited sequence/scene and recording the required dialogue (lip-syncing) or SFX (foley). The sound here is recorded directly in-sync with the images so that no post-syncing (by eye or ear) is required.

Foreign films

Most films finish mixing their soundtrack onto a 3-track master tape. This master is divided into 3 synchronized sub-mixes containing:
1. dialogue
2. SFX
3. music

This 3-track master is also referred to as the `M&E' in that music & effects are separated from the dialogue. If the film is picked up by a foreign distributor, a copy of the M&E is supplied with the master neg so that the distributor can re-record the dialogue track of the M&E, mix the 3-track master, and then marry the final mix to the master neg, ready to strike a release print for the foreign market. Technically, 2 areas are involved in this process:

1. Recording
(a) translation of the script
(b) charting of lip-movement on-screen (labials)
(c) scoring of text in the new language (taking into account which shots are to be recorded while watching on-screen labials and which shots can be recorded wild where no labials are apparent
(d) casting of vocal actors (selecting appropriate voice-types to match screen characters)
(e) actual recording (done either wild in the studio, or by making film-loops out of discrete scenes and having the vocal actors keep on recording their voice-overs until the recordist recognizes the take that is perfectly in-synch

2. Mixing
(a) editing all the sounds together
(b) mixing them all onto one channel (or stereo-pair) of the 3-track master
(c) mixing the finished 3-track master tape (which is then sent off with the image neg master to have the release print struck)

Of course, not every foreign release follows this process exactly, and for every film that is careful to synch the dialogue with the labials, there is probably 20 that speed up the process and only approximate the lip-syncing. Apart from this, some foreign films may have sophisticated and careful lip-syncing, but a Iousy mix of the 3-track master tape, which will leave the dialogue track much louder than all other SFX and music. Also, the mixdown of the 3-track master might leave everything going at the same volume level, rendering a character's soft dialogue as loud (or `present') as their yelling. It is important to note the crucial role the final mix plays in constructing an aural/acoustic realism to match the changing of the synchronized images.

The art & craft of post-dubbing

Post-dubbing is generally viewed as something you have to do if your original dialogue recording ends up being unusable or if you get to release your film in a foreign market. However many directors view post-dubbing as part of the cinematic process and as an area of the production which can be enhance and intensify the intended effects of the film. This type of view falls into two main categories:

1. Performance - Post-dubbing can allow actors to concentrate on their bodily presence and facial expression during the shooting of their acting, and then give them the scope to concentrate on their vocal delivery with a greater degree of precision than they perhaps would have been capable of during the shoot.

2. Production - Post-dubbing can allow for camera movement and placement which does not have to worry about provision for the on-set recording (booms, mikes, leads, wiring, etc.). Also, locations can be chosen which - if recording with synch-sound - would be impossible because of background noise.

In the post-production of the soundtrack, the director can then choose a realistic direction (recreating an aural reality to match the objective visuals of the drama) or explore narrative possibilities of fusing sound and image (letting all types of asynchronous and multi-tracked editing and mixing to aid in the telling/description of the dramatic/textual content of the scenes).

70s Hong Kong kung fu movies

Chinese Kung-Fu movies of the 70s and the so-called spaghetti westerns from Italy during the 60s are extreme examples of the narrative effects which arise from post-dubbed soundtrack manipulation. Whereas Kung-Fu movies appear to be post-dubbed in America (often with Americans attempting Chinese accents of English) the Italian westerns (taking in every possible genre from the western to sci-fi) are post-dubbed in Italy (some using Italians mimicking English accents; some using expatriate American/English actors). Italy is renowned for its post-dubbing industry (outranking Germany and France in output and degree) and over the years has developed sophisticated techniques as well as inventive narrative devices based on the soundtrack's manipulation (Sergio Leone's westerns being notable examples).

The Kung-Fu movies, on the other hand, are faster, cheaper and more `violent' in their method and result (a style which remains even with the late 80s HK action movie renaissance). Irregardless of artistic intention (on the part of either director, producer or distributor) the films of Bruce Lee produce some interesting narrative effects, implications and meanings resultant from the production of their soundtracks.

Consider the following traits which figure strongly in Bruce Lee's cycle of 5 movies: THE BIG BOSS (71); FIST OF FURY (72); THE WAY OF THE DRAGON (aka Return Of The Dragon) (73); ENTER THE DRAGON (73); and GAME OF DEATH (started 73, released 78) -

1. The 'thickness' or 'narrowness' of sound levels, often reduced to only background music, central-character dialogue, & a wash of background SFX.

2. The mono-dimensional effect of the mixing, in that a full volume level is continually maintained, with no variation of volume levels.

3. The overall sharpness and brittle/piercing quality of the soundtrack, generating an aural texture which matches the overall violence of the film genre.

4. The `perspective' of these harsh sounds, ie. on the one hand they sound artificial (flesh hitting flesh we believe does not make the sound of bull-whip crack) but on the other hand they convey a subjective impression of being hit with incredible force (think of bumping your head and how `loud' it sounds to you because of the physical shock and ensuing pain). The sounds of violence in the Kung-Fu movie symbolically convey this particular sense of violence, which relates to our personal identification with the scenes of violence (ie, we often imagine our own bodies in the presence of the on-screen victims).

5. The overall `weight' of those sounds, their thick percussiveness and their full presence on the soundtrack and how they relate to Bruce Lee's body: a thick, mono-dimensional mass of muscle, its presence defined by its intensity.

6. The stylistic quotations in the scores (particularly the Hong Kong productions of the first 3 movies) with references to WWII military movies and even spaghetti westerns.

7. The theatrical effect of the score's performance as derived by the function of musical accompaniment in forms like Peking Opera: percussive musical incidents are used to intensify a scene and pin-point it as not simply a dramatic moment, but a point of energy.