PRODUCER'S NOTEBOOK

The Third Column: "Character"

We are picking up right where we left off in the last post, explaining how to read an ADR script. Last time, we went over the first two columns so now we’re onto the third. We will continue to refer to our script sample:

Character Name

The third column is the character name. The character column doesn’t only indicate who should say the dialogue. It is the basis for the recording schedule. Breaking down the script by character should give an exact blueprint for who needs to come in to record and for how long. It should also provide a clear picture of any group recording (walla) necessary.

Not all characters will have traditional names. There are minor characters in most scripts. These “bits” are roles with few loops (usually under 10 or just reactions) who usually don’t appear in more than one episode; for example, NINJA A, NINJA B, CUSTOMER #1, BLUE HAIRED BAT.

However, sometimes the character who starts off life as NINJA A may pop up a few episodes later with a another name. Sometimes MASKED MAN is not revealed to be HIASHI until the audience finally learns of his true/alter identity. The days of an anime show having a dedicated story editor are largely – and sadly – a thing of the past. Now that job often falls to the producer.

Keep in mind that an ADR series often reveals itself as the shows are actually produced, episode by episode. The producer working on the adaptation is not privy to all the plot twists until they are happening. (When the villainous Mallanox suddenly turned up wearing a ball gown and high heels in EAGLE RIDERS, as I was surprised as everybody else reviewing the series.)

Without a story editor onboard, the ADR producer tends to rely on the writer creating the adaptation script to properly name each character. The writer uses the translated scripts as a guide and the names provided there. Often series are translated by more than one person. The translator for episode #1 may not be the same as the translator for episode #22, so he doesn’t realize that “Cook” was previously named “Chief”. To make things worse, there is often more than one ADR writer per series. This increases the chances of characters being misnamed, which increases the chances for the wrong actor getting booking to voice an already established character, and so on.

Not only do the names need to be correct in the character column but sometimes the characters have to be described accurately, too. One loop may include dialogue for more than one character. For example, loop #7 in our example indicates there are 10 people (8 adult male and 2 females)  who are speaking . Sometimes this will also be listed under “MIXED ADULT WALLA” meaning a group comprised of both men and women. “MIXED CHILDREN WALLA” tells the scheduler to book only women since most men cannot play children’s parts.

“MIXED ADULT WALLA, ~20 MEN” doesn’t mean twenty men need to record the loop. If there is a large group onscreen, a smaller number of actors can record several passes of the dialogue to make it appear like many people are speaking. The actors brought in for walla are usually versatile and can create different voices at will.

Generally speaking, the character column should not contain more than one name per loop. For example, you don’t want to see “JANE & ZOE” on one loop, even though they are speaking in unison. Why not? Because that will complicate the breakdown for scheduling purposes. JANE should have her own, individual loop total and so should ZOE.

In the next post, I will cover the fourth column and explain the notation that you will usually find in an ADR script.