No to muddy dialogue!

Your editor has just sent you the first cut of your latest short film 🎬

The picture lights up the screen. You can't wait to see the hard work of the cast and crew finally come to fruition.

Initially, you’re thrilled. The performances are hitting all the right notes. The VariCam you rented has given a gorgeous cinematic feel.

But after a little while, you realise something’s off.

Listening to the dialogue feels a bit like swimming in mud - you can’t hear the characters properly. Turning up the volume only increases the overall noise level.

Feeling a rising sense of frustration, you leap to your feet. You scream at the screen, wrench it from its socket and throw it out the window.

Okay, the last part didn’t actually happen, but how often have we felt like doing this?

The good news is that there are many ways to improve the clarity of your dialogue.

Most editing suites have built-in tools that are tailored to the human voice, so these would probably be your first port of call.

Another option is accusonus, who supply excellent plugins that are affordable and easy to get to grips with. With a little tweaking you'll soon have a sound that's more than acceptable.

For more detailed editing and restoration work, it may be worth chatting to an audio post specialist such as myself with the full version of iZotope RX Advanced.

No matter which route you choose, there's always a way to remove that mud and get your dialogue popping off the screen.