Walla
Introduction
Walla is the vocal sounds that people make in the background as the actors with speaking parts deliver their lines.
- The murmur of a crowd
- It is recorded because background actors don't typically say anything during the shooting of the scene
- Also known as a "Loop Group"
- May be recorded to add realism to what is going on in the background, or specific reactions to the actions in the scene
- Usually recorded in post-production much like ADR sessions
- Anywhere from a few to 20 voice actors stand around a microphone and either murmur indistinguishable words/syllables/phrases or have real conversations appropriate to the scene
- The group vocal tracks are then mixed in with the production track in the final sound mix of the film
Group Leaders
Group Leaders or Supervisors are people who oversee the acting side of the recording session
- The ADR Editor or Dialogue Editor comes up with the list of cues to be recorded
- The Group Leader then decides which actors need to be used for each cue from the list
- Age range of actors needed
- Type of voices needed
- Mood of the scene
- If ethnic voices are needed
- Mood of the scene
- Age range of actors needed
- The Group Leader directs the Loop Group during the recording process
- They use hand signals to communicate with actors for needed volume and intensity changes
Walla Considerations
Walla simply makes the scene sound more realistic and there are things to consider to keep it this way....
- A little Walla goes a long way, so don't overdo it unless the scene calls for it
- Its normal to have 6-10 actors in a Loop Group
- When a scene calls for large crowds of people such as a sporting event, don't be tempted to actually go to a sporting event to capture crowd ambience
- The noise in such a large group is often too loud with unwanted sounds/noises that are unwanted
- Instead, record your smaller Loop Group several times and layer the recordings to build your own crowd sound that best fits the scene
- It is common to either align your voice actors in a horseshoe shape around microphone, or place them in a cluster
- In many cases it is appropriate to place some actors off-axis of the microphone while also changing their positions between takes in order to make the Walla track sound more realistic
- If your scene moves throughout a crowded room, it is most appropriate then to have the Loop Group walking a continuous circle around the microphone
- Each actor must match the volumes of all other actors in the Loop Group so that no one voice sticks out
Specifics
A Specific is when someone is needed to say a specific line of dialogue that is pertinent to the story, but not captured in production
- An example is a waiter saying "Right this way, please!"
- Occasionally the character is silently mouthing words or flapping their lips and a line must be ADR'd to fit the picture, or lines must be made up to match the lips if it is not known what the character was saying
Callouts
Callouts are specific lines spoken by a background actor that are supposed to stand out from the general Walla
- These are not Specifics as there is no attempt to be in lip-sync with a character
- The Loop Group actor doing the callout will need to project his/her voice in order to be heard clearly through the murmur of the rest of the Loop Group
Efforts
Efforts are the non-dialogue sounds actors make
- Loop Group actors are used to make the necessary grunts and groans for the actors in the actual scene when the scene consists of many people
- ex. Fight scene
- Other types of Efforts:
- Breathing heavily
- Kissing
- "More than" kissing
- Gasps
- and other human voice sounds that are not speech
Screams
It is common to use voice actors to provide screams for the actual actors in order to save their voices for other necessary ADR scenes
Wilhelm Scream
- When recording screams be sure that the microphone is far enough away from the talent so that clipping (distortion) is not created
- Some recorder have Pads
- A pad attenuates (reduces) the audio signal by a specified amount of decibels (ex. -10dB) in order to prevent overloading the signal
- Limiters are also very useful, in that they compress signal above a set dB threshold so that the audio signal is unable to go above that point and distort
- A pad attenuates (reduces) the audio signal by a specified amount of decibels (ex. -10dB) in order to prevent overloading the signal
- Some recorder have Pads
Wilhelm Scream
- A scream originally done by actor, Sheb Wooley for the 1951 movie, Distant Drums
- It was used again in 1953 for The Charge at Feather River
- Star Wars sound designer, Ben Burtt is credited with turning this scream into a cult favorite by sneaking it into most Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies
- Burtt named the scream after the character in The Charge of the Feather, Private Wilhelm
Performing
Most Loop Group actors are trained actors with the abilities to
- Improvise parts on the spot
- Change characters rapidly
- Change voices
- Change accents/dialects
- In Walla scenes there is usually only a few scripted lines
- It is up to the Loop Group to assess the scene and come up with lines that fit the situation in the scene
- Location
- Era
- Historical significance
- ex. If the film is set in Medieval England, the Loop Group shouldn't be using phrases or terminology from today
- It is up to the Loop Group to assess the scene and come up with lines that fit the situation in the scene
- Other unwritten rules
- Never use swear words
- Never use brand names (Apple, Sony, etc.) unless requested to do so
Editing
Editing Walla is much like editing a Sound Effect (SFX) or Ambience (AMB)
- Choose takes or parts that work best with the scene
- You may choose to layer the Walla to get the right effect, just like you would SFX
- Choose places for Callouts that won't interfere with the dialogue or draw too much attention to the Callout, unless that is what is desire
Conclusion
The Goal of Walla is to Enhance or Augment the Story
- The Loop Group has the power to change the feel, texture, or mood of a scene
- They can add excitement or sadness, chaos or peace
- There needs to be a balance of enhancing the story in the most unnoticeable ways
Video Resources
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