- Proper naming of your audio files
can save you a huge amount of time in the edit suite.
Now, I'm a stickler for organization.
It saves time in every step of production and in post.
When a script is ready for recording,
you need to number the lines of dialogue.
And programs like Final Draft make that look really easy.
When you record and edit your audio takes,
number them according to the dialogue line numbers.
Always use two or three-digit numbers
so all the files will line up numerically.
You can see how all of mine line up perfectly
in this sample folder of audio files.
It's also handy to have them organized this way
in my storyboard and animatics software Storyboard Pro.
You can see here all my audio files lined up in my library.
They're all in perfect order that I'm going to need them.
So I simply click and drag the next one
that I need and I can quickly build my animatic.
I start each file with a dialogue line number.
Then I add the character name for visual reference.
And I end the file name with a word or two
from the dialogue.
This helps me remember the files as I'm working.
Now, anytime you need to record extra vocal sounds
such as grunts or screaming,
things that aren't specifically written out in the dialogue,
number those with an A or B
between the relevant line numbers.
So if you've got sounds between lines 22 and 23,
they'd be 22A and 22B.
When you look at this list of properly named audio files,
they line up correctly.
And at a glance, you're going to know exactly
which character is saying which line
and you'll have an idea of what line of dialogue that is.
This will save you so much time in post
you'll love me for it.