The Roadmap for Sound and Music
A cue sheet is an essential organizational document used throughout the post-production process and for music rights management. It serves as a frame-accurate roadmap, listing every significant audio event in a program and its precise location on the timeline. There are two primary types of cue sheets used in filmmaking:
1. Audio Post-Production Cue Sheets
During audio post, cue sheets are generated for various departments to ensure every sound is accounted for. For example:
- ADR Cue Sheet: This lists every line of dialogue that needs to be re-recorded by an actor in the studio. It includes the timecode for the start and end of the line, the character’s name, the full line of dialogue, and often a note about why it needs to be replaced (e.g., ‘plane overhead,’ ‘mumbled delivery’).
- Foley Cue Sheet: This lists every sound that needs to be performed by the Foley artist, broken down by character and action (e.g., ‘TC 01:23:15:10 - Protagonist footsteps on gravel,’ ‘TC 01:23:18:05 - Protagonist keys jingle in pocket’).
These documents are indispensable for keeping the complex process of building a soundtrack organized.
2. Music Cue Sheet
This is a formal, legal document created at the very end of production. It meticulously lists every single piece of music—both original score and licensed songs—that appears in the film. For each musical ‘cue,’ the sheet details:
- The title of the music
- The composer(s) and publisher(s)
- The duration of the cue
- The precise in and out timecodes
This document is submitted to Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) like ASCAP and BMI, who use it to track the use of music and ensure that the correct royalties are paid to the composers and publishers.