What does Walla mean?
Walla refers to background or ambient chatter recorded by actors to simulate the sound of a crowded environment, such as a restaurant, party, or city street. The term originates from early radio and film, where extras would repeat the word “walla” to create indistinct background noise. Today, walla is recorded by groups of voice actors and is layered into scenes to create a sense of realism. Related terms include Loop Group, a group of actors who specialize in creating background sounds, and ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement), used for re-recording dialogue.
Example:The sound editor added walla to the busy restaurant scene, filling the background with the hum of conversation to make it more immersive.
Example: Walla recordings are often layered in post-production to create a realistic atmosphere in crowded scenes.
Did You Know?
The word “walla” was chosen because it was thought to sound like indistinct conversation when spoken by a group of people!
