Evaluation Soundtrack 2

What do you feel was the most successful element of your soundtrack or successful process when making your soundtrack?
Personally I believe there was no one part of my soundtrack I believe to be to be more successful than others. All of the sound effects, both Foley and stock, sound good and are synced up nicely and the music fits the tone of the scene nicely. There is only one part I am not happy about, that being the ADR.

What was the least successful?
As stated above, I think the least successful part of my soundtrack was my ADR. The ADR was done by both myself and a fellow student Ben, however as neither of us are professional voice actors and so the voices sound... well less than stellar. Like I said it is no fault of ours, its just that we aren't experienced in voice acting. Maybe if we had more time to practise the recordings would be of a better quality.

How would you improve/change next time?
There are only two things I would do better next time. The first being to experiment more with some Foley noises or on location sounds and mix them together to create whole new effects, as opposed to using stock sounds. The second would be to improve the voice acting. While I realise I will probably never be a good voice actor, I would have liked to find more people to use for the voices, maybe even hold informal auditions to find the best voice.

Evaluate how successful your soundtrack was in terms of how the sound and image work together.
While putting together the numerous sound effects and music, I had a general idea of the effect I wanted to create for the scene. Taking the original soundtrack in mind, while also making my own spin on it, I wanted a very suspenseful aura about it.

The music track I finally decided on was a royalty free Sci-Fi inspired track from YouTube. The track itself was perfect for the scene for every moment save for one. During a dialogue heavy segment about half way through the scene the music went from really quiet to extremely loud. This meant that you could hear the characters talking as the music drowned it out. Luckily, I was able to cut, copy and paste certain parts of the track as an underlay for this segment. Combined with the laser SFX and characters speaking, these edits were easy to mask to the point where even if your listening for it its hard to find.

As for the sound effects, I tried to make them sound are realistic as possible. This included making the guns sound more like modern ones with a Sci-Fi touch and even recording real punches, during my Foley recordings, to make them sound believable. After trying numerous ways during Foley to create realistic punching noises (Including punching a carpet and slapping my hand) I finally decided to punch into my forearm to create the sound, just making sure not to do it hard enough for any real damage.

In what ways does your soundtrack reflect professional standards?
As I stated above I tried numerous ways to create the sound effects needed during my Foley, so that they would be believable to the audience while watching. This was easy enough for sound effects such as punching and falling as they are sounds that exist that just require recording with a microphone. However this wasn't so easy when it came to finding sounds for the more Sci-Fi noises.

While most were taken from royalty free sites and Garage-Band, others I wanted to do using sound design techniques. One such example would be when one of the guns 'Transform.' after experimenting with many different ideas I found that the best sound came from a common stapler. By opening it up and handling it around the mic, it created a metal clanking/shifting sound that fit perfectly with the image.

By trying numerous different ways of creating the same sound, I was able to find the perfect Foley and sound design sounds need for the scene. This included overlaying certain sounds together to create a far more interesting and complex effect.

In what ways does your soundtrack require improvement to reach professional standards?
Overall I believe that my soundtrack sound very professional in all ways save for one, that being the ADR. While the audio clips are clear with no background noise or any other interference, I'm not happy with the voices themselves. This unfortunately can't really be helped as both myself and Ben (who supplied the voices) are not professional voice actors and so the voices sound very cheesy and poor, not fitting the tone of the scene at all. If I was to do this again I would possibly hold an informal audition trying to find the most appropriate voice for the character. While I may never find somebody who reaches a professional level of voice acting, I almost certainly will find somebody who is better suited than Ben and myself.

Treatment Soundtrack 2

What feel or mood are you hoping to achieve with the sound for this clip (i.e. how do you want the audience to feel and at which points in the scene? Does the music have a narrative role?)
The scene I am using is from the hit Sci-Fi shooting game 'Mass Effect 3.' In this scene, the protagonist, Commander Shepard, is trying to locate and save an alien ambassador from an assassination attempt.

With this in mind I decided the type of music I needed for this scene would be a tense Sci-Fi style that would keep the audience on edge. after altering the track slightly I was able to make it Faster/ louder during the action sequences and slower/ tense during the others.

Describe the music/soundscape are you going to add to the clip (pace, tone, style, pitch) and what response you hope to elicit in a listener. Where will you get your music from? (Pre-recorded; Public domain, licensed, own.)
As stated above the music I used is a Sci-Fi/ Techno style that really works with the setting for the scene. The scene is also very tense and edgy, something which the music track has in spades adding even more to the atmosphere. The response I wanted from the audience using this track was to keep them on edge, make them feel like anything could happen next but not having any idea what, therefore keeping them engaged. I found the music track itself on YouTube by looking up royalty free Sci-Fi music.

What Foley sounds are you going to record in the studio and add to this clip and what will they add to the scene? 
The Foley sounds I recorded for this scene consisted of; Footsteps, punches, gun noises to name a few. For the other sounds, I took them from either Garage-Band or royalty free YouTube videos. without these effects, the scene would only have voices and would seem very unnatural to the human ear.

Do you need to record any sounds out on location, if so which?
For this soundtrack, due to the fact that the majority of the sounds are sci-fi, I did not record out on location. If I had more time to do this project I probably would have experimented with on location sounds instead of mixing stock ones.

Recording Plan (Mass Effect)

Where will you set up your Foley floor?  Why have you chosen this location? 
My Foley floor will be set up in the studio on the forth floor of the tower block. This is because the room as been sound proofed meaning that there would be little to no reverb while recording. The other reason why using this location is a good idea is because the room has all the equipment and software set up within, such as as a mixing table and recording/editing software.

Will you be creating any bespoke sound design for the clip?  If so, what will you make and how?
As the clip I am re-dubbing has a Sci-Fi theme, a lot of the sound needed will need to be created through Foley and sound design. Some examples of the types of sound effects I will need to create include; a cloaking system deactivating, mechanical transforming sound and even a physic explosion.

In order to create such sound effects such as the cloaking deactivation i was thinking about possibly recording the sound of a computer fan running and then altering the pitch and possibly fusing it with some other stock or Foley SFX. The trickiest sound effect to create will most likely be the Physic explosion, for this I could possibly use a stock sound effect of thunder and use sound editing software to alter it to sound more like a Sci-Fi effect.

What stock library sounds will you use and where will you get these sounds from?
The majority of my stock library sounds will properly end up coming from Garage-band, however for any that I cannot obtain from there i can use mp3 converting websites to download effects from YouTube. I will be trying to use stock sounds a little as possible however there will be such sound effects, such as the transforming gun, that will almost certainly require stock sound effects.

What music are you going to create and how?  What emotional response are you attempting to elicit in the viewer / narrative role do you wish for the sound to have? 
The main theme of the music in this scene is 'tense.' In this scene the main characters are attempting to evacuate a counsel member from an attack on their headquarters, however they have been informed that an assassin as be hired to make sure the counselor doesn't escape alive.

To enforce this, the music is very quite with long notes that attempt to set the player on edge and leave them wondering what could happen next. 

What ambiance will you require for the clip? (i.e. what sounds constitute the ambient setting of the clip?)
As this clip has a sci-fi setting, ambient sounds will consist of doors opening, com systems activating and deactivating as well as footsteps. There aren't that many atmospheric sounds in this scene as it takes place inside an office building, within a small enclosed space. The main sounds will be the main focus here as the scene is very intense, so adding to many ambient noises and effects may distract the viewer from what is going on in front of them.

How/where will you record or source the sounds for your atmosphere?
All of the ambient sounds will be found through Garage-band save for the footsteps which I will be creating through Foley. This is because the multiple footsteps take different speeds and paces for each character and shot, so recording the sounds would end up saving a lot of time that would otherwise be used trying to match up stock sound effects. These Foley Footsteps will be recorded inside the radio studio.

What equipment will you need to record your different components of the soundtrack?  Please give a description of what each piece of equipment is for and why you have chosen it.
As well as a basic microphone to record the sounds I will also need a quiet location in-order record the sounds, preferably in a place that causes minimal echos or reverberation.  The radio studio on the 4th floor of the would be the best place to record as it ticks all of the boxes. The soundproofed room will be more than sufficient enough to record the Foley and ADR.

What recording issues do you need to be aware of that would affect the professionalism of your recordings?  How did you safeguard against these?
There are several issues I will have to be aware of while creating. While I do have an entire sheet in my folder (Titled 'Recording Issues for my Soundtrack Production') that goes into this in depth, I will briefly go over some of the possible problems I may encounter. The most common of these is creating handling noise. This is created when the person handling the microphone bangs or fumbles it. This will cause a sound that may end up ruining the sound you are trying to record. To stop this from happening i will be leaving the mic on the floor or table while recording to minimize the potential of handling noise.

What type of microphone will you use to ensure that you get a good recording?  Why is this your microphone of choice?
To record my Foley and ADR, I will be using a basic sound recorder. This is because device such as that will do just as well as a state of the art recording microphone as long as I am in a quiet room so no background noises will be picked up by it.

Jaws Sondtrack analysis (Hooper In The Cage)

The 'Hooper In The Cage' scene from the 1975 hit film 'Jaws,' is one of the most popular scenes in the movie. It depicts one of the main characters 'Hooper' who is trying to hunt the killer shark by going into the water in a steel cage, armed with only a harpoon or stun stick of some kind. Unfortunately things don't go to plan and he ends up being devoured by Jaws instead. While this scene may not contain all the elements used within a soundtrack, it is a perfect example of some of them.

The first sound technique used is the change in amplitude. At roughly the 0.19 mark of the clip we can hear that the Jaws theme is slowly getting louder and louder, increasing the tension of the scene. This tells the audience not only that danger is right around the corner but also that Jaws is getting closer to Hooper. The theme gets louder and louder until we see the shark coming towards Hooper through the murky sea water. Instead of straight away attacking, Jaws instead goes around the cage and swims out of sight while the amplitude of the theme decreases along with the tension. The Leitmotif decreases to a silence once again at around the 0.50 mark, leaving the audience on the edge of their seat waiting for what happens next.

Another element used within this time frame is the Jaws theme itself. This is called a leitmotif and is used to tell the audience about a character when they appear without having to say a word. In this case the leitmotif tells us that Jaws is a danger and should be feared whenever it is around, once again building tension whenever the short musical score is played.

The next element used is an L cut. This is when the sound from one shot carries onto the next, such as dialogue or music. The L cut in this scene takes place around 0.25 when we cut to the scene above the water to the other characters on the boat while the Jaws theme continues. This tells the audience that while Hooper, who is underwater at this point, is about to encounter the shark, the other people on the boat are completely unaware of the danger. This three second shot can be a really simple yet powerful way of telling the audience about how hopeless the situation is for Hooper as the other characters won’t be able to do anything until it is too late.

The third element is the use of high and low pitch sounds during the initial attack. While Jaws is trying to break through the cage, almost all of the music is raised to a much higher pitch. This not only helps shock and surprise the audience with the sudden change in pitch and volume, but also activates a subconscious instinct deep within all humans. This is known as the 'Fight or Flight' instinct, which back thousands of years ago, would allow us to make split second decisions about whether we should fight the danger or run away from it. While we may no longer use this instinct as often as we used to, it is still part of our subconscious that can be activated with certain cues in sound. These techniques are often used within horror movies in order to shock the viewer further when something bad happens.

The use of low pitch is used throughout the scene but is first used around the 0.19 mark when the leitmotif begins to play. This is used in order to tell the audience that danger is approaching. However not all leitmotifs warn of danger as they are meant to tell us about a character, and not all characters in a film are considered evil or bad.

Finally the last main element used is dissonance. This is used at 2.06 when Jaws finally breaks through the cage and attacks Hooper directly. This type of scene would normally contain screams of pain and cries for help. However considering almost this entire scene is set underwater, we are unable to hear these sounds. This is why the sudden loud dissonant sound is so effective here as it tells the audience to be scared for the character as he is in great danger and fighting for his life. The sudden shock also once again activates the fight or flight instinct.

Foley Recording Plan

1) Draw at least 3 individual technical diagrams on the attached sheet of how you will set up each of your Foley sounds on the Foley floor.

(see attached diagrams)

2)  Whilst making your recordings, please take some photographs to show how you set up your Foley floor.

Shaking a cup full of broken plate bits

Some of the objects used to create to Foley sounds

Me using said props to create a 'thump' sound effect.

(Ditto)

3) Thinking back to what we covered in lesson (and looking back at the PowerPoint my Blog)  when recording your sound effects how will you ensure that you get a good, clear recording? (positioning microphones / recording location / monitoring and controlling of recording levels via UV meters) fundamentals of decibels (dBs) / background noise

when recording the Foley sound for the scene, it is best to record in a quiet room with minimal echo. This way there will be minimal feedback when the sound is being recorded, also if you record in an outside area the microphone may pick up background noise (e.g. lawnmowers, cars etc.) It is also recommended that that the wire that connects the microphone to the recording device has been secured so that it doesn't move around when recording, otherwise the microphone will pick up any movement to wire makes and distort the sound.

4)What type of microphone will you use and why is this an appropriate microphone to use / how will it help you to get the best recording?

For this recording session i will be using a Shotgun microphone. Unlike a traditional microphone that you might see a TV presenter use, the shotgun mic is more suited to picking up sounds in the direction that the user points it. This is because of its design, having a flat receiver at one end of device. This allows the sound to enter the microphone in a 'funnel' shape rather than a traditional dome shape, allowing a much more direct an clearer sound.

This is useful to my Foley work as i only want the microphone to pick up the sound effect and nothing else. While this microphone doesn't completely block out all other sound, it does make the overall recording go much smother allowing ease of editing.

5) when recording what issues do you need to be aware of and how will you safeguard against these (i.e. background noise, acoustics?)

When recording anything, whether recording just the sound or a visual image as well, there will be multiple issues and problems you will encounter. For this task I will be taking multiple precautions in-order to prevent issues such as background noise and interference from happening. I will be recording these sound effects inside the colleges sound studio, which has been fitted with insulation on the walls to prevent both echos and outside noise from interfering with the audio.

Treatment of 'Shaun of the Dead' audio dub

Name of Production: Shaun of the Dead

http://cscsoundtrack.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/sound-equipment-and-recording-processes.html
http://cscsoundtrack.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/musical-terms-and-instruments-tuesday.html
l

What feel or mood are you hoping to achieve with the sound for this clip (i.e. how do you want the audience to feel and at which points in the scene?  Does the sound have a narrative role?)

Keeping with a similar tone to the original soundtrack, my re-dub will have a upbeat, intense style of music playing in the background. By keeping this same style it also makes the scene stay as one of the more intense parts of the film, though also quite humorous.

Describe the music are you going to add to the clip (pace, tone, style, pitch) and what response you hope to elicit in a listener.  Where will you get your music from? (Pre-recorded music; public domain, licensed, own)

As stated above, the music I will be using will be a royalty free track most likely downloaded from YouTube. Royalty free means that the audio is able to be used without paying or getting permission from the owner if what you are using it for will make money, if you were to ignore this when going  about creating a film or TV show to make money it would considered illegal and you would almost certainly be fined for breaking this law. As with the original, the tone will be upbeat and intense adding to the drama of the scene.

• Describe the music you used (in future tense) you could use some of the music terms above.
• What emotional response do you want from the listener?

What Foley sounds are you going to record in the studio and add to this clip and what will they add to the scene:

Whilst in the recording studio, I will need to record most of the sound effects during the scene. This will include; cutlery rattling, plates smashing, boxes slamming etc. Foley adds to the overall feel of the scene. Without it either there would be a lot of background noise that could interfere with the script (say a lawnmower sound in a post-apocalyptic setting,) or so much background noise that you cant focus on what the scene wants you to. I will also be adding ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) which means I will be replacing the dialogue in the scene with my own voice. For this scene I will be using funny voices based two of the characters from the popular YouTube parody 'Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged.' The voice for Shawn will be Bakura (stereotypical British gravelly) from the parody, and Ed's will be Marik (High pitched, feminine.)

Do you need to record any sounds out on location, if so which?

For this scene in particular there will be no need to record on location. This is because this scene requires no such sounds and any I am not able to recreate through Foley I can obtain through the sound list on the editing software. The ambient sound effects I will be using for this project will be mainly from 'Garage band's' expansive SFX library or YouTube, both of which will be royalty free for legal reasons mentioned above.

Who will be in your recording crew to help you get your sounds and what are their individual roles and responsibilities?

During the recording of the Foley sounds I will need Tony’s assistance. This is because I require somebody to play the scene at the right time so that my Foley sounds are in time with the original. As for the dialogue, I was able to do this on my own with only minor help from Kelly to do the same as above.

50 words soundtrack homework

The score of a film is used in many ways, one such way if often to subliminally 'tell' the audience how to feel. Below is a list of fifty words describing the score to the popular Sci-Fi action adventure video game, 'Mass Effect.'

(As this video is over three hours in length, I have added in time stamps at which part of the sound track these words refer to)

         12:08

1. Sadness                  
2. Hopeless
3. Depressing
4. Mournful
5. Sorrowful
6. Gloomy
7. Desolate
8. Dark
9. Bleak
10. Strings
11. Piano
12. Hopeful
13. Low pitch
14. High pitch

         30:00

1. Action
2. Upbeat
3. Epic
4. Drums
5. Sadness
6. Hope
7. Fighting
8. Techno

      1:20:35

1. Deception
2. Danger
3. Mystery
4. Insidious
5. Strings
6. Action
7. Upbeat
8. Evil
9. Digital
10. Guitar

      1:38:53

1. Foreign
2. Unsettling
3. Strings
4. Unknown
5. Unsafe
6. Sad
7. Sinister
8. Insidious
9. Evil
10. Epic

      2:23:53

1. Mystery
2. Unknown
3. Deception
4. Evil
5. Secret
6. Sad
7. Strings
8. Low tone