Evaluative Report

  As a finished piece, I am really happy with the end result. However, some elements such as the creation of more layers on the ‘dustbin’ scene to form more of a realistic sound, could have been improved. I would say that a particular strength of the piece is the choice of music. I found the song named ‘O Solitude’ by Jody Pou on freemusicarchive.com, and was immediately drawn to it because of it’s name. The opening lyrics are the same as the title, and this works well with the desolate visuals on screen. I like the way that I changed the EQ levels to make it sound as though it is on the radio in the butchers. This interchanging use of music from non diegetic to diegetic is an interesting concept.

  When I watched the mute clip for the first time, I had no preconceptions as I had not seen the film ‘Delicatessen’ before. I instantly imagined how I wanted it to sound. I hoped to create something eerie and interesting, through using techniques such as ‘panning’ through the two speakers, as well as using subtle sounds that progress the narrative instead of making it too busy.

 I recorded the majority of the foley myself using either a Rode or Rifle microphone. Booking out both the pro tools sound studio and the workstation meant that I was able to gain these sounds in a quiet environment. By using objects such as a metal slate and a key, I recorded the sound of the sharpening of a knife for example. I worked with Alex in the studio when recording, as it meant that I was sometimes able to concentrate on getting the microphone set up and the levels right through having him generate the sound.

  Throughout the process of forming my major project, I had little set backs. The only major problem I had was when work recorded in the protools studio was deleted. As I have a background in singing, I originally wanted to sing the opening piece myself. I recorded this in the Protools studio, however, the computer did not allow me to save the track before it crashed. I did not have time to do this again and if I were to do the project again, I would definitely give this another go, as I think it would have made it more organic. I am however happy with what I did use, as the tone and style of the musician work incredibly well with the piece. 

 I think that the target audience for the piece is probably aged 15+, due to the dark nature of the opening sequence. Within the first minute, we see a butcher sharpening a large knife - a memorable image. I wanted the sound to replicate the aspect of the visuals being so memorable, and this unfolded itself through the naturally screeching sounds of the action. I edited the sound so that it panned to the right speaker as the camera tracked past the character, as well as making the volume levels louder as it did so. I think that this helps draw the audience into the film and make them feel as though they are in there with the action. As the camera goes through the pipes, I added reverb to the sound of knife sharpening along with the song playing on the radio. I gradually faded out the sound of the radio to make the other sound more unbearable and intense. This combined with a room tone added to the uncomfortable and relatively sinister mood of the section.

  The sequence that sees a young male listening at the vent to hear the sounds of knives is visually very compelling, and I wanted to keep the sound for this simple so that it did not detract from the great cinematography. I used the sounds of sharpening knives, but made the levels quieter to make it subtle. Through keeping the reverb, a sense of space is added, as it helps the audience relate it to the previous section. I wanted the audience to empathise with the new male character on screen, as he is obviously frightened. If I were to improve the piece, I would probably include some breathing from the character at this point. I thought of this when editing, however because his mouth isn’t open, the sound of breathing through his nose would have been needed - something that I didn’t have the time to record. Having the loud sound of this character breathing would help an audience identify with him more, as it would highlight how worried and scared he is.

 I have grown in confidence using Soundtrack Pro because of this project. I really enjoyed editing the sound design and putting the tracks together, in order to form a layered and complete piece of work. Effects such as Channel EQ and Space Designer allowed me to alter the perspective of sounds in certain scenes. An example of this would be when the man is in the dustbin and being dragged into the butchers. I recorded the sound of a metal trolly being pushed in the workstation and lowered the frequency. The muffled sound of the trolly works well with the picture as it has depth due to the wheels moving over various surfaces. As well as this, I incorporated a subtle sound of newspapers rustling along with the character’s breathing, to add to the tension.

  Work from sound designers such as John Carpenter and Dave Porter influenced my sound design for the major project. Porter’s work on the TV series Breaking Bad inspired my use of perspective in the piece. A particular technique used in the show, was to make a doctors dialogue muffled as he told the main character his diagnosis. This, combined with a ‘tinnitus’ style high pitched note, helped me as a viewer to sympathise with him and put myself in his shoes. This is something I wanted to create in my own work, however I did not want it to appear too abstract and ‘over-the-top’, as there was already a lot of techniques used. If i were to fit this style in anywhere, it would probably be when the man is listening at the vent. It could have been an option to make the sound of the knives gradually more muffled to give a feeling that he is getting more and more scared - and to draw the audience into what is going on inside his head.

  I used subtle sounds in my project to convey what was happening without making it ‘over the top’. An example of this would be the short speech saying ‘ah’ as a cigarette is put into the bin he is hiding in. This worked well as it was realistic enough and didn’t make it too complex. The French film theorist André Bazin stated: “Realism in art can only be achieved in one way - through artifice.” (Bazin, Vol. 4, 1962, p.20-1). Speaking of deception to the viewer, Bazin describes in this quote the way in which although something may appear realistic, it must be forced in some form. The realistic qualities of the sound design in this project have all been overlaid through using foley and atmos tracks.

  A particular element of the sound design that I am really happy with, is the section that the character walks down the stairs, wrapped in newspaper. I recorded the sound through taping paper to Alex’s feet and asking him to walk on a wooden surface. This sound was then given some reverb in editing to give the effect of the staircase being tall and empty. I wanted the audience to understand that this character is all alone and trying to escape. The picture makes it is obvious that he is running away, however, through adding this reverb, the echos in the space provides the notion that the smallest sound he makes can be heard, increasing the feeling of anxiety, as he doesn’t want to be caught.

  I have enjoyed working on my own for this project, as I have only had myself to rely on. Myself and Alex helped each other when recording the sounds and I found this really useful. It meant that I was able to focus on listening to the sound and ensure that the levels and recording were correct. We watched the footage as we created the sounds as this made sure that they synced with the visuals on screen. I recorded some sounds such as hands on the railing for the staircase scene, however, I didn’t feel like it was needed and made it all a little clumsy.

  Something that I think could be improved, would be the outside section where the dustbin men empty the trash. When editing this sequence, I chose to reduce the amount of sounds you would expect to hear, in order to maintain the eerie atmosphere. For example, I added reverb to the footsteps of the men to give the illusion that they were in a large empty space. That there was no one else around. I think this worked because it meant that they were the only people to pass, showing why the character felt it was his only means of escape. I think that this scene could have been made better, by making it a little noisier, to ensure it was realistic. These kind of trucks are known to be particularly loud, and this wasn’t reflected enough in my sound design.

  A book that has been a good guide when making this project, would be ‘Film Art: An Introduction’ by Bordwell and Thompson. Within a specific chapter called “Selection, Alteration, and Combination”, the perspective of sound is spoken about and provided is some good examples of films that use this well. Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’ combines sounds to “create an ongoing stream of information” (Bordwell and Thompson, 2010, p.278). I ensured that I informed the audience of the narrative through sound in my own piece, especially in the section when he is being dragged inside, as the audience is reliant purely upon sound to know what is happening. In retrospect, I think I would have removed the sound of the bell and door from this part of the film, as it gives away the story too much. It might have been more effective to let the viewer imagine for them self what was about to happen, and leave the sound design minimal like the picture. This would have formed more of an element of surprise.

  Overall, I have created a piece of sound design that I am really happy with. On reflection, the possibility of using my new skills on Logic Pro could have come into play, however, I think that sometimes just a simple room tone is enough to keep depth to the sound without having to be cliche and over-cinematic. Also, because I have experience in music, I would have liked to compose something myself for the piece. However, I am glad that I focused on other aspects of the design because not only would I had not enough time to write a piece of music, but I feel the choice of song I decided upon worked really well.

  I think that I have successfully synced my sounds to the picture, something that can sometimes be very difficult. The piece was comprised of around 40 tracks on Soundtrack Pro, as I often had to cut up sounds and layer them when wanting to create something such as a gradual fade into an effect, like the alteration of EQ. I am happy with the end result and really enjoyed this project. It has been interesting to work on a piece alone and being able to be responsible for all my own decisions.

References:

Bordwell, D / Thompson K (2010) Film Art an Introduction (Ninth Edition)New York: McGraw-Hill

Presentation

We presented the final projects in Harmer 2325 at 9am on 02/05/2013. Below is a copy of the notes made from the feedback of my piece:

• Music going from non diegetic to diegetic was good
• Bringing the music back at the end provides a full circle
• Good choice of music - provides an ominous ambience
• Good use of alternative knife sounds
• Great foley work throughout
• There is never a static tune
• Good perspective from inside the bin
• The 'ah' from inside the bin gives the game away enough
• Does the bell sounding when he is being dragged inside give the game away too much?
• Good use of triggering sound before we see them
• The music sets a beautiful tone and was made into a motif
• Would have been nice to add the sounds of pipes when going through the tunnel as it lacks physicality
• Has a distinctive feel and quality of thought
• Some of the levels could have been higher, such as the bin scene

Overall, I am very happy with my comments on the final piece. I agree that the dustbin man scene could have been a little busier, and that the second bell could have been removed to keep the audience wondering what is happening. I was worried that the music might not be greatly received, as I did not want it to appear like I had put it on for the sake of it. However, thankfully everyone understood my reasonings and liked the tone and atmosphere that it added to the film.

Editing

I edited the sound using Soundtrack Pro. I used a number of effects, such as space designer to alter the Eq, and reverb to add echo in certain sections. Below I have a series of screen shots from the progress of my work throughout editing the piece, followed by a brief description of what I did.

  For the opening, the classical song plays. This then gets gradually quieter as the door opens and is overlayed with a new track of the same song in the same place, but with an altered eq and perspective (one that almost sounds as though it is on the phone to create a radio-style effect). It was difficult to cut the knife sounds so they fit perfectly with the speed it was happening on screen, however I managed to do this and also tried to make every slice a little different, to make it more realistic.

I also incorporated the atmos track of wind to the opening shot, as I felt that this created an eerie atmosphere, and helps to highlight the desolate environment.

 When the footage cuts between the butchers room and the man stood by the vent, I had to also cut the tracks up to allow room for effects to be added. Reverb was added to the knives to make it sound as though it was coming through the air vent. I heightened the sound of the room tone towards the end of the track through the tunnel, to create more suspense.

Many of these screen grabs are self explanatory. I have uploaded them to demonstrate the different layers I used to create a full 'sound-scape', as well as show the way I altered volumes and changed the direction of sound in certain scenes.

  It took be about 4 to 5 full days of editing to complete this piece. Once I had finished the edit, I went into the sound edit room to test the levels on the speakers we would be presenting on. This made me realise that some sounds needed to be much louder, such as breathing for example. Once I had done this, I was happy with the final product.
  I had trouble exporting the final piece and found out later that this was because I had a track name 'trolly clash/rock'. An article online made me aware that it was the '/' in the name that stopped the track from exporting.
  Overall, although the editing process has been strenuous, I am happy with the end result. I would have liked to have more opportunity to mix the film on speakers as opposed to headphones, as this would have saved time towards the end. However, I understand that there is limited space.

Session 25/04/2013

In this session, we recorded samples of various sounds, such as a large vocal sound being made in a stairwell. We gained this from different perspectives - from next to the microphone, as well as from the sound coming from the flight of stairs below it. We then used logic to turn these into notes and form a piece of music. You can make a sound so that it plays when a particular key is pressed on the midi keyboard. This allows different sounds to be overlaid and replayed to a rhythm on a loop.

  Also during this session, I was able to gain some more foley for my work. Sounds I recorded that I plan to use in my film, include the sound of a bell, which will be the one from the door in the very opening. 

Workstation Sound Studio

  Because our prior work in the Protools Studio was deleted, myself and Alex booked out the workstation for 24/04, to record our foley once again. Because the studio used before was no longer available to book out, we headed to the workstation, which was a task in itself as we needed to take with us a trolly and the trays of materials all the way from Harmer Level 3.

  I really enjoyed this recording session, as I think that me and Alex work well with each other and were very focused on getting the right sounds recorded well and efficiently.

  I recorded sounds for pretty much every piece of movement in my film, from footsteps to the rustling of paper. Below is a list of the sounds in the film, and how I created them:

• Sharpening knives - A key scraping across a metal slab
• Breathing - Alex
• Rustling paper sounds - Same action
• Wrapping tape around newspaper on body = Same action
• Pulling sections of paper off wall - Same action
• Running finger across knife - Ran it across the edge of metal slab
• Footsteps down stairs - Alex's footsteps on a wooden surface - his feet wrapped in paper
• Emptying bins - Dropped a number of objects on the ground as well as throwing a bin bag to the floor
• Sound of bin being dragged across floor - Pushing a trolly around the workstation studio (filled with a carpet found in the space to make is as realistic as possible.

  I am pleased with the amount of foley I have recorded myself for this project. When doing so, I ensured that the levels on the Marantz 661 did not exceed 12. It was hard not to have peaking levels for the creation of sounds such as dropping the bin bag, as it was hard to test the levels because it is such a fast sound. 

  Overall, I am very happy with the way this recording session went. It was nice to have the sound booth to record sounds in, as no distractions were around, such as air conditioning units. Having the large empty space of the workstation also allowed us to run the trolly freely around the space, over different surfaces in order to add more depth.

Protools Studio

  I booked out the protools stdio for 22/04 in order to record my list of sounds. Alex paired up with me to do this and we helped each other create the required noises. The studio was fully functioning, and meant that we could record straight into soundtrack pro. We used a rhode mic to gain some interesting sounds. To get footsteps, we walked through trays filled with various materials. For example, Alex's piece had a scene where they walk through rubbish, and so we re-created this in the studio and I walked through it for him, whilst he ensured that all of the levels were correct.

  Because I have experience and a background in singing, I sang a copy of the song 'O Solitude, in this session. I played the music through headphones while I sang to help me. Other particular sounds that I gained from this were vocal reactions to add to my piece. I recorded Alex breathing worryingly, saying 'ah' for when the cigarette is put in the dustbin.. as well as a large inhale and exhale for the section when the character places the paper bag on his head.

  We soon had a major problem once we had recorded most of our sounds. The mouse on the computer began to stop working, and soon did the keyboard also. Because it was around 8pm by this time, there were no tutors or technicians from stores to help us. We finally managed to get it to work but then it crashed when we tried to save the work. This was incredibly annoying as it meant that we had wasted around 4 hours in the studio. I have learnt from this to save your work more regularly. Not only this, but I also now have experience in working within the fully functioning studio, and feel confident in recording sounds in this way.

  

Soundtrack Idea

In order to give the piece depth, I have decided to add a soundtrack. I have found a classical song on Freemusicarchive.org, and plan to use this at the very opening of the film. As the door opens, I plan to alter the perspective from being non diegetic to diegetic and make it sound as though it is playing from the radio in the butchers. I think that this will be interesting and allow the audience to be drawn into the scene. Having this music also means that there will be something else to identify the butcher with, as the male character listens through the air vent. Reverb on this track when the camera tracks through the pipes, will be another nice effect to add to the visuals.

Click here to listen to a copy of the song

I was drawn to this particular song because of it's name. Solitude is describing what the audience can see on screen. As well as this, the classical and operatic style to the piece will make the film eerie to watch, and hopefully make the viewer anxious as to what will happen next. 

Logic Pro

After a brief session on Logic Pro, I have gained the following notes:

• To open a new project, select 'Open - New Project', then 'Software Instrument'.
• To import movie, select 'file - open movie'
• To display other tool, hold the command key
• Pencil + click selects the region
• cmd + alt = zoom (+/-)
• Click under 1/0 to change instrument
• Record button also turns on metronome

Written above are some very basic commands for setting up Logic Pro. Once you have done this, you are ready to start playing with the software. You can play either single notes or whole scores on the midi keyboard that is connected to the computer. Once you have done this, there are various effects such as the graphic equaliser that can change an atmos track to be ever changing as opposed to being a loop. This effect has the track ever moving and changing to create depth and something more realistic.

Session 11/04/2013

  In the session on the 11th April, we looked at various examples of film and discussed elements of its sound as a group. As well as this, we were given a quick tutorial on how to use Logic Pro and were able to practice or new skills on this software for the rest of the lesson using midi keyboards. Below is a copy of my notes made:

Film Music and Composition:

What does music bring to a piece?

1. An emotional guide
2. Association
3. A sense of place (e.g. Time, location...)
4. Empathy
5. Anempathetic (The opposite of empathetic sound. E.g. The diegetic sound of formula one on the television in Haneke's Funny Games.
6. Melody and drama = Melodramatic moments

The Last Wave (1997)

Director: Peter Weir

Sound Editor: Greg Bell

Original Music by: Charles Wain

Film Synopsis: "A Sydney lawyer defends five Aborigines in a ritualised taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing things about himself." (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076299/)

How we would design the 'drowned world' scene :

Emotional and intellectual needs of the story:

• End scene - Muffled sound underwater
• Radio - Gets distorted/water sound gets louder
• Rain on the cars could get louder as a 'warning' of what is about to come
• Could still hear the rain lightly - Demonstrates that it is happening in his head (however, I think it could be better if the audience doesn't definitely know whether it is fantasy or reality)
• Sound of people gets gradually quieter as if they're getting further away
• The sound changes to make him look

Blue Velvet

Blue Velvet (1986)

Director: David Lynch

Sound Designer: Alan Splet

Original Music by: Angelo Badalamenti

Film Synopsis: "The gruesome discovery of a severed ear he found in a field leads a young man on a dark and dangerous journey into a dark and sinister underworld which exists in his hometown.(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090756/)

About the Sound Design: 

• "Magic happened with Blue Velvet, because a sound was created." - Angelo Badalamenti
• Hyperrealism - Certain sounds are heightened (such as scissors) to create something eerie and form more of an impact on the audience.
• Uses sound as a way of progressing the narrative - Storytelling element.

• The opening scene immediately subjects the audience to images of a 'perfect' suburban street surrounded by white picket fences in beautiful weather. This scenario combined with the tone and style of the soundtrack, forms something that I think is a little eerie. It all seems too perfect, and this is proved right when a male character has some form of 'stroke' when watering his lawn. Just before this happens, the visuals cut to a shot of the tap which is attached to the hose pipe, as we hear an over-exggerated sound of the water pumping through it. The equaliser has been altered, forming a sound that makes you feel the water is running past you. The sound of this particular sequence instantly changes the tone of the piece and creates something that would otherwise not be eerie or tense. The low frequency sounds as the camera moves down into the blades of grass also adds atmosphere, and makes the audience feel anxious as to what will be found there. The intense sound the beetles produce is juxtaposed with the idilic location, making the whole framework quite bizarre.
• Is the sound design a metaphor for what happens beneath the surface?

Bernard Herrmann

  Bernard Herrmann was one of the most distinctive and influential composers in the industry. His work includes the violin sequence in Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and the experimental score present in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Herrmann was known to be a perfectionist, as well as very demanding - for example, when creating the score for Psycho, Hitchock's idea to have a Jazz sequence was ignored.

"[Good film music] ...can invest a scene with terror, grandeur, gaiety or misery ... propel narrative swiftly forward, or slow it down."

- Bernard Herrmann

  "The saxophone theme from Taxi Driver has become musical shorthand for the American urban environment."1. 

References:

1. http://www.bernardherrmann.org/articles/blog-herrmann100/

John Carpenter

"The horror in music comes from the silence"
- John Carpenter

  Escape from New York (1981) was not only directed my John Carpenter, but he also recorded and composed all of the sound, which is a similar story for a lot of his other work. In an interesting article (http://thequietus.com/articles/07784-john-carpenter-interview), I read that Carpenter composed the score for his first film 'Dark Star' because it was "cheap and fast". Since then, he has progressed into forming sound design for a number of memerable pieces such as The Thing (1982) and Halloween (1978).
   Carpenter stated in an interview: "You can do an orchestral type of score using a synthesiser". He forms a lot of his compositions by syncing the footage with a synthesiser and improvises as he plays. Collaborations with John Carpenter have included composers such as Dan Wyman and Jim Lang. A lot of his work is derived from an electronic style, to which he feels "drives and underlines certain moods and tempos".

Click here to listen to extracts of sound from Carpenter's 'Escape from New York'

Trainspotting: Opening Scene

Danny Boyle's Trainspotting (1996) presents a really interesting sound design for its opening scene. The monologue narration by Ewan McGregor's character Renton, contrasts with the upbeat style of the soundtrack. 

The track that defines this opening scene creates a British connotation that the audience can relate to. The well known monologue used within this section of the film, forms an initial background story to the character, as well as providing the audience with a mood and atmosphere that is carried throughout the rest of the film. 

The cheers of football fans as there is a goal, takes the scene out of context and puts you into the character's mindset.

I think that the levels in this scene are very good, as when the narration comes in, the non-diegetic soundtrack diminishes in volume in order to make it clearer for the audience. This opening sequence sets the mood for the film and feels relatively uplifting despite some of the subjects that arise within the monologue.

Major Project

For my major project, I have chosen to do the sound design for the opening sequence of Delicatessen (1991). I want to do this piece because when watching it for the first time, I envisaged the kind of sounds I would need, and the interesting atmos tracks that could make the first scene as eerie as possible. Below is a copy of the initial list I made of sounds that I need to record:

• Outside (empty) atmos track
• Wind
• Door opening/squeak
• Door bell
• Sharpening of knife
• Breathing
• Wrapping tape around arms/newspaper
• Scrunching of newspaper
• Van engine
• Peeling paper from window
• Van driving (slowly)
• Big inhale (breath)
• Rustling of paper bag
• Footsteps on wooden stairs
• Finger running across knife blade
• Hand on railing
• Huff (breath)
• Opening van door (with voices?)
• Footsteps on concrete
• Gear stick
• Lifting
• Bin lid opening
• Inhale of cigarette
• Emptying of bin
• 'Ah' - Dialogue of cigarette burn
• Rustling
• Bin moving
• Worried breathing
• door 
• Bin lid opening slowly
• Laughing
• Vocal reaction
• Big slice/chop on chopping board
• Squeaking chains

  Various elements of sound will present different perspectives. For example, the sound of the bin van will be fairly muffled as it needs to sound as though it is coming from outside. To do this, I will use the 'Channel EQ' effect on Soundtrack Pro. Reverb is another effect that I will use a lot, for aspects of the scene such as going through the pipes. I plan to add an echo to the sound of sharpening knives and either creating a pan or diminishing the volume to alter its perspective.

  The sound of the bin moving from outdoors to in, will sound as though it is coming from within. Therefore, the sound of elements such as the doors bell, will be muffled, along with 'huffing' to make it appear as though he is being dragged inside.

  I would like to have a classical song to open the piece, overlaying the atmos track. This could then sound as though it is coming from the radio when inside the store, and become fainter as the camera moves through the pipes.

  Overall, I plan to record as many tracks myself as possible, using either the protools or workshop studio. 

Delia Derbyshire

  "Delia Ann Derbyshire (5 May 1937 - 3 July 2001) was an English musician and composer of electronic music and musique concréte. She is best known for her electronic realisation of Ron Grainer's theme music to the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and for her work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop."1.

  She began her work as a BBC Trainee Assistant Studio Manager. Delia had interests in both the theory and the perception of sound. Her work on the Doctor Who theme is what she is most known for. Ron Grainer even said "Did I really write this?" to which she replied: "Most of it".
  "Derbyshire also worked with the composers Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Roberton Gergard (on his 1965 Prix Italia winning 'Anger of Achilles'), and Ianni Christou, doing sound treatments of their orchestral music. She was also assistant to Luciano Berio at the 1962 Dartington summer school.
  On being told at the workshop that her music was 'too lascivious for 11 year olds' and 'too sophisticated for the BBC2 audience', Delia found other fields where the directors we less inhibited - film, theatre, 'happenings' and original electronic music events, as well as pop music and avant garde psychedelia. To do this she encouraged the establishment of Unit Delta Plus, Kaleidophon and Electrophon, private electronic music studios where she worked with Peter Zinovieff [composer and inventor], Dacis Vorhaus and Brian Hodgson". 2.

  Delia once applied for a job at Decca Records and was told by the company that they did not employ women in their recording studios. I think that her success in the industry since then has proved them to have made a mistake. 

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delia_Derbyshire

2. http://www.delia-derbyshire.org/

Sonic Deception

A tactical deception unit named The Ghost Army during World War II used Sonic Deception in order to create scenarios that the enemy would believe. Every day activities found at armoured and infantry units were recorded as sound effects that were then played to be heard up to 15 miles away. The sounds were recorded using Wire Recorders and played back on powerful amplifiers and speakers.

Binaural Recording

  Binaural recording involves the use of two microphones in order to gain a stereo sound. This effect makes sound appear more 3D and often means that an audience become more engaged in a film, as the perspective of sound is more definitive. It is better heard through headphones, as it is more noticeable than speakers.

  The first Binaural unit was made in 1881 and was named a 'Théatrophone'. "It was an array of carbo telephone microphones installed along the front edge of the Opera Garnier. The signal was sent to subscribers through the telephone system, and required that they wear a special head set, which had a tiny speaker for each ear."1.

  'Planet B' is a science fiction drama by BBC Radio 7, that used binaural sound in a trailer that promoted its second series: Click here to play. I think that this sound design is really interesting and makes you feel like someone is in the room with you. Although I would like to do something like this for my major project, it requires the use of headphones and we tend to 'screen' the projects using speakers. Maybe this would be an interesting concept for my final year sound design.

 Another good example of binaural recording, would be the 'virtual haircut':

    This works so well, as the sound seems as though  it is constantly moving around you. It is explained in the recording how it is created, through using two microphones at either side. The concept of having a 'virtual haircut' is imaginative, as it is something that everyone has had experience in, meaning that they can relate to the sound and subject in greater detail.

 References

1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_recording

Workshop 14/03/2013

  After looking at everyones work and giving feedback, we looked at the opening scene for 'Apocalypse Now' (1979), as regards to it's atmos track. Although I haven't seen the full film yet, I think that this opening sequence sets it up really well and makes me want to watch more. The sound of the helicopter is slightly muffled, giving the illusion that you are in someones head. This sound is then layered on top of the music, creating a sort of 'beat' that fits with its tempo. This music really works for the opening, as the lyrics "This is the end", resonate with the picture on screen. 

  John Carpenters 'The Thing' (1982) uses the motif of an ongoing beat throughout. This, in turn, highlights the mood and tone of the piece. The beat becomes increasingly layered with other elements, adding to the tense atmosphere. I think that it is the bass notes of the sound that makes it unnerving to listen to as an audience and the repetitive beat increases the feeling of apprehension. The track was composed by Ennio Morricone, an Italian composer whom has written the music for over 500 films/television series.

A good example of levelling is in episode one of 'The Walking Dead'. The atmos track creates a sense of emptiness as soon as the scene begins. Although the sound of a bird is heard every now and again, it is never repeated and this is what makes it so realistic in a sense. The atmos is subtly always changing, also adding to the realism, and increasing the tension. When closer to the action, the levels increase, in turn involving the audience more into the core aspect of the scene.

Presentation of first exercise: 14/03/2013

  On Thursday 14th March, we each presented our finished exercises. Below is a copy of the notes made from my feedback:

Overall, I am fairly happy with my feedback. I think that positive elements of the work include the dialogue, where I feel that I have successfully synced my own recorded sound to the visuals on screen. I could have improved the piece by adding more tone when he was walking alone in the rain. If I were to, for example, alter the perspective of the sound in this scene, it will have put the audience more into his head space and helped them to empathise with him on a greater level.

Solaris Sound Editing

  I have spent a fair amount of time on my sound edit for this exercise, however, there are a couple of elements that on reflection, I wish I had included. For example, there is no sound when he picks up the fruit - something that I think was needed. Another thing, is that there is no sound between when the protagonist speaks and the character over the intercom speaks. I think that to improve this, I could have included something such as breathing, or even a slight bit of music to add tension.

For this scene, I have kept in mind what Neil said about altering a sound for each camera angle. Therefore, for each angle, I have tried to change the perspective of the rain sound, so that it comes from the left, right or central to the character in relation to the view onscreen. I added some indoor atmos to this scene as well because I felt that it needed a bit more depth.

I added markers to each step that was made by the character. This enabled me to correctly identify where to put each of the footsteps that I had recorded. Although when recording, I watched the clip at the same time, there were still some parts that needed to be altered. As well as this I added some reverb. This gave the section a greater relevance to it's space. I recorded the footsteps walking through puddles so I did not have to edit this in.

As well as the footsteps, I also included the sound of rain and a faint atmos track to this section.

When editing the buzzer, I used the space designer to add some reverb, as I think that it needed it to sound more realistic in it's kitchen setting.

 Because I recorded a friend as the voices for this section of the footage, I used the vocal transformer to alter the original pitch. This made it fit to the character much better.

  To give the impression that the voice was coming from the intercom in the second section of dialogue, I changed the EQ levels. This took off a lot of the low frequencies and give it a more realistic sound to match the picture.

  I found matching the voice to the picture fairly easy, as I had my friend watch the clip as he spoke, in order to gain a seamless effect.

  There have been a number of other effects I have used throughout this process. For example, altering the EQ levels in the second clip to make the sound of people walking past the protagonist seem as though it is coming from inside his head. I was unsure as to whether to include the footsteps and rain in this, and in the end decided not to, as I wanted the effect to demonstrate him shutting out the people in the world, not necessarily everything.

  Overall, I am quite happy with the end result, and although I would change some aspects, as already stated, I think I have recorded some useful sounds and edited them in a way that realistically fits with the given footage.

Solaris Sound Recording

  For exercise one, I have recorded various sounds needed for the clip. I plan to use these along with those on the server when editing my piece together. Below is a list of the sounds recorded myself:

• Rain in window (watering can on window)
• Rain (From rustling a plastic bag)
• Footsteps (on wet ground)
• Moving phone around in hand (moving around a tv remote in hand)
• Outside atmos
• Tray moving (sliding deodorant can along table)
• Sliding door (closing cabinet drawer)
• Sliding pan & putting it down (sliding deodorant can along table)
• News on television 
• Tap running in stainless steel sink
• Dialogue for male and intercom character

  Although I have recorded some of these sounds myself, after listening to them back, those such as the rain on a window is not as good as those available on the server, and so I have used these instead.

  When recording the sound, I used a Marantz 661 and a Rifle Mic.

Why I have chosen the clip from 'Solaris'

  I have chosen Steven Soderbergh's 'Solaris' (2002) as my mute clip for Exercise 1, as I think that it gives a lot of room for interesting atmos tracks and isn't too complex. I think that although it could be made into quite a complicated sound design, I plan to simply use sounds that I feel will give the desired effect. I think that often in films, tracks can be over-used and music is overlaid to hide a bad sound design. My plan is to use silence in clips that I feel necessary in order to portray an intended tension, and unnerving effect.

Research

  I have come across a sound design showreel by Marc Weber and really liked some of it's elements. Here is a copy of a link to the video: http://vimeo.com/55023069

  What I found particularly interesting, is the use of modified sound and sci-fi style effects. In the clip from Neil Burger's 'Limitless' (2011) he has altered the perspective of sound coming from the female character, making it feel as though we are in his head, in turn, understanding his emotions in greater detail.

  I also like the way stereo recording has been used, as I think that it gives the pieces more depth. It has helped me to understand the importance of this in my own work. I think a lot of the sounds are so effective because they have been added to a piece of animation footage. This means that the possibilities are pretty much endless - forming a great deal of room for development in any sound. I have not had the opportunity to record/edit sound for animation and think that it would be interesting to do so. Especially after watching the documentary on the sound design for 'Wall-E', I have become more interested in this kind of style. I would like to record the sound for this genre also, as I think that it could be fun to come up with different ideas of what to use, and figure out what works and what doesn't.

Breaking Bad Sound Design

  I have been recently been watching Vince Gilligan's 'Breaking Bad', and have found the sound design to be quite interesting and unconventional. After reading an interview with the series' sound designer David Porter, I have begun to understand more, how the sounds are created and why various elements are used.

  Breaking Bad utilises a lot of Asian instruments as a 'backdrop' for Walt because he is often very out of place in a particular setting. A specific piece of sound design that I noticed when watching the first few episodes, was when Walt discovered that he has inoperable lung cancer. A 'tinnitus' style sound from Walt's perception is used, making the audience almost hear what he hears. The dialogue coming from the doctor is muffled and makes us (as the viewer) focus on Walt's reaction in much greater detail. I think that this enabled me to empathise with him and 'lean into' the scene that was unfolding.

  The series uses "Scores that seem to blur the lines between music and sound design".1. In an interview with Porter, he states that this is intentional and often uses sections of the production's sound to include in his scores. He also revealed that the opening theme is the only constant sound throughout.

  Every sound recorded for 'Breaking Bad', is later processed, and I think that this is what makes it so different to other types of sound design. For example, there is a predominant use of vintage and software synthesisers and Porter says in his interview how he is "Likely to end up processing it anyhow"1.

  The vast majority of the sounds used in each episode is hardware as opposed to software, and this surprises me. However, I think that because David Porter processes the sounds it gives them a new dimension and often alters the original perspective.

References:
1. http://www.soniccouture.com/en/news-and-features/breaking-bad/

Session: 07/03/2013

  In the seminar on the 7th March, we discussed what needed to be considered when annotating a script as a sound designer. Below is a copy of the notes I gained from the session:

You must set the scene, thinking about:

• Atmos/Ambience
• Soundtrack/Score (Musicality)
• Dialogue (Diegetic/Non-Diegetic)
• Voiceover
• Foley
• Fx
• Motifs
• Design Sounds
• Frequency
• EQ
• Point of View

  As well as these elements, what locations and equipment that would be needed, as well as equipment will also have to be thought about.

When looking at the of the script of 'Lost Highway' by David Lynch (1997), we, as a group, came up with a list of what was needed (for the first page):

• The atmos of the room - Maybe an air con unit?
• The character breathing
• Foley of doorbell
• Cigarette - Inhale/Exhale, sound of ash (crisp) - Motif = exaggerated notion
• Stereo recording of the curtain's motor
• The sound of his clothes
• Intercom Dialogue
• The wind against the window
• Insects from outside

Every time the camera angle changes - Change the sound!

Session: 28/02/2013

  In the session, we focused mainly on perception and how the perception of sound can be altered to fit with a particular sequence in film. The notion of 'temporalisation' was also brought up. Temporalisation is the 'Influence of sound on the perception of time in the image'.1. Below is some information on Temporalisation that I have found on filmsound.org:

Temporalization    

 Influence of sound on the perception of time in the image 

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One of the most important effects of Added Value relates to the perception of time in the image, upon which sound can exert considerable influence.  

Three aspects of Temporalization:   

• Temporal Animation


Sound can animate an image to a greater or lesser degree. Sound's temporality combines with the temporality already present in the image. Sound and image may move in concert or slightly at odds with each other, (in the same manner as two instruments playing simultaneously.)

Static shots may be inscribed into the time continuum via sound. In the prologue sequence i Bergman's Personastatic shots are animated by the sound of dripping water and footsteps. [ more >]

• Temporal Linearization


In the silent cinema, shots do not always indicate temporal succession, wherein what happens in shot B would not necessary follow what is happening in shot A (Some shots were perceived as happening simultaneous.) The addition of realistic, diegetic sound impose on a sequence a sense of real time, like normal everyday experience, and above a sense that time is linear and sequential.  [ more >]

• Temporal Vectorization.


Sounds orient the images toward a future, a goal, and create feelings of imminence and expectation. Many visual movements in a film may be played in reverse such as images of characters who speaks, or plays the piano. Sound  on the other hand are more oriented in time and hard to play backwards. Sound make the shot going somewhere.   [ more >]

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Temporal Animation

Temporalization depends on the type of sound present. Depending on dentistry, internal texture, tone quality, and progression, a sound can temporarally animate an image to a greater or lesser degree, and with more or less driving or restrained rhythm.  

Temporal animation factors are.. 

• How sound is sustained. 


A smooth and continuous sound is less "animating" than an uneven unfluttering one. Try accompanying an image first with a prolonged steady not on the violin, and then with the same note played a tremolo made by rapidly moving the bow. The second sound will cause a more tense and immediate focusing of attention on the image.  

• How predictable the sound is at it progresses. 


A sound with a regular pulse (such as a basso continue in music or a mechanical ticking) is more predictable and tends to create less temporal animation than a sound that is irregular and thus unpredictable - the latter puts the ear and the attention on constant alert. The dripping of water in Persona as well as in Tarkovsky's films provide good examples - each unsettles our attention through its unequal rhythm. A rhythm that is too regular cyclical can also create an effect of tension, because the listener lies in wait for the possibility of a fluctuation in such mechanical regularity.  

• Tempo 


How the soundtrack temporally animates the image is not simply a mechanical question of tempo. A rapid piece of music will not necessarily accelerate the perception of the image. Temporalization actually depends more on the regularity or regularity of the aural flow than the tempo in the musical sense of the word. For example, if the flow of musical notes is unstable but moderate in speed, temporal  animation will be greater than if the speed is rapid but regular.  

• Sound definition 


A sound rich in high frequencies will command perception more acutely - this explain why the spectator is on alert in many recent films. 

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Temporal Linearization 

Let us take a scene that occurs frequently enough in the silent film: a crowd reacting, constructed as a montage of close-ups of scowling or grinning faces. Without sound the shots that follow one another on the screen need not designate actions that are temporally related. One can quite easily understand the reactions as being simultaneous, existing in a time analogous to the perfect tense grammar. But if we dub onto these images the sound of collective booing or laughter, they seem magically to fall into a linear time continuum. Shot B shows someone who laughs or jeers after the character in shot A. 

The sound of the spoken voice, at least when it is diegetic and synched with the image, has the power to inscribe the image in a real and linearized time that no longer has elasticity. This factor explains the dismay of many silent filmmakers upon experiencing the effect of "everyday time" at the coming of sound.  

Synchresis is a powerful factor in linearizing and inscribing images into real time. 

---

Temporal Vectorization

Imagine a peaceful shot in a film set in the tropics, where a woman is ensconced in a rocking chair on a verandah, dozing, her chest rising and falling regularly. The breeze stirs the curtain and the bamboo wind chimes that hang by the doorway. The leaves of the banana trees flutter in the wind. We could take this poetic shot and easily project it from the last frame to the first, and this would change essentially nothing, it would all look just as natural. We can say that time this shot depicts is real, since it is full of micro events that reconstitute the texture of the present, but that it is not vectorized.. Between the sense of the moving from past to future and future to past we can not confirm a single noticeable difference.  

Now let us take some sound to go with the shot - location sound recorded during the the filming, or a soundtrack mixed after the fact: the woman's breathing, the wind, the chinking of the bamboo chimes. If we now pay the film in reverse, it no longer works at all, especially the wind chimes.  

- Why? 

Because each one of these clinking sounds, consisting of an attack and then a slight fading resonance, is a finite story oriented in time in a precise and irreversible manner. Played in reverse, it can immediately be recognized as "backwards". Sounds are vectorized.

Given a comparable time scale (say two to three seconds), aural phenomena are much more characteristically vectorized in time, with an irreversible beginning, middle and end, than a visual phenomena.   

( http://filmsound.org/chion/temporalization.htm)

  As well as this in the lesson, we also learnt about modes of perception:

  There are modes of perception which distinguish the way an audience engages with a film. Walter Murch says that there are two types of sound, these are 'Embodied' and 'Encoded'.

  After being given a sound clip, we were asked to use this to alter the perspective. With this, I played around with the space designer to make the dialogue sound as though it was coming from various places, such as through a phone, in a large hall...

References:
1. http://filmsound.org/chion/temporalization.htm

'10 Golden Rules'

Below is a copy of what I consider to be 10 rules that need to be remembered when being a sound recordist on shoot and/or using a mixer:

1. Check that all of the equipment works before beginning the shoot - This saves time and avoids any problems arising.
2. Bring a torch - It is often found that you will be operating the mixer on a table out of the way of the studio lighting if not in natural daylight.
3. Ensure that you announce what is being recorded before doing so - It helps describe the scene and saves time when editing!
4. If recording two separate actors with two separate microphones, male sire that each mic is on a separate channel so that their recordings don't interfere with one another - It also helps to edit them individually.
5. Every location should have its own atmos track recorded from the appropriate perspective.
6. Ensure that the Marantz is set to Mic/Line.
7. Gain all of the 'wildtracks' that are needed where feasible.
8. Ideally, all atmos tracks should be recorded in stereo.
9. When using a boomed mic, it should be as close to the source as you can get it - face down as opposed to up, as this prevents unwanted sound.
10. Wait before saying 'speed'. Take this time to check that the crew is silent and that the recording sounds as you want it to.

Workshop: 14th February 2013

In the workshop on Thursday 14th February, we worked with the cinematography group in order to record the sound for a practice piece of filming. We did this using a 'Wendt Portable Location Mixer', along with a rifle mic and boom pole. Below are some basic steps to remember when using the mixer:

1. Turn the power to INT (If the VU meter reads less than 9 when pressing 'Batt Test', it will need recharging soon).
2. Select Mic channel for Microphone, if not, select Line.
3. Select 48P if the Mic needs power, Select Den if not.
4. By turning the limiter 'on' you will prevent the sound distorting if the signal gets too loud.
5. Output: Needs to match input of recorder - (For Marantz, select mic if recording via XLR cable).
6. When setting the levels, the sound should be between -9 and -3 when the knob is between 10 and 3 o'clock.
7. The 0 20 100 switch will diminish the sound by 10db if turned onto 10.
8.  For recording voice, set to 100.
9. For other, full recordings, set to 0.
10. Ensure the headphone switch is turned up and that the headphones are plugged in.