Unit 38: Sound Production 🔊

Part 1: Glossary : |

Music

Score - Music made specifically for a film (commonly orchestral)

Mix - Music taken or leased for a film 

Diegetic - Sound that the characters can hear in a scene as well as the audience

Non-Diegtic - sound that the characters can't hear in the scene and are exclusive for the audience

Sound Motif - Music specially made for a concentrated moment in a film (commonly for characters and commonly a score)

Sound Bridge - Sound that is blended from one shot or scene to the next whether that is too early or late

Sound FX

Ambient - The surrounding sounds of a scene used as filler

Establishing Sound - Sound effects used to convey to an audience on where the scene is taking place

Naturalistic - Sound effects that are not edited in anyway and are realistic sounding

Hyperreal - Sound effects that have been edited for dramatic effect commonly on volume

Synchronous - Sound effects that are synced to what we can see happen on the screen

Spoken Word

Conversational - Spoken word in films which are from a conversation involving more than one person

Functional Dialogue - Spoken word in films which are for aiding the audience and informing them as to what is happening in the scene without directly talking to them.

Exposition - Spoken word included for important background information within a story; for example, information about the setting, characters' backstories, prior plot events, historical context, etc.

Part 2: Initial Task : |


Write an analysis of two scenes from  different films or television dramas you are familiar with. ( 600 words minimum )

This should include closely  analysing the mood and meaning  created for the audience by the  audio content ( music, sound effects, dialogue )


Scene 1: A Quiet Place

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opfMX6zTk-k

For this scene the music was definitely the most used of the 3 sounds in the mix, probably the second loudest of the 3 in the mix and was very necessary as the film is notorious for it's lack of spoken words and play on silence, the music itself is non-diegetic as commonly most film music isn't heard by the characters. Additionally, the mood and pace of the music was very inconsistent as at times there was a slow pace of music building tension along with dramatic pauses to create anticipation for the audience then a short burst of fast tempo music after the climax followed by yet another stop, this is all the create a spooky mood leaving the audience in suspense and wondering what will happen next. lastly, for music there was a score used specifically for the scene including mainly drums with violin and various woodwind instruments.

Secondly, for the sounds effects due to the film being mainly still the sound effects was definitely the second least used and also the quietest due to the grand effect of the music and lack of spoken word. Furthermore, the sounds (being very little) were diegetic as the characters would've definitely heard the sounds at the time of the scene and also the sound effects themselves were in synchronous as they were definitely matched to the moment when the sound would be made. However, the sounds were both naturalistic and hyperreal as for when the characters were running and when the son walking into the dad the sounds were quiet and realistic whilst when the monster went to attack the old man the sounds were heightened and extreme.

Lastly, there was the spoken word. However, there was no actual words spoken in this scene apart from the old man shouting. Furthermore, spoken word was definitely the least used sound in the sound mix and was the loudest as even though there was only one case of spoken word it did drown out the music and sound effects alike. The singular scream from the old man was a voice over in this scene as the film itself was in fact recorded as a silent film so all music, sound effects and spoken word was added in post-production. Finally, the scream was diegetic as all characters appeared to react to the scream when it happened along with the consequences of doing so.


Scene 2: Good Will Hunting

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIdsjNGCGz4

Firstly, for this scene the music was definitely the most quiet sound in the mix due to spoken word and sound effect drowning it almost to the point of not being audible. However, the music was the most used as there is music in the bar from start to finish. The music itself is diegetic as it wasn't for the people watching the film but for the characters and other people in the bar. additionally, the music was clearly a mix as the film producers picked out a song for a bar scene to play in the background. however, the for the mood and pace there isn't really one at all as the mood of music is just to realistically create an atmosphere for a bar and there was no pace set by the music at all.

Furthermore, for the sound effects it is clear that it was used the second most amount in the sound mix as there was consistent ambient bar sounds throughout the scene. additionally, the sound effects were the second loudest as they were more prominent than the music but definitely quieter than the spoken word. The consistent sound effects were certainly diegetic as the characters would've heard them in the bar whilst also being naturalistic as there was no extreme or heightened sounds at any point.

Finally, for the spoken word it is very clear that it was the loudest sound in the sound mix of this scene as it dominated any sound effect or music playing a the same time when the characters spoke. also, the spoken word was the least used at unlike the sound effects and music which were both almost entirely used the spoken word had it's stops and starts. The spoken word itself was definitely dialogue as back in 1997 voice overs were uncommon in live action films. additionally, the spoken word was obviously diegetic as the characters could all hear each other and were conversing in the scene. Finally, the spoken word was all conversational as there was no dialogue that was set specifically for helping the audience to understand what was exactly happening in the scene in question.


Part 3: Assignment 1 : |

Analyse a minimum of  three scenes  from different moving image productions  (films and  television programmes ) explaining in detail how the elements of sound  (spoken word, music and sound effects) are used to create different meanings and moods  for the audience.  You should include  all of the key terms listed below and your chosen scenes/episodes must include the following :

Postproduction studio sound ( film  scenes/TV drama scenes/animations )

At least one example of Live location sound (such as  street / location interviews from TV or film documentaries/factual programmes such as Stacey Dooley, location recording of animals in nature documentaries  etc. )

You should explain specific examples and use timings   e.g  " at 1.41 the audience hears non-diegetic dramatic music which fades in slowly in sync with the scene fading in from black. This creates an atmosphere of..... etc. 

Minimum word count : 800 words

Scene 1: Baby Driver

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y59oGt2XWU

For this chase scene in the film Baby Driver the music was definitely the most used as it played throughout the whole scene keeping up with the events perfectly in time. Secondly the music was the loudest sound in the mix as it was the most important factor of this scene and rightly so. Furthermore, the music itself was both diegetic and non-diegetic as it was playing through to the audience but only one the main character could hear it through his earphones, also the music was a mix as it was leased so the filmmakers could use it for the scene. Finally, for the mood and pace it is very clear as to what the scene was trying to portray, the music set a mood for a high-speed intense chase exciting the audience as they are anxious to see if the characters escape or not. This follows suit with the pace as it is clearly a fast-moving piece of music that is to show that the characters are trying to out run the police as fast as they can.

For the sound effects used in this scene it is clear that they were second most used as the chase scene didn't have a lot of spoken word. Additionally, it was the second loudest in the sound mix as when a sound effect was played the audience could clearly hear it over the policemen shouting. The establishing sound was definitely used as the audience could hear certain sounds conveying the location of the scene such as cars and people. Furthermore, the sound effects in this scene were definitely hyperreal as for when they were heard the sounds were extremely and loud such as the cars crashing and the footsteps of the characters running. Finally, it is definitely clear that the sounds were in a synchronous as the all of the sounds were matches to what the audience could see such as the car window breaking, the people shouting and police dogs barking. 

Finally, for this scene there was the spoken word. Firstly, is it very clear that the spoken word is both the least used and the quietest as there was very little spoken word throughout and when there was it was drowned out by the sound effects and music. Additionally, there is a very small amount of conversational spoken word at the end of the scene with the 3 characters that are getting chased. Also, there is functional dialogue throughout such as the policemen shouting various things like "get out the way", "stop right there", etc. Finally, there is no exposition in this scene as it is exclusively a chase scene. 

Scene 2: Star Wars: Rogue One 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxL8bVJhXCM

For this scene the music was definitely used to most as it played throughout the entire scene. However, the music was only the 2nd loudest sound in the mix as the sound effects were clearly heightened in volume when present to the point where the music was drowned out slightly. Furthermore, for the music itself it was an orchestral score made specifically for the movie which is a common decision in the Star Wars franchise, also the music was a sound motif, the motif itself wasn't the original Darth Vader theme but it was a modernised version for the recent films release. Additionally, the music was non-diegetic as the characters would not of heard the orchestral score in the scene.

Moving on the effects, the sound effects were clearly the loudest sound in the mix as they drowned out any music or spoken word when present but it was only the second most used as the music was almost consistent and the spoken word was hardly used. Also, the sound effects themselves were hyperreal as they were far from naturalistic due to the fiction of the weapons used such as lightsabers and blasters. Furthermore, the sound effects were in a synchronous as the sounds matched with what was happening in the scene such as the lightsaber swinging and blocking the lazer beams.

Finally, the last sound in the mix was the spoken word. The spoken word was both the quietest and least used with there being little spoken word in first half with the rebels shouting and a small section of dialogue right at the end also this sound was when used mostly drowned out by sound effects and music. The spoken word itself was both conversational and functional with the first section being functional as the rebels were saying the short quick action phrases such as "help us", open fire", etc. However, at the very end of this scene there is a short conversational use of spoken word between two characters. Finally, there is a use of exposition in this scene as right at the end Princess Leia mentions the word hope as a foreshadowing of the next film in chronological order being Star Wars: A New 'Hope'.

Scene 3: Iguana Vs Snakes - Planet Earth II

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv9hn4IGofM&t=4s

When it comes to the music for this scene on Planet Earth II it is clear that it is the most used as it is played throughout. However, the music is only the second loudest as the commentary drowns out any other sound. For the music itself it is clear that they used a mix as they leased an orchestral piece to add an epic and tense mood with an extremely fast pace. Furthermore, it is definitely clear that the music is exclusively or the audience and therefore non-diegetic, so the animals cannot hear what the audience is hearing. Finally, for sound there is a sound bridge that is used as the music plays through multiple shots in this scene.

For the sound effects in this scene it is clear that it was the second most used and the quietest as the music and spoken word were clearly louder whilst the music was sued almost entirely, and the spoken word was the scarcest. When it comes to the sound effects themselves it is clear that they were hyperreal as from that distance of filming it would be next to impossible to obtain a clear audio of the events that took place so adding heightened versions of the sounds in post was decided. Additionally, the sounds were in a synchronous as the sounds that were heard matched the events of the scene such as the iguana running on the pebble ground and the hissing from the snakes.

Moving on to spoken word, the spoken word of this scene was clearly the least used but however was also loudest in the mix as for when David Attenborough did speak it was clearly over all of the music and sound effects. Furthermore, the spoken word was non-diegetic as it was a commentary so only the audience could hear it. Also, the spoken word was clearly functional dialogue as David Attenborough was informing the audience on the events of the scene rather than conversing with another character. 

Part 4: Workshop 1 : | 

Individually or in pairs, find a scene from a film or TV programme without a voiceover.  ( 1 minute approximately)

Write a script for a voiceover of the thoughts  of  one of the characters that adds mood and meaning to  the scene.

Plan

Film: Seven

Scene: Sloth Murder    

Script: David Mills (Brad Pitt) 

"I wasn't sure what to expect once we arrived. It was clear that this killer was playing games with us and was always staying out of our reach. We needed to get one step ahead of him if we wanted stop him before his massacre continues."

Evaluation

Once I had been set this workshop assignment I went through the soundtrack production folder containing all the examples of film scenes I could use. I chose the sloth scene from the film seven as I could instantly see a fitting monologue for the character of David Mills. Soon after I went to script my monologue which went with the story so David Mills would address the audience on his thoughts on the situation and the mystery murderer. Once I had scripted the scene I went into the classroom next door to record the monologue on my phone, I recorded it as a video file as my phone doesn't have a audio recorder. Later I emailed myself the recording and obtained the film scene so they could both be put together in the Garageband for editing. For the editing part of this assignment I muted the original scene and the point where i put my monologue and set a gradual increase and decrease in volume at each end for a more natural motion.

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Part 5: Workshop 2 : |

You will be muting the original audio, then  recreating  the spoken word content of  short  film scenes   and dubbing it over the original moving image sequence. 

For this workshop , your main focus should be timing and technical accuracy in lipsyncing and editing : you will not be graded for how similar  your voices or acting  are to the originals. 

Plan

Film: Shaun of the Dead

Scene: Salesman Scene

Script: Shaun (Simon Pegg)

"These are the basics of the digital package.. ugh ...you got your.. lifestyle channels there, bit of Trisha... ummmm ... you got Entertainment, i don't know what that is?... News.. all the basic ugh ... news ...... channels"

Evaluation

Once I had been set this workshop assignment I went through the second soundtrack production folder containing all the examples of film scenes I could use. For this assignment I chose the salesman scene from Shaun of the Dead, I chose this scene as it was an interesting scene for my to try and sync my voice to Shaun lazily selling a TV to a random couple in the film. Afterwards i went through the first part of the scene and taking noted of all the pauses and stutters that the character makes along with the actually words that the says. I then went into the classroom next door to once again record my lines into my phone. However, this time I got a laptop to watch through a muted version of the scene so i can record the lines whilst watching Shaun do the same to get a timing perfect. Once i had recorded the lines as a video file on my phone I emailed it to myself so I could use it on a computer. With both the recording and the scene i put them both into Garageband. Finally, for the editing part of this assignment I once again muted the original scene at the exact time where the character Shaun sells the TV to the couple, I then place the recorded audio at the same point so the words match the character's mouth as he spoke.

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Part 6: Workshop 3 : | 

INTERVIEW RECORDING ON  LOCATION (INDOOR AND OUTDOOR)

In groups of 2/3 , you will be planning and recording a brief interview  , using  audio hardware recording equipment . You will then be recording this interview in specific indoor and outdoor locations and explaining  the technical  results.

Plan

The audio content itself is a 4 question interview on my current a future academic progress;

Question 1 - What is your name and age?
Answer 1 - Carter, 18
Question 2 - What are you currently studying?
Answer 2 - 30-Credit Media & 60-Credit Business
Question 3 - What would you like to do after you finish college?
Answer 3 - Go yo university to study Marketing
Question 4 - What are your top 3 choices for University?
Answer 4 - Solent, Portsmouth & Brighton

Evaluation

For this assignment I partnered up with a classmate and planned the questions and answers above. We then planned to record in an empty classroom and then just outside of the college, this shows a difference in indoor and outdoor audio. For this we used the Apple Voice Memo app and recorded the 4 questions with the 4 answers in the 2 locations. Once these were recorded we sent the audio files to our computers via email and sent them to our Art/Media Drive folders to complete the workshop assignment.

Inside Scene 

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Outside Scene

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Part 7: Workshop 4 : | Adding Music

Download a  suitable  television or film videoclip that does not contain music and add music to the scene to compliment or chance the mood/atmosphere.

Plan 

Film: The Dark Knight Rises

Scene: Bane vs Batman

Music: Newton's Law (Epic-Heroic-Intense-Powerful-Drama) [Youtube]

Evaluation

For this assignment I researched the best scenes that had no music and from that selection I picked the scene where Batman fights Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. To compliment the mood and atmosphere for this scene I research royalty free dramatic movie scene music and added the audios together but slightly tweaked the timing so the audio matched what was going on in the scene. Furthermore, I slightly lowered the audio of the film as I wanted the music to be the main element but still wanted the talking and sound effects to be heard.  Finally I exported the video to an Mp4 files and placed it in the Art & Media drive. 

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Part 8: Workshop 5 : | Creating Music/A Score

Plan 

Film: War of the Worlds

Scene: First Attack
Music: Intense and Sinister Sci-Fi Music created with Garage Band Synths

Evaluation

For this assignment I initially went for the same scene as the previous workshop (Dark Knight Rises). However, i decided to change the scene as i couldn't create any fitting and or good music for the fight scene as garage band was limited on the sounds for this genre. Eventually, i decided to go for a scene from War of the Worlds as a lot of the synthesisers were fitting for sci-fi and alien films. Furthermore, for this scene in question, I used various synths and made simply chords that sounded sinister and yet intense to fit the mood of the aliens coming to life and attacking the civilians in the streets. In conclusion to this method of scoring compared to the mix from the previous assignment it is safe to say that creating your own music allows you to be more flexible with a scene and precisely time the moments and events. Although, it is also clear that with the mixed assignment the mood and tone created is far better as getting pre created music sounds a lot better than the music i failed at making in garage band.

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Part 9: Workshop 6 : | Adding & Creating Sound Effects

Plan  

Film: The Wolverine

Scene: Bear in Forrest

Sound Effects: Thunderstorm, Fire Pit, Gunshot, Bear Roars, Drawn Knife, Stabbed Knife, Sliced Knife, Clothing Movement (Custom Sound)

Evaluation

For this assignment I instantly wanted to use a scene in which there was rain & thunder as that is a easy to find sound effect on YouTube. Due to this I chose a scene from The Wolverine where Logan is living in the woods and finds a shot Bear that is still alive during a thunderstorm. For this scene I gathered the main background sounds such as Rain, Thunder & Fire (for logan's camp) to create the atmosphere of the scene being an dark and quiet night in a forrest during a storm. Additionally, I gathered all the sounds required for the Bear's death such as the distant gunshot, the roars and the knife sounds of Logan killing the injured bear. Lastly, I neatly cued up all the sounds so they correlated to the scene and saved the film as a garageband file. Additionally, for the custom sound i simply used my phone to record my coat moving to make the sound when logan turns in head into the direction of the gunshot. 

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Part 10: Final Assignment : | Final Soundtracks

You will now be combining all the skills and techniques you have learnt so far and planning and creating  complete original soundtracks ( spoken word , music, sound fx) for two different moving image sequences .  These can be sequences from films, television dramas, factual television programmes  or animations and can be clips yo have previously used in workshops.

Each  moving image sequence should be at least 30 seconds  in length to give   you the opportunity to use as many techniques as possible in replacing its entire audio content. You must use the following techniques in at least one of your original soundtracks :

Dubbing of dialogue

Library sound fx ( such as freesound )

Foley sound fx ( at least one original sound effect)

Diegetic or non-diegetic Music  ( original or library sounds)

Scene 1 - School Scene (Moonlight) - time

Client - Barry Jenkins

Personnel - Plan B Entertainment

Resources - Youtube Sound FX & Music

Scene 1 - Proposal

Music Information - For the music of this scene there wasn't much at all but I ultimately decided on using simple tension building stock music whilst the protagonist walked into the school and up until he entered the classroom. The reason for this is so I can fill the gap where there was no sound in the this scene and the scene itself can be far more intense and atmospheric. 

Spoken Word Information - For the spoken word of this scene I am getting a recording of a student in college saying the last line in the scene said by the protagonist when he gets dragged away from the fight by his peers. The reason for this is as I can easily create my own version of the line by using an actor specifically. Additionally, it would be easy to record the line on my phone so I can send it to iMovie for editing. Furthermore, I chosen Charles because his voiced matches the character's well enough so the scene will not look odd due to characters voice sounding strange. 

Sound FX Information - Lastly, for the sound effects I will use all the sounds listed above. Furthermore, I will gather all of these sounds through YouTube as the site has a numerous amount of free stock sound effects in which are realistic and appropriate  sound effects for this scene in particular

1. Traffic Ambience
2. School Hallway Ambience
3. Classroom Ambience
4. Angry Crowd Sound FX
5. Shocked Crowd Sound
6. Fast Walking Sound FX
7. Opening & Closing Doors Sound FX
8. Wooden Box Smashing Sound FX

File Location - Art_Media/Media/2018 Soundtrack Production/Complete Final Soundtracks/Carter & Rhema/

Scene 1 - Evaluation

We decided to chose this scene as we have already chosen a scene that contains dialogue so this time we wanted just a silent scene that contains no talking. Eventually, we chose this scene from Moonlight where the main character gets revenge on his bully by walking into class and hitting him with a classroom chair. This scene has very simple sound effects and music that can be recreated with relative ease. Firstly, we took note of all the sounds effects required which are listed above. After we can gathered all of these sound effects we then found a simply backing music which conveyed the tension rising in the scene as the protagonist walked into school and into the classroom. In iMovie, we then gathered all of the resources including the scene from the film and precisely cued them up together so the sounds correlated with the actions of the scene. After, we got a recording of a student in the college saying a line from the see where the student is getting dragged away by the other students, we then added the mp3 file into iMovie and cued the audio together. After that we exported the film into a .mp4 file and sent it to the Art_Media drive so it can be submitted for the assignment. 

Scene 2 - The @nti Social Social World (Documentary)

Client - Carter Goddard

Personnel - CG Productions

Resources - Youtube

Scene 2 Proposal

Music Information - Finally For this documentary I will be using the music listed below. Additionally, I will be sourcing this music from YouTube as the site has many options for backing music for documentaries & films scenes. The reason I will be using this music specifically is because both of them fit the tone of the documentary and both fit the point in the documentary they are in (1. for intro music, 2. for credits).

1. We're Finally Landing - HOME
2. Are you lost in the world like me?

Spoken Word Information - When it comes to the spoken word for this documentary I will be using a student at college to narrate all of the audio the reason I am doing this is because I will find it easier borrowing a student for one lesson and getting all of the recordings done instead of frequently adding new audio for each section once I had reached that stage in the video. Furthermore, I chosen Jack Stone because his voice was good for the documentary narration fits the tone I am going for.

Sound FX Information - N/A

Scene 2 Evaluation

For this scene I directly filmed and edited everything for a previous assignment (Unit 31: Social Action). Furthermore, I had put all of my recorded scenes into iMovie and sourced a basic background beat to give the interview depth but not dominating the scene or else the viewers would've gotten distracted to make sure of this I lowered the music's volume so that I could be barely heard in the interview section of the documentary and also had the beginning and end of the music fade in and out to not have obvious sound cut off.  

File Location - Art_Media/Media/2018 Soundtrack Production/Complete Final Soundtracks/Carter & Rhema/