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everything I need to know

Evaluation

This project was a chance for me to explore and expand my experience with the sound equipment I was already acquainted with but also helping to broaden my knowledge of the art of sound effects. My minor project consisted of researching the historical background of sound effects as a concept as well as collecting a Foley database of sound effects and implementing those sounds and effects into Stevens’s minor project. I used the in-depth research I collected on the water-phone to shape and inspire my creative choices when it came to choosing and creating certain noises based on household objects and items.

Researching for this project was a combination of searching and discovering the history of sound effects as well as looking more deeply into an instrument that inspired my passion for this minor project called the Water Phone that creates eerie and atmospheric music that happily accompanies scenes of horror. While looking into that I discovered its inspiration, the Tibetan drum which make a very similar sound and pitch but has less control over the sounds it can create unlike the Water phone. I looked more closely into the art of Foley sound and the man who created the art and creation of the Foley collection of sound effects; Jack Foley. I found no issue with the researching area of this module as I pitched my own guidelines for this module and knowing I could research these topics freely.

During the first test I discovered the very importance of location in relation to background noise as well as the volume to some sounds through headphones in comparison to what is actually recorded. I tried experimenting with recording the sounds of a heart beat with the microphone pressed against my chest, I heard it through the headphones and believed it had recorded but when I checked the recording it had not picked up. On the subject of background noise I was filming within my kitchen and didn’t pick up on the humming the boiler was making till when I was revising my sound effects I had collected already.

With the second test I experimented more with different sounds in particular, more to do with combat and contact sounds as I know they are important effects that must sound realistic. I kept the microphone close enough to the action to capture its effect but far enough away so it wouldn’t have any negative effects on the recording. I chose the most soundproofed room to record in especially after the first tests issues, I chose to record ambience in that room specifically because it wasn’t just the quietest but it had a bit of subtle character to the silence that would help give a scene more than just ambience. I sat in the silent room and recorded each sound with precision and care, there are some sounds better than others but that is why I made sure to get multiple of each sound, with intensity, duration and different surface areas. If I had to improve anything about this particular test I would have made more exploration with more equipment as well as collecting more unique and interesting sounds.

With the experiences with Stevens’s project there wasn’t any large problems to do with the filming in particular, there were only minor issues but to each issue there were solutions round each corner. I had a particular issue with the ambiences either being tainted or having an interruption at some point in the timeline so I made duplicates of the small ambient pieces and made them fade into each other. I made sure to listen to peers during filming and recording as I was very open to new suggestions about different sounds and different ways to capture the better sounds. The entirety of the filming process was simple enough and felt professional yet also relaxed.

Editing the sound and its effects for Stevens film challenged me in certain way because I was not used to editing sound so I kept to Avid making sure that I was on a program I knew and trusted to explore and experiment with editing sound. The problems I came across during editing were non problematic and had simple solutions, such as an issue I had with the sound effects, I needed the sound of a bat swinging and hitting someone which was a sound I did not have, the solution was to use one sword swinging clip I had and combined it with the sound effect of the bat hitting a pumpkin then cut them in a certain way so it synced in.

In conclusion I would summarise the entirety of the project module as a pleasant success. I experimented exactly how I set out to and I learned the skills I had set out to acquire. I would however state that if I were to do anything differently relating to this project I would have thought more carefully about my first tests location so that way the second test could have been more about another area that was possible to explore. This was a successful module in my eyes because I met the aims and outcomes with gracious embracement. If I were to improve my work in any way, I would have organized my time and locations better as well as spreading my technical knowhow with more equipment.

I encouraged myself to preform experimentation and creativity with my work with audio and it’s many techniques. I was able to extend my critical and cultural awareness within the context of the creative process because I looked at the water phone as well as the Tibetan drums origins. I set out during this project and made sure my Foley work was independent to any other work I was helping with and I kept a pro-active, problem-solving mind-set when thinking of different sounds and if I couldn’t capture them what else I could capture that sounded like them. I developed new and creative methods of using sound in editing by using two completely separate sound clips to serve one sound purpose which was based upon my experimentation and practice of trailing through my own sounds trying to make new techniques and inspiring myself to make an original creative outcome.

Editing and film progress

I used the most of the ambiance to create a solid and equal transition between the scenes as well as an easier more tranquil state of film. I did not use all or even half of the sounds I recorded form my Foley work but is because there was not a lot of contact on Stevens film and when there was I had the perfect contact sound and swing for a baseball bat so really it was more perfectly than recording a baseball bat swinging

with the entirety of Stevens production taken into consideration, it was a good film and had good shoots, there were issues here and there but most shoots do have minor issues. Overall a good shoot and I would happily work with him again,.

Foley work/structure

I wanted to keep the simplicity of the Foley folders
I wanted it to be easy to find sounds and the effects that sync with them
I will be building upon them more and more as the years go by and hopefully I will get to such a point where I will have improved my skills to such an extent that I can begin to rerecord these sounds and make sure they're the best quality.

Learning from the tests

the processes of the tests were entirely experimental and were only theorized to begin with. However with each test I learned from every individual take of each specific sound, where to place to mic, how far away from the action or how how close to get the best audio. I discovered that the imitation of sound can sometimes work better than actually getting the sound from that of the originator.
imitations are useful and only that but they are also sometimes a more realistic improvement to the effect of that sound.

I made a few mistakes with a few of the takes as well as taking more time and effort with some of the sounds and that is truly my bias unfortunately showing through toward some of the sound effects and what they can do however I believe that shows that I have the passion to do Foley sound and in addition that I can do it well enough to keep recreating the sound effect till the are of good enough standard top be in a film project.

Props are very useful but what is more useful is having members of crew to bounce ideas off of and help you create new sounds that you yourself wouldn't have thought of. Research is also a very big part of the process because of you don't know what makes the best imitation of a specific sound then you are shortchanging yourself and the production that you are working for, you need to have the best quality sound and effect to match the quality of the film.

filming sound test 2

I located and used a more noise secure area to record multitudes of noises and sounds that could have been used during the editing of Stevens film

I captured multiple ambiance locations yet found that some were unusable in the sense of interference. All round however the 2nd tests were an amazing account of sounds varying in intensity, length and volume.

With the second test I needed to learn from the previous test as well as from all of the research that was done so I gathered each individual piece of audio from the first testy and listened to each one and deduced how and why I personally messed up entirely.

With the second test afterwards I discovered that the room I had chosen was a much better fitting atmospheric space as well as a wider and much more ambient environment for recording so that was an instant improvement.

I also made sure that I had all of the sounds and props to make the specific sounds  so I was prepared and ready for any kind of tests that were going to happen. Steven also helped with the making of the sounds as some were also for his film, so each sound had to be no less than perfect.

I mainly focused on the contact sounds as I know that the contact of something hitting or contacting with another thing/person is very important and needs to be specific and accurate otherwise it will sound fake and take away from the intensity of the contact.

My favorite contact prop was the riding crop, it had so many versatile sounds and each was unique especially when it was whooshing through the air.

filming sound test 1

What I learned from the first test was that locations of recording sound was very important, a sound proof room is ideal and recommended. The issues I had with the first tests was that the sound was not sound proof and even though I could not hear and disturbances in the moment when listening back to them it was almost deafeningly obvious how much was unusable.

Not only are imitations sounds just as good as I thought they might have been,. they were a great improvement especially for trickier sounds to capture that would either require expensive equipment or are impossible to capture.

What i learned was that you can have as many tests as you like and can have as many re-shoots and takes but if sound does not pick up on the recording device then you cannot buy back that lost time, you can only learn from your mistakes and make sure the next time there are no mistakes

I captured the slice of meat so as to represent cutting or slicing either food or against a person

but it was ruined by the noise in the background, I couldn't hear it at the time but every smal;l detail is very important.

list of possible sound effects

Stabbing (pumpkin)
-tracing knife against pumpkin
Scratching fork against plate
--slow
--fast
Contact sound
-baseball bat against wet towel (punch)
-slapping
--hard
--soft
--tapping
-person falling (thud)
--concrete
--carpet
--tiled
-sitting down on sofa
--being pushed onto sofa
-smashing a plate
--dropping a plate
--intentionally throwing it (anger)
-baseball bat against floor
--being dragged
--being swung/lifted
Boots against various floors
-laminate
--fast paced
--slow heavy
--limp/dragging feet
-carpet
--fast paced
--slow heavy
--limp/dragging feet
-hard wood
--fast paced
--slow heavy
--limp/dragging feet
-concrete
--fast paced
--slow heavy
--limp/dragging feet
-stumbling
-
Ambience
-outside (done)
--tranquil
--busy streets
--busy roads
-coffee shop (quiet talking)
-forest/trees/graveyard
-indoors (done)
-birds chirping early morning
-dogs barking
-
Computer/tech
-mobile phone typing
-keyboard typing
--slow key by key
--fast typing
-mouse clicking
--slow paced
--quick and energetic
-laptop opening and closing
-controller buttons
--singular
--quick paced
-
Human body
-breathing
--heavy breathing
---slow
---fast
--regular breathing/in/out
--gasping
--choking
-knuckles cracking
--individually
--all in sync (knuckle head)
-yawn
--short
--long/deep
-nose
--blowing nose
--sniff dry
--sniff moist (sick)
-fingers tapping
--on body slow
--on body fast
--on table slow
--on table fast
-foot tapping
--slow
--fast
-cough
--light small
--flemmy
--heavy smokers cough
-stomach gurgling/rumbling
-heart beat
-burping (done)
-
Food/drink
-drink
--sipping (done)
--blowing on tea/soup
--gargling
--glugging (done)
--sports water bottle
--large bottle
-food
--crisp packet
---opening/wrinkling
--bread loaf unwrapped
--egg cracking
---pan fry
---on person
---being wiped off
--meat being torn/bitten
--bones snapping (chicken)
--sandwich being eaten
--
Clothes
-jeans being pulled up/down
-zipper up/down

-buttons being done
-shirt being pulled on
-shoe laces being tied
-tie being tied/knotted
-change jangling in pocket
--running
--walking
--rummaging through bag
--coins in hand
--jiggle(star jumps)
-rummaging through bag
-
Household
-bath running
--empty till full
-shower
-toilet flushing
-microwave
-light switch on/off
-stairs
-door opening/closing
--door slamming
--handle being jittered
-fridge door
--opening
--closing
-gas hob on/off
--being lit
--clicker
-

film riot sound effects

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-3M0ZF4fE4 (Tips on Recording Sound Effects!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKq911kcqLYm (Film Riot - Learn to Create Your Own Sound Effects with Foley)

Both of these videos helped me learn about different sounds that can be captured as well as some of the ways I could record them, I won't be able to capture them all but I will capture what I can as well as doing my own experimentation of sounds
contact sounds, cellery

these are from Film Riots video which inspired me and taught me that I could create contact sounds with just a celery, a cushion and a damp towel. They used very minimal techniques in this particular video but in the newest one they did not cover the celery technique so I wanted to try it for myself as well as taking the other tips and tricks into consideration while I record the sounds for Foley as well as for Stevens project.

I did just what was mentioned above but I took it a step further and used multiple weapons and objects against the celery's that I purchased so I could gather a wide range of varying contact sounds

Most of which were very hit and miss

but overall I gathered some rather convincing sound effects as well as keeping some of the others which made for interesting and useful noises

Tibetan drum

The Tibetan drum influenced the Water phone in nit only it's creation but also it's sounds and different pitches, it has kept true to it's inspirations yet also respected the traditional noises

I found this documentary very helpful while doing my research

for such a traditional piece of instrument it is very versatile 

Water phone in depth research

http://www.waterphone.com/

The water phone is a beautiful instrument that produces stunning eerily spooky sounds and noises that would be perfect for horror films and thrillers

I may try to recreate similar noises with some objects around the house, I personally would buy a water phone but they are expensive as well as I am wanting to experiment with the idea of making similar noise and sound effects with different household objects

Jack Foley and Foley sound

Jack Foley perfected the art of sound recording and his techniques and legacy continues to live on to this day even after his death in 1965Even though Mr Foley was never in front of the camera or had his voice recorded, his progress and initiative during the early development of the film industry and it’s technique.

There is not a whole lot  that is known about Mr Foley or even many pictures of him, he was always the man behind the camera capture the perfect sound and practicing with the sound effects to make the projects especially when the essence of sound had been around longer than video capturing.

All of the information I could find on Jack Foley was from here http://filmsound.org/foley/jackfoley.htm

Imitations of sound

Onomatopoeia is the word for the specific action I'm looking towards
the definition

onomatopoeia

ˌɒnə(ʊ)matəˈpiːə/

noun

1. the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle ).

   • the use of onomatopoeia for literary effect.

   
   

This will help me create the sounds that I may not actually be able to capture for example like a heartbeat, getting the rhythm and intensity of the beat and sound effect can sometimes be more dramatic than the sound of an actual heartbeat.

Micheal Winslow was a great inspiration for this portion because he can creat sonds that sound very realistic with just his mouth and throat.

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma05/macdonald/radiosfx/hist_sfx.html

This article is actually very helpful when putting imitations into consideration

the history of sound effects are best researched through the art of radio productions

Learning Agreement

LEARNING AGREEMENT

Name Jacob Moorfoot
Programme Creative film and moving image production
Level 6
Module title Minor
Module code HCFF650
Credit points 20
Study hours 200
Module Tutor(s) Andy Conway

Synopsis of study
What I want to accomplish within this timeslot and project is to work further and more in-depth with my passion and skills of sound but to put more focus into the elements of recording and using small sounds clips and effects to create a larger sequence of audio to compliment certain cinematic genres. To emphasize this point I will be working with Steven Brown to create 15 shots that several will focus solely on one attribute. With the next 5 shots it will follow the opposite route of having the audio be the focus but the visuals shall be of a different genre; so we could match up an eerie audio track that is very mood oriented then have the visuals be very bright and cliché happy story tale. The last section of the shots will be a mixture of the first two parts, so as to show contrast and diversity when it comes to the different sensory parts both of our responsibilities play within the film.
I will be achieving this intended goal by researching how sound effects were used and created to make an ambiance within a film and how sound engineers used collections of smaller sounds that were made from daily objects into pieces that would affect the whole scene. I will be collecting and making a collection of Foley sounds that I will either find or create myself so as to compare and use for later on in the editing process. The ways that I will be creating my own sound effects are by gathering objects and testing their natural sounds against different textures, other materials as well as doing them and several different speeds so as to get the sound clips and to have the best selection of choice when it comes to making the audio tracks.
I want to make this particular piece because I love the idea of large quantities of sound clips coming together and making one large beautiful audio experience, the concept of how sounds and noises can alter a films scene intrigues me in such a way that it inspires me, so this project is the perfect opportunity to seize the chance to explore that idea and concept fully.
I’ll be displaying the finished product and Foley collection I will have gathered via a projector and showcasing the pieces by the presentation date as well as slides to indicate and give visual references as to how I made those noises and how I put them together piece by piece.

Aims
A1 To encourage experimentation and creativity with a range of media and
techniques
A2 To extend my critical and cultural awareness within the context of the creative
process
A3 To promote independence and pro-active problem-solving

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module I will be able to:
LO1 Develop new creative practices based on experimentation and practice existing
and new techniques to generate original creative outcomes
LO2 Demonstrate a critical and contextual awareness and appreciation of the
creative process within the context of my professional development
LO3 Work independently to make decisions and resolve problems

So why write in the aims and outcomes if they are in the module descriptor?
It is important that you write the aims and learning outcomes in full, in the first person, as this will allow you to reflect on the purpose of modules which are designed for particular stages in your study, and that you engage with what learning is expected and the criteria used for assessing the work.

Assessment Requirements
• An approved Learning Agreement submitted via VLE by 30th September
• Research and development of ideas and techniques presented on blog
• Pre-production and Production Documentation
• A recorded outcome in the format of a 3-4 minutes recording analog or digital to be presented at the end of the module.
• 1000 word written self-evaluation of your progress during the module

Assessment Criteria
Practical and technical skills: An appropriate range of specialist practical and technical skills, equipment and materials, are independently selected and professionally applied to the development and realization of your work in an experimental context (LO1)
Research and analysis: Research material from a diverse range of sources is analyzed, evaluated and used to make independent judgements in the development of your work (LO2)
Synthesis and problem-solving: Evidence of confidence and intellectual flexibility in identifying, defining and resolving complex problems in the development and realization of your work (LO3)

Research Sources and References
• http:/youtu.be/_Jznye0iqYE introduction to Foley and sound effect for film
• Viers R. (2011) Michael Wiese Productions: Sound Effects Bible
• M. Horn G. (2007) Gareth Stevens: Movie soundtracks and sound effects
• L. Mott R. (2014) McFarland: Sound effects: Radio, Television and film
• L. Mott R. (2008) McFarland: Radio sound effects: Who did it, and How, in the era of live broadcasting
• Sonnenschein D. (2001) Michael Wiese Productions: Sound Design
• Rose J. (2008) Taylor & Francis: Producing Great Sound for Film and Video
• Atkinson D. (2013) Routledge: The sound production handbook
• http:/youtu.be/RKq911kcqLY Learn to create your own sound effects with foley

Action plan/time plan
26/09/16 Pitch Concept
03/10/16 Individual development planning and brainstorming of intended sound effects and their properties
10/10/16 Pre-production collection of folio sounds
17/10/16 Pre-production collection of folio sounds and self-evaluation on previously recorded sounds
24/10/16 Production editing and construction of soundtracks/effects
31/10/16 Post-Production final editing of sounds to collaborate with
07/11/16 Presentation of work, recording of session. Showing finished work and how I got there
14/11/16 hand in date, nothing else should to be done other than make sure everything is ready for hand in

All Learning Agreements must be signed by the student and the Module Leader/Tutor. It is possible to make amendments to your Learning Agreement, as long as these are approved by your Module Leader/Tutor within an agreed timescale.

Learning Agreement Approval Date
Student name Jacob Moorfoot
Student signature
Module Leader/Tutor name Andy Conway
Module Leader/Tutor signature