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.
