Plans! Plans! Plans!

PLANS! PANS! PLANS So I have chosen the clip from Solaris for this exercise. I have chosen this clip mainly because it is set in the future and I thin that there is scope to play around with the sounds of things such as the train and the city scape to make them sound futuristic. Also there is a wide range of locations and action that will enable me to gain as much practice from this exercise as possible. I have broken down the clip down into five component parts. This made it more manageable and easier to sit down and think about how I was going to complete this project. The five sections I have identified are: • Bedroom • City • Train • Outside flats • Kitchen The next stage is to think about what was going to be included in each of these sectioned. My preferred method for this is brainstorming. I like getting lots of ideas down on paper and then from there I can pick out which ideas were good and which were not. It also makes life easier as I can see everything that is in the film in front of me at one rather than having to skip through the clip over and over again, there is only so much depressed looking George Clooney can take. I can instantly see what I need and where it needs to be. The first scene-the bedroom Starting with a shot of rain on the window, this need to be prominent in the mix as the shot is a close up. The rain on the window is the most important thing in the shot. When the camera cuts to an establishing shot of Clooney (completely still) in his room is to put on a simple room atmos, air conditioning. The fact that he is in the centre of the shot surrounded by empty space suggests to me that he is being signified as being alone, therefore this should be reflected in the sound design. I think it is an idea to keep noises from outside to a minimum, just the rain outside. And in the room just the gentle hum of the air conditioning and his breathing. The look on his face is serious and he looks trouble so I think that he should be breathing heavily to signify his thoughts. I think as well the overall mix should be quiet to signify the idea of him being alone, I think that it would be more effective than everything being high in the mix, it will also make a bigger contrast between him being alone in a room and then suddenly in the heart of the city. The second scene-the city I have decided that this scene is going to be loud, to be a sharp contrast to the previous scene. I did contemplate making the city atmos quiet and making Clooney’s footsteps and breathing louder, I think this could have made him seem more isolated and alone. However I think that having a lot of loud traffic and people around him shows that he is lost with in the din of it all. Also I want the volume to ebb and flow as I think a sequence that is quiet through out might seem boring. The third scene. –the train I think that in this scene I will make the atmos quite loud but not so loud that any sound of the main character is drowned out. There is some element of Foley here as well as he is fiddling with something that look like a small case that clicks shut, I will use a glasses case for this I think. The fourth scene-outside the flat block. There is a lot of rain so obviously there will be rain atmos. I am contemplating putting some rumble of thunder in as well; I think this will add to the moodiness of the scene. I will try it out and see what it looks like. In terms of Foley there is just the footsteps really these are on concrete and there is also the splash of the wet surface. I think I will create third by layering footsteps and small splashes. The fifth scene-the kitchen In this scene there are quite a lot of things to think about. There is a lot of Foley. Getting things out of the fridge, the fridge door, the chopping board, the tap, the telly walking across the room and a door bell. I think some of this can be recorded in the protools studio. However things like the ridge and the tap will have to be done at home. I think over all this scene will be quiet again, as I think that as the firth scene of the character at home is quiet I think I should keep this consistent, with occasional loud moments, (the fridge door, the doorbell), being loud (maybe). I think a lot of this will change as I start to work on the project but I think I have a solid starting point.