Evaluation

This Module has been an incredible learning curve for me and I feel that I have learnt a lot not only about sound but about filmmaking as a whole. Over the weeks I think the most important lesson I have learned is how strong a tool sound is in telling a story.

 I have taken the view that sound is collaborator in the world of filmmaking,  powerful tool that when mixed with visuals makes a film more real to an audience. Randy Thom’s (1993) article ‘Designing film for sound states, ‘ We need, obviously, to design the place where [The Character] lives.  Maybe it’s a run-down apartment in the middle of a big city… And if we take sound into account when we do the visual design then we have the potential for hearing through his ears this terrible place he inhabits’ In other words sound is integral to making the film world a believable place. Therefore it is also important as the more you believe the film world, the more believable the characters and their story are. The end result being that the film is a more immersive and enjoyable experience for the audience, in my view making it a better film.

I think one of the key lessons I learned in how sound creates a believable space was in creating perspective. Something that is so important in making a space seem real. Again this is something Thom brings up, ‘The contrast between a sound heard at a distance, and that same sound heard close-up can be a very powerful element.’ For example sound is great for building up tension, the sound of something in the distance, gradually building can create a powerful sense of dread, fear or anticipation. It helps to set the scene, tells a story with sound. The audience are kept alert and entertained through how sound is manipulated to create the story.

As well as understanding sounds role in film better, I have gained a lot of technical knowledge. This has come from both the sessions and reading I have undertaken throughout the module. Something I have always been a little unsure of has been the actual recording of sounds. However throughout the session that we have has on on-set dialogue recording and Atmos recording I feel a lot more confident in my ability. Another great help in this came from Ric Viers  (2008)‘The Sound Design Bible’. I found his explanations simple and easy to digest. One example of this was ‘The Ten Recording Commandments.’ The rules he outlines seemed simple but I feel they are things that could easily be forgotten yet are imperative in creating useable recordings.

I also learned a lot about different software and became more competent in my use of Soundtrack pro. I feel I am now able to create much more intricate pieces that have a much better level of depth and meaning. There were several effects that I had not used before or did not understand fully that I now do. This has aided me in being able to manipulate sounds and make recordings sound clearer.

I had never really used logic or music software before but learning about it has been of great use to me. I feel that it has such a broad spectrum from being able to create tones and single notes that help to create mood to full scores.

The use of tones and designed sounds used in the very low in the mix is another thing that I learned a lot about. Before Sometimes I had the problem of the soundscape sounding ‘thin’ or it not having the powerful effect that I wanted. Now, by using these kinds of low tones it ‘beefs up’ a soundtrack and can make it much moodier. It resonates with the audience creating an emotional response, something which sound is integral to creating.

 

This knowledge and understanding have taken me through to help in creating the Major project.

I chose this clip from The Quay Brothers ‘In Absentia’ because I wanted the opportunity to experiment more in terms of creating a mood and tone and telling the story of a character's internal turmoil through sound. I felt that in the first exercise I had had success in creating foley and spot effects but had failed in creating a mood. Therefore this is something that I wanted to focus on in this project.

Out of context the film seems abstract and at first I found it a little odd. The feeling I got from the film was one of someone been driven to insanity. I felt that it was a dark piece and very foreboding. I did a little research into what it was about in order to inform my ideas. In Absentia (film) (2012). Having discovered it’s story was inspired by Emma Hauck a nineteenth century woman who lived in a mental institution. Having discovered this I began to plan with the intention of creating her internal thoughts and struggle through the soundscape.

I began by creating a mind map of what I wanted from the film. This helped me envision what I wanted to create in the project more easily. I began by thinking about the different elements of the image and what mood that they suggested. I saw an image of madness, the images also seemed dark therefore I wanted to create a sinister tone.

I also wanted the sound to be a representation of her and what she feels. Taking into account the lessons I have learned in letting sound tell the story, to me it was important to make it so the audience understand her plight from her point of view.

I then began thinking about elements that could be used to represent these aspects. I felt that it was important to have something that was constant and nagging in her mind. This is why I chose the clock as I think the idea of it relentlessly ticking creates a sense of gnawing away at her sanity, it is constantly there, cutting into her mind.

The main thing I did for this film was to try and use a lot of designed sounds. I created a few in logic, different synth tones. In Blade Runner ‘…a rhythmic pattern running from the slow, deep noted rhythms of the electronic ‘drones’ to the rapid rhythms of high pitched sounds…’ (Sider, Freeman, Sider 2003) This concept I wanted to incorporate in my work. I needed to have some low bass frequencies to give a real sense of tension in the audiences gut and also have the high frequencies to keep up this idea of having a mad protagonist. I feel the high pitches resonate with ideas of screaming and being highly strung.

Here I combined several ideas to create this. The first I used were the recordings I had taken from my violin.

I used graphic EQ to give the low end a much deeper bassier feel taking out much of the tuning, leaving only a discordant drone

 

 

I also added other effects to create a sense of mood. I added a reverb because I wanted it to feel like it was inside the space of her head and also in this empty void of a room she feels trapped in.

 

 

I also wanted to have a pulsing feel, taking inspiration from the music in the opening of Drive (2011). I added a delay to create a sense of a heartbeat but mainly to have a pulsating which I feels adds to the idea of insanity

 

 

 







I also did this with a higher pitch violin tone but I took out the low ends.

In retrospect I think that the low end worked well but the high end was not high and strained enough. I felt like this was lost potential as it could have been much more uncomfortable to listen to, like nails on a blackboard. I feel the picture serves to make the audience feel uncomfortable and the sound should reflect that.

I also used logic to create some different tones. With the bass tone I feel it worked well in parts but maybe it was over used. It sound a little too much like a helicopter when used at too high a volume. This was not the effect I wanted, although in parts the pulsing sound was quite effective in creating the idea of a constant knowing at a mind. In Pi (1998) is a film that establishes this well and it was the idea I was going for.

The high electronic tones I felt much the same about as the high violin, it was not enough, there was not enough to make the audience cringe. I added a little distortion in an attempt to create a more uncomfortable feel, it was not enough though.

 

 





Something I thought worked well was my use of volume to create a sense of dread. I was careful to make the sounds build in intensity to create this growing sense of Madness. I also think the use of complete silence works well after she hits the back of her neck. I think it creates a sense of coming back to reality for a fleeting moment.

 

 

I was keen to have a musical element in the part with the swinging legs to create a slightly sinister vibe. To me this seemed like a flashback or memory. Therefore I put a reverb on it.

 

 

 

 

This I feel created a sense of it being in the past but constantly echoing in her head, which is why I decided to make it come in and out more often throughout. I also wanted it to move it further from the low tones so added a pitch shifter. I feel this made it sound more like more of a memory and less low, guttural and earthly.

 

 

 

 



 

I think that the writing of the pencil was something that let the piece down. It was not in sync which was my intention, however it was too close to being in sync that it looked like a mistake or laziness. I think that for the Audience this distracts from the central idea. This is a failure in the piece as for me the whole point was to create an immersive soundscape to get lost in with the character.

When her hands are close up wanted a sound to represent them. I decided on an electric static to make it feel like they were constantly fidgeting, sparking in a way. In order to do this I took the sound of rain and use high pass filters to take out the low tones.

 



 

 





Something I feel was missing was a sense of movement. I did use panning techniques in the shots where light is moving around the room to try and create a sense of something moving in a three dimensional space.

 

 

However I feel it was not enough and maybe I should have had an actual  physical sound moving around with in the space. I think this would have created a deeper feeling of dread that there is something coming for the character, even if is not something physical.

Overall I think I was successful in this piece of work. I feel that I created a space within the piece. What I wanted to do was take the audience into the characters mind and I feel I did do this to a certain extent. I think that it was not horrid enough. I wanted to create a real sense of unease as well as the madness. I think the madness came off well but there was not enough that I did to create a real sense of dread and discomfort. I think I played a little too safe.

I wanted the building of emotion and narrative to be subtle. I don’t think this was achieved quite right. The Narrative I feel was not strong enough. If I was doing it again, rather than try to create as many different elements I would focus in a few to create a real sense of space and story through the use of sound. If I was to do it again I’d want to create a story of a woman being driven mad by her memories so harking back to letters she writes to her husband and her thinking back to the child like doll. I think this would make the piece stronger as it would have a more focussed point.

I do feel I made good use of what I have learned over the semester, both in my technical development and use if technical skills and my understanding of how sound is used. I also think that with this project I have taken forward the lessons learned from the first exercise to create a piece that is strong enough to carry off the experimental genre. I am happy that I challenged myself and went out of my comfort zone, trying something different in order to learn more.

Drive, 2011, [DVD], Directed by, Nicolas Winding Refn, USA, FilmDistrict

Pi, 1993, [DVD], Directed by Darren Aranofsky, USA, Artisan Entertainment

Blade Runner,1982 [DVD], Directed by Ridley Scott, USA, Warner Bros.

VIERS, Ric, (2008), The Sound effects Bible, Calafornia, Michael Wise Productions.

SIDER, Larry, FREEMAN, Diane, SIDER, Jerry, [2003],Soundscape the school of sound lectures 1998-200, London, Wallflower Press.

THOM, Randy, (1999), Designing a movie for sound, [online], last accessed 20/12/12 at http://filmsound.org/articles/designing_for_sound.htm