On the 20th of September 2022, I created foley sounds for a nature documentary as a part of volunteer work experience. In one of the scenes, I was ascribed sounds to a spider and other insects by tapping my fingers against sticky tape. I was intrigued as to why it was common practice within foley to ascribe sound to something that doesn’t naturally produce sound audible to us. Furthermore, the inclusion of this sound influenced my reaction to watching the scene. Later during lunch, I was talking about my experience with the studio manager and asked why we used this method, and he explained that it was ultimately to trigger a phobia-driven response from the audience. This caused me to question:
How can we trust our understanding of sounds of the natural world when our experiences of them are artificially constructed?
This project was researched, recorded, and mixed in a small flat in the Canberra region. The studio environment consisted of recording equipment and technologies that I borrowed from the Australian National University School of Music, a student subscription to Pro Tools Studio, and other materials sourced from around my home. The ambient sounds of birdsongs and the wind in the leaves from my window reminded me of the “unwanted” sounds that I experienced during my work experience back in 2022, however through a more thoughtful consideration of these sounds proved serendipitous to the broader soundscape of this portfolio. The written content of this portfolio is divided between discussion videos and captions for each of the individual portfolio artefacts.
Welcome to this portfolio! In this introductory video I will provide the context of the research and navigate you through the remaining discussion videos
The first of the discussion videos touches on the field of foley, the environment where I conducted this research, and the technology employed throughout the project.
My initial approach to the artefacts within this portfolio began with an attention to consciously listen to the origin of sounds that I want to create. It is through this practice that I am able to reflect upon my own listening experiences before approaching the portfolio items.
4th September 2023: In a small flat in the north of Canberra, using recording equipment borrowed from the ANU, I conducted this listening experiment on a scorpion (urodacis manicatus). Its home in the tank, for which it has lived for months, mirrors the natural environment that it is local to, which is made up of a range of textures including small rocks, dried leaves, damp soil, and bark. Despite the careful considerations of the technologies, and controlling whatever hums I could (for example, turning off the adjacent fridge) there were still some challenges of the noise floor as the sound emitted from the scorpion was very quiet.
Within this video I discuss the theoretical framework that forms the foundations and the meaning behind my choices within this portfolio
*Disclosure: All video content and some aspects of the sound design within this portfolio have been sourced from Creative Commons
(Muir 2016) 4'08"
Cebrennus spider digging a burrow in the Moroccan desert, the swelling soundscape portrays the arid landscape, shifting between chord tonalities as the spider enters and exits their new home. The sounds of the spider itself, are emitted in the contact of the spider's legs on the dry sand grain texture and are replicated by two different digging textures in coffee grinds. First with sharp metal skewers to define the spider pedipalps (feelers) and secondly by moving my finger in the grinds as the spider enters and digs deeper in their burrow. The consideration of spatiality brings this scene to life, through the panning of the Foley and other design elements between the LH and RH speakers, integrating the audience within the scene.
(Shellan 2019; Lam 2009; Conor 2014) 0'47"
Spiders Inside takes a minimalist approach within the sound design, to highlight how Foley adds significant depth of meaning to a video. Using a soft, delayed, and swelling sound shifting between various major chords adds a reflective quality to the design. This was implemented to emphasise the curiosity and exploration of the spiders on the screen, taking a stance against the commonly negative preconceived notions of how spiders are. The Foley remains seemingly simple, directly reflecting my perceptions of the spiders, the surface they walk on, and their movement and character.
(Freestocks 2018; 2019; CreativeCommonsFootage 2017; Schulz 2012; Quin 2016; Vancoppenolle 2013) 2'33"
Spiders Outside is an extensive exploration of different materials, ranging from (more abstract) sound sources found within my home, and natural materials like leaves and dried flowers. The recording sessions for this video collection experiments with different conditions of the home studio; the first session took place at nighttime, during a particularly windy and noisy week I observed that the wind in particular would get quieter at night, which encouraged me to take advantage of the benefits of recording in a home studio environment and be flexible with the times I record. The second session was during a beautiful sunny day, and as I sat at my desk I listened to the birds chirping outside the window next to me. Instead of waiting for them to stop, so I could ensure my recordings were uninterrupted and only containing the sounds I created, I opened the window to let the sounds of the birds and wind in the leaves serendipitously occur within the recording.
Within the created soundscape that accompanies the foley, the combination of Creative Commons audio (magnumdb 2015; Kyster 2011) and synth software instruments further deepened the aestheticism and curation of ambient sounds, all of which were edited to explore the full potential of creating a sonic space.
(S 2010; Schulz 2015; Hefferon 2011) 0'49"
The stickiness of the web catching onto the legs of the spiders was the focal point for this artefact. To reflect this texture, I revisited the sound that initially questioned my understanding of approaches taken by foley artists, tapping my fingers on a piece of sticky tape. Rather than using this technique to elicit a response from the audience my use of this sound is dominantly based on my interpretation of the surfaces, movements, and materials I experience when watching the scene. The adaptation of the original video audio as an element within the soundscape further positioned the foley within the environment, while remaining faithful to the environments where the video was captured. Within the last video (Hefferon 2011) the inclusion of crickets chirping (RHumphries 2005) as a soundscape element reflects the time of day, aiding the Foley to blend within the ambience.
(Razor 2013) 1"03
This artefact expands upon the technique of using a piece of wood (initially explored in Spiders Outside) as the sound of the surface the tarantula is walking on. The crisp quality of the sound itself reflects the dry wood, twigs and dirt within this video. In editing, I allowed the sound to be slightly deeper as the video itself has been slowed down.
(Martin 2014) 1'09"
Reflecting upon using the dried flowers for the sound of the spider's feelers in Spiders Outside, I expanded upon the technique within this portfolio item. Using two different flowers to represent each spider, I focused specifically on the performance and synchronisation of the technique to reflect the dance-like movements of the spiders on screen. This technique through the trials and experimentations in both this portfolio item and Spiders Outside has proven to produce a quality that reflects the careful consideration of materials, performance of sound, and mirroring what I believe spiders ought to sound like.
Additionally, panning between the left and right guides the listener in distinguishing the sounds of each spider as being a product of their own making.
(Doré 2012) 2'42"
The foley within this artefact focuses on a sound that has yet to be explored within this portfolio, alongside using the sticky tape that we have already established to be an appropriate sound for the spider's legs on the web. This new sound is the spider eating its prey. The choice of material in this instance was a wet facecloth to resemble the wet-ness, and rhythmic initiation of the bite and its release. The accompanying musical soundscape was a product of the original video, in which I made some minor edits to limit any sudden loud pulses that might have distracted away from the foley. Keeping the musical component in this instance, it reflects the dramatic nature of the musical score while the foley remains un-dramatised and reflective of the spider's process when feeding on its prey.
In this final part of this discussion, I reflect on selected portfolio items: Crebrennus Spider in Erg Chebbi Morocco, Spiders Inside, Spiders Outside, and Spiders on the Web, touching specifically on the choices made when approaching their foley, and complimentary sound design.