Embedded Files
Scene from Coco. (Molina, A & Unkrich, L. 2017)
In this clip I can hear the following audio elements:
Sound 1 (SFX)
Sound 2 (Dialogue)
Sound 3 (Ambience)
etc
A Great Great Rescue Clip DisneyPixars Coco YouTube1080p.mp4Batmovie.mp4Scene from Lego Batman (McKay, M 2017)
In this clip I can hear the following audio elements:
Sound 1 (Foley)
Sound 2 (Dialogue)
Sound 3 (Atmos)
Sound 4 (Music with Automated LPF)
etc
Tom Holland is trapped in the water puzzle Uncharted Clip.mp4Scene from Uncharted (Fleischer, R. 2022)
In this clip I can hear the following audio elements:
Sound 1 (SFX)
Sound 2 (Dialogue)
Sound 3 (Foley)
etc
For my project I have chosen to recreate the audio for Lego Batman (McKay 2017) as I want to show my skills at comedic dialogue reconstruction, perhaps put my own stamp on the dialogue as well as showing my skills at electronic music production.
This project will stretch and challenge me in terms of finding people to help me with crowd dialogue and sounds; creating a record scratch sound without actually scratching any treasured records and reconstructing the two acoustic environments. The outside and inside environments need to be distinctively different, realistic but also unnoticeable to the audience.
One of the elements that struck me the most about this is the disco scene and how the music emanating from the party would sound quite different outside the bunker; as the door is opening and Batman is entering, in comparison to when all the characters are in the same room. We have all heard music coming from buildings, next door, the next room, etc and know that we can't actually hear the full 'force' of the music in these instances. Understanding what is actually heard in these situations is somewhat scientific and I need to understand, at least from a practical point of view, how to reconstruct the perception of the music throughout this scene.
I found this amazing video by a pure genius online that explained and demonstrated it to me.
Here, Sound Advice (2022) explains how to apply a Low-Pass Filter which is an Equaliser application in Adobe Creative Cloud. This application filters out high end frequencies allowing low frequencies to pass through. These are the frequencies we typically hear through walls and adjacent rooms as the high end is lost in the construct of the wall. The video showed me how to apply key frames to move the filter cut-off point so I could automate how much high end would be allowed through. By adding in more and more high end frequencies as the door is opened and our characters walk through into the bunker, I will be able to recreate the impression that the music is drawing nearer and nearer.
I then set about trying this out. I found it easier to break the music into Four sections; The bit outside the bunker, the bit as the door is opening, the bit when the characters are entering and the bit where the characters have arrived amidst the party . By doing this I could apply different EQ and reverb settings to each and I ended up only automating the brief moment that the door slides open.
Here, I have coloured the four sections so you can see the splits in the music track. The white bit syncs with where the door opens and this is the only bit where I automated the cut-off on the Low-Pass Filter so that more high ends seeps through as the door opens. I have automated the reverb too as the acoustic environment from within becomes noticeable for the first time. I also applied parametric EQ to achieve a sense of distance by thinning out the end result; I felt this added the realism of the music emanating from deeper within the building; yet to become closer in proximity.
See screenshot below for all three inserts and their key frames.
EQ settings for the Music as the door opens - slightly less bottom end than the 'through the wall' sound and a forced sense of middle. I experimented with this until I got the sound I wanted.
FOLEY Creation
For the Uncharted clip I would need a gun firing sound and as I am not allowed to take anything from a 3rd party source I need to create this myself. I don't own a gun as you might guess.
I researched a number of techniques, many starting from the point of already having a sample; but this video I found useful and very enjoyable. It covers Foley for the whole scene but, at 2:37 it specifically addresses creating a composite gun sound by recording a staple gun, plastic bag, and a voice mimicking a gun sound. The outcome is impressive. My plan is to try this out and document it here.
DIYFoley (2022)
Thanks for this one Zach Smith. This video demonstrates the difference an acoustic environment has on the outcome of a sound. When the balloon is popped in a reverb chamber the sound is stronger, more explosive and resonates; in a dry acoustic chamber the sound is lifeless and short.
From this I can try out recording in different locations, or use dry studio locations and recreating the environment with Amplification, EQ, Delay and Reverb. (Ecore Acoustics 2014)
Script Writing
Script Writing
Even though this is a reconstruction; this audio production requires planning. Simply grabbing the necessary gear and pressing record isn't going to amount to much that is professional or coherent unless I meticulously plan what I am going to do first.
a script is required in most moving image productions and certainly helps to set the story arc in place. It doesn't necessarily come first in the planning stages when devising a new screen play; but here the script has already been written and delivered.
However, I still need to know who is saying what; in which style etc, before I even attempt to record any dialogue or sounds. Rather than writing a script; I need to decipher mine from the original production. Of course I have the license to embellish or change the script too if I want to and this would be the time to plan this as well.
It turns out that script writing follows a very conventional format. I watched the following YouTube; part documentary and part tutorial to find out about it all. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-script-writing/ (Embedded below).
StudioBinder is an online screenwriting platform that helps writers build their production and production file. It's free to sample but is ultimately a premium and very professional service.
In this video, StudioBinder (2024) justify the exact conventions for script writing and explain why we should stick to them. These conventions include using the right font; 12 point Courier; spacing for margins and indents, as well as abbreviations for essential information and the order of content in a script.
Some script writers do break the conventions; but only when already established. The conventions are there to make sure everyone is able to follow and understand the script and to make sure your new script is taken seriously by the budget holders. Unconventional scripts will almost certainly be in the bin before being read.
To practice I was recommended YouMeScript.com a free online source, linked to Google accounts that allows you to write a a new script on a blank but preformatted page. The formatting doesn't allow you to put the wrong thing in the wrong place. It is fiddly though and can be temperamental. Regularly saving to Google Drive is recommended. Check out: https://youmescript.com/
This Tutorial was useful as it showed me how to install YouMeScript for a more stable solution as well as talking me through screen play formatting in relation to YouMeScript's tools.
22nd January - Health & Safety
22nd January - Health & Safety
Today we learned about what can happen if Health & Safety is poorly planned for or, as is the case in this example, deliberately overlooked. In the following NBC program; (first 25 minutes) the events that led to the death of crew member Sarah Jones are documented and analysed. It appears that Health & Safety was poorly planned; permissions hadn't been secured and that the safety of workers on set was deliberately jeopardised as 'getting the shot' was more important. No job is worth dying for though.
Here, the cast and crew were filming on a trestle bridge; on a live railway line. Permission had been sought but not granted by the Railway owners; but as permission had been granted by the nearby landowners; those in charge decided to go ahead and film anyway. Not knowing the frequency of trains on the line and going largely by hearsay; the safety procedure in place was to get off the bridge in 60 seconds at first sight of a train.
The unfolding disaster demonstrates that 60 seconds was simply not long enough. Virtually all H&S laws and conventions had been duly ignored here in order to secure a shot.
We went on to learn how to address H&S for each and every location using a Risk Assessment template that includes a 5x5 matrix that is designed to accurately measure the level of risk and whether activities should gio ahead or not. This is incredibly detailed and every eventuality needs to be addressed. There is a completed example on my planning page.
When compiling a Risk Assessment you need to consider all potential people in the vicinity; not just those involved and every circumstance where their health could be affected.
Audio Production comes with its own set of hazards. You should consider the following:
Hazards related to location (Traffic/vehicles, people, damaged buildings, ground and surfaces, inclines, heights, drops, trees, fire, flood, tides, escape routes...)
Hazards relating to weather (Exposure, Wet, Cold, Heat)
Hazards relating to Equipment (Ear Fatigue, Trip Hazards, Electric Shock, unstable equipment, equipment blocking exits, paths etc)
Hazards relating to people and animals (Dangerous animals, drunk people, upset people, unaware people, inexperienced people)
Continue your research:
Add everything you use in order to learn, within this section.
Continue your research:
Add everything you use in order to learn, within this section.
If you watch a tutorial, embed it and explain what you learned and how you will use it
If you experiment with processes to work out what they do/how they work; post it here with screen shots
If you look up a production to get an idea, see what sounds were used and how; embed it here and talk about what you learned
If you read a book, magazine, article that explains or justifies an idea, process or technique - reference it here an talk about it.
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