Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 16 1 Fundamentals of Audio Production Chapter Sixteen: Sound for Pictures

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 16 2 Dialog for film and video Dialog may be captured through various techniques –Handheld microphones –Lavaliere microphones (wired or wireless) –Shotgun (hypercardioid) microphones on booms (fishpoles or giraffe booms)

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 16 3 Dialog for film and video Many films are shot MOS or without sound Dialog is added later in post-production –Looping involved making a loop of silent film of a single scene or shot. The talent would read the lines to match the on-screen image. –Automated dialog replacement (ADR) allows actors to hear dialog recorded on the set, while watching the scene. The talent read the lines to match the on-screen image.

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 16 4 Dialog for film and video Before shooting begins, sound recorders will capture room tone, or the ambient sounds in the room Room tone is blended into the background of all shots to make the sound consistent from one shot to another

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 16 5 Sound effects for the screen Sound effects are nearly always added in post-production Sound effects may be synchronized with on-screen action Sound effects may be asynchronous, or not matched with on-screen action

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 16 6 Sound effects for the screen Sound effects are created individually to match on-screen action through Foley Foley artists create the sounds in a specially designed studio Foley effects are of three types: –Moves –Footsteps –Specific sound effects

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 16 7 Music for film and video Film scores establish the films mood, and to suggest time and place –Scores are music composed specifically for a given film or project Film scores range from full orchestral compositions to electronically produced music created by individuals on samplers

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 16 8 Music for film and video Incidental music contributes to the films setting and mood More recently, films have incorporated more popular music as incidental music that fit the films period

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter 16 9 Music for film and video Synchronizing sound and picture used to be complicated and expensive –Two separate pieces of film were used –One was the picture without sound –The other was magnetically coated (full coat) film with the sound –The two pieces were kept synchronized during editing using a flatbed editor

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter Music for film and video Moviola editors hold optical film and magnetic full coat in sync. The optical film is loaded on the right, and the sound track is loaded on the left. The pedals can be locked so that both reels of film move in sync.

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter Synchronizing by time code SMPTE time code (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) allows several pieces of audio and video equipment to be synchronized using electrical impulses The pulses are created by a time code generator and other equipment uses the code to keep equipment operating at the same rate

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter Synchronizing by time code SMPTE time code is sent to the film camera and audio recorder, keeping them synchronized. The film and audio tape can then be synchronized during editing.

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter Synchronizing by time code

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter Digital systems for the screen Contemporary film-making uses computer- based non-linear editing software Digitized film or digital video is captured by the computer for non-destructive editing Most professional video editing software applications offer multiple audio tracks for assembling complex sound tracks

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter Digital systems for the screen Video tracks Audio tracks

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter Specialized film audio systems Stereo was introduced to motion pictures in the 1970s Dolby Laboratories developed stereo with a rear channel in the 1980s Dolby has pioneered in multi-channel film sound with 5.1 and more recently 6.1 surround sound systems

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter Specialized film audio systems Dolby 5.1 includes left, center and right front, left and right rear, and subwoofer Dolby 6.1 adds a rear center speaker

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter Specialized film audio systems George Lucas introduced THX as a way to assure a common viewing and listening experience To be THX certified, the venue must adhere to set standards for ambient noise levels, distortion, loudness, equalization, etc. THX theaters also must meet viewing standards as well, including brightness, viewing angles, etc.

Fundamentals of Audio Production. Chapter Video game audio Game audio has developed significantly over the decades Now, CD-ROM based games include complex sound tracks with dialog, sound effects and music, just as in film Music for game audio has become sophisticated and varied