Sound Motion Sketches Motion Sketches

Sound Can… Create POV Enhance characterisation Indicate the historical period Indicate the physical environment Give a sense of time passing or flashback Glue shots, sequences and ideas together Create rhythm Highlight Transitions

Edison

Play with reality Highlight details on screen for emotional or story impact Play against the grain for greater depth Suggest a subtext Highlight a thematic concern Draw on our emotions Tell a story Let the audience hear what is going on…

See with the ears Hear with the eyes George Miller (Director) Tease the eye and thereby invite the ear to the party Randy Thom (Sound Designer)

Bad Sound v Bad Image Our tolerance for bad sound is much, much lower than that for bad vision. 60 seconds of out-of-focus, pixelated video has no where near the nauseating effect of 60 seconds of fingernails down a blackboard

Location Sound Good, clear, unmuddied, balanced and appropriate sound is the difference between a great film and unwatchable images A Soundtrack will give your video depth, complexity and will maintain audience interest. Sound design shapes ideas, actions, emotional subtext, tone and other non-verbal communication and rendering them in spatial and kinetic terms Sound adds layers of meaning to the ‘content’ of the film: the dialogue, action and the story Crap sound will draw attention to itself and will destroy the illusion of your video You need to practice sound recording in the same way that you practice framing & camera movement

Sound Essential! - without adequate sound you have NOTHING One of the most important, subtle and powerful tools of storytelling Sound recordist & designer can invoke a powerful mood, spatial sense, texture & provide dramatic tension Differentiated sound, gives the story and image ‘depth’ making it appear more intense, more potent. Sound may become a metaphor

Sound Recordists role Negotiate with the director and DoP as to what is required, staging, coverage, placement, conditions Get in as close as possible to the action Communication Organisation & Logging - labeling tapes Checking sound levels regularly

Recording Tips Always use Headphones Calibrate headphones - all headphones are different & will deliver different sound qualities Make sure that you check your location set ups - ensure that the location & time is appropriate Bad sound can wreck the best image Always record some atmos tracks for the benefit of the sound editor Always slate and/or tag a take so that it can be found. Insist on a syncing sound Check all equipment, esp batteries & cables Do a sound check before recording. Sound check after recording

Zoom Mics Mics do not ZOOM !!!

Sound Recording Tips Mics do not zoom! Get in as close as you can Set sound levels for the average sound – you want to record the signal as high (loud) as you can. This provides the best dynamic range. Avoid noise. Do not let the signal reach 0 dB. protect against unexpected peaks Do sound checks with cast Do NOT rely only on the Camera Mic - it picks up everything - you need to focus your audience Check the edge of frame Experiment with different mic set ups: boom, lapel mic, mic hidden on set

Sound is better if the levels are not changed noticeably during the recording Set levels at a compromise but then move the mic closer to softer sounds If using different recorders set at different levels -- write this down Think of the relationship between the framing of the camera and the sound source

Preparation Tips Always check all your equipment (twice) Decide on whether you will double record: in- camera & external HD Flash memory card(s), CDs, DVDs External Firewire drive Extra cables Suitable mics for the conditions Extra batteries for the mic Notepad & pen for report or recording log Windshield or windsock to protect mic

Use ambient sounds – there is no such thing as silence! Choose locations with ambient sound in mind. Try limiting ambient sound but not eliminating it. Retain consistency Experiment with different sound editing software

Exercise Watch the Nikon D90 intro on weebly vid tutes Watch the Zoom and Microtrack vid tutes Download Audacity to your computers (free) We will make a short video doc in class

Happiness 3 interviews in 3 different ambient locations. Indoor, outdoor, ‘unusual’ Still photographs Research Write argument Compose doco

docos Strangers no more trailertrailer Dive (trailer)(trailer) Freeheld (trailer)(trailer)