Firstly I am going to be talking to you about location recording kits. The sound recorder is the heart of any sound kit. Then you have the boom pole and the boom operator.
The sound recorder is a vital piece of equipment when recording sound on location. The sound recorder or the voice recorder is small in size so can be easily moved around from location to location.
The sound recorder can also hold a lot of memory so you wouldn't have to worry so much about running out of space when recording and having to put a new memory card in or something like that, that will delay you in recording.
You have the ability to edit voice or sound recordings. They are often uploaded onto a computer and then further edited or altered from there. In some advanced sound recorders you can edit on the recorder itself.
Below I have embedded a picture of a sound/voice recorder.
The next piece of equipment is the boom pole and the boom operator. Booming involves attaching the microphone to a pole called a boom pole and suspending it in front of the subject. This technique allows for considerable movement by actors. Professional boom poles should extend at least 12 feet. Some extend to as far as 18 feet. It is crucial that the boom pole be lightweight, yet strong enough so that it doesn't bow under the weight of the mic.
The mic is attached to the boom pole using a shock mount that suspends the mic. This prevents vibration travelling through the pole to the mic.
The rule when booming is to get as close to the subject as possible, which is just outside the camera frame line. The further the mic is away from the subject the greater the background noise will be so every inch closer improves the sound quality.
The mic is normally positioned several inches to a foot over the actors head.
The are 2 types of booming. Booming overhead and booming underneath.
Below I am going to embed a picture of the boom pole and the boom mic.
Below I am going to embed a picture of how to set up the location recording kit for those of you who don't know.
On Location Recorder Instructions
Then next thing I am going to talk about is the different types of sound that can be used.
Diegetic sound - Sound that is visible on the screen or is implied to be present by the action of the film. Foe example, the voice of the actors, sounds made by objects in the film, music represented as coming from instruments. Another word for diegetic sound is actual sound.
Non-Diegetic sound - sound that is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action for example, narrators commentary, sound effects which is added for dramatic effect, mood music. Another word for non-diegetic sound is commentary sound.
Below is some examples of diegetic and non diegetic sounds. See if you can spot them.
Diegetic & Non-Diegetic Sound Test from Gavin Hood on Vimeo.
Other example of sound are asynchronous and synchronous sound.
Synchronous - Synchronous sound is sound that is matched to certain movements occurring in the scene e.g. when footsteps correspond to feet walking
Asynchronous - Asynchronous sounds match the action being performed however is not precisely synchronised with the action. e.g. the sound being heared is a train however what can be seen is a woman screaming. This is used to create tension as the viewer can hear a sound but cannot see its source.
Below I have embedded a video of the different types of audio technical codes.
The next thing I am going to talk about is ADR. This stands for Automated Dialogue Replacement. This is the process of re-recording dialogue in the studio in synchronization with the picture. There are at least three roles in the ADR process; The actor, the recording engineer and the sound editor.
Below i am going to embed an example of a film company using ADR. The film I have used is the Great Gatsby. This is an example of ADR being used terribly in a film.
The next thing I am going to talk about is Foley. A Foley artist recreates sound effects for film productions on a Foley stage in a post production studio. They do this using many kinds of props for example; car fenders, shoes, plates, glasses, chairs and really just about anything they can find. The Foley artist can replace original sound completely or argument existing sounds to create a richer track.
During filming, the location sound recordists tries to capture only the dialogue. Microphones are carefully positioned on set to record even an actors slightest whisper without the background noises from the camera and crew. Foley helps to add back in that layer of sound to produce a rich and realistic track.
Foley does no cover sounds like car engines, explosions or other mechanical stuff - driving a car around in the studio or blowing up a building is usually not possible although they have tried! They don't do laser blasts, dog barks or rain storms. These are the domain of the sound FX Editor.
Here's an example of what a Foley artist would do;
Let's say in a scene the actor grabs his gun, walks to his motorbike, starts up and drives away...
- Foley would recreate the sound of the leather jacket and jeans as the actor walks, footsteps (heavy cowboy boots), the gun pickup and handling, handlebar grab and bike moves - and maybe some key sounds as he put them in the ignition.
- The sound FX Editor would create the roar of the motorbike engine starting and driving away, a tire squeal and background ambiance (birds, wind etc.)
- In an ADR studio the actor would record his lines "ill be back" which was inaudible on location with the motorbike engine running. The dialogue editor would conform the production and ADR into one.
The Foley artists are on the right and the film is on the left.
The next thing I am going to be talking about is the Wilhelm scream. The Wilhelm scream is a stock sound effect that has been used in more than 500 movies, beginning in 1951 for the film distant drums. The scream is often used when someone is shot, falls from a great height or is thrown from an explosion and is most commonly used in films.
Here is the very first Wilhelm scream being used in the film Distant Drums. The Wilhelm scream is used when the male character gets shot.
Here is a compilation of some of the Wilhelm screams being used in films throughout the years.
The next thing I am going to talk about is the role of the sound designer/editor. A sound designer is responsible for providing the sound for on screen action. On a big effects film, this may be before shoots begins on a big budget production. It could be when director have approved the final picture edit. The first task for sound designers is to identify the three main kinds of sound effects needed these may be gunshots, clocks, doors closing, dog barking, rain, wind, traffic, birdsong. There are also specialist sound design effects such as dinosaurs, aliens, spaceships or computers. They plan and provide the sound the sound effects in films. All the sound effects in a film considered as a whole make up the sound space.
The next thing on the list is the film score composers. The film score composer scores music to accompany a motion picture for film. This could include dramatic underscore as well as popular songwriting. The traditional role of a film composer is to provide the orchestral dramatic underscore and only more recently the popular soundtracks have begun to stand on their own.
A popular film score composer is John Williams. He has composed many popular soundtracks to movies. Here are just a few of them;
Jurassic Park
Home Alone
Harry potter
Jaws
The next thing I am going to talk about is audio codes. Audio codes designs, develops and sells advanced Voice over IP and converged VOIP and data networking products and applications to enterprises. Audio codes develops the IP media family of market-ready server system designed for the service provider environment. Audio codes media servers enable network equipment providers, application developers and system integrator to offer service providers revenue generating enhanced voice services.
The final thing I will be talking about is what is the impact of an inappropriate soundtrack. For example, if there the film is an action packed thriller and the music playing over it is quite happy and slow then the track isn't going to suit the live action that is going on in the film. This also works the other way around. For example, if the film is quite a happy and romantic film and there is fast paced heavy metal it wont suit the live action that is going on behind it. It also makes it into a comedy when there is an inappropriate soundtrack playing in the background. People will be laughing when it isn't meant to be a funny film.
Below is an example of an inappropriate soundtrack. This example is from the matrix.
My next post will be writing a film treatment.
