Evaluation.

For this unit I was asked to complete my own Foley sounds for a 2 minute or less film clip. So I have been studying and researching how Foley sounds are made and what the best equipment is to be used for certain elements of sound. The silent film I made the Foley sounds for was the old french black and white film Kulfi. We had a few video clips to choose from but my intentions were to choose one with no sound already, so I could start from scratch as it was my first attempt at being a Foley artist. Some of my initial ideas were to make sure I had a balloon to blow up and pop as the ‘balloon’ head explodes. So I thought this was a good idea to stick with and it worked out in the end.

Experimenting with sound effects will help me in the future because if I’m wanting to be apart of this area then I need to have experience with knowledge on this topic. By having experience with sound effects it may open more job opportunities than before. By knowing how this all works it opens a lot more doors. Also when watching films it helps me to analyse them with he sounds being made so in the future for certain sounds It can give me idea of what objects to use. My skills in audio recording before this unit were nothing in all honesty. Before doing this unit I actually didn’t know what a Foley artist was or how sounds were put into films. But after studying this unit I now have many skills in this area and I now know what a Foley artist is and how to be one. For example I now know that when creating wild track it’s important that it’s not recorded in a sound proof room as you will get a noise interference like a piercing buzz. Also using a directional microphone is the best piece of equipment to use when creating a direct sound.

My first task when starting this unit was to have a go at creating sounds like as if you were in a school exam.  At first I found it be quite difficult because you have to imagine being in the exam and what the sound of dropping a pencil realistically sounds like. It took me a few attempts at first because you had to think that it might roll off the desk or just dropped from your hand onto a hard floor. I also remember having to think if there would be coughing or sniffling. You had to think realistically and I found it quite hard when it came to think of what sounds were needed to be made. In the end I made sounds like coughing, ruffling paper like the exams being turned over, scribbling, pencils falling onto the floor resulting in a chair being scraped against the floor. For editing I edited on Audition and it was my first time using this software. When it came to editing you put your sounds in order on what’s called a multi-track. I found editing to be enjoyable as when your work was finished it really did sound like an exam hall and I found it interesting to see how good all the sounds I made fit into what it would actually sound like. This helped influence my work because it helped me to see how so many sounds were made with objects that were no where near to the actual object you would think of. For example with scraping a chair against the floor I actually used a wooden stool on top of a table and it still sounded the same.

When we picked out short film clip you had to study all the elements of sound that will have been made in the clip. I chose a silent film so I could make all the sounds of the top of my head as I found it would be the easier option as it being my first attempt. When first watching the clip the first sound I picked up was all the walking so I thought there will be a lot of footsteps to be made. Also with the balloon head being labelled ‘balloon’ my first thought was to use a balloon for the sound of it being pumped and deflated, and also when it bursts. I also thought when the character picks up the table their footsteps will become heavier. You had to be careful to analyse each step of sound to see how light or heavy it would be and how creative you would be to think of how it could be made. There was many sounds I thought would be easy to make like how the character clinks glass bottles or their footsteps. But then there was many sounds I thought would be hard to make like if the characters would actually speak words or just murmur in an expression. This helped influence my work because it helped me to think of how detailed making so many sounds were and that you really had to think creatively of how to make these specific sounds.

When it came to planning I first started off with a spotting sheet which is where at every time a sound was made you had to record down that certain time with the certain sound. I ended up making around 6 sheets back to front because I didn’t realise how many sounds were actually made. But this piece really helped when it came to the practical because I could see at what time a sound was made and what sound it was. I also had a cue sheet where I recorded down all the similar sounds, like the footsteps, and what certain objects I would use for this. This also really helped when it came to the practical because It helped me to gather a bunch of objects that could be used for the sounds and it saved a lot of time. When doing the practical I had what is called a logging sheet where you log down what sound you’ve made and how it’s been made with the correct track number. This was really helpful when it came to editing because you then knew all the correct track numbers so you could just import them all with not having to go through them all. I also created a risk assessment to be on the safe side. A risk assessment is a sheet where you write down a risk that could happen and what hazard it may cause. I think this was a vital thing to do because during the practical we were handling expensive and heavy equipment something could go wrong. For example we were using water and if it were to get on the equipment then it could cause damage or produce an electric shock onto the person handling the equipment.

Seen as using the software Audition was my second time using it I found it hard but manageable. Because I could remember a few elements of how to use but I had forgotten a lot as it’s quite a complicated software. I found importing the footage simple and then putting it onto the multi-track fine. However every time I would re open Audition all my imported footage would not be there but only the ones that were placed on the multi-track would be. I over came this problem by just dealing with it so whenever I needed to have a certain track that wasn’t on my imported files I would just import it again and place it on the multi-track. I also had a problem because when I was editing the footsteps I had accidentally placed the video not from the beginning, so when I realised nothing was in sync I saw that I hadn’t placed the video correctly. So I then had to replace all my synced audio. I over came this by dealing with it and it was time consuming but I got over it. I now know for future reference to always check twice about where I’ve placed everything.

In my opinion I think I’ve done quite well to say it was my first proper attempt at being a Foley artist. However there are a few sounds missing. For example near the end one character kicks the other character and there should be a scream there but I must have forgotten. Also due to me at the beginning not realising I hadn’t placed the video at the start and having to replace my audio footsteps, they are a little out of sync. With the wild track we recorded it in a sound proof room so when me and the other person in my group were making noises it came out badly. So in the end I placed a backing track of music, and with this track because I was short for time I didn’t listen to it properly to find out that during the song there’s a whisper of someone saying ‘preview’. Also some of the sounds I should have put not so loud as they seem to have to much of an impact where as if you watch the video realistically they wouldn’t be like that. But I believe the sounds I recorded for the balloon head were creative. For example as when it’s placed on the table it makes a leather sound as how else would a balloon head make sound of being placed. And I think when me and my another person in my team created sounds for the characters they were creative as we made murmur expressions rather actual words as we the thought it would be a good thing to do. And I think it worked out really well in the end.

In the end I believe I kind of reached my original intentions. And by this I mean I am happy with the result of my film clip but I feel I could have done a lot more to make it really good and what I originally intended it to be like. For example when placing each track on the multi-track I left it until the very end to edit the right and left sounds so it sounded more realistic. I originally intended to do that perfectly but I ran out of time and rushed it. But I originally intended for the balloon head to be funny and creative and I believe I met that target. By the voice sound I used for it and noise of it being blown up and deflating. The feedback I received were that some of sounds were quite loud compared to how they should sound. Also that some sounds were not in sync which I noticed after being told. However my peers enjoyed the video and really liked how the characters voices sounded like.