Project 5 - Sound and Foley
What I have been asked to do:
During this project, I have been given the task of researching the uses of sound and foley within media products and platforms. To create my own usage of sound and foley, I will plan, record and use my own original sound effects for an animated short film. I will use the industry-level software of Adobe Audition to edit these sound effects appropriately to suit the style of the animation I am making the sound for.
Research:
The uses of sound and foley in the media industry (Mind-map):
What is a foley artist?
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A foley artist is someone that recreates sound effects heard in the production to implement in the post-production process of videos, films and many other forms of media to improve audio quality and make scenes feel more realistic, particularly in digital animation.
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What is foley and why do films use foley sound effects?
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Foley is where props are manipulated and people move to recreate sounds to act as sound effects so that they can be added to videos, and other media in post-production to improve the overall audio quality, if the original sounds recorded on set are not up to standard. For example, footsteps, creaking doors and river sounds are some common examples of foley sound effects that can be made. This makes the films more realistic and engaging for the audience, and draws the audience's attention with the use of high quality sound in the post-production.
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Research foley artists at Pinewood Studios: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQl_-MghIjo
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Examples of techniques that they use to make foley:
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They perform the sounds and ‘physically manipulate props’ to create more natural, organic and realistic sounds than you would find online. Also, they add texture to surfaces such as dust on concrete, to make it produce a more gritty sound when walked across, or dry leaves on soil to make jungle sounds, for example. A river pit is filled with water and sometimes mud as well, to produce sounds for when someone is swimming, walking or running through water in the scene, for instance. Cornflower in a bag is used to sound like fresh snow being crushed.
Explain the sound challenges they had to improve in Baby Driver:
The sounds they recorded did not work in sync with the music in the film, and they felt like they were interrupting the movie’s soundtrack at first, so they recorded the sounds whilst listening to the music, to make it feel more in sync and so that the sounds complimented the music in a more subtle way and coincide with the sound supervisor’s vision.
Also, some of the props they used did not produce exactly the correct sounds that you would expect to hear when watching the scenes in the film, for example, the cups they used were too hard and they needed to produce a softer sound, so they switched cups that they originally recorded the sound foley with.
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Research Foley Artist Caoimhe Doyle:
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrbgY6ajTgo&feature=youtu.be
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How does Caoimhe Doyle approach making sound effects for challenging
actions, such as an arrow hitting a target?
She uses multiple layers of edited sound foley, on top of each other, to produce dynamic
and believable sound effects, to enhance the visuals for the audience. For example,
when reproducing sounds for an arrow hitting a target; wind sounds are recorded to
represent the arrows flying past, the strings of the bow being pulled back to release the
arrow and the sounds of the arrow's impact on the surface it penetrates. These sounds,
timed with the release, movement and impact of the arrow can produce very realistic and
exciting sound effects to compliment and enhance the audience's experience.
Describe some of Caoimhe Doyle’s techniques for foley:
Caoimhe Doyle uses several different techniques for sound foley, that could be very interesting to experiment with for my own foley when reproducing sound for my chosen animation.
For instance, celery snapping and twisting can be used for the sounds of breaking bones, and dry pasta being crunched in the mouth can be used for the more internal sounds of bones breaking as it is more muffled by the mouth.
Additionally, one of the most effective and interesting foley techniques used was when Doyle showed how you can blow a small amount of air into a hot water bottle, and drag the rubber of the bottle across the surface of a table, you are able to reproduce the sounds of car tyres screeching for driving scenes in films.
Investigate sound job roles:
What does a sound trainee do?
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Sound trainees have a variety of tasks and jobs to complete within their particular role in the media industry. This can involve, ensuring that batteries are charged ready for the recording sessions, giving everyone headphones that requires them during these sessions and as well as this, they check the cables and kit and keep them in good condition as well as the ensuring the rest of the team are happy and have everything they need to complete their work successfully.
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Additionally, they aid in uploading the sound van, prepare and check all the equipment and confirm that it is all set for recording, move the sound trolley, kit boxes and boom equipment on instruction from the sound mixer. They assist in attaching clip microphones to actors’ clothing and sometimes operate a second boom when they become more experienced.
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They also complete a variety of admin work such as making refreshments, transporting information and received messages to other departments and order extra supplies of whatever is required for the sound team. After a shooting day, they help tidy up and organise the equipment, check the rushes are labelled accordingly and that all the necessary paperwork is given to the production office.
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​https://www.screenskills.com/careers/job-profiles/film-and-tv-drama/technical/sound-trainee/
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What does a sound mixer do?
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Sound mixers concentrate on keeping the sound recording department steered in the right direction throughout the filming process; largely dialogue but could also involve sound and atmospheric effects.
Prior to shooting, they consult the director and producer to evaluate the best technique of capturing the sound required whilst carrying out the director’s shooting style. To do this, they travel to different locations to search for possible sound issues, for example, busy roads or trains passing.
Within the filming process, sound mixers confirm audio from radio and boom microphones is recorded at the correct level for each attempt at recording. When they notice an issue or error, the director chooses to either re-record the sound or edit it accordingly in post-production.
A fairly large amount of sound in films or television is implemented after recording the scenes. Speech can be modified through the use of ADR (automated dialogue replacement) a way of re-recording in a studio.
Film sets are usually challenging locations for mixers. This is due to background noise from equipment and machinery, costumes rustling and orientating microphones around the positioning of the cameras without the microphones being in shot. It is the job of the sound mixers to find solutions to all of these kind of problems and more under a pressured environment – which can be very stressful. Sound mixers work on a freelance contract.
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https://www.screenskills.com/careers/job-profiles/film-and-tv-drama/technical/sound-mixer/
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Describe how Stuart Wilson got into being a sound mixer?
It took Stuart Wilson four steps to get into the industry and become a sound mixer:
Knocking on doors and doing short films either for free or very cheap
Signing up to the Scottish Film Training Trust scheme - a one-year course including one week in a studio and placements on film shoots where students received a union ticket at completion. Stuart Wilson then applied to the Scottish Film Training Trust course and the National Film and Television School but was told by the head of sound he was too young at aged 19, with most of the other people that applied being 3 or 4 years older.
Wilson spent one-year assisting, booming and recording on light entertainment, corporate and documentaries, before deciding this area was not for him and that he wanted a bigger and more exciting role.
The fourth step Stuart Wilson made was to be accepted on to the National Film and Television School, which allowed him to concentrate on feature films.
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https://www.screenskills.com/insight/case-studies/sound-mixer-stuart-wilson/
How did Becky Thompson get into being a sound recordist?
Becky Thompson studied biology at university before discovering her love for the radio station. She loves music and spent time working in radio and making programmes but also putting together a studio. After this, she expanded into freelance radio and then later, as a broadcaster for independent radio.
Consequently, Thompson was given the opportunity to train in sound recording. As a result, she completed an apprenticeship studying specifically in film location sound and then learnt and developed skills in video naturally, alongside that due to the film environment she was placed in.
When in Inverness working in radio, Becky Thompson’s contract was about to end. An opportunity sparked when she overheard, Bill Rowe, who was a senior dubbing mixer and was speaking about the Oscar he’d recently received at the time for doing the sound for Chariots of Fire.
Thompson wrote to him and sent him a tape of her work she was currently doing in sound. He responded by saying that she should come and visit him in London. Becky later did this and spent time learning about dubbing and then made the decision to go into the industry, training in sound.
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https://www.screenskills.com/insight/case-studies/sound-recordist-becky-thomson/
Planning:
Objects and materials that could be used to make my own foley:
I experimented with several different objects and movements to make different sound effects that could be used as foley in post-production. These could be used later on in the project, if they suit the animation of my choice, but I mainly recorded these to learn how to use the microphone and recording equipment, in preparation for the upcoming project.
Sound Testing Reflection:
What has gone well? How can it be improved?
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Some of my sounds I tested and recorded went very well and worked even better than I expected. For example, when I rubbed my foot back and fourth across the carpet, it sounded very much like someone sawing wood, as I had expected. Also, when I asked one of my peers what they thought the sound was, they guessed that it was someone using a saw, so I knew this sound could hypothetically be seamlessly implemented in post-production without receiving questioning from an audience.
The sound could have been improved if I was wearing socks with more grip on the bottom to create more friction with the carpet, and if the microphone was better quality, however I could rerecord this sound later on in my project and improve it for the final version if necessary.
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Furthermore, after listening to the high-pitch ‘ting’ sound I made with a mug and a spoon, on reflection I have realised I could improved this by moving the microphone slightly further away to avoid the sound peaking and losing its quality, this could also be improved by using a better quality microphone later on in this project, provided by the college. However, the idea behind the sound was largely a success and I could imagine it being used for a light-bulb, eureka moment in a cartoon animation.
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One of my ideas that worked out particularly well, was the use of spitting toothpaste into a sink to try and mimic the sound of bird poo landing, or just a small splat of any liquid-based substance. This worked brilliantly, and could be used for comedic effect in film or animation.
I cracked an egg near to the microphone, as this could be needed to be implemented into the post-production edit for a cooking scene, for example. This went well, however, you could hear the mug moving that I cracked the egg into, so to improve I would definitely rerecord the sound and crack the egg into a larger container, to avoid any background noise, or I could try and reduce the sound of the mug in the post-production edit.
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One of the more basic sounds I recorded, was a set of keys jangling and the sound of a door unlocking. These were both very successful and could be added into post-production to have a closer, more detailed sound. To improve, I could jingle the keys in a slightly slower more natural way, to make the foley feel more organic.
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Choice of animation:
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The animation I have chose to re-score and create sound and foley for, is as follows:
•https://www.skwigly.co.uk/showcase/full-feather-jacket/
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I have chosen this as I believe it has a wide range of dynamic and and interesting opportunities for sound and foley that I can experiment with and edit to great effect on Adobe Audition. I also enjoyed the dark humour shown within it, and the more modern animation techniques than other animations I could have used.
After watching the animation, I made notes of the points where I'd want to include sound and foley, and the kind of objects I could use to reproduce these sounds; I made a table to plan this further.
Contextual Study on Sound and Foley - Video Game - Rocket League
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4.1.1 Question: How important is sound to animation? What percentage of meaning derives from the sound?
How important is sound to games? Why is sound important?
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Sound is a vital part of animation. Without it, the messages that the animation is trying to convey, may not come across in the correct way, and have the wrong impact on the audience. Sound provides atmosphere, in a number of ways, for example, it can be used for comedic effect, to build suspense and to make the audience feel emotional - so a large amount of any productions meaning is derived from the soundtracks and effects. Furthermore, sound is very important in games, as it makes them much more interactive and engaging for the user; this is due to the fact that the sound is usually a result of the user's movement in the game, linking to the uses and gratification theory in media, as the media responds to the user's decision.
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4.1.2 Analyse one game or animation in terms of sound. Describe the types of sounds (realistic, toony, plain weird?)
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Within the video game of Rocket League, the sounds are used to great effect to enhance the game-play experience for the user. Some of the sounds provide a realistic sense, such as the sounds of the car engines, tyres screeching and the sound of the car hitting the ball. This allows the concept of the game to feel more believable, which makes the game more engaging and interactive for them. In contrast, the game also include cartoon-style sound effects, for instance, the sound of the boosts coming out of the back of the car or the explosions when the ball goes in the goal. This side of the sound makes the game more entertaining for the user, and provides the crossover of the present technology in cars, and the futuristic technology of flying using boosts.
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4.1.3 What can you learn from the use of sound in your chosen game/animation? (Timing, suspense, atmosphere, surprise, shock?!)
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The sound use provides a very immersive experience for the user, due to the fact it is perfectly timed with the user's actions within the game, the user feels engaged and in control. The crowd cheering sounds within the game, respond to the actions within the field, this makes the gaming experience feel more realistic and it builds a suspenseful and competitive atmosphere.
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4.2.1 How can the use of sound in animation and games change the way the audience identifies with the character? How can sound effects make the animation more entertaining, educational, social?
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The use of sounds in animations and games can allow the audience to understand the character's personalities and traits more easily, and it allows the audience to relate to what they are watching on a more personal level. This can make these pieces of media more informative and educational, as information can be presented through sound making it easier for the audience to learn and understand. Also, the sound makes games and animations much more entertaining in a number of ways, by providing different atmosphere's and effects that help the audience relate to the media they are engaging with.
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4.2.2 Now explain how this research will help you will make your own soundtrack more appealing to the viewers.
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This research will allow me to develop my own Sound and Foley project in an appealing way to the viewers, as I now know more clearly, how to make the audience feel engaged with the animation, through the use of intelligent timings, building atmosphere through soundtracks, and replicating the style of my animation (cartoon), through the medium of sound.
Final Sound Testing and Reflection:
Reflective Journal
Today I started importing my sounds alongside the animation into Adobe Audition. As you can see I started the animation with wave sounds as the first scene is situated on a beach. I was not able to leave the college campus with the recording equipment so I found some appropriate wave sounds online; these will be referenced at the bottom of this project's page. I timed one of the larger waves with the transition into the next scene of the animation, this worked very effectively.
Additionally, I synced the bird's footsteps with the sounds I recorded of my partner walking across thin carpet. This made the footsteps sound soft and light, especially after reducing the volume slightly, as you would expect a bird's to sound. Furthermore, the bird cleans the wooden shelves in the animation, I used sounds of my hands rubbing across a wooden table that I recorded to mimic this sound to great effect.
Continuing on, I added the sound I recorded of my partner walking through a large pile of leaves, for the sounds of the curtains being flung apart by one of the birds, this worked very well, as it provided that 'woosh' cartoon-style sound effect I needed for this part of the animation. I also incorporated the sound of my partner's impersonation of a bird squawk, and after increasing the pitch using the manual pitch shifter effect using the waveform layout on Audition, this sounded surprisingly realistic and also added a comedic side to the scene; I was very pleased with the sync with the animation.
I used the door creaking sound, in sync with the shelving unit falling over, this added suspense very effectively as the viewer waits to see what is going to happen when the shelves land. I added reverb to the clip using custom settings where I reduced the wetness and increased the dryness, the decay time and the diffusion levels, to enhance the details of the sound, and engage the viewer through the clarity of the atmospheric audio.
Furthermore, when the small bird (main character) is flapping its wings, I used the sound foley of flapping paper to recreate this. This sound was a little too harsh and was fairly obvious that it was paper being used for the sound, to improve this, I used the FFT filter to muffling sound template of 'The Club Next Door' to reduce the peaks of the sound and muffle the details. This made the sound seem less like and paper and it became more believable for use in the animation.
This week, I am going to finish editing the Sound and Foley final presentation. So today, I started by carrying on where I left off on Friday, in Adobe Audition. I added the wind sounds I recorded outside for when the birds are flying through the air, and I also timed the point with when one of the birds pulls out the paper map, with the sound of paper flapping that we recorded last week. This synced perfectly and added a feeling of professionalism to my Sound and Foley presentation.
One criticism could be that the sound used for the map being unfolded was too similar to the sound of the bird flapping its wings, as they were both made using paper. To add variation to this I recorded some sounds using a laminated sheet of paper to be used for the map later on in the animation, which I believe could be even more effective, and will thus be distinguishable from the bird flapping its wings.
One of my favourite sounds I made, originated from shaking two discarded metal fences together. This worked exactly as I had hoped for the sound of one of the birds being electrocuted. I added a large amount of reverb and customised the 'Big Drum Room' pre-set settings slightly to suit the scene, and give it that electrical sound that I required. I was really happy with the outcome of this particular use of foley for my animation.
For the wind turbine death scene in the animation, I used a sound of a car going past that I had recorded for a later scene and enhanced it by increasing the volume, as this gave the rush of air that I was looking for, for this point in the edit.
To improve this, I could have included a bone breaking sound, by breaking up pasta in the mouth, which I learnt about during my research earlier on in this project into Caoimhe Doyle. This is something I would definitely like to experiment with in the future, if I had more time.
When the lightning struck in the animation, I used the sound I recorded of me hitting a metal gate, and I enhanced it using multiple effects. These were the manual pitch shifter and pitch shift pre-set settings; these made the sound much deeper and more thunderous, perfect for the stormy weather and lightning strike.
I also added reverb to make the lightning strike sound much more powerful, this was all very successful, and I believe the stormy atmosphere in my animation was recreated very accurately, especially after these sounds were layered on top of the wind sounds I recorded using the multitrack timeline, building tension and suspense as the audience waits to see how the scenes following will unfold.
I recorded the sounds of paper tearing, for when the bird is holding on to the paper map in the animation, and falls to its death. This sound allowed for a very effective climax to the first half of the animation. Although, I believe I could have improved this sound further, by recording it again with the microphone closer to the paper when it ripped, to ensure it captured all the details.
Furthermore, to provide my won soundtrack for the build-up to the end scene of the animation, I used the drum kit settings on an 'Online Sequencer' website. This allowed me to gradually layer up sounds and produce a beat which I could then later download and insert into audition on a loop. The soundtrack was originally in a different format that Audition could not process correctly, so I used an online converter to change it into the standard mp3 format, to allow me to edit it in the Adobe industry-level software.
I inserted the drum beat into Adobe Audition, and my sound felt like it was really starting to take shape. I added the wind sounds in again but reduced the volume this time, as the weather is still very stormy in the animation, but I ensured that the focus was on my soundtrack I created. This effectively symbolised how the main character in the animation is focused on the task in hand and blocking out all the distractions to complete it, in an exciting and engaging way for the audience.
For the end scene of the rocket plummeting towards the ground, I used the sounds I recorded of myself attempting to sound like a rocket, which on its own was not very successful, but after lowering the semitones of the pitch dramatically, and layering the sound on top of the enhanced sounds of a car going past, I received surprisingly successful results. The rocket sounded powerful and at high speed as I had hoped, and I will shortly finish the final presentation.
The final scene added a humorous ending, as the rocket turns out to be a symbol for a bird poo. So, in complete contrast to the powerful rocket sounds, when the bird poo lands on the stranger's head, I used the soft splat sound I created from recording myself spitting toothpaste into the sink. This worked really well as the toothpaste had the thicker consistency, I required to make the cartoon-style splat sound I was looking to create.
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I ended the sound edit by adding in bird tweeting sound effects, to convey the calm environment to the audience, during this comedic and contrasting ending. I checked over my work and made minor adjustments to the sync of some of my sounds by lining up the sounds to the animation frame-by-frame, such as the bird squawk sound effects, before exporting the soundtrack in the universal format of an mp3.
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Lastly, I then placed the soundtrack alongside the animation in Adobe Premiere Pro, to render the final product, which overall, I am very proud of and pleased with its smooth, cartoon-style and atmospheric qualities it brings to the animation.
Peer Critique on my Sound and Foley + my response:
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Which actions in the animation have they made sound effects for?
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The birds flying, the birds pointing on the map, the bird cleaning, the shelving unit falling, lightning, rocket launching etc.
How well have they matched sound with the animation? Can you suggest how to improve it?
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They have matched the sound very well, by including the sounds like wind which give it a much more authentic feel. They have also matched the death noises and the subtle sound effects like the hat on the table moving. I think he could improve that last sound by decreasing the volume slightly as it makes the scenes focal point focus on the hat and not on the bird. By decreasing the volume of the hat, it might create the slightly awkward atmosphere that I personally think will benefit the final product.
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I have decreased the volume slightly, although in my opinion the awkward atmosphere creates tension amongst the birds, that builds suspense as the main bird of the group is about to get very angry at the main character - I believe this atmosphere makes this scene engaging for the audience.
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What practical techniques have they used for making foley? How have they been influenced by Caoimhe Doyle?
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They have used techniques such as moving paper to get a flapping noise for the baby bird. They also have used the sound of a creaky door closing to create the realistic sound of a cabinet falling slowly. They have used the sound of a battered fence to create the intense sound of electrocution for the bird. I don’t personally think they have been influenced by Doyle's methods but they have used other objects in different places to create a sound, in a similar way to Doyle, that fits the scene and creates the authenticity that you want.
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How effectively have they used Audition to edit their sound effects?
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So far, I think the sound effects have been edited very well in audition. They have experimented with the different effects that can be used and have utilised them very well. As the student continues to explore audition, I think they will be able to create a score which has extreme authenticity and works extremely well.
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Can you suggest ways to enhance and improve the foley and sound effects?
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Decrease the volume on the wind slightly, by maybe 1-1.5 db (I have reduced the volume by 1 db and used the FFT filter to muffle the wind to make it peak less during the soundtrack, which makes it easier for the audience to listen to whilst still keeping the stormy atmosphere.)
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Find or create a suitable noise for the bird decapitation to show the bone break
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What technical problems have they had in making foley? Suggest how to solve these problems?
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They had issues with some background noise, where it was too loud and to overcome this, I have suggested to re-record the sounds.
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I used the pre-set settings of 'The Club Next-Door' FFT filter, to muffle the background noise in the places with issues, to save time as I do not need to re-record now.
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Watch the animation with/without the new soundtrack: what does the sound contribute? How has the sound made the animation more entertaining?
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The soundtrack really helps build atmosphere throughout and the different characters in the flock of birds, so you can see the rise of the main character in an entertaining way for the audience.
Final Sound and Foley Presentation:
Final Evaluation:
What recording techniques did you use? What was successful? What can be improved? What equipment did you use? Describe problems you had in recording in different locations.
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Throughout this project, I used a variety of different recording techniques in different locations, to build up a large plethora of sounds that I could choose between and edit accordingly to be used in my final presentation. I recorded the Sound and Foley using a Rode microphone plugged into a sound recorder, this was very effective as it was portable due to it being battery powered, meaning I could record in a variety of locations, in and around the college campus. Furthermore, the sound recorder allowed you to listen to the sounds back when you plugged in earphones for the output, this allowed me to check that the sounds were recording at a high quality during the recording sessions, instead of realising a problem at the end, consequently saving time.
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For example, I used the recording technique of spinning a china mug on a table, to replicate the sounds of the spinning helmet in the animation. I recorded this in a small room indoors; this reduced background noise very effectively as the room was largely sound-proof, and there was no one else apart from my team present. However, originally, we had to switch recording areas, due to a background buzzing sound of a generator that could be heard from outside one of the rooms we were allowed to use for recording, although this was solved after scouting for a different more sound-proof indoors location.
As you can see from some of the images in this section, the microphone had a wind-protector on top of it, however, for my animation I needed to record the wind for the stormy atmosphere as the animation is largely situated outdoors. At first, the wind was not picked up very well by the microphone, as you would expect with the use of a wind-protector. Logically, I removed the wind-protector from the microphone and recorded the wind outside, this was really successful in the end, as the wind sounded much more strong and powerful, which was much closer to the way the weather is depicted in the stormy scenes of my chosen animation.
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When showing my peers my final presentation, one of them noticed a missing sound effect of a bird squawking near the start. Although this was a very minute detail, in future, I will ask others to review my work before I export it, as sometimes a fresh pair of eyes is necessary to spot the little mistakes - this was a valuable lesson.
The sound itself, in this example alone, was very successful, especially after adding reverb in the edit for a richer sound. The use of the spinning mug as the prop for the foley made it very simple to sync the sound effect to the animation, leaving me with impressive results. To improve, I could have edited the sound of the mug so that it went on for longer, as in the animation, the spinning helmet had not stopped moving when it cut to the next shot, meaning you should still be able to hear it in the background even as the next shot in the animation is playing, for a more realistic and totally professional feel.
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I used a whole array of successful and creative foley techniques. For instance, spitting toothpaste into a sink to mimic the cartoon 'splat' sound of bird poo landing, recording creaky doors slowly closing for the dramatic scene of the wooden shelves slowly falling over in the animation,
shaking old metal fences together for lightning and electrocuting sound effects (pitch-shifting was required in the edit) and more simple ideas such as walking across carpet, flapping paper and recording cars going past.
Overall, I believe I managed my time during recording sessions very wisely, and I collected an excess of sounds within the time given, allowing me to pick and choose between sounds to produce the best final presentation. I learnt a lot about the uses of sound recording equipment, such as microphones, wind protectors, and where and how you should position the equipment, to create different sounds and atmospheres, to ultimately produce the highest quality results.
How did you edit the sound effects? What techniques did you explore in Audition? How can this be improved?
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Within Adobe Audition, the possibilities of sound editing are almost endless. I explored a variety of sound editing techniques, however the ones I found to be most useful, was the pitch shifter, echo, reverb, volume, fade, time stretch and the FFT filter settings. The pitch shifter was probably the effect I used the most as it allowed for my partner's bird squawking impression during recording to actually sound very realistic, after increasing the semi-tones of these particular clips. Alternatively, it allowed me to reduce the semi-tones of the foley sounds such as the metal fences clashing, to produce a deeper, more thunderous sounder for the stormy weather seen in large parts of the animation.
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Additionally, the reverb settings came in handy on numerous occasions, as it transformed the foley recordings so they sounded like they were recorded in the same kind of locations as featured in the animation. For example, during the start of the animation, when the birds are in their meeting area, I could use the reverb settings to make it seem as though the sounds were recorded in a smaller room. This made the sound compliment the animation in a realistic and believable way. I struggled with the echo settings more, and only used them on a couple of sound effects, as it didn't sound very subtle, and seemed too forcefully edited from the audience's perspective. However, I believe this was partly due to the fact the locations seen in the animation would not produce much of an echo anyway, due to the soft textures and large outdoor areas in the scenes - the echo settings may have been more successful alongside a different animation.
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In order to improve my work and its professionalism, I would like to experiment with more effects on Audition in the future, such as the music enhancer, which I could have attempted to use on the drum beat I produced, as well as the post-production vocal adjustments, such as the DeEsser's, which I could have used on some of the bird squawks, to create a higher-quality final presentation. With more practice I could improve my skills in editing sound clips manually in the waveform layout in audition, to accurately adjust certain peaks and sound waves within clips, to effectively enhance them.
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Something I found during editing is that when you import the sounds into Adobe Audition alongside the animation, you start to become more creative, and sounds that you planned to record for certain scenes ended up being more effective for different parts of the animation instead. As a result, I learnt to plan for the sounds you know you definitely need, but to also experiment with objects you find during the sound recording sessions, as it is surprising what can be used successfully when the sounds are edited creatively. This was really useful as it helped build up hundreds of files of different sound effects, meaning I could also layer them on top of each other in the multitrack timeline on Adobe Audition, in order to create a deeper, enhanced and meaningful soundtrack, to work together with the animation in engaging the audience.
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Overall, I believe I have greatly improved my sound editing skills during this project, through advanced layering skills and experimenting with a variety of different tools on the effects rack. I have grown in confidence and knowledge of the sound industry in media, and I would definitely not rule out of going into this particular department as a career in the future, as I find the editing side of it largely enjoyable.
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Explain how you imported the foley effects into the animation. Describe any problems.
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When importing the foley effects into the animation, some of the sounds were in different formats due to different settings used on separate recording sessions, however, Adobe Audition showed me the option of automatically resolving this issue when importing different formats of sound in the same project, to allow you to edit them all in one place as normal. After I selected 'OK', on this pop-up box, I could edit all my sounds together as normal.
Although, one small problem I did have was when I attempted to import the drum beat I produced online. This was due to the fact that the drum-beat could only be downloaded as a MIDI, which is not compatible with Audition. To solve this issue, I used an online MIDI to mp3 converter, to allow me to re-download my drum beat as an mp3 file type, and from there I could then import the sound into Audition and normal, and continue to edit this exciting project.
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When editing in Audition, I imported the downloaded animation into the project, this allowed me to view the animation in the video playback section in the bottom-left of the default windows screen layout, as I edited my own soundtrack for it. Consequently, I was able to sync my sound with the animation frame-by-frame meaning it was extremely accurate, providing a very successful and professional finish to my final presentation.
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How were you influenced by research into foley artists?
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My research into the foley artist, Caoimhe Doyle, influenced me in a number of useful ways during my project. For example, from watching videos about her techniques online, I could see the different ways she interacts with the foley props she is given to produce interesting sounds, such as rubbing snapping and biting objects. This was really useful for me as I was finding it difficult to use objects in creative ways to produce a wider variety of sounds, but she clearly demonstrated all the different ways you can explore different items for foley, such as celery, pasta and hot water bottles.
Another very valuable tip I learned from Doyle, was to watch the film you are producing the sound for, as you record the sound. This allowed me to recreate the movements seen in the animation very accurately, to make the final presentation seem more realistic, believable and professional. For example, in the animation, 'The Full Feather Jacket' which I produced sound for, one of the birds rubs their wings slowly across a paper map in a number of directions; to ensure I recreated this sound effectively during recording, I watched the animation whilst I rubbed the paper, so that I could produce accurately timed sound, where the props are moved in the same direction as they are in the animation - providing a very clean and professional finish to my final presentation.
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How did you use audience feedback to help guide your project?
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I used the feedback from my peers effectively throughout my project, as they suggested good sound-proof locations to record in, allowing me to produce higher quality sound, and also I asked them to give me feedback at different points during my editing sessions in Audition, meaning I could make adjustments accordingly. As a result, I was able to correct particular errors I have made along the way of missing sounds and the occasional poor use of sound effects during my time spent experimenting with the effects rack, for example. This saved me a lot of time, as I did not have to re-export my work as they spotted small mistakes for me during the editing process which I hadn't seen myself even after checking numerous times. Although, admittedly there are still a couple of very small mistakes in my final presentation, as explained previously, but this is something I can learn from for the future.
They also provided me with inspiration through seeing the effects they had used in their different animations they were reproducing the sound for, for instance, my peer next to me, suggested I used the manual pitch shifter settings, instead of the pre-sets. This allowed me to edit the pitch of my sounds much more accurately to receive the particular styles and effects I was intending to create, by critically analysing the seperate sound clips in the waveform layout of Audition.
Referencing:
Caoimhe Doyle Image: 19 June 2017: Screen Skills Ireland
https://www.screenskillsireland.ie/news/career-spotlight-caoimhe-doyle-foley-artist/
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Rocket League Image: Taken from website: Den of Geek!, 13 November, 2017 by Matthew Byrd
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Animation: The Full Feather Jacket: By Liz el Saadany, Marjon Haasnoot, Arjen van der Meer and Jiek Weishut, presented by 'The Drawing Room' and supported by NL Film Fonds, Pathe, Fonds 21. Released: 30 July 2015