Monday 23 March 2015

Material render tests and composite

Ran a few specific material test renders of my latest guardian work in progress.
Composited the varied finishes in Photoshop for a potential science fiction stone / metal finish - more experimentation to follow:

                                        






Thursday 19 March 2015

Foley Session 02_19th March



The second round at Foley was specifically booked to capture a more specific water pouring sound to accurately match the imagery of the mirror pool / waterfall in my final scene.

I had sourced a metal tray / flower pot base to replicate the pools material, it was also complementary in shape which should help on some level of detail..!?

With the assistance of Sam Barnes, Studio technician, We captured four takes, the 1st of which being a test run to set up the recording levels and experiment with the pouring height and speed. I realised with the 1st take that we had to go back to pouring from the watering can used in the 1st Foley session as the bucket I initially used was to difficult to replicate a steady controlled pour.

The 2nd and 3rd run were a lesson in controlled water pouring whilst trying not to breath in the direction of the mic as well as not clanking the headphone cable against anything...

The 4th and final take was the most successful with 2 clear patches of smooth babbling with a hint of pour, next move is to look at audacity and start the editing process of all the suitable sounds captured in the 2 Foley sessions.

I have also sourced some royalty free stock sounds that will serve as layering for my editing process:

http://soundbible.com/2033-Frogs.html
http://soundbible.com/2034-Growling-Snarling-Dogs.html
http://soundbible.com/2032-Water.html


Wednesday 18 March 2015

Guardian Wip 03

Submission deadline looming has put the emphasis on getting a clean render of this ongoing piece:


Thursday 12 March 2015

12th March 15'' Visiting Lecturer_Barnaby Templer

An insightful lecture / workshop with Barnaby Templer from Phonic Studios, Barnaby introduced us to some of his varied works in Film, music video and animation, also giving us the chance to share our work and get crucial feedback in the remit of sound.

With my very limited knowledge of sound and its terminology, most of the topics covered were virgin territory. Similar themes did pop up though such as attention to detail and a concrete understanding of fundamentals being required to produce successful outcomes.

Another key point of the day regarding my work specifically was the importance of a compelling back story to add substance to the developed visuals and entice the audience to want and wonder for more.  Something I had been considering recently after the same feedback from other tutors.

I was advised, given the fantasy / science fiction aspect to really push the audio, helping to 'get the story across in every way possible' including generating a sound for the eyes illuminating in the opening shot.  We worked out a plan to really sell the mystery of the imagery that will be revealed in the final animatic, by breaking the soundtrack into 3 parts, firstly a serene inviting sound as the opening shot reveals the Goddess bust, building to a change in pitch and tone as the priestess is revealed activating a sense of drama, to be concluded by a dramatic highlight as the camera pulls through the entrance arch to the sanctum and shows the guardians either side of the opening coming to life!

Other general points from Barnaby included the order for sound in production of layering vocals at the top, with music, effects (physical sounds), atmospherics, and Foley at the base. Low, mid and high range sounds to be treated separately. Barnaby recommended 'Iris' software by Izotope as a good way to manipulate Foley for my specific requirements, he also suggested 'Boom Library' and 'Hiss & Roar' as web sites for stock sounds.

Overall it was a very inspiring and motivational session, helping to emphasise the importance of a strong soundtrack and synchronised effects.

Monday 9 March 2015

Schedule Draft_Unit02


As this post would be otherwise slightly dull, I decided to brighten it with a shot of my Clear Resin cast from my research into practice unit.

Unit 02_Draft Schedule MKI

Project Start:
Introductory Lectures:
Research into relevant reference:
Foley session 01: see blog post
Research of relevant reference:
Looking at 'Audacity' software as an entry level to basic manipulation and stretching:
Foley Session 02: water attempt 2 with specific equipment, beast breathing & other identified sounds 
Use of Audacity to manipulate and develop Foley session sounds.
Ongoing research into Sounds of Star Wars, Avatar and other Science fiction and relevant references.
Lectures from Sound professionals @ NUA
Production of animatic(s) Guardian & potential temple block out, time permitting.
Post production of sound design timed with realised animatics.
preparation of material for submission

Ongoing studio work:

Software introductions and learning: Audacity etc...(list!?)

Developing an understanding of Z Brush 4R7's new hard surface modelling feature.

Guardian Bust:
3D block out of Temple Environment

Life Class, Pose session, Model Booked
On going freelance: end of ITL, Illustration

Thursday 5 March 2015

Foley Day 01

'First time for everything' today, with an exploration into 'Foley':
Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to film, video, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality.[1] These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. The best foley art is so well integrated into a film that it goes unnoticed by the audience.[2]It helps to create a sense of reality within a scene. Without these crucial background noises, movies feel unnaturally quiet and uncomfortable.
Foley artists recreate the realistic ambient sounds that the film portrays. The props and sets of a film often do not react the same way acoustically as their real life counterparts.[2] Foley sounds are used to enhance the auditory experience of the movie. Foley can also be used to cover up unwanted sounds captured on the set of a movie during filming, such as overflying airplanes or passing traffic.[2]
The term "Foley" is also used to describe a place, such as Foley-stage or Foley-studio, where the Foley process takes place.

The start of my 2nd MA units practical sound recording aspect, As my studio work is at an early stage I had a rough idea of general noises that will be required for the 'Animatic' I am looking to produce.
Breaking down core sounds for the ambient noises that will help to create immersion within my production, with the intension to use the rough noises as a base for manipulation such as stretching and reverb. 

My list of noises and attempted Foley'ing went as follows:
Breeze / wind noise: Breathing through closed lips with varying levels of pitch, introducing a vase and cardboard tube to add reverb, playing with distances and angles combinations of both objects. 
Atmospheric / additional element to wind noise: Using combinations of various grades of sand and gravel, with additional elements of stone and brick, rubbed and scraped together.
Rustling foliage: Initially I gathered dry leaf and rubbed between my palms with the intention to push the basic sound in post production, I will possibly use different types of leaf and varying ages of decay from fresh to crispy, this will hopefully give me more range if the 1st sound is limited.
Water pouring / moving:  Beginning this experiment by pouring from a watering can into a bucket, the 1st half of the pour was unusable where as the end of the pour with the sound muffled by the fuller bucket gave a subtle babbling noise which should hopefully act as a good base.
I introduced a glass vase into the bucket to get variation in the initial pouring sound, again the beginning of the pour into the empty vessel was unusable, but again near the end of the pour as the vase filled, there was a subtle but ideal babbling.
Whilst performing this sound aspect I was thinking of a large metal, shallow bowl I have at home which would be ideal as it replicates the actual pool base seen in my environment, will make a note to bring this for the next session!
Fantasy Flower sound: My intention was to create a light pinging, hi pitched frequency sound to emulate a glowing / fantasy flower with its own resonating energy source.  In the Foley equipment storage was a small and unusual instrument made of a number of metal picks angled into a small hand sized piece of wood, the sound seemed ideal as a base to tweak.
Chanting / humming:  To give an extra element of fantasy and complement the atmosphere of the environment I pan to introduce a vocal element, trying to string out my own vocal tones was difficult and this may require some stock sounds to use instead.

Homework / study: http://soundworkscollection.com/videos/avatar 



Monday 2 March 2015

Decayed Bust_Design Development WIP

Had another pass on the bust look direction, going for a 'pushed' realism on the stone, have to work up the stone cuts with some edge work as they are yet to read properly...

...I will look to animate a fade in and pull out with this bust as a test for the opening sequence of my short film.