Assignment Brief – QCF BTEC
Assignment front sheet
Course Unit number and title
BTEC Extended Diploma in Interactive Media year 2
Unit 71 Soundtrack Production for the Moving Image
Learner name Assessor name
Kieren Jones A Richards
Date issued Hand in deadline Submitted on
October March
Assignment title Sound To Picture Portfolio
In this assessment you will have opportunities to provide evidence against the following criteria. Indicate the page numbers where the evidence can be found.
Criteria reference
To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that the learner is able to: Task
no. Evidence
P1 Describe the relationshipsbetween components of sound and picture with some appropriate use of subject Terminology.
1 Presentation
P2 Produce recorded audio material for moving image with some assistance.
2 Audio/ Video Evidence
P3 Generate outline plans for the production of a soundtrack for a moving image project working within appropriate conventions and with some assistance.
3
Portfolio
P4 Apply audio recording and editing techniques to produce a soundtrack for a moving image project with some assistance.
3 Audio/ Video Evidence / Portfolio
M1 Explain the relationships between components of sound and picture with reference to detailed illustrative examples and with generally correct use of subject terminology.
1
Presentation
M2 Produce audio recordings for moving image to a good technical standard with only occasional assistance.
2 Audio/ Video Evidence
M3 Generate detailed designs for the production of a soundtrack for a moving image project showing some imagination and with only occasional assistance.
3 Portfolio
M4 Apply audio recording and editing techniques to produce a soundtrack for a moving image project to a good technical standard and with only occasional assistance.
3
Audio/ Video Evidence / Portfolio
D1 Comprehensively explain the relationships between components of sound and picture with reference to elucidated examples and consistently using subject terminology correctly.
1
Presentation
D2 Produce audio recordings for moving image to a technical quality which reflects nearprofessional standards and working independently to professional expectations.
2
Audio/ Video Evidence
D3 Produce thoroughly thoughtthrough designs for theproduction of a soundtrack for a moving image project showing creativity and flair and working independently to professional expectations.
3
Portfolio
D4 Apply audio recording and editing techniques to produce a soundtrack for a moving image project to a technical quality which reflects near professional standards and working independently to professional expectations.
3
Audio/ Video
Evidence / Portfolio
Learner declaration
I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own. I have clearly referenced any sources used in the work. I understand that false declaration is a form of malpractice. Learner signature: Date:
Assignment brief
Course name BTEC Extended Diploma in Interactive Media year 2
Unit number and title Unit 71 Soundtrack Production for the Moving Image
Assessor name A Richards
Date issued October
Hand in deadline March
Assignment title Sound to Picture Portfolio
Purpose of this assignment To enable learners to develop their understanding of the relationship between sound and picture in moving image production, and the skills needed to produce moving image soundtracks through acquiring original sound, using existing audio resources and operating post-‐production software.
Scenario You have been asked to create the sound effects, music and dialogue for a chosen 2D or 3D ident that you have created.
Task 1 : Research You have been asked to research at least two different soundtracks for a film, for example you could choose a documentary scene and a music video. You will need to explain the relationship between sound and vision. You need to discuss the techniques used to create audio tracks and the relationship between sound and vision. (refer to handout)
Task 2 You must create thought through designs for the production of the soundtrack. (refer to handout)
Task 3 You must create a soundtrack to the 3D animation, demonstrating good use of soundeffects, dialogue and original music while displaying good editing and production techniques.
Evidence checklist
[Summarise evidence required, e.g. ‘leaflet’, ‘presentation notes’ etc.] [tick boxes]
Research assignment for Task 1
Planning documents for Task 2
Finished 3D animation with a soundtrack including notes for Task 4
Sources of information Useful websites www.filmsound.org www.gamesounddesign.com
www.soundonsound.com
Useful Books Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema
Film Sound: Theory and Practice
Movie Trailer Research
Chosen Movie Trailer – Homefront This trailer has many different sounds in the video. There are sound effects used to create suspense in the atmosphere throughout, which is very effective as it suits the theme of this movie.
The music used in this trailer is only applied at certain scenes of the trailer and this music has a very cinematic feel to it but it isn’t orchestral. The narration used is also used to create an ascending suspenseful atmosphere that makes viewers naturally want to continue watching. The voices were recorded on set and not in a studio and we know this because the voices blend in with the sound effects and music in the atmosphere. We also know that it was recorded on set as the voices are in sync with the movement of the characters’ mouth. The fact that there is no narration recorded in a studio makes this trailer a lot better because the video itself tells a story, rather than a narrator doing so. I think many of the sound effects used were created in a studio by using many different objects and combining sounds to create a certain sound that fits the theme and slow-‐paced atmosphere. The gun sounds were most likely recorded in a studio, as the sound seems to stand out among other sounds. Other sounds like doors opening may have been recorded on set and I think this because it would have been possible to do so if there were doors on set. Sounds like crashes and bangs and punches would have been recorded in a studio using different materials to create an effect. Car sounds would have been recorded in a quiet area or studio, or even on set. Sounds such as an engine starting or a car door opening could have been recorded on set and I believe this because the sound is in sync with the video.
Some examples of sound effects used are thumps when a character throws a punch or kick, and when a character falls to the ground etc. There are also gun shot sounds in sync with the video when the characters are shooting, and all of these sounds were recorded in a studio. Another sound in the trailer is glass smashing which I think was recorded on set because the sound is in sync with the glass smashing in the video.
The music towards the end of the video gets very fast paced with lots of instruments which creates an extreme amount of tension and suspense, which fits perfectly with the fast paced, very short video clips that are played. The choice of dialogue used in this trailer was extremely important and chosen very well. The trailer does not give away too much of what happens in the whole film but still makes a viewer want to see more because the choice of words used were very effective and create a tense mood leaving us want to know more.
Documentary Research
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ve_ME8IitE To gather more information and knowledge of how important sound is for video, I used the Internet to watch very short Nature documentaries by David Attenborough. In the video I chose to analyse, David Attenborough is in New Zealand studying exotic birds and getting close to them.
The narrative and voice of the video would have been recorded in a studio and we know this because there is no visual of David Attenborough speaking. Also, the sound of voice is crystal clear and stands out over the backing noise of birds and wildlife in the area. It is important that the narrative is as clear as possible because this video is giving information to the general public. The power of the narrator’s voice makes the video a lot more interesting and watchable. I believe that the sounds of the atmosphere with birds and wildlife were recorded over a long period of time and added on to the video afterwards when the sound producers were content with the sound they had captured. To record these sounds, cameras and microphones would have been placed in the area or hung from trees and left to record the sound.
The sounds in the background suit the video very well and fit perfectly. The visuals we see are of a tropical jungle theme and the sound of exotic birds adds a calm mood to the atmosphere. At the beginning of the video, there is orchestral music playing at a relatively fast and steady pace. The sound producers may have used this to add excitement to the video. The music plays for the first 30 seconds of the video, followed by repeating sounds of birds making noises throughout.
Animation Research
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsufPM5TVZk After gaining knowledge of the use of sound in movies and documentaries, I observed the first 30 seconds of a short 3D animation called “Rollin’ wild”.
In this period of the video there isn’t any voice narration in and only sounds relating to the video and area it is based in. At the beginning, the sound of a drum is played a few times and I think this is to set the scene of a dusty area. There are a lot of sound effects used in the background of the video and I believe many of them were recorded on a set in an area where those sounds are heard. The sound of animals making noises would have been recorded on a set. The ruffling noises and flapping of wings would have been recorded in a studio despite how realistic they sound. I think the bird noises were also recorded on a set because they are very realistic and blend in with the background noise. The sound of footsteps were most likely recorded in a studio because they stand out very well and do sound similar to other sounds we could make ourselves. In this animation, the audio is perfectly in sync with the video and this is extremely important for animations as well as videos and documentaries.
Unit 71 Soundtrack Production – Work in Progress As part of my assignment, I am required to create a soundtrack for a short video of my choice using Logic Pro X. After researching different types of video such as movie trailers, short documentaries and animations, I decided to create a soundtrack for a documentary trailer named “Deep Blue”. Deep Blue is a documentary about the creatures of the ocean and I chose to work with it because of the imagery seen in the video seems like a lot could be done with it and I had already began generating ideas for certain sounds that could be used. To begin my soundtrack, I created a new audio track in Logic Pro X.
Next, I imported the Deep Blue video file to the project. While doing this, I ensured that “Extract the audio track” was unchecked. This means that only the video itself would be imported without the existing soundtrack.
After importing the video to my project, I began to think about what sounds could be used in the video. Playing through the video repeatedly, I started constructing my sound list and making note of what sound was going to play at specific times. After completing the sound list, the next task was to search the Internet for the sound effects that I specified in my sound list.
My sound list is very detailed and has a brief list of sounds that will be used in my soundtrack.
Although some of the sounds from my sound list are already available in the Loops library in Logic Pro X, I began searching for the sounds that were not available. The first website I decided to use was www.freesound.org because it is full of useful sounds that are free to download without breaching copyright laws.
After collecting my sounds, I began to construct the musical soundtrack at the start of the video. I found the sound that my track began with in the loops library.
Because the original sound was a lot shorter than I needed to be, I created a loop effect. A loop effect makes a sound replay from the start and play over again. The loop was very useful to me because the repetition sounded very appropriate.
While progressing through the production of the soundtrack and using a few more sounds, I could hear that some sounds were louder than I intended them to be. To resolve this and get more control over the sounds, I used the automation effect. Automation allowed me to edit the volume at certain times of the video and was a very useful method of modifying sounds to fit in properly.
After experimenting with automation and trying to blend sounds together, I could still hear some sounds interrupting and decided to use the mute feature. The mute feature enabled me to mute a specific track and listen to the whole project without that track. This was useful because it helped me realise that some sounds were not necessary in my project.
When I had removed the sounds that were not needed in my soundtrack, I began to wonder about whether or not some sounds were actually placed in the correct place. Instead of muting every other sound to listen to one specific sound, I used the solo feature. This means that every other track automatically mutes and allows us to listen to one specific track. This helped me align my sounds perfectly.
At this point, the formation of the soundtrack was almost complete but in my opinion it didn’t sound like it was good enough so I decided to use the panning feature, which allowed me to individually choose what side of the speakers that a specific sound would play to. This was a great way to make things sound a lot more realistic and create an effect of background noise.
I also decided to add some effects to a few of my sounds to enhance them and improve the suspense of specific sounds.
To complete the project, I decided to use a software instrument to create specific sounds that were not available on Logic Pro X or the Internet. The sound that I needed was a deep drumbeat that could sound like a heartbeat, as specified in my sound list. The software instrument was enjoyable to use because it allowed me to experiment with different notes and pitches of an instrument of my choice. When I was satisfied with a specific sound, I recorded it and used the keyboard to make the sounds that were needed.
Now that my project was near enough complete, I checked every sound and played through the whole track multiple times to ensure that no sound was out of place or too loud or quiet. This is a screenshot of my full project.
When I decided that my project was complete and I was satisfied with how it sounded, I exported the file as a video and in my opinion it turned out to be a successful soundtrack.
Unit 71 Evaluation – Kieren Jones
After completing my soundtrack and applying it to the video of my choice, I am now going to evaluate the soundtrack thoroughly, discussing what I felt worked well and what didn’t, also covering things that I may possibly do differently if I were to re-‐do the project. Firstly, I believe that the video of my choice was very appropriate for soundtrack production and there were many different ways that I could have approached the theme. For example, because it is a documentary trailer about the ocean and a lot of the imagery is fast paced with a fairly dramatic feel, cinematic sounds and music would be very appropriate and would create suspense in the atmosphere. I am very satisfied with my soundtrack because it was a different project to what I am normally used to and it was fun to have the challenge of doing something different. I feel that the outcome of my soundtrack works well with the actual video. My research was a vital part of my soundtrack production and in my opinion it helped me to understand where sounds needed to be and the importance of sound in a video. I do think that if I did more research, my soundtrack would have been even better. The video was fairly easy to work with because a lot of the actions in the video were clearly marked as an opportunity for a sound effect. For example, when there is a huge wave dropping into the water, I added loud splashing sounds to fit the imagery. This helped me choose the appropriate sounds and also identify where the sounds were needed. I think that the sounds I used were very suitable for the video and the sounds I downloaded were appropriate for the imagery. Also, I feel that the loops that I used from Logic Pro X to create the musical parts of the video were very helpful and appropriate to work with. The cinematic music plays a big part in the soundtrack and in my opinion I did it very well. I am satisfied with the outcome because it suits the cinematic theme. Forty seconds into the video, there is a change of theme from bright, pleasant imagery to a dark mystical theme and I used this as an opportunity to change the theme of music from calm cinematic music to a more suspenseful and dark theme. To do this, I used sounds that were a lot faster with deeper instruments to emphasise the suspense in the video. This sudden change of theme worked very well and is one of the best parts of my soundtrack. Although I am very satisfied with the outcome of my soundtrack, there are still things that did not work very well and could have been better. Despite the fact the video I chose was very easy to work with, I do think that I could have found a different video that had a wider variety of opportunities for sounds.
I also think that I could have added a dialogue to my soundtrack for the parts where titles appear in the video because it would have worked very well and could have added to the suspenseful theme throughout. I chose not to because my own voice is not suitable for this theme, but I could have had a classmate to record their voice for me. If I were to start over and recreate the soundtrack, I would definitely choose to include dialogue because voice is very important in video as well as music and sound effects. I would also include more sound effects such as deep drumbeats to go with the imagery in the video and also the beat of the music, because it would emphasise the suspense in the atmosphere. Overall, I am very happy with the outcome of the soundtrack, it was an extremely enjoyable project that was a challenge for me. Using Logic Pro X was fun and easy to learn, and the wide ranges of features were very useful to me while creating my soundtrack. The soundtrack fits the video very well and I do believe that I have produced something very suitable for a good grade. I would definitely enjoy doing a similar project like this one again.