WORKSHOP 4: Interview Recording on location

WORKSHOP 4 : INTERVIEW RECORDING ON  LOCATION ( INDOOR AND OUTDOOR)

In groups of 2/3 , you will be planning and recording a brief interview  , using  audio hardware recording equipment . You will then be recording this interview in TWO specific indoor and outdoor locations and explaining  the technical  results and differnces



PLAN : You need to create a minimum of four questions to ask your interviewees

These can be about your upcoming documentary topics, an education issue, a social issue or another area of interest.




 RECORD  your interview in  2 appropriate locations ; this should be somewhere relevant  or suitable for the subject of the interview  ( outdoor and indoor).  This can be done using your cameras if it is to include filmed content 


          

EVALUATE :  Assess and compare  the technical quality and clarity ( meaning) and the atmosphere and sense of realism( mood) of the audio content of the interviews and the positive and negative effects the location and choice of microphones  had on them. This will  include summarising the technical information about the microphones chosen  and analysing recording  factors such as  background noise , weather, convenience , technical quality, atmosphere, or realism . If any other factors affected the quality or content of the recordings you should also explain this.



Recordings should be saved on your drive and all work completed by the end of term 

WORKSHOP 3 : Adding music

WORKSHOP 3 : ADDING  MUSIC TO A SCENE IN DIFFERENT WAYS     :    



Download a  suitable  television or film videoclip   that does not contain music .

There are videofiles available on ART-MEDIA/MEDIA/SOUNDTRACK PRODUCTION/ 

If your sequence does contain music, you will need to mute the entire audio content of the scene.

If you want to make a long scene shorter , you will need to edit in in iMovie before editing the audio.




Method 1 : 

You will  be adding music   from a sound library such as freesound or  youtube  to a film sequence.

You will need a music file in a format such as mp3. This can be in any genre or style of music.

Try and choose a piece of music that changes the mood and meaning of the film sequence. You can also experiment with using different music to create different moods.

You should edit the music for length , fade in and out if necessary and add any effects to help the music blend into the scene.

When you have finished mixing the music , export the final movie as in previous workshops and save.






 Method 2 : 

You  will be using Garageband and creating suitable original diegetic or non diegetic  music  for this sequence .

Record your soundtrack using the instruments in Garageband.  Remember , music for the moving image does not need to be complicated , but should help create a mood for the viewer that matches the narrative, characters  and genre of the sequence. The music does not need to be throughout the entire scene.

Look at this tutorial and the help files in Garageband to get more familiar with how it works.

When you have finished recording and editing the music , export the movie .

TIPS : 

You should turn off the metronome in the Control tab.

Play your notes by turning on Musical Typing in the  Window tab.

Change software instruments in the right pane....orchestra and strings are particularly good for
 film soundtracks.




Write a blog evaluation summarising the processes both methods  , the reasons for your choices , and comparing the effect you feel each method of adding music had on the mood and meaning of the scene

WORKSHOP 2 : Dubbing Dialogue

Dubbing dialogue (pairs/ 3s)

You will be muting the original audio, then  recreating  the spoken word content of  short  film scenes   and dubbing it over the original moving image sequence. 

For this workshop , your main focus should be timing and technical accuracy in lipsyncing and editing : you will not be graded for how similar  your voices or acting  are to the originals. 

  Select a suitable  film sequence from

ARTS_MEDIA / MEDIA/ 1  2018 SOUNDTRACK PRODUCTION/ Dubbing workshop clips  

or download your own from Youtube ( convert to mp4 using a Youtube converter).  The scene must  have some onscreen dialogue .

   Write a script of the  spoken word content of  the scene ( if there is a lot of dialogue, you can use just part of the scene ).

  Record your dialogue  matching your recording as closely to the original as possible. This can be done live on Garageband , with the video playing back as you record , or through practice and copying what you hear.

Don't worry about editing the other sounds in the clip: this workshop is all about dialogue.

Edit the sequence to ensure the dialogue is synced to the original sequence as closely as possible. This may involve some editing of the recordings.


You can adjust volume within the track . Click on MIX /Show automation on the top of the screen and add points to the volume envelope

  File /Movie/ export audio to movie     as a mov file   and save to your desktop.

  Finally , upload your clips to a new blog post called DUBBING WORKSHOP ( can be via Youtube)

and write a 200-300 evaluation of your workshop experiments.


This should include :

explanation of technical methods and software/hardware used ( recording, editing , microphone type, sound quality, background noise etc)

explanation of any problems or errors

WORKSHOP 1 : Adding a voiceover

You will be completing a series of practical audio workshops and recording and analysing the results and the skills you have developed every week on the blog.  This will help prepare you for the next section of the unit where you will be re-recording complete audio soundtracks for moving image sequences using a range of different techniques.


WORKSHOP 1  : Adding a voiceover


Individually or in pairs, find a scene from a film or TV programme without a voiceover.  ( 1 minute approximately)

The scene should be one where there is enough space in the sound mix to allow a voiceover , and where you can add meaning to the scene by adding one.   There are examples you can use in

 ART-MEDIA / MEDIA / 1  2018 SOUNDTRACK PRODUCTION 


Write a script for a voiceover of the thoughts  of  one of the characters that adds mood and meaning to  the scene.



Drag the video file of  the scene into Garageband  and record your voiceover using your phone,  a voice recorder or directly into Garageband.

The voiceover  should  be recorded over a relevant part of the scene and combine effectively with the visual content and the existing sound mix.


You can edit the volume level of your recording using the volume knob on each track or by adjusting three levels more subtly :  Choose MIX/ SHOW AUTOMATION on the top of the screen and add points to adjust volume levels.












MIXDOWN AND SAVE YOUR VIDEO FILE : IT WILL BE USED AS EVIDENCE FOR THE ASSIGNMENT . GO TO FILE ON THE TOP OF THE PAGE / MOVIE/SAVE AUDIO TO MOVIE 






Save the video file in a relevant folder.





Complete a blog evaluation about the workshop, explaining the software and processes you used, your intentions with the voiceover, its placement within the scene and the sound mix , and an evaluation of its success and the audio techniques you used. Explain how your voiceover added meaning or mood to the sequence.

ASSIGNMENT 1 : ANALYSING AUDIO

ASSIGNMENT 38.1   ANALYSING  AUDIO IN MOVING IMAGE PRODUCTIONS


Analyse a minimum of  three scenes  from different moving image productions  (films and  television programmes ) explaining in detail how the elements of sound  (spoken word, music and sound effects) are used to create different meanings and moods  for the audience.  You should include  as many  of the key terms as possible and your chosen scenes/episodes must include the following :

Postproduction studio sound ( film  scenes/TV drama scenes/animations )

At least one example of Live location sound (such as  street / location interviews from TV or film documentaries/factual programmes such as Stacey Dooley, location recording of animals in nature documentaries  etc. )


You should select films and  scenes that allow you to write about different areas of sound ( e.g dialogue,music, voiceover, sound effects ) being used in different ways,




You should explain specific examples and use timings   e.g  " at 1.41 the audience hears non-diegetic dramatic music which fades in slowly in sync with the scene fading in from black. This creates an atmosphere of..... etc. 

You can use scenes discussed in class as well as your own examples.

Minimum word count : 800 words


EXAMPLE FROM LAST YEAR ( Distinction)

 
DEADLINE  :  FRIDAY OCTOBER 18

Case Study 3 : Stacey Dooley investigates

Stacey Dooley investigates  : Selling drugs online



You must include analysis of at least one factual television programme that uses live location audio recording in your assignment.  Stacey Dooley generally records her interviews and to-camera pieces on location without much use of non-diegetic sound to add realism and emotional impact to her programmes.

You can analyse a different episode or programme if you like.


Analyse how sound ( dialogue, music  and sound effects ) creates mood and meaning for the audience in one of  Stacey Dooley's documentaries.   This will involve focusing  on spoken word content , accent and dialect ,  the content of the interviews, voiceover and to-camera sections, and the information she and her interviewees want to get across to the audience .

Does the use of  of recording spoken word interviews  live and on location make the content more effective, and what are the technical problems  and results of trying to record moving and  challenging interviewees   ?

  Is the use of music necessary and effective ? How does it add to the mood of particular sections of the documentary ?

How is the background ambience used to add realism or mood to sections of the documentary ?
Are  there any non-diegetic sound effects used and if so why ?

Use as many key terms as possible and use timings.

 ( 500 words minimum)

Case Study 2 : animation

Analyse an episode of an animated series or a scene from an animated film on how mood and meaning is created by sound effects, music and spoken word content.

Case study 1 : Children of Men

CASE STUDY 1  : CHILDREN OF MEN

Analyse 2 key scenes from the film using the links below or your own sources. You should be explaining how the different sound elements ( spoken word, music and sound effects ) create mood and meaning for the audience and how they relate to the images the  audience sees. Use as many key terms as possible and use timings .
( e.g " at 34 sec we hear diegetic classical music slowly fade into the sound mix which creates an atmosphere of fear in the audience").

500 words minimum

                                                   


Car scene


One shot battle scene

FIRST WRITTEN TASK

Analyse how  music, sound effects and dialogue  are used to create mood ( atmosphere) and meaning  (knowledge and understanding of plot and character ) in three specific film or television scenes of your choice.

You should focus on specific sounds and lines of dialogue  and their purpose in the scene and the effect on the audience and be as detailed as possible.




KEY TERMS TO USE :    

Diegetic 

Non-diegetic 

Mood 

Score

Hyper real

Naturalistic

Synchronous/non-synchronous  sound effects

Emotional realism

Functional dialogue

Conversational dialogue