For this week’s task, we continued to look at the unit of Sound, focussing particularly on Foley. Foley Sound is creating realistic sound effects from common objects that are then overlayed onto a final piece of film during the editing process. Foley is a useful Sound tool as it allows for any particular sounds to be emphasised in the post-production process if this intention had not been successful in the production stage of the film. During the filming stage, the main audio element that is focussed on is Dialogue. Most other background sounds, such as white studio noise, are removed from the raw footage in the final edit and replaced with sounds created with Foley, Sound Effects, and Music. Foley Sound Effects are often recorded whilst the Foley artists are watching a scene from the film. By doing it this way, it makes it easier for the Foley artists to make sure that they are recording the correct sounds at the right time. When recording Foley sounds it is important to constantly review whether the audio matches to the footage and whether the sound that you are creating sounds realistic. Foley Sound is extremely important when wanting to create a realistic piece of film.
For our main task this week, we were challenged to create our own Foley Sounds to overlay on a scene from The Princess Bride. Our task was to remove any original audio tracks from the original footage, and create our own, making them appear realistic to the action happening on screen. After forming our groups, the first thing that we did was watch the scene several times and identify each sound that we could hear. It was beneficial for us to repeatedly watch the scene as, each time we watched it, we would hear different sounds that stood out to us. After listening to each sound, we made a list of the sounds that we could hear, as we knew that these would be key to include, otherwise, the final edit may appear unnatural. However, after doing this, we rewatched the scene and identified any sounds that weren’t used in the original film, but that we could include in our own edit to enhance the storytelling of the scene. Some of the further sounds that we felt we could include were, the footsteps of the swordfighters, the rocks falling from the ruins, and the grabbing of the bar when each character swung to the ground. As we didn’t have any of these original sounds to replicate, we were free to experiment with how we would create this effect. To help us gain a clearer understanding of the sounds we needed to record, we created a Sound Design Table, listing the action, the sound type, the sound source, and whether it was an Impression or Expression Sound. When thinking about how we were going to attempt to create each sound, we needed to think about what resources were available to us, and the sounds that each object would make. When thinking about the falling rocks sound effect, we decided that we would use two sound sources to create the action. Firstly, we would record the crinkling of paper, to act as the crumbling of the rocks, followed by the dropping of a boot, which would represent the bigger boulder falling and hitting the other rocks. Furthermore, when creating the sound of swords, we wanted the audio to sound as realistic as possible, so we were able to source some blunt, prop knives, which we would scrape along each other to create the metallic effect.
After planning how we would create each sound, we took our equipment to the Sound Studio and began to set up, ready to record. Remembering what we had learnt earlier, which was that it was more beneficial to record the sounds whilst watching the scene, we set up the computer and played the footage. This not only allowed us to make the sound in time with the video, but we were also able to hear whether each sound would match with the footage for ourselves. However, if we were slightly behind in terms of matching the audio with the video footage, we would be able to amend this in the editing process by cutting the audio track to a selected point. We found it to be beneficial to record each sound in order of the scene footage as this would prevent us from getting confused and missing out on any sounds. The first sound that we recorded was the sound of the swordfight. When recording Foley, it is also important to try and convey emotion through the actions if possible. The harsh and vigorous swipes of the metal knives allowed the final sound to feel more natural when matched up with the footage. After recording a few more sound effects, we came to creating the sound of footsteps, however, it was at this point that we unknowingly encountered an issue which we later discovered when reviewing and editing the tracks. The main issue that we faced when creating this sound effect was that the floor surface in which we were using to record the footsteps was different to the surface in the scene, therefore, creating contrasting sounds. The surface in the scene was stone tiles which were slightly dusted in sand, whereas the floor surface that we were using was wooden planks, topped with carpet. Obviously, the different floor surfaces create different sounds when walked on and so therefore, our sound effect would sound unnatural when layered onto the footage. It was also give the impression to the viewer that the set is fake and that the scene is taking place on a man-made stage.
After recording several more sound effects, we then took our footage and uploaded it, ready to review. When listening back to some of the audio files, it became clear that some tracks had unnatural pitches or tones. In order to improve this, we used the editing software, Audacity. Audacity allows for you to alter the pitch, volume, bass, and many more features of your audio track. Focussing on the footsteps sound effect that sounded too hollow for what we had initially wanted, I uploaded the track and began to adjust the bass and pitch. In increasing the bass and the pitch, I was able to adjust the hollow sounding track so that it sounded slightly lighter. However, if I was to complete this task again, I would ensure that we considered this when planning the objects we would use to do the task. Upon reflecting on this issue, perhaps we could have placed a different fabric under our feet when creating the sound. After adjusting several audio tracks in Audacity, I uploaded the video footage from The Princess Bride into Avid, along with all of the audio tracks. I then began to work through each sound effect, and overlayed them onto the timeline where appropriate. Throughout the editing process, I moved some tracks around to ensure that each sound matched up with the footage seen on screen.
After completing and exporting my final edit, I gained some feedback from both my peers and lecturers. When asking for feedback on my edit from my peers, I gained some positive and constructive responses. One of the things that my peers pointed out that they specifically liked about the video was how I used the paper sound effect to represent the crumbling of the rocks. They said that this was particularly believable and felt natural. Contrastingly, they also pointed out that the footsteps sounded slightly unnatural. This was to be expected due to the issue we faced earlier on in the process and gaining feedback that pointed this issue out reinforced the fact that we must be more careful when creating these sounds in the future. Also showing my edit to my lecturers, they spoke about how they liked the parts of the scene where additional sound effects had been added, that weren’t used in the original film. They felt that this helped to enhance the story and reveal more information to the viewer. However, there were moments throughout the film where sword fighting sound effects could be heard where no sword fighting was taking place. This encouraged me to review the edit and make any adjustments that were necessary.
Overall, I feel that the task this week allowed me to continue building on my knowledge of sound and experiment using my own examples of Foley Sounds. In the future, I will make sure that I am happy with each sound effect before I begin editing and ensure that we use the correct resources and materials to make the sound appear realistic.
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