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Handouts 8-31-2019
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All About Sound

The best films show, not tell.  But sound tells a story too.

Can you watch a movie without the image and understand what’s going on?

Many folks would argue that sound always takes a backseat to visuals - it’s the last component people think about and the last added in post. Yet sound tells a powerful story through its support of onscreen action. Great audio - sound design, effects, and sharp sounding dialogue helps set the pace of a film from intro to climax to resolution. A filmmaker with an understanding of the sound design toolbox and the physical tools required for capturing sound will tell a better story.

Sound Design Toolbox

Matt Hibbard defines sound design as “a process of experimentation to create an audio environment that supports the on-screen action and engages the audience.”

The goal of a filmmaker is to make a film that communicates a vision. Creating an “audio environment’ means creating audio that helps that vision come to life. It means creating an “audio environment” that communicates what you want the audience to understand.

If a script has a character having a nervous breakdown or feeling overwhelmed in a library, then it will be important to communicate what the character feels to an audience. Creating an audio environment can help the audience understand a character’s breakdown in a library - the sounds of people chatting mixed into a chaotic noise; the sounds of books shelved enhanced; or music that underscores a breakdown.

If a script has two characters sitting in a restaurant seething with resentment and wishing for a divorce, you can convey this to an audience with...silence. Maybe have trickles of sound - glasses, sipping drinks - or just silence.

Even if you do not plan to create the audio environment yourself - perhaps you have a composer, a sound editor, or a sound engineer - it’s important to communicate what you want.

Tracks

Creating an audio environment means using audio tracks and mixing them to desired effect. Hibbard mentions “experimenting” because ultimately this environment comes through experimenting - changing levels, manipulating dialogue, utilizing sound effects through Foley sound, and adding music.

It’s important to think of the audio environment as a compilation of tracks that when mixed give you what you want.

(Photo of audio tracks via Premium Beat)

Diegetic Sound

First, it’s important to create an audio environment by understanding what sounds emanate from what’s happening on screen. From filmsound.org, diegetic sound is:

“Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film:

Create an audio environment by choosing the elements of audio sourced by something in the film to represent what you want.

Dialogue is the most important element of sound in a film. It’s vital during the shooting of a film to record good sound from the actors. Even if you plan to not have what actors say in the final film, record it and record it clearly. No audience will enjoy a film with muddy dialogue they cannot understand.

You may need to record ‘room tone,’ or the sound of the room with nothing going on.  Even when no one is actively talking or making sound, each room has (usually very low volume) 'background noise.'  The sound editor may need this audio to create seamless sounding dialogue or extend silent moments, and having ‘room tone’ available makes this easier.

On set, a Production Sound Mixer (or Sound Recordist) will work with a Boom Operator (Boom Op) to record any audio during a shoot. The Sound Recordist chooses mics to use and mixes audio levels. The Boom Op positions the mics to capture the best audio.

Often character dialogue gets muddled during production recording because of background noise, a bad actor day, or the editor/director choosing a great shot with bad audio. Therefore, plan to potentially bring in actors for ADR (Automated Dialog Replacement) to re-record dialogue to match the shot. This is typically done by the sound editor, sound supervisor or (for big productions) an ADR supervisor.

Sound effects is a term used generally. Room tone, for instance, is a background sound effect. Think of sound effects as sound components enhanced for artistic effect. We use room tone or background sound effects (ambience of coffeeshop) to establish where the characters are. But any sound we enhance - clanging of coffee cups, footsteps, espresso machines hissing - is labeled as sound effects.

While the sound originate from an onscreen, many times a Foley artist records these sounds or makes them in post-production to ensure clarity. These sounds are less important than dialogue (I cannot emphasize that enough) and therefore not required for recording during a shoot.

Most sound effects exist to help tell the story. As a consequence, they exist because of an artistic choice.

Non - diegetic Sound

Creating an audio environment to support the film usually requires more than creating audio tracks from sound sources on screen. Each element of audio is an artistic choice and sometimes the strongest audio choice is to use sound with no source on screen. This is non-digetic sound, or as filmsound.org describes, a “sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action.”

Examples of non-diegetic sound:

Let’s return to the overwhelmed character in a library. Let’s say that character feels haunted by past mistakes or by other interactions. You can record audio tracks of dialogue of those past interactions in post-production. You can leave it as is or give it an effect to feel distant or from the past.

Music deserves a separate discussion, but to be brief: a Music Supervisor will choose songs to include (and secure those rights - you need rights for popular music). A composer will write music then perform and record.

Music is an artistic choice. Use it wisely and purposely. It should enhance - it should not pander.

Physical Toolbox

Recording audio can be done in-camera or with a smartphone. Recording audio regardless of device depends on placement of device, clarity of recording, room and extraneous noises, and what can be done in post-production.

But, if you have some money and can rent equipment on sharegrid.com or if you want to buy some physical tools, it will help your production.

Here are the main physical tools:

Final Things:

Appendix A: Sound Crew Roles for Film 

(via Listeninglistening.com)

On Set Sound Department

Production Sound Mixer (Sound Recordist)

The production sound mixer is head of the sound department on set, responsible for recording all sound during filming. This involves the choice of microphones, operation of a sound recording device, and sometimes the mixing of audio signals in real time.

Boom Operator (Boom Swinger)

The boom operator is responsible for microphone placement and movement during filming. The boom operator uses a boom pole to position the microphone above or below the actors, just out of the camera's frame.

Post-Production Sound Department

Sound Designer

In charge of the post-production sound of a movie.

Dialogue Editor

Responsible for assembling and editing all dialogue in the soundtrack.

Sound Editor

Responsible for assembling and editing all sound effects in the soundtrack.

Re-recording Mixer

Balances the sounds prepared by the dialogue, music and effects editors.

Music Supervisor

Works with the composer, mixers and editors to create and integrate the film's music. Negotiates licensing of the necessary rights for all source music used in a film.

Composer

The composer is responsible for writing the musical score for a film.

Foley Artist

Creates and records many of the sound effects for a film.

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Appendix B: Sound Frequency Spectrum

(via Premium Beat)

Appendix C: Additional Resources