UNIT 16 - P2 (Resubmision)

P2  -  Describe how the sound elements are produced

There are different techniques and processes to consider sounds during our production. The main four ways are wild tracks, soundtrack, voice-overs and foley effects. They each have their own style and way of presenting different sound elements.

Wild tracks are those sound elements that show off an ambient sound. They are recorded separately than normal sounds, and have the purpose of enhancing the scene by all these extra helping of sounds that generates more credibility for the overall nature of the product. They are generally recorded after the main production has been completed and the extra bits are required to be done. This would include for example filming of a forest without having rustling of trees, gathering and voices of wild animals or the wind blowing slowly by. This means that after the main filming of the forest, wild tracks of the animals, the wind or even leaves, may be recorded in order to build realism to the scene.

Moreover, another technique is the use of soundtrack. Many big films or TV programmes have iconic music and theme songs that are recognisable from a vast audience as they create a sense of bonding relation to the characters and locations within the verisimilitude of the target world. In fact, sometimes we expect to hear some specific sounds for a character's or location's first appearance. This makes us excited and engaged to the soundtrack as well as the product itself. A film score is incidental music, so any of the original pieces of music produced to accompany a film. One example of the use of film score, is when the Harry Potter theme song plays in the film. This was composed by John Williams, and it is so catchy, recognisable and fitting well with the genre and the themes within the film. The incidental music evokes a sense of mystery and fantasy which highlights the film, for its matching with the storyline, genre and themes. This makes the audience even more attracted as they have this familiarity with film.

In addition, voice-overs are an important part of any media. Voice over which is done by an offscreen narrator, is the most frequent in use. This develops the building of the scene and giving detailed information about a scene that may need a little further explanation to support the visual on screen. This also seen on tv advertisements where voiceovers are used to promote and sell the products. An example for this can be the TV advert of ASDA products where the voiceover informs the audience about the the food or clothing shown in TV. The use of the engaging and cheerful voiceover by the voice artist really entices the product and generates an appreciation towards the company and its food. To end the advert there is voice over supported by the visuals of the logo where it says 'Save money. Live better. Asda'. This short snappy phrase has an important role in audience interaction, as it's short and makes them remember the advert.

Furthermore, foley effects are a techniques used for sounds. It is a really creative way of generating sounds to emphasise a scene and build the realism and believability for specific action. In order to adhere to the creation of the sounds and really match it with what is being shown on screen so that it seems the foley is following the actions taking place and make it look convincing to the audience, the foley artist sometimes becomes an actor and tries to imitate their actions to achieve the best outcome for the performance and sound connection. Another crucial thing to consider whilst producing the foley effects is to keep a look at the timings, movement and pace of the actions in the scene. This is to enhance and mimic the exact motions and noises that would be represented on screen, so that there is developing and depiction of reality within the scene. Foley are used to produce specific sound elements that would be complicated, expensive and dangerous to make on set in order to assimilate to realism. In addition, foley really gives sometimes an unbelievable touch to a scene that audience might think it's real but it is as actually been generated using artistic effects using different materials on set. An example of the use of foley effects is when there are scenes of horses racing or other animals that have clogs, by patting coconut shells or stones into hay or other soft materials like towels or cloth. This creates realistic impression of hooves and makes the scene more believable.

In order to record the different sound elements, there are a variety of different equipment available to select from. It is really important that the sound equipment is chosen carefully so that the outcome is successful. There are different types of microphones used in sound production. Some of these include shotgun microphones which are used with cameras to record really high quality sound, wireless microphones that are used in concerts and TV telecast which allows the user to freely use it and move around with it; and stereo microphones which are utilised to catch music during live concerts or festivals. Headphones are in important tool to use when recording sounds as it allows for control and checking of what is being recorded. Different cables are used to connect the audio kit to a boom pole, camera or other microphones so it attaches to the jacks picking up the sounds. Boom poles are used during sound production to hold microphones allowing it to pick up sounds in a scene. This however means that the boom pole should be held properly and in a designated place so that it does not appear on screen of the camera. Windshields are also important when recording outside, as the sound may be really confusing and not clear, therefore using these would prevent outside noises like heavy wind, rain or other cause, to get a delicate and smooth result.

When recording sounds the microphones or other devices used should be placed nearby or close enough to what is being recorded so that the microphone can easily record the sounds. Ensuring that the audio levels are accurate so that it encapsulates the sounds in a successful manner. As a result a tool called automation gain control could be applied to the microphone so that it captures automatically focuses the levels and makes sure of the adjustment. These settings are to be considered in order to avoid distortions or issues regarding the sounds recorded.
As well techniques for creating sound elements there are also different formats and file types for sounds. Some of these sound formats include mp3 and wav. Mp3 tends to be lossy, which means that it has been compressed, therefore having less space and making it available across a wide variety of platforms and devices. Whereas, WAV maintains the high quality of the sounds, therefore lossless, which makes it accessible to be utilised into professional productions. Later, in order to store these files different methods can be used. These comprise of depositing it into computers or macs in ordered files so that it is easy to find and access it. To have more copies and back-ups of it the use of USB sticks or other hard drives could be utilised, or even storing it on Cloud like GoogleDrive.


Bilbliography

Victoria Allen, Ian Marshall, Karl Davis, Richard Howe, Kevin Wells, "Cambridge Technicals Level 3 Digital Media", Hodder Education, 2016.