One of the biggest elements of this project is the location recording aspect. Out of our five films, four of them required location recording services. These films are; Descent, Feel Good, Immort, Remember.

All five members of the group took on the location recording, splitting the hours between ourselves as best as we could.

As I am managing the sound for Remember, I wanted to have as much involvement with its location audio as possible. This can also be said for the other films and their managers. However, some of the dates meant that my availability was limited, or I was unable to make the shoots altogether. Having a large group meant that the others were able to step in when needed, and I could then offer help on the dates that they were unavailable for, or wanted someone else on the job instead.

Having only ever had one location recording experience in the past, I was somewhat apprehensive about getting involved in the location recording to begin with. Prior experience to this project consisted of me holding a boom mic, albeit very badly, in a cemetery for a couple of hours during semester A. It was essential for me to make sure that I got the techniques correct, and payed close attention to what I was doing this time around to capture the best possible sound.

Boom technique is certainly something I struggled with to begin with. Prior to attending the shoots, firstly I harked back to the lecture delivered to us by Grant Bridgeman and the techniques he taught us, and secondly I researched into location recording.

Sound recording tips: how to record location sound in film and video production

Here I found some very useful information regarding location recording. Things such microphone choice and placement were top of my list. For all of our shoots, we have used the Sennheiser MKH416 Rifle Mic. This particular mic has an extremely directional capture. Almost like playing sound into a cone, it only really goes right onto the tip of the mic. This makes it excellent for capturing dialogue, especially when combined with a radio mic.

Gladly I am able to say that at no point did I have the boom in shot, and the dialogue we captured has been of the quality desired.

The second job on set is the sound recordist, and whilst it may seem the easier of the jobs, this has often not been the case. The Sound Devices 633 has been quite a steep learning curve for me, as it can be an extremely complicated piece of kit to use. On the first day of shooting for Remember, I was given a quick 5-minute run through by Alice, as she has already had experience with the recorder. In hindsight, I ought to have booked out the kit and had a trial run on my own time, however the delays on the shoot meant that fortunately there was enough time to go through it.

To begin with, the roles were swapped around to get a feel for each. As the shoots progressed, I became much more comfortable booming opposed to recording, and as such pursued this as much as possible for each location recording I was on hand for.

[LO1] [LO2] [PO3]

Hello, and welcome to to the blog for Audio Project 2.

Project Overview:

For this project, I am working as part of a team of students who will collectively manage and provide audio services – such as location recordings, mixing and composition – for five individual films. Each of the members of the group will take on the managing role of one of the films, having full creative control over the audio elements, whilst also assisting with audio related work for the others. All five members of the team will be responsible for the final outcome of each film, as they will all be handed in as a complete portfolio, rather than individual pieces. Shared input across each of the films will be necessary, even though the member taking creative lead on each product will have the final say in all decisions.

The five films in total consist of two Film & Television student films, ranging between 15-20 minutes in length. One Media Production film, around 10-12 minutes in length. As well as one sub-ten minute short and one sub-five minute animation. Below are the synopses for each of the films, as well as who is working on them from the film group side, as well as which of our team is managing them.

Group Aim:

To manage the process of creating the above soundtracks collectively, and to deliver these soundtracks to a good standard and to the client’s specifications.

Group Objectives:

To successfully and professionally operate as a small to medium size company (or other recognisable business entity) in the audio production/post-production field might.
To organise and fulfill an operating strategy and schedule which deals with multiple productions simultaneously, and which maximises efficiency and minimises issues or risks to delivery.
To provide a professional standard of service in respect to location sound recording and post-sound design/mixing.
To conceive, compose, source and/or produce music to client specifications that synergistically supports the other components of their films.
To produce soundtracks comprising of believable, engaging and creative Foley, SFX, dialogue, music and atmospheres to client specifications that synergistically support the other components of their films.

Outcomes and Learning in the context of Moving Picture Industry roles:

To successfully manage the company’s interaction with Remember’s director/editor/producer on a practical and creative level, and ensure the audio team’s work on the piece is delivered on-time and to a good standard – (Supervising Sound Designer) [LO1]
To judge the initial direction of and maintain consistency of the overall tone of the audio team’s work on the piece, and liaise with the director to ensure this is concurrent with their vision of the piece – (Supervising Sound Designer) [LO2]
To develop a better understanding of what is required when mixing a film. Having only done so once previously, there is much room for improvement. Having creative control over Remember will allow me to do this, however any input on the other films will also benefit. Research into mixing for drama will be key, as well as for sci-fi/horror. – (Dubbing Mixer) [LO3]
To further my knowledge of the use of original music compositions within the genres of each film. Each film requires different music, of which I will take the lead on for Remember, however whilst input on the others films may not be necessary, discussing with the other composers in the group should benefit me greatly. – (Composer) [LO4]

Personal Learning Outcomes:

To be able to describe how a post-production company functions within the film industry. [PO1]
To describe how the role of the composer fits into such a company, and how this can be applied to finding work in the real-world. [PO2]
To research and employ techniques for location recording, as well as post-production processes, particularly mixing multiple elements such as dialogue and sound design. [PO3]
To be able to create music compositions that successfully accompany my client’s film and also illustrate a development from my earlier work. [PO4]

Film Synopses:

Remember – Garden Gnome Films

Dilpreet Rall – Director/Producer/Editor

Olivia Thompson – Camera/Producer/Editor

Film Sound Requirements: location sound recording, music composition, post-production (including Foley, sound design and mixing.)

Synopsis (15 – 20 minutes):

Remember is a film that tells the story of a man’s life told by his family and friends. Arthur is a strong and caring man who is tragically put into a coma after an accident. In hospital he is visited by his friends and family, they share stories around the bed and paint a vivid picture of his amazing life.

Audio Project Manager: Anthony Belcher – ap2anthony.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk

Feel Good – Big Blue Bear Productions

Fiona Shaw – Producer

Thomas Love – Director/Writer

David Devine – Writer/Location Sound

Kane Brookes – Cinematographer

Client Sound Requirements: music composition, post-production (including Foley, sound design and mixing.) *Note* Location recording assistance has been requested, however not a requirement.

Synopsis (15 – 20 minutes):

Feel Good is set in a near future where a ground breaking discovery has made it possible to bottle and market emotions.

Audio Project Manager: Alice Asbury

Descent – Extant Films

Shaun Standring – Producer/Writer

Angelin Selvanathan – Director

Charlotte Hughes – Art Director

Client Sound Requirements: location sound recording, music composition, post-production (including Foley, sound design and mixing.)

Synopsis (10 – 12 minutes):

A short psychological drama which mainly follows one character as he goes about his life inconspicuously, however, it soon turns out he has underlying issues that come to the surface as the plot thickens.

Audio Project Manager: Gareth Bailey

Immort

Holly Oakes – Producer

Jacob Redfern – Director/Writer/Editor

Nicholas Thornthwaite – Cinematographer

Samantha Dos Santos – VFX Artist

Lyon Owen – VFX Artist

James Smillie – VFX Artist

Client Sound Requirements: location sound recording, music composition, post-production (including Foley, sound design and mixing.)

Synopsis (4 – 6 minutes):

Immort, is a sci-fi short film with the dystopian theme of humanity being immortal due to the public distribution of nanobots. The protagonist Sici is dissatisfied with how little control she has over her fully automated life. Through technological experimentation, Sici makes an attempt to end her life. The film questions the purpose of living when you can never die.

Audio Project Manager: Matthew Jones

Catastrophe/Sour Puss – Team Cipher

Esther Langan – Animator

Holly Burch – Animator

Jameela Howard – Animator

Konstantinos Zacharakis – Animator

Natalie O’Connell – Animator

Client Sound Requirements: music composition, sound design/mixing.

Synopsis (3 – 4 minute animation):

Starts with a shot of a cat waking up to the sound of a doorbell. It watches its owner walk to the door, receive a package, then walk into the kitchen. The cat follows her in; where there is a bowl bad tasting cat food is waiting for him. He looks dissatisfied and watches as his owner opens a cupboard and stretches for something at the back of the top shelf. A bowling ball (that is on the top shelf) with a little paw print on it starts to roll down and hits the owner on the head, knocking her out. As she lies on the floor, the cat stares at her stoically. It cuts to the cat washing his paws, then walking upstairs, to the owner’s bedroom. He dresses up as his owner and essentially takes her place.

Audio Project Manager: Rory Hunter

Audio Project 2 Blog

Location, Location, Location