Monday, 30 November 2009
Recording Film Sound for the Clueless: Part 2
The Importance of Music in a Horror Film
One of the most important elements in any film is to get the score right! In a horror movie in particular, using extra-diegetic sound is an important tool which can be used to build atmosphere and suspense. When timed correctly, the right music can be used to scare the viewer witless, where dialogue and action alone would not be enough.
I’m afraid our little film would not have worked remotely as well as it did without the suspense music. Whatever other criticisms we received from viewers (and there were many) the sound and the use of music were judged to be very well done (hurrah! We did something right!) The film music starts off quiet and sinister, and gradually grows throughout the film until it gets louder and more dramatic towards the end, thus raising the suspense levels to the optimum level when the demon attacks.
In order to get the score right, Rich listened to various pieces of scary music over and over again. He did this by loading pieces of potential suspense music into a Windows Media player playlist and learning them off by heart. He then visualised each element of the film in his head and tried to put himself in the place of the viewer. He needed to figure out which pieces of music generated the right emotional reaction for each scene, and that meant that he had to build the whole movie in this head i.e. pre-viz both action and music, and then match them together perfectly in order to pace the story properly and build suspense. This sounds easier than it is, incidentally – many filmmakers employ professional sound designers to do this. Alas, we don’t have that option, so Rich had to try it himself. Personally I think he did really well, considering this was only his second attempt!
Dramatic music has the ability to alter our mood, manipulate our emotions and compel us to respond to the film in a different way. A film succeeds only if it generates emotion, which in turn is directly dependent on the sound. Emotion can be attached to any piece of film footage through effective use of the film-score. If used correctly, suspense music can be used to play on our innermost fears and thus create a truly effective horror movie.
Resources:
For our own little film-short, we used stock music, in paricular, Tunes of Terror from Stockmusic.net.
One of the most important elements in any film is to get the score right! In a horror movie in particular, using extra-diegetic sound is an important tool which can be used to build atmosphere and suspense. When timed correctly, the right music can be used to scare the viewer witless, where dialogue and action alone would not be enough.
I’m afraid our little film would not have worked remotely as well as it did without the suspense music. Whatever other criticisms we received from viewers (and there were many) the sound and the use of music were judged to be very well done (hurrah! We did something right!) The film music starts off quiet and sinister, and gradually grows throughout the film until it gets louder and more dramatic towards the end, thus raising the suspense levels to the optimum level when the demon attacks.
In order to get the score right, Rich listened to various pieces of scary music over and over again. He did this by loading pieces of potential suspense music into a Windows Media player playlist and learning them off by heart. He then visualised each element of the film in his head and tried to put himself in the place of the viewer. He needed to figure out which pieces of music generated the right emotional reaction for each scene, and that meant that he had to build the whole movie in this head i.e. pre-viz both action and music, and then match them together perfectly in order to pace the story properly and build suspense. This sounds easier than it is, incidentally – many filmmakers employ professional sound designers to do this. Alas, we don’t have that option, so Rich had to try it himself. Personally I think he did really well, considering this was only his second attempt!
Dramatic music has the ability to alter our mood, manipulate our emotions and compel us to respond to the film in a different way. A film succeeds only if it generates emotion, which in turn is directly dependent on the sound. Emotion can be attached to any piece of film footage through effective use of the film-score. If used correctly, suspense music can be used to play on our innermost fears and thus create a truly effective horror movie.
Resources:
For our own little film-short, we used stock music, in paricular, Tunes of Terror from Stockmusic.net.
Labels: Diabolus Domi, filmmaking, sound
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Recording Film Sound for the Clueless: Part 1
The Recording Process: General Sound Recording
Despite the hundreds of hours spent on the CG in our little film, as well as many hours endlessly editing, it wasn’t until we finally put the sound into the film that it really started to gel.
I was appointed as the sound technician for the actual recording of the footage. I thought Rich was very brave trusting something as important as the sound to a half-deaf wife, but you gotta love his faith in me. Anyway, we decided that we wanted sound which was a bit more advanced than the camera’s microphone, which always ended up with the dialogue sounding as though it was recorded in the loo. So we took the plunge and allocated some of the film budget to purchasing a microphone and big furry cover (which is rather horrifyingly called “a dead cat”- as a cat lover I must protest – I really do prefer live ones.) We also bought a groovy new Tascam DR-100 Solid State sound recorder, which was so simple to use that in no time at all I was wandering around practising my newbie sound-recording skills by poking my dead cat into the faces of anyone and everyone in the vicinity.
Unfortunately I didn’t have any training in how to use the recorder correctly to obtain the cleanest sound levels, so my learning was strictly a trial and error process. We were also filming the outside scene in the middle of the worst winds for several years, so we had to reshoot the scene many times so that I could learn to record the actress’s speech as clearly as possible whilst minimising the sound of the howling gale. I screwed up frequently at first, mainly setting the recording volume too high, resulting in red-lining the sound levels and generating a godawful hiss. At one point I set the recorder too low and the sound was inaudible on playback, resulting in a lengthy reshoot – the kids were not happy. No, not happy at all. And before you say, “Why didn’t you just over-dub afterwards?” I’m afraid that option wasn’t available to us as our leading actress is five years old and has a pretty bad stammer. With the best will in the world, overdubbing and stuttering do not mix. But it’s all a learning process and we recorded some good sound in the end – crisp and clear, just the way it should be.
The next stage was for Rich to synch the sound and match it to each scene, originally in Acid Pro 7, but when that turned its toes up, with Adobe Audition 3 instead (good software – a piece of cake in the end – shame we can’t afford it though.) He then added foley sounds (feet crunching on gravel, walking up stairs, monster sounds etc) which were mostly recorded separately by me, although we also used a few commonly available foley sounds which were available for free online. Finally he added the creepy music (which will be the subject of the next post.) Then the film really started to come alive!
So to summarise, Rich recommends adding sound to your film is as follows:
1. Master the dialogue
2. Add the major foley components
3. Add the music
4. Add any additional ambience and foley sounds which are needed to fill any spaces
5. Check, check and check again that the timing is perfect
What would we do differently next time round?
Well, for future movies I will definitely avoid recording sound in bad weather conditions - picture if you will your trusty sound-recording-mama bracing herself 45 degrees against the howling wind and driving rain, desperately trying to record crisp clear sound whilst simultaneously shoving her dead cat into face of her young, courageous actress-daughter and frantically worrying that said actress-daughter might be swept away in the gale.
Oh yes, that’s what all great family memories are made of – stress free, jolly, happy filmmaking. Such a shame real life isn’t like it is in the movies...
Resources:
Tascam DR-100 Solid State sound recorder
K6-ME66 Microphone by Sennheiser
Dead Cat: Rycote Softie
Tunes of Terror from Stockmusic.net
Monsters and Creatures Foley Sounds from Sound Ideas
Tips:
Don’t be afraid to spend real-live-money to buy good sound equipment. It will pay for itself many times over. On-camera sound is the sign of a newbie and almost always sounds like it comes out of a toilet, so make sure you invest in a decent microphone and sound recorder instead!
Despite the hundreds of hours spent on the CG in our little film, as well as many hours endlessly editing, it wasn’t until we finally put the sound into the film that it really started to gel.
I was appointed as the sound technician for the actual recording of the footage. I thought Rich was very brave trusting something as important as the sound to a half-deaf wife, but you gotta love his faith in me. Anyway, we decided that we wanted sound which was a bit more advanced than the camera’s microphone, which always ended up with the dialogue sounding as though it was recorded in the loo. So we took the plunge and allocated some of the film budget to purchasing a microphone and big furry cover (which is rather horrifyingly called “a dead cat”- as a cat lover I must protest – I really do prefer live ones.) We also bought a groovy new Tascam DR-100 Solid State sound recorder, which was so simple to use that in no time at all I was wandering around practising my newbie sound-recording skills by poking my dead cat into the faces of anyone and everyone in the vicinity.
Unfortunately I didn’t have any training in how to use the recorder correctly to obtain the cleanest sound levels, so my learning was strictly a trial and error process. We were also filming the outside scene in the middle of the worst winds for several years, so we had to reshoot the scene many times so that I could learn to record the actress’s speech as clearly as possible whilst minimising the sound of the howling gale. I screwed up frequently at first, mainly setting the recording volume too high, resulting in red-lining the sound levels and generating a godawful hiss. At one point I set the recorder too low and the sound was inaudible on playback, resulting in a lengthy reshoot – the kids were not happy. No, not happy at all. And before you say, “Why didn’t you just over-dub afterwards?” I’m afraid that option wasn’t available to us as our leading actress is five years old and has a pretty bad stammer. With the best will in the world, overdubbing and stuttering do not mix. But it’s all a learning process and we recorded some good sound in the end – crisp and clear, just the way it should be.
The next stage was for Rich to synch the sound and match it to each scene, originally in Acid Pro 7, but when that turned its toes up, with Adobe Audition 3 instead (good software – a piece of cake in the end – shame we can’t afford it though.) He then added foley sounds (feet crunching on gravel, walking up stairs, monster sounds etc) which were mostly recorded separately by me, although we also used a few commonly available foley sounds which were available for free online. Finally he added the creepy music (which will be the subject of the next post.) Then the film really started to come alive!
So to summarise, Rich recommends adding sound to your film is as follows:
1. Master the dialogue
2. Add the major foley components
3. Add the music
4. Add any additional ambience and foley sounds which are needed to fill any spaces
5. Check, check and check again that the timing is perfect
What would we do differently next time round?
Well, for future movies I will definitely avoid recording sound in bad weather conditions - picture if you will your trusty sound-recording-mama bracing herself 45 degrees against the howling wind and driving rain, desperately trying to record crisp clear sound whilst simultaneously shoving her dead cat into face of her young, courageous actress-daughter and frantically worrying that said actress-daughter might be swept away in the gale.
Oh yes, that’s what all great family memories are made of – stress free, jolly, happy filmmaking. Such a shame real life isn’t like it is in the movies...
Resources:
Tascam DR-100 Solid State sound recorder
K6-ME66 Microphone by Sennheiser
Dead Cat: Rycote Softie
Tunes of Terror from Stockmusic.net
Monsters and Creatures Foley Sounds from Sound Ideas
Tips:
Don’t be afraid to spend real-live-money to buy good sound equipment. It will pay for itself many times over. On-camera sound is the sign of a newbie and almost always sounds like it comes out of a toilet, so make sure you invest in a decent microphone and sound recorder instead!
Labels: Diabolus Domi, filmmaking, sound
Friday, 20 November 2009
New Freekstorm Web Site
Welcome to our new look web site! Rather fabulous isn’t it?
Humungous thanks to Rich who has spent a huge amount of his spare time beavering away to make it look all shiny and sparkly. Not that the old web site wasn’t...erm...groovy, but it wasn’t exactly easy on the eyes. Freekstorm now has a glossier, more professional feel, which is good news as we’re tentatively planning for it to become part of our day-job one day. Yup, it’s a crazy idea (especially in the middle of a recession) but we love making VFX movies that much!
As time goes on we will be adding more to the web site, not only our indie films but also tutorials (visual and written) and we may even...pause for dramatic drum roll...decide to make an actual indie computer game or two (we’re talking far distant future though – dreams are wonderful things!)
As for me, your trusty writer, I’ll be waffling away on the blog and Twitter. I’m intending to chronicle how we actually make our indie films and discuss everything we learn as we go along – yes, including the many mistakes we make along the way. I am also working on a series of articles about indie VFX filmmaking for fellow newbies, including advice, tips and resources for other folks who are crazy enough to want to do this too.
Rich and I are both really excited about our new adventure! There’s a whole new world to explore out there: so much to learn, so much to share. We hope you will join us on our new quest-fest for knowledge and enlightenment in the Fine Art of Filmmaking.
Humungous thanks to Rich who has spent a huge amount of his spare time beavering away to make it look all shiny and sparkly. Not that the old web site wasn’t...erm...groovy, but it wasn’t exactly easy on the eyes. Freekstorm now has a glossier, more professional feel, which is good news as we’re tentatively planning for it to become part of our day-job one day. Yup, it’s a crazy idea (especially in the middle of a recession) but we love making VFX movies that much!
As time goes on we will be adding more to the web site, not only our indie films but also tutorials (visual and written) and we may even...pause for dramatic drum roll...decide to make an actual indie computer game or two (we’re talking far distant future though – dreams are wonderful things!)
As for me, your trusty writer, I’ll be waffling away on the blog and Twitter. I’m intending to chronicle how we actually make our indie films and discuss everything we learn as we go along – yes, including the many mistakes we make along the way. I am also working on a series of articles about indie VFX filmmaking for fellow newbies, including advice, tips and resources for other folks who are crazy enough to want to do this too.
Rich and I are both really excited about our new adventure! There’s a whole new world to explore out there: so much to learn, so much to share. We hope you will join us on our new quest-fest for knowledge and enlightenment in the Fine Art of Filmmaking.
"Quest is at the heart of what I do -
the holy grail, and the terror that you'll never find it,
seemed a perfect metaphor for life."
the holy grail, and the terror that you'll never find it,
seemed a perfect metaphor for life."
(Jeanette Winterson)
Labels: filmmaking, visual effects
Monday, 16 November 2009
Panned!
When we released our first little movie short, we featured on the blog some incredibly kind and generous comments from fellow directors and movie-festers about how promising our filmmaking efforts were. Wow! The reviews were wonderful! We truly basked in the glow of appreciation!
This time...um...the critics were not quite so kind. Most folks liked the initial (non animated) scene but eight out of ten cats really hated poor little Mervyn, and were pretty scathing about him too:
"I have to give you a lot of credit for giving an attempt at a 3D monster throughout the movie, but ...honestly, it felt like being trapped inside Playstation 1. I don't want to sound mean because I'm sure it was a lot of work, and you get credit for that, but because the monster looked so cheesy, it took away from the experience in a big way.”
“The story itself wasn't at all bad - it was really the monster itself that brought the whole thing down.”
“... for the film as a whole, I think it would have been better served with a real actor in makeup playing the part.”
“When using a CGI monster you film is going to rise or fall on the strength of that monster. Unfortunately, yours was a bit thin”
“Not convincing.”
“kind of smacks of a Dad film - dad and the kids making a film - which is quaint and cute, but often times horrifying to inflict upon a public audience! (This isn’t!!!) But it teeters as a form of self indulgent experimentation not quite ready to be unleashed to the discerning public.”
Blimey. Time to hit the vodka, I guess.
Actually the comments weren’t all bad, and our profound thanks go to those few kind souls (who were mostly professionals and worked in the VFX industry) who generously gave unconditional support and appreciation for Rich’s 200+ hours developing and animating Mervyn (yes, you read that right – it really did take over 200 hours of blood, sweat and tears!) You have no idea how much your suggestions and encouragement meant to Rich, and our extra-special thanks to Bruce Allen who was incredibly helpful.
Well, so much for that fest. Onwards and upwards, as they say.
R.I.P Mervyn. We’ll miss you.
Labels: Diabolus Domi, dvx, reviews
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Diabolus Domi viewing is now open.
As we didn’t make the second round of Monster Fest we can now open the viewing of our latest creation.
The film is currently hosted on YouTube as we don’t have the bandwidth at present to make it visible to themillions thousands hundreds few fans that want to watch it.
Please feel free to leave a comment either on YouTube or on here as to what you think of the movie. Of course you’ll want to rate it 5 stars as it’s so awesome!
You can watch it here
The film is currently hosted on YouTube as we don’t have the bandwidth at present to make it visible to the
Please feel free to leave a comment either on YouTube or on here as to what you think of the movie. Of course you’ll want to rate it 5 stars as it’s so awesome!
You can watch it here
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
The Storytellers
I used to know a Druid High Priestess who was also a professional storyteller. She was taught by her mother who was taught by her mother before her, the skill of telling stories being handed down through the ages from mother to daughter. The stories were always vivid, rich and captivating. The storyteller skillfully wove her words so that the listeners were held spell-bound, drawn into the story and unable to escape until the climactic final scene, until they found out what happened in the end.
Humans are set apart from animals in that they have evolved to tell stories. It’s how we learn. Films are simply another means by which we tell our tales; they are the modern medium for the storyteller. They reach an infinitely wider audience than our story-telling ancestors – a single story told through a movie and distributed via cinema, DVD or the web, has the capacity to touch the imaginations of billions of people all over the planet.
We, the viewers, live through the lead characters and their adventures. We empathise with them through equating our own experiences with theirs. We connect with them, we suffer with them, we draw analogies and ultimately (if the story is successful) we learn something new about ourselves. If the stories are based in reality, then all the better. The best fiction is usually a metaphor which is based in reality. Stories which reflect some inner truth are always going to be more powerful to the audience because humans are always seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. When the story is told well, reality, fiction and truth are all one.
Movies are our metaphors. Scriptwriters and directors are our modern-day storytelling druids. Through the art of their storytelling, they seek not only to entertain us but also to enrich us, to help us grow and evolve into wiser human beings.
A belated Halloweeny shot of my younger son (he's sure gonna be mad with me for posting this!) Nothing to do with the movie, I'm afraid, but I can't post VFX piccies forever.
Humans are set apart from animals in that they have evolved to tell stories. It’s how we learn. Films are simply another means by which we tell our tales; they are the modern medium for the storyteller. They reach an infinitely wider audience than our story-telling ancestors – a single story told through a movie and distributed via cinema, DVD or the web, has the capacity to touch the imaginations of billions of people all over the planet.
We, the viewers, live through the lead characters and their adventures. We empathise with them through equating our own experiences with theirs. We connect with them, we suffer with them, we draw analogies and ultimately (if the story is successful) we learn something new about ourselves. If the stories are based in reality, then all the better. The best fiction is usually a metaphor which is based in reality. Stories which reflect some inner truth are always going to be more powerful to the audience because humans are always seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. When the story is told well, reality, fiction and truth are all one.
Movies are our metaphors. Scriptwriters and directors are our modern-day storytelling druids. Through the art of their storytelling, they seek not only to entertain us but also to enrich us, to help us grow and evolve into wiser human beings.
A belated Halloweeny shot of my younger son (he's sure gonna be mad with me for posting this!) Nothing to do with the movie, I'm afraid, but I can't post VFX piccies forever.
Labels: philosophy
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