P2: Describe how the sound elements are produced
Here I will go through how various sound elements are created and produced in industry settings.
Foley Effects:
'Foley' art is a process commonly used in film making intended to recreate a sound effect using various materials and recording equipments. This is typically used for sounds that are difficult to record on set. A good example of what foley is used for is ambient background sound such as weather or room conditions. Elements like rain, thunder, wind, a fireplace etc. are very difficult to record on set safely while still producing a quality sound. These sound elements are much better reproduced using various materials and high sensitivity microphones. Other sounds such as footsteps in different environments can be effectively reproduced using foley art e.g. snow walking sound effects.
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Theme and incidental music:
Theme music examples:
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These are all examples of theme music in popular media, and can demonstrate the idea of theme music very well. The two examples on the left of "il vent d'oro" from JoJo's bizarre adventure and "Darth Vader's theme" from star wars are great examples of theme music to accompany specific characters. This type of theme music reflects characters positions in the story, morals, goals, roles etc. For example, the Darth Vader theme is theme music composed to go along with the main villain of the story, who is a grand and powerful leader. The music helps to portray him and his organisation as an "Evil threat" as it is a grand orchestral piece in a minor key. The piece also has some dissonance within it to create feelings of unease and tension within the listener. As the theme is attached to the character, these feelings are projected onto the character.
"il Vent d'oro" is the theme song attached to the protagonist of the story "Giorno." The piece reflects the character's ambition and energy through the use of major distorted guitar riffs and heavy drums. As the song progresses it incorporates elements of orchestral music to further emphasise the characters grand ambitions. In this piece the orchestral music as well as the distorted section are in a major key as opposed to the minor key within Darth Vader's theme. This connotes the same grandeur, but the major key connotes that it is positive and that the audience should root for this character.
The two themes on the right are examples of themes for an entire project. These can be the opening theme of a programme or film, or a motif that runs throughout the product. The first theme song is the theme for "F.R.I.E.N.D.S." This is the theme that plays at the beginning of every episode of the show and works as an effective hook that ties episodes together and keeps the show at the top of the audiences mind. It helps to set the theme and tone of the show as a light hearted and relatable comedy with it's relatable lyrics and upbeat instrumental.
The second example is very similar, as a theme song that plays at the beginning of every episode to set the tone of the show. This song connotes to the audience that the show will be serious as it is a dramatic instrumental. It is also connoted that the show will be set in a historical setting with the use of old instruments such as lutes.
ADR
ADR or Automated Dialogue Replacement is a technique used to generate dialogue for scenes that prove difficult to record dialogue in. In this process, actors will watch the scene in a studio and precisely record the lines to match the visuals. This audio would then be dubbed over the scene precisely to create the impression that the dialogue was recorded on set.
A difficult situation that may occur leading to use of ADR would be dialogue needing to be recorded in a bumpy loud car, or on a windy day etc. When done well, you will not notice that ADR has taken place. |
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These are a few of the key techniques for capturing sound in film and radio. Others include voiceover and scripted speech, wild tracks, etc.