Outcome 2 - directed study

Unfortunately I am ill this week, so please try your best to follow these instructions, ask a neighbour if you have any difficulties and what they are unable to help with I will sort out for you next week.


Last week we looked at sound design maps - please look at the previous blog post to re-familiarize yourself with them.


We are now ready to begin the outcome 2 project. This is where I will give you a video and you have to first draw up a sound design map to indicate what sound and music you would add to this media.

• Step 1. Go to youtube.com and search for a video called 'Invention of Love (2010) - Animated Short Film' (or follow this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTdzCAGH3lU)
• Step 2. Download this video in the .mp4 format using one of the following sites (but remember if the site produces a pop-up box asking you to grant permission to allow access to your computer you must click allow):
• www.KeepVid.com
• http://tubget.com/ 
• http://www.tubegrip.com/
• Step 3. Create a sound design map for the first 3 minutes of this film.
• Step 4. If you have time you could import this video into Cubase and start working on your sound design.

Again apologies for not being in class to support you all today. See you next week.

Lesson 10 - Sound Design maps

We'll start this week by watching a film before the sound designer and audio post production team have come in and polished it up. You should get the idea that the film watching experience is very different and you may be surprised how raw it feels without the finished sound and music in place.

As a class we will discuss what the meaning of the story at certain points throughout the film and then we will consider what we can do as sound designers to reinforce the story.

We will look for instances when we can apply our sound design techniques to the film, using sound to:


♦ set the mood 

♦ establish environment

♦ support narrative

♦ establish character

♦ convey emotions 

♦ create or support transition

This now takes us onto sound design maps. Your task is to choose a short film on youtube, watch it with the sound muted and note down where sound is needed and what sounds or music you would use. Your map may end up looking a little like this...

• 1 min 25 seconds, support transition, sound of a car speeding past the camera merges into the sound of an alarm in the next scene.
• 1 min 30 seconds, establish environment, buzzing of power station add life to scene as well as hinting at danger
• Keep adding points as above until film is complete!

Lesson 9

This week we are finishing writing our outcome 1 reports

Lesson 8 - Outcome 1

Here is what you have to do to achieve outcome 1:

Describe the way that sound and music are used to support different mediums.   You must produce written and/or oral evidence which shows that you can identify when sound and music are being used to:

♦ set the mood 

♦ establish environment

♦ support narrative

♦ establish character

♦ convey emotions 

♦ create or support transition

This assessment is open book. In your report you should discuss the

possible reasons for the choice of sounds and music used and refer to at least three of the criteria above. You should also comment on whether they think the sounds and music used are successful.

The following terms must be used correctly in the description:

♦ terms applied to set the mood, establish environment: empathetic sound, sound perspective and room tone

♦ terms applied to support narrative, establish character, convey emotions, create or support transition: synchresis, synchronous, asynchronous, sound motif, and foley

Write 500 words.


Here is a structure you could use...


Paragraph 1:
What you've been asked to do

Paragraph 2:

Explain the media you are using (i.e. what's happening in your video)

Paragraph 3:

Specific examples

Lesson 7 - Terminology again!

When we talk of sound being used to set the mood or establish the environment we may mention the terms empathetic sound, sound perspective and room tone. Here is what they mean:

• empathetic sound: music or sound effects that match the mood of the action
• sound perspective: the natural change of acoustic properties as sound sources move to and come
  from different on or off screen locations
• room tone: the background and ambient sound of the scene’s location

When we talk of sound being used to support the narrative, establish character, convey emotions and create or support transition we may mention synchresis, synchronous, asynchronous and foley. Here is what they mean:

• synchresis: the combination of visual image and sound image
• synchronous: sounds that match up with the timing of action
• asynchronous: sounds not synchronised with the action on screen 
• foley: post production or live sounds used to reinforce the action on screen

Some more terminology!

This week we'll investigate how sound can be used to...

♦ establish environment

♦ support narrative

♦ create or support transition

♦ set the mood

♦ establish character

♦ convey emotions

Your task will then be to find examples of each of these.

establish environment

Here is an example of the sound used to establish environment in the computer game Darkfall 

support narrative

Here is the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. The director is trying to convey how disorientating and chaotic the battle is. Sound is used to reinforce this. Pay particular attention to the change that occurs at 4:37. Note how the sound changes, as if our character played by Tom Hanks has lost his hearing. This emphasizes the confusion and disorientation he would have felt.

Here is another example this time from the cartoon Wonder Jungle. This time the job of supporting the story is done purely by the music.

create or support transition

In this example we will return to an old favourite of ours Shawshank Redemption. Keep in mind that we have gone from a noisy court room scene complete with lots of music to a very different scene that feels claustrophobic. The opening of the creaky doors supports this transition.

set the mood

Here is a short piece about the sound setting the mood on the batman film the dark night

establish character

In Jaws a powerful piece of music is used to tell us when the shark is around!  

convey emotions

Here is the famous shower scene from the film Psyco. Listen to how the dissonant music conveys the horror during the attack.

Directed study for Friday afternoon group

Unfortunately I have been called to a meeting so I can't make class today, however I have prepared thios lesson for you so all is not lost!


Your task:

1. Read through the sound design terms listed below. 
2. Talk with a partner about what these terms might mean. 
3. Use youtube to look for examples of each of these terms. 
4. Write down the youtube video address and the time in the video that the sound design term comes in.
5. Aim to get three examples of each term (but don't worry too much if you don't manage them all). 
6. At 2:30pm (halfway through class) you should move around pairing up with people. Show them one of your videos and skip to the time in the video where the sound design term comes in. Ask them to tell you which sound design term it is. You will then swap rolls - watch one of their clips and try and work out what term is encountered.
7. Keep your list of terms to show me next week.

Here are the sound design terms

Harmony: These sounds are pleasing to our ears. They are often used in sound design to create a sense of relaxation or to demonstrate that everything is in its right place within a scene.
Dissonance: Sounds that don’t please our ears – often described as a clash of sounds. They create a sense of conflict or making us feel uneasy. They show us that something is wrong in the scene. 
Diegetic: Any sound that would be heard by the characters in the story.
Nondiegetic: Any sound that would not be heard by the characters in the story. Examples include voice over narration and musical accompaniment.
On screen: Use this term to refer to sound that comes from a source that we can see on screen. E.g. door slams, footsteps. 
Off screen: We hear the sound and we know it is ‘in scene’ but we don’t see the source. Examples are traffic background noise, bird song, thunder or even hearing a monster moving around but we can’t yet see it!  
Active: This relates to off-screen sounds. Active off-screen sounds raise questions in the audience such as “What is it?”, “What’s happening?”, “What does that scary monster look like?”.
Passive: This relates to off-screen sounds. Passive off-screen sounds create atmosphere and environment helping to immerse the audience in the situation.