2A – Online Reflective Journal Wk9
Over the course of weeks 4-7, I attended the specialisation stream for Sound. Through this, I gained a deeper understanding of the processes and practices required to perform my role of Sound HoD to its fullest potential. As head of sound, my responsibilities will vary from being involved in location scouting to the audio elements of post-production, and as I aspire to gain experience and proficiency with all aspects of audio for film, I have also undertaken additional projects outside of the course in order to build my skills. I also have been working closely with the other departments during the pre-production of our major project short film, ensuring a seamless integration of audio and video elements.
During class, a key takeaway for me was during our session on locations. We were taught some of the more obscure factors in play when considering a location from a sound perspective, identifying potential issues such as undesirable acoustics, background noises, radio interference, etc. This was beneficial for me, as previously I’d only considered the surface-level elements of acoustics such as echoes. The importance of deliberately considering sound at this stage was reinforced, and I used this knowledge during our recent location scout at the Swinburne nursing building. It was important to consider how issues such as background noise could interfere with dialogue clarity when recording on set, however, there are ways to compromise and still deliver a quality product.
As usual with low/no-budget filmmaking, there are numerous production parameters that could and will limit my operations in the sound department, as well as the rest of the teams. For example, budget restrictions might limit the availability of professional-grade equipment, or require a reduction in crew size – which could put pressure on both the schedule/timing and available resources. Shooting in challenging environments, suchas busy urban settings, could introduce recording issues that are difficult to control. Regardless, there are still factors that could work in my favour. Having access to high quality gear through the university, and a crew that is familiar with elements of sound production, will help in maintaining high-quality recordings despite difficult conditions. Additionally, a resourceful and talented post-production team will also be beneficial in resolving any issues that arise during the shoot.
I would like to improve my skills in sound mixing and mastering before tackling this on our major short, as my current experience in this area is somewhat limited. A large portion of the external work I’ve been undertaking is sound design and foley work, as well as location recording during shoots. I feel confident applying the principles of sound design covered in class to the production of the short film. I’ve also built a strong understanding of how to organise, operate and troubleshoot recording equipment, including timecode hardware and syncing. This will all ensure that sound and visuals stay aligned and high quality during a shoot, and contribute to a smoother production process.
Additionally, I understand that my role as an HoD intersects significantly with other departments throughout pre, post, and production stages. I will need to work closely with the director to ensure the sound design supports the film’s key ideas and aims, as well as the cinematographer to keep the sound and video cohesive and organised during the shoot. Effective communication between all departments, not just these, will help keep a clear understanding of the film’s overall vision in everyone’s sights, and ensure the short film all comes together in a cohesive manner.
2B – Online Reflective Journal Wk 12
Over the course of the past few weeks, I have continued the collaborative filmmaking process with the other HoD members of Wraith’s production team, and continued building our combined understanding of the film’s screen ideas and creative vision. My artistic ideas for the sound design, and the key challenges and constraints involved with them, were discussed with the other crew members, and various possible methods of overcoming the challenges while adhering to the constraints were proposed.
The overall artistic vision of the film incorporates a dark, liminal and otherworldly feeling location. The shadowy rooms and desolate hallways of the hospital need to invoke an emotion of heightened caution and anxiety for the audience, and the moments where the viewer sees the Void onscreen need to elevate that feeling tenfold. This creates an inherent challenge for the sound department, as we are required to create a soundscape that reflects this, and turns a real location – the hospital rooms, corridors and lobbies – into something otherworldly that does not exist in real life. This is a hurdle we needed to figure out how to do most effectively, as the film relies on this to drive the tension and overall feeling that the audience is presented with.
One method we discussed was to use multiple different layers of digital effects and various processing techniques on the raw recordings made during on-set production. This would transform the feeling of the hospital, however, would then proceed to pose numerous other challenges, such as ensuring the dialogue is unaffected, the sounds of set and prop interactions remain identifiable, and the audio is of a consistently high quality, free from unwanted distortion and artifacts. Another method, which is currently our preferred option, is to completely isolate the audio elements that are not able to be recreated in the studio during post-production, allowing them to be transferred across into the new soundscape, which would be artificially constructed by the sound designer. After much consideration, we determined that the most crucial sound element to isolate is the dialogue, however, choosing this method still poses challenges in and of itself.
To completely isolate the vocalisations of the actors from any resonance or resultant effect of the space, sound sheets will need to be utilised during recording. These large, heavy, and otherwise unwieldy pieces of equipment will hinder and constrain other members of the crew, particularly those of the camera department (primarily operators, gaffers and grips). Over the last few weeks, methods to adequately compromise between sound quality and visual requirements (such as light placement and camera movement) have been discussed, and we believe that, whilst being a challenge, is still achievable.
Another remaining constraint of the production is the budget. As a student film, the production is inherently a no/low budget affair, which will limit the sound department’s access to high-quality, professional gear. This makes achieving the high-calibre sound isolation on set more challenging, as well as limiting the available post-production resources such as processing plugins, virtual instruments and software, isolated studios and low-noise recording gear – all elements which combine to ensure the highest possible quality. Discussions with the producer have determined our priorities in rental gear, and which equipment we can obtain from Swinburne at zero cost, whist minimizing its impact on the overall soundscape.