Task 3 and 4: Soundtrack for moving image

Task 2: Be able to record audio for moving image

Task 2. Be able to record audio for moving image

To equipment/software used and print screens of audio editing.

Our film comprises of standard video recording sound, using a mic.

·         The opening of our film is set outside, we wanted natural sound of the outdoors we used a boom and windbreaker to soften the sound and make it more clear. For the indoor location we used a standard boom mic to pick up sound as the Dslr’s sound would not be to full quality; these are

·         Microphones, we used a combination of a shotgun mic and a handheld recorder. We had the option of using a vocal microphone, shotgun mic and handheld recorder.

The vocal microphone is used in vocal performances, as the microphone needs to be as close to the source of sound as possible, it can reduce feedback which is vital for a live set with various sound systems and sound frequencies. It is a handheld mic or can be placed on a stand, this is not practical for film as you don’t want to see a microphone on set this would take away the professionalism and tone of the film. In addition it records onto a single file set.

 STE.wav is the separate sound file. It has been attached into the timeline to the right place for the film.

Shotgun Mic – The shotgun mic is purposeful to filming, it can be inserted on the top of the camera and therefore is not in shot, depending on what your source of sound is the mic would need to be adjusted for this. This was perfect for our shooting on location and in the TV Studio. The boom is used to extend capturing the sound, in shot it can be a great mistake from production crew so positioning is key. We placed ourselves to the left of the camera when filming on set, this changed as our locations varied but all locations remained inside so there was no need to change levels of input.

Handheld Recording device – I used this when recoding a voice over as it had to be a separate sound file in order to insert in edit. The recording device, has a microphone that picks up sound it records to a separate .WAV file, it is great for dialogue and almost always used in profession for recording meetings or voice. The voice over was needed to keep a flow of the film, it makes the audience more interested and can be used to express the mind of the character.

·         Connecting audio, we inserted headphones into the dslr in order to hear the sound we were picking up, this enabled us to change the input levels if needed. The way of connecting audio on a Dslr, is attaching the mic and selecting recording device on menu. Depending on location the levels would need to be adjusted, from mid to high is usually the requirements of keeping the sound consistent when in different locations.

·         Content, as a short feature film our film was largely dialogue, which is the reason we used a shotgun mic to record in the sound, as voices are on a lower frequency compared to sound system recording.

·         The Documentation and storage from our film was put straight onto the computer and editing software to keep files up to date and secure, it also gave us time to evaluate if shots or recordings need to be taken again. The documentation of our separate vocal files were put onto a hard drive in which were transferred to the edit. Logging sound files are important to know what sound there is and how much is left, this was a small production and therefore wasn’t that difficult but for huge blockbuster film productions sound is devoted to a team of specialists.

In premiere pro you create a library to store files.

  

Explain the following regulations.

 At the end of every film production is the post production this includes the assembling of the film but more so the legal side too.

·         Intellectual property is the protection for those who are creators, brands, designers and artists. It prevents copying and plagiarism.

Providing a license in which means there is a cost in order to showcase the work. Examples include using archive footage, sound and image. Our production used our own shots and remastered instrumentals of existing songs.

public domain if we were to contact promoters for our film we would need to copyright the name in order to completely officialise the whole film.

Licensed music and licensed SFX when licensing you are paying a fee with a percentage of royalties to the artist or specialists. For these two functions on our film it would mean getting the license before launching it, as cinema’s are licensed themselves for specific films and genres.

Mechanical Copyright these are Protection Society-Performing Rights Society Alliance (MCPS-PRS) for musicians who’s songs have been re written or manipulated for broadcasting use. In film, footage is the performing aspect in comparison to a musician; the soundtrack is the possession of the film therefore if the film is shown in the beginning weeks of launch it is protected and is paid by a percentage of box office sales. In future use this would be mechanical copyright for the film as it would need to be manipulated to preview on a tv or created into a DVD as the format is different. This would bring in a new set of royalties for the film production.

Use of Audio

The Sequence of our film consists of a variation of diegetic and non- diegetic sound, dialogue and music. 

The opening scene is a of queue establishing shots in which we have decided to keep the diegetic sound in to help the audience familiarise themselves with the scene in is an uncommon way to begin a film but it works well. Diegetic sound is used in the remainder of the film as we do not want to take away natural sound and replace it with unmatched sounds as it provides the reality.

Dialogue, the screenplay is made up of on screen dialogue. However I created my own voice over file which has been inserted into scenes to indicate to the audience a sense of self thoughts and also characters that are not on screen. The idea of using narration is a great way to speak over background soundscape to decrease noise or unsettling sound; it also indicates a sense of journey accompanied by POV walking shots.

Use of music in this film is related to the theme and culture represented by the characters, the choice of sound includes african drumming and an remastered afro-beats instrumental. The sound manipulates the atmosphere on screen and can really improve the film as a piece. Therefore timing of the music is also key when editing the shots, music can be used as the foundation for moving image. When the sound and footage works well the piece flows well thats why we inserted the music to indicate the opening of the film and to also add an uplifting mood. 

Sound Sequence for film