Unit 5: Sound Production

Lesson 1: Soundscape

Task 1: A soundscape is a combination of sounds that, together, create a unique atmosphere. 

Task 2: 

Soundscape 1: Storm, I know this because of the sound of rain falling and the sound of thunder. To make it more obvious that it's a storm, the rain could be harsher and they could've added some wind. 

Soundscape 2: medieval battlefield. I know this because of all of the swords clashing and angry shouting.

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sounds in both soundscapes I've listened to. 

Task 1: In the New York City at night soundscape that I listened to, I can hear sirens, cars driving past, horns honking, people arguing and drunk people having fun. Together all these sounds capture the business of New York City as the traffic is constant, as are people's voices. These sounds all work together to create a sense of business but also nightlife, if you removed the drunk people shouting the city would only have the sounds of sirens and traffic which would create a more 'clinical' and industrial feel within the soundscape. The inclusion of the drunk people gives the city a better feeling of being a home to people rather than just a place that is passed through and lets us know that there is a highly active nightlife scene which could suggest some seediness, especially when paired with the sirens. The traffic lets us know that the city is very busy, without this we may just assume that the drunk people are leaving a bar in a small town. All these sounds work together when creating the atmosphere of a multi-faced city not known for one specific thing and instead having multiple different things going on at once, truly making it 'the city that Never Sleeps'. In adding sounds such as gunshots the city becomes gritty and, when accompanied by the sirens, presumably crime-ridden which in turn makes the atmosphere a lot darker and paints the picture of the city being unsafe. 

In the rainforest soundscape that I listened to, I can hear leaves rustling, birds singing, grasshoppers, a waterfall and wind blowing. The waterfall, wind and leaves all help to create a naturalistic and earthly sound, letting us know that we are not in an inhabited area but somewhere remote with interesting geography. The birdsongs and grasshoppers bring in the presence of life, letting us know that this is a habitat to many kinds of creatures. The waterfall makes the soundscape especially exotic as without it we may just assume that we are listening to something set in the woods rather than somewhere so extreme. If we added sounds like a roaring tiger, we'd assume that something important or suspenseful is happening rather than the atmosphere being tranquil. If we added the sound of leaves crunching beneath boots, we would assume that we are hearing a person walking around the jungle. This would then make us think that the jungle isn’t so remote after all and perhaps lessen the tranquil feeling that is created by the rest of the sounds we hear as it makes the rain forest seem like some sort of resort. Alternatively, the boots may also think that we are hearing poachers which would not only ruin the tranquil ambience of the scene but also create a darker undertone and a sense of dread for the animals.  

Overall, changing any slight sound can have a very larger effect on the atmosphere that a soundscape is trying to create as each sound has its own unique implications and way of expressing tone. This is why when creating soundscapes, you must be careful with what you include as any sound will inevitably change the tone for better or for worse. Nothing in a soundscape is waste or included by accident, it is all very deliberate and methodically selected. 

Lesson 2: What is Foley?

Foley is the creation of sound effects for video footage to improve a viewer's immersion. There are 3 types of Foley including walking, props and cloth. 

Today in lesson, we were shown videos of Warner Bros. Foley artists talking through their creative process and demonstrating for the audience. After this, we were tasked with creating a podcast discussing what we had seen, how Foley could've improved our past projects and what it is. 

Lesson 3: Scores and Soundtracks

A score is a very specific piece of music crafted for a very specific moment in a film by a composer, a soundtrack can be any song not created for the film but included in it anyway.

A score is used to create more of an atmosphere and set the tone of a film as well as to enhance the overall experience for the audience. 

The reason a soundtrack is used is to make a film more stylish, to link into the narrative, to show the timeframe a film is set in and to create iconic moments within the film. 

Lesson 4: Planning & Design

For my design plan, I have decided to create a soundscape of an old people's care home. The reason that I have chosen this is because there are a wide variety of sounds to be heard in this environment but at the same time it sounds empty if you aren't listening out for them. I find this juxtaposition interesting and it is why I have selected a care home. I need the sound of a kettle distantly boiling, intermittent coughing, zimmer frames, chairs creaking, faint raspy breathing etc. My narrative idea is to have a carer walking through the care home and have all of the sound from her perspective.

My schedule will be working on this on Wednesday's lesson periods, after college Thursdays and after college on Fridays