Task 4 - Description

Task 4 - Description

Now that you have filmed and edited your one minute short story you must build an engaging soundscape for it. At this point it is recommended that any natural sound you had recorded earlier from the camera is disregarded so you can focus on re-recording and building your soundscape from scratch. Your finished piece will be approximately one minute long and synchronise with your vision from task 3.

You must include components of sound from the five elements discussed:

(1) Dialogue:
Due to the nature of preceding tasks dialogue might be minimal - therefore students may use voice-over narration if appropriate.

(2) Music:
Students may build loops or even compose their own music in programs such as Garageband.

(3) Foley:
Students must record some original Foley sounds to incorporate into their project.

(4) Sound Effects:
Using sound effects libraries students must incorporate believable sound effects.

(5) Atmospheric:
Students must sustain continuity within their soundscape by recording effective atmospheric tracks.

Students must categorise and document each sound they will be need before they begin obtaining the sounds and building the soundscape. This 'audio acquisition list' will have the following features:

Track	Type	Description of sound & proposed method of capture	Dur.

1	Atmos.	Birds Singing in outdoor setting (either portable recorder or SFX library)	10
2	Atmos.	Office Ambience light computer hum (portable recorder or usb mi cop hone plugged into laptop)	50
3	Dialogue	Girl breathing, sighing and talking to self (portable recorder or usb mi cop hone plugged into laptop)	50
4	Foley	Girl typing and clicking the mouse (either portable recorder or SFX library)	8
5	SFX	Beeping sound of computer loading (sound effects library)	5
6	Foley	Girl tapping fingers on desk (portable recorder or usb mi cop hone plugged into laptop)	5
7	SFX	Sound of loud clock ticking (SFX library or portable recorder if required)	10
8	SFX	Computer error sound (SFX library)	3
9	SFX	Computer crashing sound (SFX library)	2
10	SFX	Whooshing sound as we track quickly to computer (SFX library)	2
11	Music	Upright Bass theme music (SFX library, Garageband or similar)	50
13	Music	Upbeat drums to accompany Bass line (SFX library, Garageband or similar)	15
14	Music	Custom contemplative vibraphone as girl thinks (Garageband or similar)	10
15	Music	Intense Pad sound as girl gets frustrated (SFX library, Garageband or similar)	10

Click here to download 'Sound Acquisition Checklist' template

Once you have captured all your sounds it is important that for each new sound element you create a new 'track' so it can be discretely edited and mixed. View the video tutorials below for some tips on mixing your soundscape.

Sound Basics

When students first begin building soundscapes the sounds are often crowded and do not 'mix' well together. In the following tutorials we will look at the basics of synchronising sound, sound transitions, basic panning, basic levels, and basic effects in Garageband. If you do not have access to this program you will be able to use your video editing software - simply use the audio tracks in the timeline and the audio effects built into the program (Premiere Pro is excellent in this regard). Alternatively you could also use a free audio eiting application such as Audacity. Higher end software such as Logic Pro and Pro tools also offer some great advanced features for scoring to film that we will look at in future volumes. The principles covered below will be applicable to a range of applications.

Garageband Video Tutorials
1	Opening and Workspace of Garageband
2	Virtual Instruments and MIDI in Garageband
3	Using Loops in Garageband
4	Recording Audio in Garageband
5	Basic Effects In Garageband
6	Editing Sound to Vision in Garageband & Exporting from Garageband

Click here to download a detailed task description and assessment rubric

Sound Essentials

Topic Information

Task Description

Finished Example

Assessment Rubrics

Powerpoint Presentation