BLOG QUESTION: HOW TO FIX AUDIO IN POST

What are three common issues you might encounter editing your audio? How could these be fixed?

Some common issues include background noise, unwanted dialogue sounds, inconsistent audio levels, and dull-sounding audio Background noise: If you can't re-shoot your video, you can use noise reduction software such as RX. Unwanted dialogue sounds: Lip smacks, breaths, clicks, etc. You can use RX de-click module to eliminate some of those sounds. Inconsistent audio levels: normalized function in premiere, or audition, apply compression, or automation. Dull-sounding audio: play around with the parametric equalizer, try to eliminate sounds you don't want with narrow bands and amplify sounds you want with wider bands.

BLOG QUESTION: HOW TO EDIT AUDIO

Summarize the steps in editing your audio for video. Why are they each important?

The steps are file management, syncing your audio, dialogue editing and ADR, sound design fx/foley, background music, and Final mix. For file management: create and name a project properly, import the media and organize it (name it, folders, etc). For syncing your audio: Plan how you want to sync your audio before starting (Use slate, record from camera, etc.) You can synchronize your audio in premiere by right-clicking and pressing synchronize audio, or you can use third party software (such as pluraleyes) and create an xml file and import it into your software of choice. For Dialog editing and ADR: go through and choose the best take. Clean up the audio, apply cross fades, close gaps, etc. use noise reduction software. Record ADR using the original talent while watching the pre-recorded video, try to shoot it in the same room and use the same microphone. For Sound design fx/foley: record specific audio or manipulate pre-recorded audio. Can use sound libraries t find certain effects. Foley requires re-recording everyday sounds. When choosing background music: compose the music, use royalty free music, or use music subscription services that let you download songs. Choose music based off the mood of the film you want. Lastly, for your final mix: mix and balance the audio. Make sue you have consistent levels (adjust the gain, single band compression), ore automate by drawing volume rides across the timeline.

BLOG QUESTION: AMISH PARADISE MUSIC VIDEO PARODY

Compare and contrast Amish Paradise with Culio's Gangsters Paradise video. What is Wierd Al making a parody of in this playful video? What kind of mood are the filmmakers and Wierd Al creating in the video? What are 3 techniques that you noticed they used to create this Parody? Use what you've already learned so far in the class to craft your response.

Weird Al is making a parody out of Amish people and their way of living. Weird Al and the filmmakers are trying to create a funny mood while recreating similar shots from the original music video. To create this Parody, Weird Al has altered the lyrics to match the Amish theme, and he uses costumes, set design, and also matches the action on screen with the lyrics. He pokes fun of their practices such as churning butter, and what they do in their daily life. He also exaggerates how they feel about modern technology, having them stomp on phones and computers, adding to the humor of the parody.

BLOG QUESTION: RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS PARODY

What are the artists in this video creating a parody of? What kind of mood did the filmmakers and the artists create in this video? What are 3 techniques that you noticed they used to create this mood? Use what you've already learned so far in the class to craft your response.

The artists are creating a Parody of other older bands and artists such as Elvis, The Beatles, Nirvana and more. These artists are from different eras and genres. The filmmakers create a fun, energetic, and upbeat mood and as the music becomes more intense, so does the performance of the artists. Some techniques used were zooms, close-ups, lens effects, special fx (such as smoke), and exaggerated performances. They inter-cut between band members to keep the music video fast paced and they also have frequent costume changes to keep the audiences engaged.

BLOG QUESTION: LUCASFILM FIELD TRIP REFLECTION

After hearing James Tooley speak at Lucasfilm, what insight or piece of advice from his experience in filmmaking and visual storytelling stood out to you the most?

I think the fact that he started off with no animation experience and only had a passion for art, but later developed his skills in mathematics and computer science after interning at Disney and joining industrial light and magic was inspiring to me because he managed to combine STEM with art, making a successful career for himself. I never realized how much STEM is involved in visual effects, and I always assumed it just involved having artistic and technology capabilities. I also thought it was really cool how he managed to find a career with the company that sparked his passion for visual effects.

BLOG QUESTION: BLACK HOLE SUN

What kind of mood do the filmmakers create in this video? What are 3 techniques that they use to create this mood?

The filmmakers create a scary and uncanny atmosphere in the music video by using green screen, slow motion, and face distortion effects. By using these effects and techniques, along with the happy and vibrant visuals, the filmmakers are able to create a stark contrast and emphasize the creepiness through the visuals and the lyrics of the song. By the end of the music video, the lip syncing becomes more intense as the wind pickups in the background, effectively creating buildup along with the narrative part of the music video where everything blows up.

BLOG QUESTION: COLDPLAY MUSIC VIDEO

What is the theme of this music video? What kind of techniques are they using to convey it?

This music video is narrative, so it contains themes of love, nostalgia, and regret. To convey the themes of regret, the entire music video is played in reverse, which reveals the story behind it. By having the story be told backwards, it also matches with the lyrics of the song. Some lyrics that tie in with the narrative include "It's such a shame to tear us apart", "lets go back to the start", and "come back and haunt me". I am assuming that the song is about a breakup or losing someone, which is shown in the music video at the very end when it is revealed that the characters got into a car crash.

BLOG QUESTION: A TRIBE CALLED QUEST MUSIC VIDEO

What kind of mood do the filmmakers create in this video? What are 3 techniques that they use to create this mood?

The filmmakers create a funky, dance-like mood in this video by crosscutting between two main locations the entire time and having the artists lip-sync and dance to the beat. They have a green screen location in which the artists have giant lettering behind them that spell “it”, which they literally kick, and they also have a green screen shot of them stepping and creating footsteps in fast-motion. They also have a green screen location that is similar to a film strip. They also have multiple people as backup dancers to emphasize the beat of the song.

BLOG QUESTION: BEASTIE BOYS SABATOGE MUSIC VIDEO

What kind of mood did the filmmakers and the artists create in this video? What are 3 techniques that you noticed they used to create this mood? Use what you've already learned so far in the class to craft your response.

The filmmakers created a comedic and intense mood for the video. They utilized crash zooms, dutch angles, spinning camera movements, tracking, low, and high angles to create this effect. The costumes of the actors are also comedic, and their actions (such as running, driving, and parkour) add to the dramatic intensity of the video. They also used the beats in the song to set the pacing and cuts of the video.

BLOG QUESTION: MUSIC RIGHTS EXPLAINED

Summarize the differences between sync, dubbing, mechanical and performance music rights. How do you get them cleared?

Sync rights cover the composition/lyrics of a song held by the music publisher. dubbing rights also known as master rights cover the recorded version of a song, held by the record label. mechanical rights need to be cleared in order to duplicate your music, such as on dvd. this can be dine through a right society with the publisher. Lastly, performance rights need to be cleared in order to broadcast your music in tv or online, usually the tv channel/website is responsible for obtaining these rights. to get these rights cleared, you can do several things. For commercial music, you can contact the music publisher and the record label (sync & master rights).  With cover versions, you need to clear sync and mechanical rights with the publisher. specially composed music should include the sync and master rights, and the composition should be completely original. production music libraries is the easiest alternative since they own both the sync and master rights.

BLOG QUESTION: TRAILER WITHOUT MUSIC

What does the music add to the experience? How does music change your perception of the story and images on screen?

The music begins calmly and increases in intensity as the trailer goes on. I also noticed that some beats of the song are in sync with the explosions. The intensity, pacing, and volume of the music adds urgency to the story in the trailer, and it makes their situation feel more dire. It also builds-up and at the end, it paid off by the visual of the man pressing the button. At first, I was unsure of what the explosions being shown meant without the music, but when the visuals are combined with the music, it makes the explosions feel larger in scale and more dramaticized.

BLOG QUESTION: IRON MAN WITHOUT MUSIC

Without music, how does the scene feel to you? Why? What aspects seem missing? How do you think having music change this scene?

Without music, the scene felt less intense and kind of empty. I guess it’s because there isn’t much emotion in the scene other than the actors/actions involved, but sound plays a lot into the intensity and pacing of a scene. Because of this, it also felt like it dragged down. If it had music, I believe the pacing of the scene would be much faster and it would be more captivating for the audience.

BLOG QUESTION: TRON SFX MIX

Use what you've learned about sound in the keynotes and readings. Describe 3 things that you notice about the before and after sound effects mix vs. the final mix. How are they different? How would you describe each of the differences?

The sound before the sound effects is regular recoded sound, and once sound effects are added, the sounds usually became glitched or had a certain distortion to it to give it the technology/sci-fi feeling, but it was still missing something. Once the final mix was created, the pitch was altered, the sound was derezzed, and there were effects added such as wooshes or thumps to dramaticize the sound. I also noticed that the bass for a lot of them were very low, giving the audio a heavier feeling. There was also music often paired with the rest of the sound effects.

BLOG QUESTION: RJFS SOUND DESIGN

What are three interesting things that you learned from this video? How could you begin to start thinking about sound design in future video projects?

You can experiment with different sounds by adding voice filters, reverb, reversing them, and layering them. Sounds layered should compliment each other, but add something different to the overall sound. You can reuse certain layers of sounds as well for different sounds, but make sure that it’s not noticeable that you’re reusing the same sound. For future projects, I can start thinking about different objects that have interesting noises, and try recording them for later in case I want to create my own sound.

BLOG QUESTION: SOUND EFFECTS FOR THE SCREEN

What is the foley artists' role in crafting sound effects? Explain in detail three different things that you learned in this video and how they affect the final film.

A foley artist is responsible for creating sound effects that match the action/environment on screen. One thing I learned was that foley artists work often with the visual effects department and get material to work with daily in order to match the sound with the action on screen. They also work with the sound effects editors along with the music editors to make the final product. I also learned that Footsteps is one of the most common sounds they have to make, and every detail is important down to the type of shoe and how heavy they walk. This can affect the emotion of the scene and convey the character’s intentions/emotions. Everything a foley artist creates should immerse you into the film.

BLOG QUESTION: REALISTIC DIALOG

What does this essay have to say about realistic dialog? Do you think dialog in films should sound realistic or not? Why?

Realistic dialogue should show the truth behind a conversation or a characters true motive without directly stating it. In realistic conversation, people may also talk over each other or miscommunicate, which is also shown in realistic dialogue. For example, in a conversation between a father and son who are disagreeing with each other, they may talk over each other about their own personal issues without directly telling the other that they feel invalidated by the other’s response. Instead, they’ll keep continuing on with their own explanation over one another to get the other’s attention. Without explicitly stating this, the conversation shows the truth behind their conversation; They don’t really care too much for the other to understand the story, they want to be understood/validated by the other. I think realistic dialogue in films are great because they immerse you into the reality of the film. I also think it depends on the style /genre of film. If i’m watching a drama, I would prefer realistic dialogue because it can indirectly use conversations to show the truth behind a characters emotions/motivations, but if I’m watching a comedy or a Wes Anderson film, the eccentric/unrealistic dialogue could add more to the humor or strangeness of the film that the filmmakers are trying to convey.

BLOG QUESTION: CATEGORIES OF SOUND

What are each of the different categories of sound that are explained? In detail, explain the role of each of these categories of sound in film and how they enhance the story.

The different categories of sound include dialogue, sfx, and music. Dialogue is communicated by the characters of a film rather than a narrator. It can be used to express their emotions, give information to important elements of the plot, and establish a character’s personality/motivations. Sound effects can be divided into two categories: synchronized and asynchronous. synchronized sound is used to emphasize the realism of a film, and asynchronous sound is used to add more emotional nuance (such as comedy or horror) to a film. Lastly, music is used to add emotion or give a film rhythm. It can be used to help link different scenes by having music that can be associated with a certain character, reminding the audience of certain ideas/motifs they associate with the character.