Assignment 1 Sound editing:

To compress and summarise a sound recording to fit a specific space:

Film trailers are a perfect example of compressing sound down in order to fit a certain time frame. This is because the average trailer is roughly 2.5 minutes long so they will not be able to use the full audio file on the trailer as the sound file is probably about 2.5 hours long! As the sole purpose of a trailer is to entice the audience and persuade them to go and see the film, the editors would only pick the exciting parts of the audio from the best parts of the film. If there is a scene in the film which is a 3-minute-long conversation, they will not include this because it will never persuade the audience to go and watch the full film. The sole purpose of condensing audio for this purpose is to capture the audience for a short amount of time, so the best parts of the audio need to be selected. Due to the clever selection that the editor does, it has an effect on the audience that the full film does not, it increases the pace of the short clip which adds to the excitement which also helps with the promotion of the clip.

Avengers: Infinity War Trailer

To eliminate flawed, repetitive, superfluous, uninteresting, irrelevant material from a recorded clip:

One clever example of removing certain repetitive or inappropriate language is in UFC press conferences. Companies will often need to remove inappropriate language if they are wanting to post a highlight reel of an event or just post the entire event itself. This is because it is not appropriate for the younger audience and if there is consistent swearing, a lot of adults don’t appreciate this language therefore the company risks losing some of their audience. As fighting is already of an aggressive nature, there is guaranteed to be some element of profanity however if they limit this down then it will be better for the audience to watch. Using the same example of a Fight Press Conference, they are often almost an hour long and usually contain a boring patch which is extremely uninteresting for the audience to watch. This is one of the main reasons for the company to release a shorter version because it contains all of the best bits, meaning the audience don’t have to sit through the boring parts as they get to watch the best bits. This entices the audience much more because they are not losing interest, meaning they will retain all of their viewers. Overall, the main purpose for removing foul language and uninteresting element is to keep the audience watching and interested and to also remain professional by removing the profanity.

UFC Full Press Conference

UFC Press Highlights

To enable recorded speech to remain legal:

An example of where editing is required for recorded speech to remain legal is maybe in an interview where there is music in the background. If there is a popular song in the background of an interview it may have to be removed because the song would be copyrighted. This means you may get in serious trouble for using this music without the artist’s permission and may risk getting your production taken down. Keeping the audio in the clip means it will become illegal and is not allowed to be used.

Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars

To ensure indecent or inappropriate language is edited out:

This situation is often seen in sport and especially football. This is because there is a lot of tension in the sport and the players get excited when they score and tend to swear. This is picked up by the camera when they go up to it on the side-lines and the microphone can hear them swearing. If this is heard, it often leads to serious consequences for the players. To solve this, the broadcast is often displayed as ‘live’ however there is usually a 30 second delay for the sound editors to remove the foul language before it is actually broadcasted.

Another example of this is in music. If there is a popular song in the charts that contains indecent language, there will have to be a ‘Radio Edit’ made which is where the swearing is removed from the first version of the song. This is done because the radio show would not be able to air the song as there may be younger people listening, therefore there has to be a clean version made in order for it to be aired.

Footballers Swearing

Ariana Grande - ‘Im so F***ing grateful for my ex’

To change the chronological or logical order of a series of sounds or speech:

An example of where editing is used to change the chronological or media is in a film trailer. They use editing to change the order of the clip in order to make it more interesting for the audience. They will often include the ending of the film in the trailer without spoiling anything, as this is the part of the film which will capture the audience the most as it usually has the most action and suspense for the audience to catch onto. You will find that in a movie trailer there is a lot of action, however the full film will not be like this. This means that the editors have taken parts of the film clips, along with the sound and put them in a different order for them to intrigue the audience.

First Man Trailer

To create impact by adding sound effects and/or music between pieces of recorded speech:

In interviews where someone is there to present their film, they would often insert a piece of the films clip (along with audio) in between two questions to show the audience what the film looks like. This is used to create the effect of persuasion and make the audience want to watch the film they are presenting. This is a very clever method of doing this because it makes the audience interested in what the film is about, while still listening to the person promote the film. A lot of the time, they would greatly reduce the volume levels of the film clip so the audience can still hear the questions and answers, however it is still at a noticeable level for the audience to clock on to.

Another example of this is in the opening scene of Baby Driver, there is a sound effect of a police siren. This sound effects volume has been greatly heightened and this has been used to foreshadow that negative things are about to happen. This sound would not have occurred when they were actually filming so they needed to add this in during the editing stage, this then allowed them to change the impact that it had on the audience, by heightening the volume levels.

Baby Driver (skip to 1:40)

Tom Holland Interview (here they use images but there would usually be audio over the top)

Sound editing task Unit 4:

Mood and atmosphere – In TV and film, the background music is often used to alter the mood and atmosphere of the visuals. This is sometimes very obviously done but sometimes it is extremely subtle. One of the audio clips I have chosen that changes the mood and atmosphere is the Psycho violin music. This is one of the most iconic audio clips in film and it completely changes the mood on screen due to the foreign noises that are being made. As the only other sound that can be heard is the running water, when the violin is played it shocks the audience and puts them on edge as it is not a noise they would normally hear. Psycho Shower Scene

The ‘Psycho’ example is situated in the genre of horror however this can be done through other genres, one being romance. In the animated film ‘Up’, there is a scene where the audience gets attached to the main characters and the mood is instantly changed when the sad music is introduced as the audience can gather something is wrong with his wife. The mood is altered due to the change of pace with the music because it starts off upbeat, creating a happy tone then all of a sudden the pace crashes. As the pace of the music suddenly changes, it signalises the mood of the scene has changed and become very morbid. Up Scene

Audio Fade – an audio fade is literally what the title says. It is where the audio fades either into a scene, out of a scene or from sound clip to a sound clip. It is a transition for the audio clip which is used with the visuals. The purpose of an audio fade is to provide a smooth transition or it can actually be used to build suspense. In an action film, the music would gradually fade in to identify a fight scene or a build-up in action. This technique is usually quite discreet as the audience would not instantly catch onto it but when it is used effectively, it creates a perfect atmosphere. Here is a clip from star wars and in this scene the music fades from a very deep constant noise to a really high pitch violin/screech sound to add a lot more suspense to the key scene.

Dialogue – dialogue is just speech and conversation in a piece of art. There are different types of dialogue which can be used in order to create different moods and atmosphere. In a fight scene of a film, the dialogue is going to be much more aggressive as there is anger and tension in the scene however in a professional meeting, the dialogue will be much calmer and quieter as there is no stress in the scene. A perfect example of aggressive dialogue is in ‘Star Wars III: Revenge of the sith’ where Obi Wan Kenobi is screaming at Anakin because he is a traitor.

However, in ‘Kingsman: The secret service’ there is a scene where all of the leader spies are having a meeting and for this they are speaking in a very formal manor with an appropriate volume. This creates a calm and collected kind of atmosphere as the dialogue does not create any tension. If they were all aggressive to each other then it would have a different effect because tension and hatred would be created.

Voice over – voice overs are not so common in film as it is usually used as a narrative device which aids the audience with the story. As a film always has a progressive nature, it does not need a voice over, however a documentary would need this. As they are much shorted than films, they struggle with storytelling so they need to use this device. Also, documentaries are made to inform people about things so this is an extremely good way to talk directly to the audience and break the 4^th wall. One of the most famous documentaries is Blue Planet which has the world renowned David Attenborough as the narrator. The use of his voice alerts the audience and makes them listen to what he has to say therefore it is working as a device to inform people. Similar to dialogue, in ‘Blue Planet’ if there is a chase scene or a lot of action then the narrator will speak with much more pace and passion in order to create that perfect mood for the audience. 

Ambient sound – ambient sound is one of the best devices which is used to create realism in film. It is sound which is added to make the scene sound like a real life environment. For example, if there is a scene where two characters are conversing in a pub, there will be conversations in the background added in post-production to make it sound like it does in the real world. A good example of this is in ‘Deadpool’ where Wade meets Vanessa. They are in a very busy bar and although their conversation is the main thing the audience can hear, there is background noise added to give the impression that the audience is in the bar with them as we can hear what they are hearing.

Sound bridge – a sound bridge is a piece of audio that is used in order to transition the visuals. It is audio that it continuously playing even after the visuals have changed and this is often done as an easy way to transition between locations. One example of this is in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ where the woman is on the phone and as soon as she mentions the place, the visuals transition to that location. The phone call still carries on for about 5 seconds after that to show the audience that she is still in that same phone call. It is an extremely clever device to use because it relies on the audio cues of the sound clip to direct the visuals. It is not always done like the example that I have given; a lot of the time it is done with a piece of music where the audio just continuously plays over different destinations, which frequently occurs in action/adventure films. This may occur when the character is driving to several locations in a short period of time. There will most likely be the same piece of music playing through the entire duration of the visuals.

Foley sounds – Foley sounds are the recreation of the everyday sound effects which are displayed in the film. This can consist of footsteps or squeaky doors, if it can be heard, it is often recreated to sound better and then it is added later in post. The Foley artist in the production team does not get enough credit because nobody realises how much work they have to do because literally everything you hear is recreated. They often spend hours and hours of their time recreating simple sounds like footsteps by walking on different surfaces to make it sound as real as possible. When it comes to fight scenes, obviously actors do not actually get hit so Foley artists need to recreate punching sound effects too, by using abstract items like wet flannels and celery to make it sound like a punch on skin.

Synchronous vs Asynchronous sound – these two words are similar but used in different situations. Synchronous sound is where the audio is matched up with the visuals whereas asynchronous sound is where the audio does not match the visuals. Asynchronous sound often links to Sound Bridges because it would be used as a technique to help aid transitions as the audio has got nothing to do with the visuals. In this case, the audio may have a link to the visuals (e.g. rock music in an action film) however it is not directly correlated to the visuals in that scene. Synchronous sound is where the audio is directly proportional and matched up with the visuals. In the opening scene of Baby Driver, Baby is miming and dancing to the song which is being played through his headphones. There is a use of diegetic audio here which helps with the synchronous sound as the audience is able to hear what Baby is listening to. This gives us, the audience, detail and information as to what he is listening to and why he is dancing.

Sound Motif – a sound motif is a sound effect or a series of noises that is associated with a certain character. Think of a theme tune or walk-out music for a boxer, it is sound which is associated with a certain person on screen. One main example of this is Peter Lorre in ‘M’ because every time that he appears on screen, he whistles. This is like an audio key for the audience to know when the character is appearing.

ADR – this stands for Automated Dialogue Replacement. This is where they will film the scenes and then they will call the actors back to the sound room on a later date to record just the sound. This then allows them to lay this audio over the top and make it sound much better. The actor will stand in a booth and watch the clip that the dialogue belongs to, so they then can get the words in sync with the visuals. Here is how ADR is done.

Bibliography:

Time lapse - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OikIfj7Hh9Y

Pixelation animation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo2-wdEVZi4

Claymation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydNCj-866_Q

Kung fu panda - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441773/

Ice age - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268380/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Oreo advert - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFsZ6BO4LU0

Garnier advert - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRa8TFdkxL8

Animated website - http://www.species-in-pieces.com/%23

Dora the explorer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N33ldfKwdLs

Charley says - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDu7yYHxZr0

Shrek - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlILMjHE5zw

The incredible’s - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5qOzqD9Rms

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUaKcFI4BZY

Tim burton - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000318/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Beetlejuice - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuyNP-XyFHs

Frankenweenie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuyNP-XyFHs

Techniques and Formats:

Time Lapse – this is a different kind of stop motion animation as it uses the exact same technique however it is presented differently. Time lapses are usually used to film an area or place, rather than a single object as this technique would not work properly. The whole point of a stop motion animation is to give the illusion of movement in real time, however the purpose of a time lapse is to animate objects but speed it up much faster, to give the illusion of ‘fast-forwarding’ time. A time lapse is often used in movies, films or programmes to show a movement of time in a professional way. To make a time lapse, pictures have to be taken at less frequent intervals than a stop frame, perhaps every 30 seconds. The pictures should be taken for about 40 minutes to give a significant illusion of time and speed. Once the images are stitched together and sped up, it looks like a piece of fast moving media.

Human Stop Motion (Pixelation) – this is a version of stop frame animation which is aimed at people a lot more than the other types of animation. The reason for this is because it uses humans rather than objects or other items. Movement is created the exact same way the other stop motion animations are created, however pixelation animation tends to be a bit faster to make because you don’t have the move the object because the ‘actor’ knows what they are doing. This version of stop frame would more suitably be used in short films rather than huge feature films because they are often less entertaining as a human can be filmed normally, whereas an inanimate object cannot be filmed normally which makes it more enjoyable.

Claymation – Claymation is another version of stop motion animation that is very good for animating inanimate objects. This is because you can mould the clay that you are using to any shape that you want. You could create a person from it or make a random blob as a character, this is because using clay allows you to make whatever you want. Movement is created by slightly adjusting the models position and taking a photo. Once this process is repeated, it looks like the figure is moving. An incredible piece of Claymation is ‘Wallace and Gromit’ as they are plasticine models which are moulded in ways to make it look like they are moving. Because they have a huge production team, they can spend a very long time on making a small movement, which then makes it look like it is a standard animation.

Uses and audiences, give examples and analyse. Describe and evaluate, the work key is who are the audiences. Chose 3 examples:

Feature Film – An example of an animated feature film is ‘Kung Fu Panda’. This is an entertaining action film which is typically aimed at younger children, however it is also considered to be a family film. A feature film animation is solely used to entertain people with a story, plot and characters. Typically, this genre of animation is aimed at children roughly between 8-12 year old's. This is because they usually use bright colours and a lot of action, all used to grab the audience’s attention and keep them watching. Kung Fu Panda’s methods of keeping their audience interested is using animals as their characters. This puts the children in awe because there is no other film like this, hence keeping them interested and on edge. Another similar animated feature film is ‘Ice Age’. They use the same style of animals and humour to keep their younger audience interested.

 Advertising – One example of an animated advert is the Oreo advertisement. The purpose of this advert is to persuade its audience as the company is aiming to sell their product. This is a different style of advert compared to the usual advert which is displayed on television. This advert is aimed at two completely different audiences. One of the audience is children aged roughly 6-12 because it has a catchy song which would get stuck in the children’s head, making them ask the parents to buy the product. Also, they use very bright colours to catch the attention of the children. Compared to an advert like the ‘Garnier Hair Advert’ the Oreo advert would catch the child’s attention much faster because the advert looks much more interesting to them. The other audience that this would appeal to is adults. This is because the song would get stuck in their head, persuading them to buy the product. A benefit of having an animated advertisement is that it is very unique. There is not a lot of animated adverts aired on TV so a well-made animated advert is likely to attract a lot more viewers compared to a standard advert, similar to other companies.


Websites – one example of a website that I found with very clever animations was http://www.species-in-pieces.com/#. This website uses incredibly interactive animations in order to retain its audience. I would say that this websites audience is older people. The reason why I say this is because the websites aim is to inform its audience about endangered animals which is a topic that younger children do not really understand. Websites that are heavily animated tend to retain their audience because it is very different to every other static website that is on the internet. As the website is so unique, it makes the experience of browsing the website very enjoyable for the user. This is why they have a solid audience. It doesn’t matter what the website is about, as long as their service is enjoyable for their audience to use, then they will keep a solid audience. 

Task 2: The characteristics of stop motion animation

For this part of the presentation you must critically analyse the characteristics and purpose of stop motion animation

Purpose (examples of all three required who are the audiences)

Educate – some animations aim to educate their audience with their animations and their story behind. The audience that they target is younger viewers, for example under 10-year-old children. The reason I think this is because the animations often have much brighter colours when the viewers decrease in age. This is because children are much more interested in colours than plot and story. An example of an educative animation is ‘Dora the Explorer’. This is a good example because the animators use very bright colours to gain the children’s interest, then they ask questions and educate viewers through the plot of the animation.

Inform – there are some animations that aim to inform their audience. I believe this has the same audience as the Educating bracket because they are aiming to do roughly the same thing. An example of an animation that informs its audience is ‘Charley Says’ which is an animation used to tell young children what and what not to do. They use bright colours to target their younger audience and get their attention. Also, they use much more childish language like ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’ so the children understand what the animation is saying.

Entertain – most animations aim to entertain their viewers and these are usually the most popular animations that people talk about. Some of these examples are ‘Shrek’, ‘The Incredible’s’ and ‘Cloudy with a chance of meatballs’. These animations are aimed more towards the entire family, parents as well as children. The reason for this is because they include content that adults will enjoy too, usually a lot of action and adventure. The animation usually has less bright colours but still appeal to the children, while still appealing to their parents.

Contemporary: (choose 2 or identify your own)

Tim Burton – Tim Burton is an American Film director who is well known for his weird and wonderful design of characters and mood. His most famous films are ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Frankenweenie’. Tim Burton is a very successful director who has won many awards throughout his career for his films like 'Hugo', however the most substantial award that he has won is the Empire Legend Award. He has been awarded this because of his outstanding directing skills and the pieces of visual entertainment that he has made. I believe Burton aims for a slightly younger audience however his art style convinces me that his target audience is mid-teens, for example 14-16 year olds. The reason why i believe this is his target audience is because of the contrast between his character Jack Skellington and Nick Park's Wallace. the way he has created Jack is in a very eerie way which makes it much more intimidating for the viewer. However Nick Park makes his characters very plain and colourful, making it more suitable for younger viewers. This is demonstrated in the age ratings of their films, for example Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' was rated a PG due to his art style, however Parks 'Wallace and Gromit' was rated a U due to his simple childish designs. He targets both genders because he uses rather dull colours to make his characters, therefore destroying any gender stereotypes that may occur with colour e.g. girls favourite colour is pink. The reason why his style appeals to his audience is because it is childish. Although it is childish, there is an eerie sense to his films as characters like Edward Sissorhands gives the impression of madness, while having an undermining sense of humour. Burtons style reminds me of Svankmajer’s work because he expresses his emotions in his art style by giving his work more unique look than other directors.

Nick Park – Nick Park is an English animator who is extremely well known for his incredible stop frame animations. He is most famous for making ‘Wallace and Gromit’ however he has also made ‘Early Man’, ‘Shaun the Sheep’ and ‘Chicken Run’. Park is an extremely successful animator, director and producer as he has won many awards for his incredible creations. His most cherished award is the academy award for the best animated feature film. This just gives you an idea of how good his work is and how big of a breakthrough he has made in the industry. Personally I believe that Nick Parks work demonstrates the best and most advanced example of early film techniques, in particular The Persistence of vision and Stop Frame. During the production process they have huge sets with a whole team working on one scene. This allows their film to be incredibly smooth and look like it is a Computer Generated animation to younger children. Park has used the knowledge of early techniques and implemented them into his work as he takes so many individual frames that when they are put together, it looks like one fluid movement. Park aims to the younger audience, specifically children because he uses a lot of colours in his work and his art style is very similar to a cartoon drawing, making it appealing to younger viewers. These stop frame animations have become very successful as ‘Chicken Run’ earned a huge $225 million, all because of how well Park has made them. His work reminds me of Willis O’Brien with King Kong because it is appealing for children to see those objects (a gorilla and then sheep) become animated.