How to Fix Audio in Post

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

    Three common issues you might encounter while editing your audio are background noise, unwanted dialogue sounds, and inconsistent audio levels. To try and eliminate or reduce background noise, you can use noise reduction software and/or an equalizer. The process to do so is mainly just adjusting different levels until it sounds good while avoiding creating issues in the dialogue. People often make a lot of other sounds while talking, i.e, lip smacks, loud breaths, and lots of aggressive s sounds, which you'll want to reduce in post so that people don't get annoyed by them. Many softwares can reduce these sounds and an equalizer can target some frequencies. If some of these sounds occur at the end of phrases, you can also use an audio transition or manually lower the volume of that part of the audio clip. In order to help fix inconsistent audio levels, you can use a normalizer to either increase the gain or to set the audio at roughly the same level. You can also use a compressor to keep the occasional audio spike down to help maintain consistency. The video recommends using a 2:1 ratio with a fast attack and release, then slowly lower the levels until you reach something that feels natural, then you will most likely have to increase the gain to bring the levels back to the ideal sound.

How to Edit Audio (Unfinished)

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

    The first step in editing your audio is file management. Before you even begin, you should name your new project accordingly so that it is much easier to find the project and files in the future. Now you can import it, then you must log it. Figure out a system that works for you, separating different files into different folders or bins and organizing them by whatever metric makes sense to you. The second step in audio editing is Syncing your audio. If you recorded using a single-system, i.e., a mic connected to the camera, you won't have to do this step. But if you used a dual-system, youThe third step is dialogue editing and ADR... The fourth step is sound design FX/foley... The fifth step is background music... The last step is the final mix...

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?

    A piece of advice from his experience in filmmaking and visual storytelling that stood out to me the most was is advice to beginners. He recommended that you find something that interests you then learn everything you can from anywhere you can about it to give you the best shot. Education and knowledge is an extremely powerful tool that can exponentially increase you chances of succeeding. To corroborate, he explained how when he first got interested in animation, he went out and found books about animation, studying them and using them to practice and develop his abilities. Another piece of advice that he gave was to never stop learning and to keep practicing as much as you can. Practice. Practice. Practice. It sounds incredibly simple but it's true, practicing helps you learn every time you do it and can massively increase your skills from doing so. You should practice as much as you can to push yourself further and to become more assured in your skills. What this might look like for some more traditional roles in filmmaking is to just go out there and make films and make videos as much as you can; practicing videography, editing, audio, storytelling, etc. Doing so can greatly improve your skills in whatever you're practicing.

Beastie Boy 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? 

    The filmmakers and the artists created a comedic and ironic mood in this video. Three techniques that they used to create this mood are the camera work, visual elements, and the music. The camera work of this video is very notable for having a lot of hand-held shots and crash zooms, creating a more amateurish and video-like appearance, as opposed to a filmic look. This is purposeful in creating the right aesthetic; one akin to a low-budget, buddy cop movie. I believe that the excessive use of crash zooms and shaky camerawork was intentional to make fun of the often excessive camera work seen in some of those kinds of films. Additionally, they use very cheap and fake looking costuming—wigs and fake mustaches that are very obviously fake—which creates a somewhat parody-like appearance to the characters in the video. Regarding the characters, there is a lot of overacting in this video, adding to the humor and parody aesthetic. In these buddy-cop films, characters often act in a generally dramatic and unrealistic way, which is recreated in this video in instances like the characters vaulting across the hood of the car, kicking open an unlocked gate, doing parkour, and running with flailing limbs.

Trailer Without Music (Unfinished)

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

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 feels raw; there's greater emphasis on the other SFX and, in this case, it adds a more immersed feeling to the scene. This is because of the setting as war is a very real subject that can still illicit feelings of fear and anxiety just through the diegetic sound alone. However, the scene wasn't designed this way and thus there are lulls and moments where it feels too empty. Notably, when Tony Stark gets caught in the explosion nearing the end of the scene, the moment feels too quiet and awkward without much sound besides the sound of very muffled gunshots. Additionally, this is a superhero movie which typically is more focused on the action and adrenaline rather than the real fears of war. I feel that the music of the original scene would have emphasized those feelings as opposed to the emotion of the scene without music.

Tron SFX Mix (Unfinished)

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?

    3 things that I noticed about the before and after SFX mix were ..., ..., and ...

RFJS 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?

    

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.

    The foley artists' role in crafting sound effects is to create all the sounds in order to bring the film to life by recreating sound live to enhance the detail and drama of a film. Three things that I learned in this video are that foley artists have to control their breathing, find the perfect shoes, and use actual props for everything that characters on screen interact with. Foley artists must control their breathing as, especially when they are making footsteps, it may create a disconnect between the character on screen and the sound, i.e., a female foley's breathing on a male actor. When creating footsteps, it is incredibly important to choose the right pair of shoes. Each shoe can make a different sound and you'll need to find the right sound to fit the character and setting. For instance, one pair of shoes may sound like heels (even if they aren't heels) and wouldn't fit a character like the Terminator. I learned that they actually have and use every prop that a character uses. I initially thought that they may have used some of the sounds done while shooting but they can actually use foley to recreate everything in order to have the perfect sound effects. This makes every sound in a film so much more intentional.

Realistic Dialogue

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

    This essay says realistic dialogue can be effectively used to reveal the relationships and traits of characters by reflecting how conversations in real life pan out. Using more realistic dialogue can increase the complexity and depth of a film and its characters, making them feel more like real people rather than just fictional characters. Although this can be done with realistic dialogue, I don't think that all dialogue in films should sound realistic. Much like other art forms that contain dialogue, there is a lot more you can do than just recreate life. You can use the words to create poetry or art in and of itself, following the likes of Shakespeare, which may follow closer to how dialogue in books and some plays may be like. There is nothing wrong with choosing to use dialogue like this; I simply think that you need to figure out what's best for your story. If you want to create something real, something that reflects the truths about reality, using more realistic dialogue can work hugely in your favor.

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.

    Each category of sound that are explained are dialogue, sound effects, and music. Dialogue's role in film is to propel the story forwards and reveal important information to the audience. This can be used to create a greater emotional impact in a scene as well as progress the plot. For instance, if two characters were having an argument, you can use dialogue to give the audience a greater connection to one or both of the character's reasoning and perspectives, making them feel more empathy towards them during the scene. Sound effects are important for contextualizing scenes, amplifying plot points and increasing the effects that visuals have on the audience. The article highlights two types of sound effects: synchronous and asynchronous sound effects, which are sounds whose source can be seen on screen and sounds that don't have a visible source. The first kind can be used to create realism so that objects on screen make the expected sounds that they would in real life, such as a door opening or heels clicking on tiled flooring. The second type can be used to highlight different ideas and amplify the impacts of a scene, such as using them to make a jump scare more jarring. Music is one of the most important because of how much it affects the emotional impact of a scene. Music alone can change a scene from hopeful to intense to sad.