Sound Research

Digetic Sound
Is sound that the audience hear but also the characters such as a conversation or walking down a corridor to make it more obvious you usually get a reaction from the character  this could also be known as "Literal Sound" or "Actual Sound".


Non-digetic Sound
Is sound that is not present in the story space so you cant visibly see the source of the sound on screen and the characters don't react to the sound in any way this could also be known as "Non-literal Sound" or "Commentary Sound".


External Digetic Sound
Sound coming from a physical source within the story space which you assume all the characters can hear this could be the sound effects present in a fight scene like breaking bones.


Internal Digetic Sound
Sound coming from the mind of a character such as a small piece of dialogue talking about someone you would be able to hear and so would the character but no other characters in the room.


Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1
Stereo is an older use of sound display which is based on having 2 audio channels left and right which usual means that there are 2 microphones picking up the sound and feeding it into the left and right speakers.
Dolby Digital 5.1 is a surround sound format and is the basic format used for audio on DVD Video Dolby Digital can have up to 5 channels compared to the Stereo's 2 channels the 5 channels are: front center, front left, front right, surround left and surround right.

Sound Clip

I am analyzing the use of sound in the short film above, i decided to watch until 1:30 then start analyzing. The first thing i notice is the use of a soundtrack for a while then the sound effects come in first with the woman opening the door i think that it was likely to be recorded on set with a zoom because it has a crisp sound and if not then it could of been recorded of set by simply opening a door or cabinet the next major sound i picked up on was the sound of the ripping which would of had to be a Foley effect recorded before the filming this could of been done by simply ripping a sheet or ripping the jeans the sound of the phone was likely recorded at a different point as well due to the volume of the ringing which i believe was edited i think the woman's dialog was recorded on set using a zoom because of the clarity of the recording and how well it fits to the visuals the mans voice was recorded at a different point and cut in again likely a quiet location with a zoom.

Overall the use of sound and sound effects gives you a comedic feel for this character and makes you feel as though nothing goes right for her.

If all the sound effects were recorded on set they might of been less clear which wouldn't of made them stand out as much but it may make you feel more immersed as though you were there. some effects had to be recorded separately like the man talking.



http://www.freesfx.co.uk/soundeffects/doors_windows/

The sound effect i was interested in is called "Knock Knock" it is likely to be an actual recording of someone knocking rather then folly the sound was probably recorded in an empty roof hence the echo and with a microphone of decent quality such as a Zoom or a Marantz.

FMP Rough Draft

This is a Rough Draft for my FMP this version I am yet to put through after effects and I still need to recorded and add more Audio such as ambient noise but I have done most of the dialogue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng7cO-8y18I

FMP Evaluation

For my Final Major Project I used my Lonely Existence idea which is a short 5 minute production that follows a Protagonist who's searching for why he's alone whilst conducting his search it becomes apparent he's being stalked by something I enjoyed producing this piece of work as it allowed me to be as creative as I liked to be for example I tried out some cool camera angles that I thought were quite unique and made some scenes look more dynamic.

I think that my Production didn't go so well I thought I had shot a lot more then I had and only had enough footage to literally scrape 5 minutes I also had a problem with sound as when it came to recoding with the zoom you could still hear the wind in the recording which created a lot of problems.

One of my main problems was on the day of shooting there was a Tractor cutting down the bush in the area I planned to film which meant I had to change the plan quite quickly on set and film different things in a different location which meant I wasn't sticking to the shot list which is probably why I was only able to just achieve 5 minutes instead of around 7 minutes that I planned to reach.

One thing I liked was some of the unique camera angles we achieved one in the forest we made lift and rested it on a branch giving the feeling of height.

I think there was a lot of creative thinking in this production in all the shots I was trying to make the Protagonist look small and powerless to what's happening around him I did this by always making the camera higher then him.

I also dislike the ending of my project as I feel as though it doesn't make sense and I also had a lot of problems with attempting to show that the characters alone without having to keep saying it.


This is the link to my Finished Piece not the rough draft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sapqMGXlIaU&feature=youtu.be

FMP Sound - Pre/Post Production

When doing sound for my FMP I considered both the music that I would have to find online and apply in post production and ambient sound I would recorded on set also I will be recording a voice over using the zoom.

I plan to recorded the Sound on set using a zoom microphone to give me a crisp clear set of sound effects such as twigs snapping and walking I could also catch some sounds of wildlife to put in the background

I have already found a Royalty Free soundtrack that I could easily loop to give a horror style feel to the loneliness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0qXFh-pZes

I'm going to use my house when I'm alone to recorded my voice for the voice over which is key in telling the story.

Update
After filming and creating my rough draft i then made a basic plan of what sound was still needed so i could easily get these sound effects

FMP Shot List - Pre Production

1. Long Scenic Wide Shot of The Road (next to the common)

2.Wide shots of nature in the common.

3.Full Shot of the church.

4.Static Wide of blackboard

5.ECU of the Alarm

06.Wide shot of blackboard

7.ECU of Jim Brushing his teeth

8.Full shot of the kitchen

9.Wide shot out front of the House.

10. Full shot of the road with Jim walking up it

11.Close up of Jim's Feet

12.Full scenic shot of the common Jim walks into shot

13.Mid shot following Jim (camera stops)

14.Mid shot of Jim at the field from behind Camera swings then pans back

15. Mid shot panning down (mirroring his movements)

16.Close up of Jim's hands

17. Camera stays static as Jim gets up and walks away out of focus

18.Wideshot from behind the tree watching Jim

19.Close up of Jim's face moving backward

20.wide shot watching Jim run past

21.Midshot of Jim falling to his knees

22.First person walking out of the trees

23.Wide shot of the mysterious character walking up to Jim

24.Close up of Jim as the camera fades

FMP Location Scouting - Pre Production

These are some Photos I took of one of the key locations I plan to film at this will help me to visually plan out the scenes. This is one of the locations i plan to film a lot of my scenes near provided that there are no cars driving up and down.

FMP Jim Taylor Screenwriting 101 - "The Character Tree" - Pre Production

The Character Tree

This is a character tree for my Protagonist for my FMP Jim Taylor.

FEET

What does this person look like?
Casual Dirty needs a good night sleep
Where do they live?
Lives alone now in his parents house
Where did they go to school?
Locally short distance from his house
Do they have any tattoos? why?
He hates the idea of something irreversible such as tattoos
Who is their best friend?
He doesn't like to brand people as best friends
What is their occupation?
he's currently studying at College

 GROIN AND GUTS

What does this person WANT?
He wants life to return to normal and for everyone to come back returning the status quo also for all this to all be a bad dream.
How does their sexuality manifest itself?
Its not a big deal to him as he's only ever had one main crush which is one of his close friends and he's never acted on these feelings
How do they feel about the classic sins (greed, Lust, Envy ect) ? What about them is really childish?
He has a lot of greed as he always had what he wanted before everyone disappeared and he took everything for granted he had. He's secretly still a kid at heart wants his Mum and Dad to come home and look after him.

HEART

What does this person NEED?
He needs to find answers and maintain his humanity.
What will make them a more functional person?
He would be more functional if he was less outgoing as he is constantly pushing himself to the psychical and mental limit.
Do they need to find self-confidence? Humility?
He's confident around friends but when he's alone he begins to be filled with self doubt.
Do they need to provide for their family?
No he's family is quite well of and he has never had to worry about money.

THROAT

How does this person sound?
Smart and abnormally calm considering the situation.
How do they project themselves? 
He speaks clearly but doesn't shout.
How do they try to come off to others?
He try's to come off confident and strong has a habit of putting on a deeper voice when nervous.
How do they actually come off to others?
He comes of as confident but sometimes a bit weird with a deeper voice that doesn't suit him.

LEFT CHEEK

What is their Intelligence?
Although initially he's more of a brawn then brains kind of guy he learns to use his brain more
How does this manifest itself?
As time goes on he begins to hallucinate and not realise whats real and fake.
How practical are they?
Hes very practical and likes to attempt to think things out before rushing into things
How do they solve problems?
He thinks everything through and makes sure he's ready for all possible scenarios

RIGHT CHEEK

What is their artistic/creative capacity?
He's not very creative and enjoys sticking to a same routine day in day out.
What elements are NOT practical? 
He's not used to fending for himself.
What is their Spirituality?
He dosent ofter think about it but he's open to others views.

CROWN

Review your answers do they represent a consistent Character Psychology?

Yes there are a few moments where they contradict as he is secretly shy but to everyone else he seems confident.

What are their defining memories?

His first drink with his friends which was his first taste of freedom without his mother smothering him.

How in a nutshell do they behave?

He has good and bad moments he's either very spoilt and over confident almost cocky or he's extremely shy and quiet.

FMP Lonely Existence Proposal - Pre Production

Proposal

Synopsis

Jim Taylor has been alone for 11 days now with no one around all human life has vanished he is trying to find out why he is the sole survivor and where everyone has gone whilst searching for any signs of human life he begins to question what’s real and what’s a hallucination after a lengthy amount of time he realises something is following him whilst Jim is searching through a local woodland area and his Hallucinations are most vivid here so he runs to the road and finally confronts this figure dressed in black as the figure gets closer and closer more colour drains from the world and an extreme pain becomes apparent in his head the figure extends its hand and before it touches Jim everything fades and the last image he can see is that of a man laying in a road similar to himself.

Style

Long scenic shots showing he is alone lots of moving camera shots handheld with a tripod to stabilise because the Protagonist walks a lot lots of wide and full shots

Sound
Lots of ambient sound giving the feeling of isolation small amounts of dialogue mostly voiceovers a good mysterious soundtrack is key to this piece

Target Audience
I am aiming to achieve a 12a rating for my FMP because there isn't any direct violence and is very tame  but because its contains a horror based theme and has a scene containing blood which means i may have to consider in post production if it should be a 15 or not.

Time scales
I think that it should only take me a day to shoot the film and perhaps a day for all the folly and sound recordings I have a set day for filming which is the 28^th of April which allows me to have all preproduction and location scouting complete and that gives me the rest of the time for editing which I think I will need most time for.

Additional Materials
Its likely I will be doing a voice over of the editing process and its possible i will be doing a A voice over evaluation of my Piece.

  

FMP After Pitch - Changing Idea

After I Pitched my FMP idea for Alone I ran into a complication one of the reasons I chose this as my FMP was because I had the location which was my house and was completely free and able to be used but I could no longer use the location due to the fact the owner was returning home and I would not be able to film at nights as I hoped to. So I then went back to my previous ideas before the Pitch and Realized Idea 5 would be easier to do and it would not be rushed so would overall be of better quality after thinking it Through I decided to change ideas and work on Idea 5 instead which would be easier to do and be less rushed.

FMP Pitch Review

I decided that I would use Idea 4 which was called "Alone" as my Final idea I then had to pitch the idea to the class The following are the slides are from my PowerPoint pitch for my FMP. After my pitch I only received one question which was concerning the amount of gore that my FMP would have because I was hoping for a 15 rating on my Final Product I decided there would only be one scene which would contain gore and would simply be dripping down the Protagonists hand.

FMP Advancing Ideas

After coming up with 5 basic ideas I decided to look over them pick 3 and advance them giving the ideas more thought and detail.

Idea 2 - (Table for One)

5 Men sitting around a old wooden table wearing dated suits and hats talking about a case of money that they stole one states there's only 5 people that know about the heist and there all in the room the conversation gets heated and they decided only one person can leave to ensure no one talks they all agree and put there guns on a separate table in the corner of the room apart from one gun a 6 bullet revolver which is placed in the middle of the table they then begin to spin the gun whoever is points at is then shot one by one they all die until 2 remain one man spins the gun but as he does so the other man shoots him with a concealed gun he then picks up the case and walks out.

Pros: Well Developed, Good Idea
Cons: Location, Props, Costume

Idea 4 - (Alone)

A young man is alone in his house for the evening or so he thinks then he begins to hear strange noises and he soon realises he's not as alone as he thinks he then begins to search the house baseball bat in hand as he's tormented by a mysterious figure who has one goal and soon enough a game of kill or be killed begins.

Pros: Good Idea, Access to location
Cons: Timely (has to be set at night)

Idea 5 - (Lonely Existence)

Waking up to a world void of all life Our protagonist has been alone for 3 weeks now he has questions but no answers he's finally accepting the truth of this lonely survival when he begins to notice something following him perhaps he's not alone as he thinks and the more he try's to look answers the more danger he's thrusting upon himself.

Pros: Good idea, Access to Location
Cons: Sound, Props

FMP Basic Ideas

FMP Ideas

These are my really basic ideas before there is any detail added for my Final Major Project

Idea 1

Shooting the Entire Project as a first person object for example a skull filming the entire project through the eyes of a skull leaving the audience guessing what the object is whilst telling the story of everyone around it. Idea is the object is something illegal and someone want to take it from The owner.


Idea 2

Dark room with some men (not sure how many) sitting round a wooden table all dressed in there best (like a 70s American gangster) discussing a case of money and how only one will leave with it the all decided there's only one fair way Russian roulette they place the gun on the table and spin one by one they die until 2 are left who have a climatic and off and spin the gun it points at a man that's clearly the dominant one he seems to calm about it the other guy picks up the gun and shoots but there's no bullets the main man then shoots a small pistol he walks over and picks up the case as he leaves the man he shot is choking up blood and says "cheater" before spurting more blood and dying.

Idea 3

(would like fog or rain) Dark outside a car pulls into view a mysterious man gets out he takes out a letter inviting him to a house he walks towards the house when he walks in its quiet and there's no electricity he uses a flashlight puts the letter on the counter and searches the house finds nothing he manages to short circuit a light into working the house isn't dirty but quite clean he sits on the bed the hears a noise opens the door and there's a silhouette of a girl outside who quickly disappears he decides to search the house again to be sure and he finds a blood trail (clearly not there earlier) he follows it to a dead rat in the garage the door quickly closes leaving him in darkness.

Idea 4

Serial killer horror set in a house in the dark: a man is being stalked in his own house by someone trying to kill him he ttys to find the killer before the killer finds him.

Idea 5

A man is left alone win the world he is the last human on the planet as he continues to search for a reason for this he begins to notice that maybe he is not alone as a mysterious figure is following his every move.