'Escape Pod' Scene 4 - Draft 1 Audio

This is the first draft of audio for scene 4, but first I will talk a little bit about the processes involved to get to this point. The video of scene 4 is at the bottom of the post.

When the edit for scene 4 was given to me by Jack the first task I had was too sync the dialogue to the picture, this took the most time to get right as I had to work out which takes were used in the edit. Jack had provided me with a copy of the script showing which takes applied to each section of the scene. (Pictured Below)

Although I didn't have an exact edit log for the scene this script was more than enough to establish what takes were used for each part of the scene. As I had written my own notes during the recording process for each take I soon established fairly quickly what audio file to use from the angle that Jack had used in the edit.

Once the dialogue was all in sync I then began by cleaning up the audio. The dialogue between Nathan and VAL were filmed at separate times so there were a lot of cues from the other actor in the background of the audio. This was quick and easy to rectify using strip silence in Pro Tools adjusting the threshold so it cut out the cues in the background, I made sure I also adjusted the 'region start' and 'end pad' on the strip silence tool so it didn't cut into any of the dialogue needed for the scene.

To make the dialogue work together without sounding as if it is being turned "on and off" each time one of them speaks I then brought into the project the buzz track I recorded in the TV studio, which had a nice hum due to the amount of lights being used. The buzz track I manipulated by finding a section of it which I could loop seamlessly to sit underneath the whole scene. I then applied EQ and reverb to make it fit in the scene and sound like the natural 'hum' of an escape pod. This track helped blend the dialogue together to make it feel like it was taking place within the same moment in the same place, which of course it did not...MAGIC!

Next was the task of making the hologram VAL sound like a voice coming from the pods speakers. The first effect I applied was the AIR Vintage Filter which I used as a high pass filter to take the natural low frequencies out of Lucy's (VAL) voice. This immediately makes the voice sound thinner as if it were coming from a pair of small speakers. I then applied the Lo-Fi plug-in to make Lucy sound less human by lowering the sample size to 14 bits and changing the sample rate. The effect this added was a subtle computerised distortion. After I had treated the voice I then applied reverb to give the voice a sense of placement within the pod as if it were coming from the speakers in the front of the pod.

VAL Voice effects

After the voice of the hologram was where I wanted it to be I then began working on the main character Nathan. I split Nathan's dialogue onto three different tracks, each track representing a different camera angle in the scene - front, side and behind - to which I applied subtly different reverb, levels and panning to. After spending a fair bit of time working on these subtle differences I found myself questioning whether or not it was worth putting in this level of detail, however, I do feel it helps in making the dialogue really feel like it is happening within the confines of the escape pod. A few books I have read on the subject of mixing for picture suggest that dialogue should always be placed dead centre (especially in 5.1) as it is this which is driving the main thread of the story. I have taken this on board but I have used some panning to give a very subtle degree of change between the shots.

After the dialogue was completed for this scene I then bounced down what I had done so far and then importing the file into Logic to start designing sound effects for the hologram and the computer screen that Nathan interacts with.

The reason I chose to use Logic for the sound design element of this project was because I was familiar and had used the plug-in Sculpture to create weird and wonderful sounds before. I am also more familiar using and manipulating midi within Logic. The first sound effects I wanted to create were for when Nathan interacts with the screen. This was another reason that I wanted to use Sculpture as it has a section (pictured below) in the middle where you can manipulate the sounds material quality. I wanted to fully utilise this by giving the sound effect for when Nathan touches the holographic screen a tangible quality. After I had made the sounds that I thought really worked, I then opened the piano roll and began the task of syncing the sounds up with the physical interaction on screen. In some cases Rex the actor who plays Nathan was quite trigger happy with his hand actions (although he makes it look very believable considering all he had in front of him was thin air) but I managed to get the sounds to sync up and work in a believable way by pitching some of the notes higher or lower.

Sulpture - Holo-sceen interaction Sound effect

For the other sound effects in the scene I used a combination of Sculpture and other effects such as delay and reverb. For example, when the radar is used in the scene, I took a normal sine wave tone and manipulated it by adding a pitch shifter to add multiple frequencies, a little bit of distortion and a tremolo to give it a typical rising and falling radar effect. 

During this scene there is a point where VAL reveals there is damage to the ship and then she disappears then abruptly reappears to correct a doubtful Nathan, I wanted to get the pitch and flickering sound to match with the visuals to make it clear that the hologram turned off and on again. I felt that this really helped that small segment by giving the viewer more sensory information about how abruptly she leaves and returns. This is something that I feel I am really getting to grips with in terms of making sure that the thread of the story remains intact without being over the top or flashy with the sounds.

Overall, I am pleased with how the scene has turned out. As I have been working completely through headphones I am aware that I will need to do a final mix through speakers to make sure that what I am hearing is actually being represented completely, making sure that sound effects are audible as well as the dialogue being clear. I also want to make sure that the overall soundtrack is a good level whilst still retaining the dynamics of the scenes.

The next stages are to finish the remaining scenes, most of which take place within the pod so it should take half the time as I have established my workflow as well as designed the sound effects ready to be placed in the scenes. There are dream sequences which were filmed on location at this location...

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...These dream sequences will require overdubbing as on the day it was very windy. This is so I can have complete control over the effects. During this dubbing process I will also being doing some foley for the scenes that require it.

Once all these elements of the film have been put into place it will be a matter of bringing all the scenes together to match together smoothly and coherently. 

The last element to add to the film from a sound point of view will then be to add music to the scenes where they are needed. I have already being working on music for the opening sequence and for the credits. Music will be placed throughout the film where Jack and I feel it needs to be added to add to the emotion or suspense of the scene.

That is an update on the project from an audio perspective. The next blog post will hopefully be when the project is nearing the final stages or when something of significance requires to be blogged. 

>>>Any feedback and criticism would be great as this is a learning process.<<<

   

Escape Pod: Day 1,2+3

Day 1 (June 7th) in the studio recording the sound for 'Escape pod' was my first venture into an area of the film industry I would like to make my profession. 

This is me and the creator of the film Jack Shelbourn getting ready for the shoot after getting in place the minimal set. First thing I did was too record a wild track of the room which may seem pointless in a studio environment but the lights that were being used in the studio gave off a really nice hum and a very faint rattling sound, this would be perfect to use for the enclosed and claustrophobic escape pod. The equipment I am using to capture the sound is a Marantz and a shotgun mic.

The next set of photos are from the next few days of shooting. Rex the actor is always in a lying down position which makes the task of recording his dialogue a lot easier as there is less movement. As you can see from the photographs I used a shotgun microphone on a small stand to get as close as physically possible to Rex without being in shot. The reason I placed the microphone on the right hand side of the actor is because the dialogue is between Rex's character 'Nathan' and a hologram called 'Val' who appears above the silver circle in the lower right hand corner of the control panel. 

I am pleased with the levels and clarity of the audio captured so far, it helps that the actor Rex gives across a clear delivery of the dialogue, but being able to get the microphone close to the subject has allowed me to get good levels without having to turn the gain up high and pick up too much of the studio.