Digital Media Tools is back!

Our first lesson back was all about looking back at what we have done so far and possibly improve any work that needs it. We talked about the various things that we have looked at:

• Image composition
• Photoshop
• Perception of image
• Flash (animation)
• Five frame storyboard
• Stop frame animation

I personally want to work more with Flash because I think there is a lot more that I could learn which would be useful for me if I make any more animations. I want to compile the five frame narrative together because I never had the time to do it. I only learned some skills with Flash so I want to go in to more detail so I will be able to use it on my own without help.

Our stop motion animation also needs to be put together and I would like to work with one of our lecturers in doing so because this is something that I would like to do in my spare time outside of the course. I also want to add audio to the stop motion animation because we have yet to record anything. Which brings me nicely to the rest of the lesson as it was all about audio!

Sound can either be the human voice, sound effects or music. These are the essential three elements when making films, animations, etc. Sound requires attention to detail and so acquiring/making your own will be more beneficial. A good example of layered sound is from Alien - Ridley Scott (1979). The scene that we looked at had many sound effects layered over each other which made the sequence have more of an impact and brought you inside the ship instead of listening from the outside.

Sound is exaggerated to match the impact on the screen; especially through animation. A prime example of this (and it is also one of my favourites) is Creature Comforts by the wonderful Aardman Animations. Creature Comforts is created by first taking interviews of people talking about day to day things; and then Aardman create characters that match this persons voice. It is a very effective way of getting the audio to match perfectly with the movement that is happening on the screen.

Music is usually used to represent a persons traits, for example certain characters in films will have a sort of theme tune, if you like. Any time they are on the screen, elements of their 'theme tune' will be evident in the layered audio.

Synchronous sound is matched to what is viewed and contributes to realism or draws attention to what is happening. Asynchronous however, is not matched with the visible source of the sound on the screen but it adds realism because of the layers.

Background music is used to add emotion and rhythm to a film. It usually helps move the plot along. Also, sound bridges are used in film so that the audio overlaps the next scene. This gives sequences a smoother transition. An example of this would be through the film High Noon (1952). And finally, we spoke about how the pace of audio was be applied to match the imagery. This is an obvious one, shown through most films with action or adventure in; if the scene is fast pace then generally so will be the sound.

Anyway, that was a summary of the notes I made in this Digital Media Tools lesson. I found the lesson very useful because I learned a lot about sound that I did not previously know. This will help me when creating sound or applying sound to films that I am making in university and also in my spare time.

Speak soon!

Image Credits: 

cinemasights.wordpress.com

news.bbc.co.uk