The Isle Of Will

Task Five
Sound Effects
“300″ — End Title Sequence

• Watch in Low Quality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxkraEvMvP8

Composer’s Notes

I found this production extremely exciting and challenging. First off, I apologize for using another animation to score to, but I believe this created a chance for me to challenge myself further. I felt I would find scoring a sound effects track to a common scene in a film too easy. For example, my alternative choice for this task was to work with a live-action scene from within “The Island”, observing the visual stimuli of the environment, motion and interaction of the characters and narrative of the story would easily determine the sound effects I would use, because the scene was typical and familiar to me and my previous work. However, the end titles of “300″ not only being an epic feat of animation, but concludes the stunning film with a delicious sequence of imaginary silhouetted animations inspired by the film itself.

One of the main features of the animation is that the narrative is not obvious, there is clearly a battle being fought but there are no obvious characters, or movements of those characters, interactions of objects or obvious environmental ambiances. Many of the visuals are static, apart from three important elements. The blood splatter, the weapons, and the camera movements. Scoring sound effects (sound fx for short) for blood and spears is simple enough, but the change in perspective gave me an idea to use some non-diegetic sound fx.

During pre-production, I decided I would layer sound fx onto the animation, this way I would find it more organized to produce other elements and build up sections to create a more complex sound. I started by collecting and recording small sounds for certain elements and creating sets. These sets would be my palette of sounds that I would first place in Logic to run them through some initial DSP’s. The process of editing the original sounds altogether was to ensure they are all at the same volume, pan, sample rate, etc, and to also colour them with effects pluggins in a way that fitted my needs. After this, they would be exported and imported back into Logic, cut up and assembled once again on an unused track as my palette for that set of sounds.

The first elements of the animation to be scored were the non-diegetic features of the text movements and camera shifts. I wanted the sound of the text arriving on-screen to be heard, because these are titles after all, and I wanted the viewer to focus on the credits that are coming on-screen, at least initially. I also wanted this to be the same with the camera movements, there is too much movement not to have a sound with this visual element. I isolated the a selection of Bear moans and roars to be used with the text, after processing the sound heavily I managed to get a sound closer to, what I was aiming for, the sound of a ‘Iris’ door opening. For the camera shifts I used a palette of explosion sounds, each varying in length, velocity and magnitude. These were reversed and ran through some effects pluggins, including SubBass, Microphaser and the Michael Norris pluggin, Spectral Blurring to disguise the original sound but to give it a ‘windy’ sound and to ensure it was increasing in intensity without hearing the reverse effect.

Continuing further, the other elements including the blood splatter, spear swings and slow motion effects were quite simple, although often being non-diegetic, I felt adding sound fx were the viewer expects it is as much as a general requirement as adding sound fx where the narrative demands. That is not to say no sound fx can be placed where the viewer is not anticipating, but I feel with this production, to use a metaphor, the visual candy needed to taste as good as it looked.

The other element that requires some explanation as it might not be so obvious is down to the crowd roaring sound effects. Simple at first, however, there were a few things to consider. The first being that I had one original mono sound file that was 20 seconds long from my library. In addition, the crowd in the animation often seems to change in density as the camera shifts it’s perception in, out and around the area. The source of the shout and screams, it would seem is coming from all around, but I did not have 30-odd separate stereo sounds to work with. In order to achieve some sort of realistic effect to this problem, I double-tracked the original file after ensuring it was now in stereo with mild reverb effects. Then pitched the second of the tracks about half an octave down from the first track. Finally, and most complex, the primary crowd sound fx was given a Stereo Spread and Direction Mixer pluggin. I experimented with automation on both pluggins, in particular the Spread setting from the Direction Mixer and the Upper and Lower Intensity from the Stereo Spread. My aim was to cut off and curl frequencies from the sound effect so that the listener would hear the sound move as the camera moves, creating that all important metaphysical shift in movement.

- Will

Task Three
Composing for a TV Advert
“Naturally Capable” - Nissan
Alternative Soundtrack

• Watch in Low Quality
http://www.youtube.com/v/VJYM8vkkyKA

Composer’s Notes

I chose the Nissan advert, “Naturally Capable” for my alternative advert soundtrack for two immediate reasons. The first, because the original ad. has no musical textures to it, therefore, it instantly becomes a vessel for any musical additions. The second is because the product (the Nissan range of cars) changes from the actual product and into animal form to elaborate, in an abstract manner, the “inhuman” features of each type of Nissan car available on the market. This enables for interesting variety in composition and gives me a chance to experiment with the sounds and native musical elements that can relate to the various animals.

I felt that I would not like to overload the audience with orchestration but rather go along with a common car ad. theme of adding interesting, multilayer and modern rhythms to pull the attention of the viewer along. This to me, does not feel like my out of the box thinking and within the time I had completed it in, I feel I limited my ideas too much. However, in retrospect I feel my soundtrack adds a lot more flavor and energy to the original. There are musical elements, such as tabla and dholki drums and flamenco rhythms and orchestral stings that characterize each ‘animal’ metamorphosis in the Nissan cars over each cut. It also gives the original a very modern feel, with the rhythm’s constant changes and sub-cutting of the beats and also with the use of bleeps and blip samples in the rhythms.

I feel satisfied with the new soundtrack I have composed. However, I feel I could have done much more to ‘think outside the box’ even slightly, because I had taken the empathetic compositional method again. This is because I feel many composers would have taken a similar route to what I had followed. I also would have liked to accurately relate the animals to native instruments (still following empathetically). For example, the crocodile relates to native Australia, I would have liked to use a Digery Doo, and I would have added more to the spider section, but found it hard to relate any musical element to it.
- Will

Task Four
Incidental Music
“Catch me if You Can” — Title Sequence
Alternative Soundtrack

• Watch in Low Quality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ip9UtVwPsU

Composer’s Notes

This score required an awesome amount of music knowledge, the majority of which I did not have or was otherwise required to dig deep! I began this composition with the concept that I would ensure this piece would capture the audience and lead them on a walk into the story. The animation sequences of the opening titles of “Catch me if you Can” are, in their own right, a feat of outstanding work and requires very little to capture someones attention. However, to imply an interesting and engaging story was about to emerge after the titles was the job I took.

So, to capture an audiences’ attention and take them on a warm-up walk before the film actually began, I decided to distinguish a few elements of the title sequence musically. First, I wanted the sound to be roughly of the era the film was set in, this being around the 1940’s I wanted to compose the score using elements of improvised Jazz. This, at first being extremely difficult not having a Jazz band at arms length, but otherwise helped me to decided upon using a regular rhythm using an upright bass phrase. The walking-bass continues to groove throughout the score in consonance suggesting a walking motion. The second distinguishable element was to assign instruments to the main characters. The first being Leonardo De’Caprio, the hunted, I gave the cheeky and flexible sound of the flute played with a slight tremolo. Tom Hanks, the hunter, was given the classic, mysterious and ‘pink panther’-like detective sound of the vibraphone. Which was also used quite commonly to my knowledge in spy films in the same era. These conceptual ideas in place, I began composing with the desire to personify each assigned instrument and give them freedom of movement in relation to the animation sequence. In other words, I scored as if both instruments where trying to out-do one another in a session of improvisation. I felt this worked very well with the movement of the animation and the overall feel of the title sequence.

In the animation sequences, it dipicts both characters, led by Leonardo, moving and following the other from sequence to sequence eventually climaxing in a chase at the end. I wanted to heighten the sense of a chase continuing and progressing but I did not want to over exemplify or resolve it. I wanted that sense of mild anticipation and suspense of the film that was about to begin to continue after the title sequence but not overwhelm the viewer before the film had begun.

In syncopation, I wanted to ensure I synchronized enough of the sounds to the image to entice the viewer’s attention but not too much as to suggest the music is a direct consequence of the animation. More or less I wanted the music’s synchronization to be a coincidence rather than a deliberate reaction. For most of the composition I have synchronized using the percussion rhythm and walking bass. However, I also recorded my own ‘breathe’ and ’sneezing’ sounds and used them to synchronize with the movements of text on-screen. Breathing and sneezing sounds seemed to fit well because I felt this is all you would want to reveal of yourself if you were being watched, chased or even if you were sneaking around.

Finally, musically, I also scored using some small orchestrated strings and a classic piano for the second-to-last sequence. This, amongst the strings adds some frame of reference for the viewer as they see a silhouette of a piano and what seems like a piano club environment on-screen. The orchestrated strings are there to add depth and emotional movement to the sequences.

- Will

Good Evening, Islanders!
Because of the recent bad weather here on the Isle of Will, I’ve been unable to gather fruit. Fortunately, work has now resumed and I’am pleased to announce a few things for your media grabbing hands…

Incidental Music: “Catch Me If You Can“– Title Sequence.
This task is coming along fine, finishing touches are around the corner. I’ve been using an ‘improvised Jazz” theme to this intro. which is completely new to me, so lets hope I pull it off! Also note I will be using live musicians to humanize and add dexterity to the piece very soon.

Sound FX: “300 Spartans“– End Title Sequence.
It’s in the works, currently tied up in a sandbox of Foley, meaning it’s there but it’s just not here. Within this piece I will utilize sound effects where there is none in the original animation. The sequence is animated by yU+co, and boasts impressive imagery which could (should?) easily contain bold sound effects. Maybe I can call it my additions “diegetic” sound effects? You decide!
Find the original title sequence here.

Music for a Painting: “Untitled” by Jean-Paul Riopelle
This piece of my impression of an impression, is work in progress, I’m quite certain I will use this painting but I will decide later. I have found a flexible technique to follow when musically ‘repainting’ an image. It’s on the contrary to my ambient piece for Electronica, where I embodied the emotion the image was giving me subjectively and composed via those feelings. In this case, I will attempt to literally follow the artist’s strokes and movements as if I’ am ‘repainting’ the image, but also use the literal relations of the ‘abstract’ objects and shapes to certain sound elements.

Jitter Programming: “Spectro… thing”
It’s ruddy hard, but once you get in the mud it’s more impossible to get out, so why bother buying soap? (…what?!) Anyway, I’m programing to find possibilities in patching streaming visuals and live audio. This is something along the lines of a spectrograph/sonogram, because I want to use live audio and it’s visual ’spectrum’ to modify source data of another image/movie. It’s in it’s archetypal stages at the moment, so don’t blame me for blabbing on.

Electroacoustic Ensemble: “Talk using your keyboard”
I find this really fascinating, one of my ‘EE’ projects is to relate a piece of music to one of those ramblings in written performance directions that Stockhausen wrote while snorting LSD (I do like Stockhausen!). Yes, but it’s quite fun, and not so easy… We’ll see how it turns out!

• I’m Listening to: “The Flashbulb - Soundtrack to a Vacant Life” plus, Soma FM!
• I’m Watching: Achmed the Dead Terrorist.
• I’m Reading: Jitter tutorials, a book on Impressionism and this video remixing stuff.
  
• I’m Feeling: Not so happy couples have a day of the year and singles don’t (or maybe that’s everyday?).
• I’m Browsing: Facebook, again, as if I haven’t already today.
• I’m Looking for: a Shakuhachi bamboo flute (second-hand?), and an excuse to go out on Valentines night.

Enjoy this sudden spout of sunshine and snow on the Island, and please remember to recycle!
Comments are welcome.
- Mayor Will

Task Three
Stereo Microphone Techniques
Recording Three Instruments

• Read: Stereo Mic Techniques, Details and Discussions - pdf

• Download: Stereo Mic Techniques Logic 8 Full Project - zip (for reference only)

Many thanks to my saxophonist, guitarist and clarinet player for your great performances, you know who you are.
- Will

Task Seven
Ambient Electronica
“Purpleshade”

The image from anime “Basilisk” that I based my piece on.

This composition was created to demonstrate modern ambient electronica music using melodic pitch structures that change aperiodically over time.

• Listen to: “Purpleshade” - Portfolio Version - (DivShare)

Composer’s Notes

I decided to compose this piece based on an image. My concept was to relate the ambient music to a still image, an image that has a lot of visual emotion, dynamics in colour and fluidity in shape. Taking a closer look at the image, I felt all the visual aspects, pleasing or not, should be tailored for in my composition. Therefore, I started to relate each imagery element to sound, for example, the colour purple in the character’s dress and hair to me represents a mood of uncertainty, or light agitation it also comes across as deep and thoughtful. It’s in-between red- an aggressive colour and blue- a calm colour. The element of music in relation to this had to move this forward calmly but unpredictably.

I carry this method further on in the piece, using musical relations to the image. Such distinctive relations are elaborated in the sad expressions on the characters face relating to the melodic subtle violins or the brightness of the butterflies and the bell’s and tinkle in the piece. I feel the elements I have used work extremely well, and the piece moves forward dynamically and very effectively.

Comments/suggestions and crits welcome!
- Will