Sound Project Analysis

 

Sound Project Analysis

My group and I were assigned a sound project in which we had to make a 1–2-minute video portraying a scene of our choice. We had to create our video and construct our scene using only sound elements. We were tasked with this challenge after learning about the importance of sound in film and the drastic effect it can have on viewers depending on the full scope of the auditory effects and sound techniques. This assignment was extremely challenging for my group as we could not use any visual elements to portray our story and had to rather use strictly sound elements. This project allowed us to understand how difficult it can be to create the sound for film and the amount of work that goes into this production.

For this project I worked with a different group as I wanted to switch things up and collaborate with other peers in my class. I worked with Mallory, Kayla, and Jaide to decide what scene we wanted to portray. After some thought we decided that it would be fun to try and recreate a scene from a coffee shop in which a student would enter and do schoolwork. We thought this would be easier for us to create as we often went to coffee shops to do homework and could recall all of the levels of sounds there are in this environment. We felt that we could easily recreate many of the sounds needed in this scenario, however we realized it would be difficult to recreate certain sounds such as those produced by coffee machines. Luckily, our project allowed us to combine both sounds we created ourselves and those we found online in order to create this auditory experience.

Before my group and I began gathering the sounds, we thought it would be beneficial to create an outline of all the sounds we wanted to include in the project. We spent time deliberating the many sounds that we had each individually experienced hearing in local coffee shops. After writing down the many different sounds we felt were common in the coffee shop we included other sounds that you would hear when someone is studying, such as the keys on a laptop. Finally, we separated the sounds into two different groups, those you would hear walking into the shop, and the sounds you would hear once you sat down to study. 

Sound Project Outline:

Once we had outlined our project, we decided to start recording the sounds that we would make ourselves. I recorded some sounds with my group while at school such as the sound of footsteps walking into the coffee shop, the sound of chairs moving, as well as sounds related to the actual studying. Jaide recreated these sounds at school while I recorded. We captured the sound of writing on a notebook, unzipping a backpack, and typing on a laptop. I also recreated the sound of rain to add to the background my tapping on lockers with my nails. All of these sounds we created ourselves we filmed and complied into the video below.

Foley Stage:

https://youtu.be/jBRc3NwjGuA?feature=shared

Along with these sounds we created some other sounds at our own homes, such as the sound of a toaster toasting bread and the sound of the knife spreading butter on it. Kayla also recorded the sound of ice clicking in a cup and the crinkling of a rapper. All of these sounds were editing together and layered over other sounds we found online, such as people talking and music to add to the atmosphere. Overall, I felt we were successful in portraying a student studying in a coffee shop utilizing only sound. While this project was challenging at times, I felt that I was able to grasp the importance of auditory elements in portraying any story.

Sound Project:

https://youtu.be/fSQWJvgc9LE