Video and Sound Production - Project 1 : Audio Editing Exercises
29/4/2024 - 13/5/2024 ( Week 2 - Week 6 )
Ho Winnie / 0364866
Video and Sound Production / Bachelor's of Design Honors In Creative Media
Project 1 : Audio Editing Exercises
INSTRUCTIONS
Week 1 :
In the first class, Mr Martin introduced to us what our projects are in
this module. We went through in depth what is expected of us from each
project. For our first , we are required to do sound dubbing and a sound
shaping exercise. He showed us examples of what seniors did for different
projects and recommended us what headphones and tripod to get.
Week 1 Lecture Slides :
Week 2 :
For Week 2, we mainly learnt about the different shot sizes and how they
differ from one another. We did some exercises on identifying the shots from
different videos. Mr Martin also taught us the 180 degree rule , depth of
field and how screen dynamics work, under the practical we researched more
on that. We did editing practices where he taught us how to use the dissolve
effect to make transition smoother for the lalin editing task. Finally, he
briefed us on how to shoot the various shots in real life and edit it for
submission.
Week 2 Lecture Slides :
Week 3 :
For Week 3, Mr Martin briefed us on our first project which is the audio dubbing. There are 3 kinds of sounds we need to put inside our video which is hard sound effects, ambient sound effects and our own dialogues. Music is not required for this exercise. Before starting out the project, we were split into teams to complete the initial audio sound sheet breakdown as well.
Week 3 Lecture Slides :
2. Practicals
Week 1 : In Class Editing Exercises
We needed to download videos from a google drive provided by Mr Martin
and edit all the scenes accordingly to form a complete video.
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| Fig 2.1 Screens from Mint Advertisement |
I imported them into Adobe Premiere Pro and edited the scenes
accordingly to form a complete video .
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| Fig 2.2 Editing Process for "Mints" |
Step 1 : Download scenes from Google Drive
Step 2 : Create a new project in Adobe Premiere Pro
Step 3 : Import scenes into new project
Step 4 : Arrange scenes accordingly
Step 5 : Export final video
Final Advertising Mint Video :
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| Fig 2.3 Scenes from Doritos Advertisement |
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| Fig 2.4 Editing Process for "Doritos" |
Final Advertising Doritos Video :
Week 2 : Framing & Storyboard Exercises
We were instructed to watch a video sent by Mr Martin as attached below
called "Christmas Advert" by John Lewis. Prior to that, we learnt about
the different shot sizes and after watching this, we need to name the shot
sizes from some scenes inside.
Fig 2.5 "Christmas Advert" by John Lewis
The first scene I identified is a medium shot, this shot is taken from waist up which aligns the typical definition of a medium shot
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| Fig 2.6 First scene - medium shot |
The second scene identified is a wide shot as this frame captures the boy in the bedroom showing his entire frame together with the environment.
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| Fig 2.7 Second scene - wide shot |
The third scene identified is a medium wide shot, it is being shot from mid thighs up to their head and the surroundings are being captured as well.
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| Fig 2.8 Third scene - medium wide shot |
The fourth scene is identified as a wide shot as it shows the boy and his surroundings and frame him in the context of his environment.
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| Fig 2.9 Fourth scene - wide shot |
The fifth scene is identified as a close up shot, it frames the boy's face and shoulders which focus much on the expression.
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| Fig 3.0 Fifth scene - close up shot |
The sixth shot is identified as a medium close up shot because it frames the boy and the penguin chest up and places focus on their facial expressions and interactions.
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| Fig 3.1 Sixth scene - medium close up shot |
The last scene identified in this video is a medium shot as it captures the boy and penguin waist up.
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| Fig 3.2 Last scene - medium shot |
Over the shoulder shot :
This shot is normally shoot from behind the shoulders from another
person, it does not always reflect having a shoulder in the shoot. The
main aim is to present the point of view from the foreground's
perspective.
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| Fig 3.3 Over the shoulder shot |
The bottom shot is not an over shoulder shot as the framing does not simulate the viewpoint of the boy in the foreground but it shows only the frontal perspective. The shot focuses directly on the boy's table, without capturing any perspective. There is no perspective guiding the view towards the boy.
Video 2 : The Unsung Hero
Next, we needed to watch another video called " The Unsung Hero - Thai
Life Insurance Ad" and name the shot sizes selected by Mr
Martin.
Fig 3.4 The Unsung Hero
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| Fig 3.5 Different shot sizes from The Unsung Hero |
After everything, we were told to do a quiz on shot sizes in google forms - it was quite a fun journey learning it.
A) What are foreground, midground and background in a composition?
Provide an image for explanation
Answer : Foreground is the part that is closest to the viewer and camera,
it will have an element that will directly catch the viewer's eye,
foreground can help in framing the subject and add interest in the
composition. Midground will lie between foreground and background and the
main element typically lie inside there. The background is the frame that
is furthest away from the camera, it will provide settings that supports
the subject or frame. Background can be used to create balance in
composition.
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| Fig 3.6 Foreground, Midground and Background |
B) What is depth of field? What is the shallow and deep depth of field ? Provide an image for explanation
Answer : It is the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects
that are acceptably sharp focus in an image captured with a camera. It is
a very important concept in photography and cinematography that affects
the aesthetics of an image. Depth of field can be shallow or deep as
well.
Shallow Depth Of Field : Background and foreground is mainly blurred
while the main subject is more in focus. It is used to distant an object
from the surroundings and help direct the viewer's attention to a specific
area.
Deep Depth of Field : Both the background and foreground are sharp and
clear, the viewer can also see all the details in the frame. It flattens
the scene, making the objects seem close together. It emphasizes on
geographical elements in the image such as line and patterns and this
draws the viewer's attention to all the important details.
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| Fig 3.7 Shallow Depth Of Field examples |
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| Fig 3.8 Deep Depth Of Field examples |
Research on Dynamic Screen Direction :
A) What is 180 degree rule ? ( Static Screen Direction )
This rule states that camera should be kept on one side of an imaginary
axis between two characters hence the first character is always frame
right of the second character. It is the fundamental guide to maintain
visual coherence.
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| Fig 3.9 180 degree static screen direction |
After that, Mr Martin instructed us to watch a video and determine if the video used a 180 degree rule in it.
The video does apply the rule as the conversation between the two individuals has the same shot angle to showcase their own relationship.
B) What is continuity in cinematography?
It refers to the continuous and consistent maintenance of the elements of
elements from one scene to another, ensuring the narratives flow smoothly.
It is one of the key principles in film making and keeps the audience
engaged in the story.
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| Fig 4.0 Continuity in film making |
C) What is dynamic screen direction?
It refers to the purposeful use of movement and positioning within the
frame to guide the audience's attention and convey narrative film,
television or other media. It controls the film motion or gaze across the
screen that creates a sense of movement that aligns with
storytelling.
Lalin Editing Exercise :
We were told to download raw footages from our senior's clips and edit
them accordingly to 35 seconds and to ensure smooth transition from one
scene to another.
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| Fig 4.1 "Lalin" raw editing clips |
I imported them into Adobe Premiere Pro and placed the clips in order
first after watching the original Lalin video.
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| Fig 4.2 Imported and placed clips in order |
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Fig 4.3 Cross Dissolve Effect Applied
Lastly, I shorten some clips as i find that the final video exceeded 35
seconds as instructed, I cut out some parts which i felt that is not
needed .
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| Fig 4.4 Final arrangement |
Final Lalin edited video :
Frame Shooting Exercise :
For our next practice of the week, we were instructed to shoot different
shot sizes we learnt
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| Fig 4.5 Shooting Exercise |
With the help of my friends, I decided to shoot one of them for my exercise. We selected the venues and props that can be helpful with the shooting and i edited the final output in adobe premiere pro.
Final Frame Shooting Exercise Video :
The Three-Act Story Structure :
Mr Martin sent some reading materials regarding the three act story structure here and after reading, it can be summarized that the purpose of this is to separate the beginning from the middle and the middle from the end. It divides the story structure into three parts namely
- Act One : Setup ; which introduces all the characters , their story world and their inciting incidents. It is the kickstart of the movie which is around 20-30 minutes.
-Act Two : Confrontation or Build ; The middle of the story that should keep all the audience in suspense and it is the main chunk that can lead to the worst thing possible to happen to the character.
-Act Three : Resolution or Payoff ; The end of the story that should bring resolution and ending despite it being happy or sad.
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| Fig 4.6 The Three - Act Structure |
Lalin - The Three Act Story Structure :
Act One : It begins when the main female protagonist started introducing herself at the start of the video and when she viewed the moon-drawing image and started an online dating with the male protagonist Nut
Plot Point 1 : Nut, her online dating boyfriend in Japan
Act Two : It begins where Nut is in Japan and request a face to face meetup with the female protagonist, includes flashbacks of memories
Plot Point 2 : Female protagonist viewed the folder containing Nut's confession
Climax : Female protagonist running away and did not meet Nut, but regretting later on
Act Three : They did not get to meet each other face to face in the real world
The inciting point of this movie is when Nut, her online dating boyfriend suddenly requests to meet in real life, which causes a huge turmoil to the main female protagonist as she is highly insecure about her face. Midpoint scene of the movie . The midpoint scene is where she is forced to face her fears and exposing her real face to her online boyfriend, her inner struggles and attempt to flea would directly address her inner conflict.
The theme of this movie is all about identity and self acceptance, to separate between our true selves and the different personas we wish to show the world. It shows how in this modern era of technology, social media can help people idealize themselves often at the stake of our own vulnerabilities.
Short Thailand Film - Lalin :
Everything, Everywhere , All At Once - The Three Act Structure :
Act One : Introduction of the main character Evelyn, and the main central conflicts revolving around her like her own family dynamics. Her tension in her relationship with her daughter Evelynn is not great and highlights generational gap conflicts.
Plot Point 1 : Evelynn transforms into the multiverse and fully engages with the multiverse reality after her own initial confusion.
Act Two : It dives deeper into the complexes and troubles Evelynn faces in the multiverse world where she undergoes a self transformation path. She navigates different worlds and look at what her life could be at different circumstances which challenges her own thinking.
Plot Point 2 : Evelynn face a profound revelation about her strained relationship with her daughter across multiverse.
Climax : Evelynn faces all her conflicts heads on both with the multiverse and her own family and her own alter ego, Jobu Tupaki. She fights her alter ego both physically and into emotional and existential realms.
Act Three : Resolution of conflict between her and Jobu Tupaki as well as her daughter. She reaches an understanding with her daughter and thus it resolves the whole emotional conflict at the heart of this movie.
The inciting accident of this movie is where Evelynn is suddenly contacted by her multiverse husband telling her that she is the key in saving the entire multiverse. She than gets pulled into the multiverse and forced to faced many impending troubles.
The theme of this movie to me is more of Love, Family and Sacrifice. Evelynn travelled multiple universe to reinforce the power of love and highlights the toughness of parenthood within family relationships.
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| Fig 4.7 "Everything, Everywhere, All At Once" Film Poster |
After fully understanding the three act structures, Mr Martin asked us to take a quiz on it to test our understanding
Week 3 : Storyboarding
For this week's exercise, Mr Martin instructed us to read about storyboarding from this link.
Storyboard is a visual representation of a film sequence and it breaks down the action into individual panels.
It is a series of ordered drawings that with camera direction, dialogue , or other pertinent details. It sketches out how a story will unfold, shot by shot.
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| Fig 4.8 A sample storyboard |
There are two types of storyboard, traditional and thumbnail storyboards .
A traditional storyboard is a series of detailed drawings that represent each shot of a film or animation. It includes camera angles, character positions, and important scene details. Hand-drawn boards are an inexpensive and easy way for creatives to translate ideas from scripts and get an overall sense of scene flow, camera angles, character positions, and other visual elements.
Thumbnail storyboards are rough sketches or small drawings that outline the basic composition and sequence of a film or animation. Thumbnails are quick to sketch and enable “blue sky” experimentation in the initial stages of storyboarding. The tradeoff is less detail in each individual panel. Thumbnails help identify scene flow and structure before refining artwork.
After that, we were told to take a quiz to test our understanding of storyboards
Week 4 : Production
For this week's exercise, we learnt more about production stages and the production crews by reading from this link Mr Martin provided. There are 5 stages in film production and they are as follows :
1) Development
The development period belongs to the producer, who starts gathering the ideas for the film- rights from books, plays, etc. if needed- until the final draft of the screenplay is completed. There are two main stages in this phase which is
- The Package :
It is a collection of the creative elements that will be part of a project. This may include a screenplay, a piece of intellectual property, a director, or some actors. A good package shows sell ability and a financier can look at it and tell instantly whether it is worth the investment.
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| Fig 4.9 Margot Robbie in Barbie |
- Financing :
They explore various financing options like finding investors, securing loans, or applying for grants. Effective financial planning at this stage ensures the project has a solid economic foundation, reducing financial risks and setting the stage for smooth production and post-production phases
2) Pre Production :
- In pre-production, all planning occurs before filming starts. This includes casting, securing locations, and creating detailed plans for every scene. This stage is crucial for setting timelines, budgets, and finalizing all logistical aspects to ensure a smooth production phase.
3) Production :
- This is the actual shooting of the film. It involves directors, actors, and crew working on set to capture all the scenes outlined in the script. This phase is highly dynamic, often requiring adaptability and problem-solving to address unexpected challenges.
4) Post Production :
- After shooting ends, the post-production stage begins where the film is edited. Additional dialogue recording, sound design, and visual effects are added during this stage. It’s a critical phase for shaping the final version of the movie, enhancing its narrative and aesthetic appeal.
5) Distribution :
-The final stage is about getting the film to the audience. This includes marketing and finding distributors who can help release the movie in theaters, on TV, or online platforms. The success of this stage depends on effective promotion and the film’s appeal to its intended audience.
After that, we were instructed to take a mini quiz to test our understanding of the production process :
Roles in the Production Team :
For part 2 of this week's exercise, we learnt more about the team roles behind production and I was surprised that there is so many roles and there could be even more in an advanced film production. The article regarding production team is here
Producer: Manages the entire production process from start to finish, ensuring that the film is on schedule and within budget.
Director: Oversees the creative aspects of the film, including shooting and assembly, guiding the cast and crew to realize the film's vision.
Screenwriter: Crafts the script, developing dialogue and the sequence of events to ensure a logical and engaging narrative.
Production Designer: Translates the script into visual form through storyboards, planning the visual progression of the film.
Art Director: Manages the physical settings of the film, including props and set decorations to enhance the film’s authenticity.
Costume Designer: Designs costumes that reflect the characters' personalities, status, and the film’s setting.
Cinematographer (Director of Photography): Captures the film visually, focusing on lighting and camera work to enhance the film's aesthetic.
Editor: Compiles and edits the footage, deciding which shots to use and how to arrange them to best tell the story.
Actors: Bring the characters to life through their performances, working closely with the director and crew.
Music Supervisor: Selects and oversees the integration of music to complement the film's narrative and mood.
3. Project 1 - Audio Editing Exercises
3.1 Exercise 1 : Audio Sound Dubbing
For this exercise, Mr Martin gave us a 35 second clip from " Everything, everywhere, all at once" without audio. We needed to find our own ambient sounds, hard sound effects and record the dialogues in the video.
First, we were instructed to create a spreadsheet that details and breaks down the different sound effects used in each scene of the video.
Fig 3.1.1 Audio Sound Spreadsheet
Mr Martin provided two links which are freesound and 99sounds to search for free sound audios to used and it was particularly hard to find some specific sounds like the pipe being plucked off from the wall.
I divided the sound searching and collection into 3 parts which is the "Ambience Sounds" , "Sound Effects" and "Recorded Dialogues"
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| Fig 3.1.2 Ambience Sound Effects |
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| Fig 3.1.2 Hard Sound Effects |
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| Fig 3.1.3 Recorded Dialogues |
Than I proceed to place the original clip Mr Martin sent us into Adobe Premiere Pro and added the clips one by one inside slowly. For me, I started with aligning the hard sound effects first.
Hard Sound Effects : A1-A4
Dialogues : A5 - A7 ( One Character Each )
Ambient Sounds : A8- A10
For the hard sound effects such as door being broken through from outside, I adjusted the sound level to be higher on the left as it is broken left side first than tagged the audio as a "focused" sound and increased the clip volume.
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| Fig 3.1.4 Focused Clip Type |
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| Fig 3.1.5 Sound db being adjusted higher on left side |
For other hard sound effects like the neck being twisted, pvc pipe being plucked out forcefully , around the same audio effects were used on them.
For ambient sounds, I adjusted the levels with two methods, one of which is labelling the sound as an ambient sound or SFX under the essential sound panel and i found out that we can even choose what preset we want to set it. There is options like " Make Distant " , "From outside" which makes it very convenient for me.
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| Fig 3.1.6 Essential Sound labelling of audios |
The second method is adjusting the levels of the audios under the effect control panels.
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| Fig 3.1.7 Volume Effect Control |
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| Fig 3.1.8 Clip speed dialogue adjustment |
After that, since there's a male character inside, I had to change my voice from a female to a male voice. I used audio effects > pitch shifter > semi tones to lower my original pitch to fit a male voice and also increased some pitch to fit a screaming voice.
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| Fig 3.1.9 Pitch Shifter |
Next, I applied audio transitions effect > cross fade > exponential fade to my audios to ensure smooth transitions between them and ensuring they do not end abruptly out of nowhere.
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| Fig 3.2.0 Exponential Fade Effects |
For the final step, I added transition sound effect and adjusted the sound audio direction whether the scene is transitioning from the right to left or left to right under the essential sound panel. That's that for the sound dubbing exercise!
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| Fig 3.2.1 Transition sound effects |
Final Video on Youtube :
3.2 Exercise 2 : Audio Sound Shaping
For this exercise, we are instructed to record a short audio of us speaking and shape it into multiple different sounds using Adobe Audition.
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| Fig 3.2.1 Sound Shaping Task |
1. Voice of phone call
For this audio, I used the parametric equalizer sound effects and bring down the bass and tremble and raised the mid range to 870Hz.
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| Fig 3.2.2 Phone Call edit |
2. Voice coming from inside of closet ( muffled voice )
For this audio, I used back the same effect which is parametric equalizer but this time the bass remains the same, I decreased the tremble value and raised the mid range value to the top.
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| Fig 3.2.3 Closet voice edit |
3. Voice of toilet/bathroom
For this audio, I applied the reverb sound effect to create a slight echo. Under the reverb effect selection, I went ahead with room ambience and adjusted the decay time to 1821m/s, pre delay time to 10m/s, diffusion to 583m/s and perception to 61.
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| Fig 3.2.4 Bathroom voice edit |
4. Voice of Underground Cave
For this audio, I used back reverb sound effect, but under rack effect I used ethereal voice and adjusted the decay time to 4153ms, pre delay time to 190ms , diffusion to 2649ms and perception to 84.
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| Fig 3.2.5 Underground Cave voice edit |
5. Voice of Alien/Orc
For this audio, I applied two effects to it , one being pitch shifter and one being modulation (flanger). For pitch shifter, I reduced the semi tones to -4 and cents to -20. For the modulation rack effect flanger , I chose "too many pills" as the presets because it sounds very "alieny" . I adjusted the initial delay time to 4.06ms , final delay time to 2ms , stereo phasing to 84, feedback to 50.7% and modulation rate to 18.073Hz.
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| Fig 3.2.6 Alien voice edit |
For final editing, I exported out all the audios from Adobe Audition and imported them into After Effects to showcase my audio shaping as i compiled them all together.
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| Fig 3.2.7 Compilation of edited audios |
Final Audio Video Submission :
4. Feedback
No feedback was received for this project
5. Reflection
5. Reflection
For task 1 which is audio sound dubbing, it was my first time using Adobe Premiere Pro to do sound dubbing and it was not easy trying to find all the suitable sound effects used in the original video , especially the water pipe plucking one. But, I learnt how to use different audio editing effects which can separate ambient sounds from hard sound effects and edited my own voice to male version too using pitch shifter in order to suit Waymond's voice.
For the second task which is sound shaping, Adobe Audition is also a newly introduced software and I was amazed at the effects it can produce, like how shifting bass, tremble and mid range can produce such different effects. There was a wide range of other audio effects that we can use as well such as reverb, ethereal reverb etc.
Both tasks were not too difficult to complete but i find them rather nice to do when I was editing both sounds in adobe audition as well as premiere pro.
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