...this image? Often times, that's what our job is. We're given an image or an emotion to describe through the use of sound, or sometimes it's a little easier. We're tasked with creating something that doesn't exist in our every day lives, but has enough visual elements we can relate to that we understand what it's purpose is. Do we reinforce that expectation, providing … [Read more...]
Creating Fluidity with Music Editing: An Interview with Jim Harrison
Jim Harrison is an award-winning music editor, whose credits comprise The Greatest Showman, The Jungle Book, Houdini, Ice Age: Collision Course, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Purple Rain and many more. In this interview Jim talks to us about the music editing process between pop and classical music for The Greatest Showman, as well as the challenges he and his … [Read more...]
Interview: Dan Olmsted on the Saul Zaentz Film Center and Fantasy Studios
With the announced closure of Fantasy Studios on September 18, 2018, I thought it would be fitting to talk to someone who was there at the time of it being a film center. I tracked down Dan Olmsted, who worked at the Saul Zaentz Film Center on films such as The English Patient, Amadeus, Boogie Nights, K-19: The Widowmaker, and Fern Gully 2. Dan still works in the Zaentz Media … [Read more...]
Making a Plasma Gun from a Beer Can
Designing sounds for really large or complex objects can be really intimidating especially for younger sound designers and those with limited access to sound libraries. I’ll be showing you how I go about breaking down complex sounds into simple little sounds that we can easily access with household objects, and then we will build our complex sound using these techniques. This … [Read more...]
Sigi Klar: The Audio Mentoring Project
Though 'Mentorship' was last month's theme, we saw the following post on Sigi Klar's blog and asked for his permission to post it here, which he happily permitted. Last year I was lucky enough to be accepted into the Audio Mentoring Project (click here for details) and I undertook a very enriching mentorship that helped me grow a lot as a Sound Designer. What is the AMP … [Read more...]
Recording Fluids: Foley Magic
Some of the most challenging, rewarding, and fun sounds to record are those within the vast spectrum of fluids. Wet, sticky, viscous, mushy; the tactful use of fluid sounds can reinforce the realism and impact of a scene, or just be the punchline of a joke. In order to effectively communicate an idea to an audience, there are a few challenges in recording fluids to … [Read more...]
Audio Mentoring Stories: Leonard Paul and Rachel Dziezynski
Leonard Paul, MSc (Director of the School of Video Game Audio) and Rachel Dziezynski (Audio Coordinator at Riot Games) were matched as mentor and mentee through the Audio Mentoring Project last year. They had such a great time with the mentorship that they wanted to share their experiences - so without further ado, here's Leonard and Rachel: Adriane Kuzminski: Why did you … [Read more...]