Designing Sound: Would you mind giving our readers a little bit about your background and how long you’ve been working in audio post? James LeBrecht: I’m the owner of Berkeley Sound Artists, and we’re located in the Saul Zaentz Media Center in Berkeley. We’re kind of a small company. I think the term “boutique shop” would sound little bit pretentious, but we’re kind of the … [Read more...]
Real Spaces
When we say “space”, people generally think of two things: outer space, or a bounded area that something fits into. It's a safe bet that most people in the sound community immediately think of the latter. So often we focus on the characteristics of a space...how far a sound carries, reflections and reverberation time, etc. Certainly that helps us define a space, but...for the … [Read more...]
DSDG – Noah With Craig Henighan and Coll Anderson
We'll be starting our web chat with Craig and Coll in just a few minutes! Head over to our Google+ page if you want to ask questions when we get to the Q&A. We had a great conversation, and the recording is now available, and remember that this and all of our other previous Designing Sound Discussion Group presentations are archived here. … [Read more...]
Designing Sound Discussion Group – Noah and Atmos
We're happy to announce that we've got another Designing Sound Discussion Group coming this Sunday! We'll be hosting a live chat with Noah's Craig Henighan and Coll Anderson. Given this month's theme, we'll be focusing in on a discussion of the impact of Dolby Atmos on their work for the film. Of course, we won't be restricted to that, so make sure you come with your questions … [Read more...]
In Conversation – Interview with Coll Anderson
Andy Wooding has a new interview with one of our former Featured Sound Designers, Coll Anderson, up over on FilmDoctor.co.uk. I don’t know if there’s a difference. They both involve a certain level of verisimilitude and so you can’t really say there’s a difference. People will say ‘documentaries are real and fictitious films are about telling stories’ but documentaries are … [Read more...]
Separating Your Signal from the Noise: The Intersection Between Bit Depth and Branding
As a sound designer, there are many different thoughts that come to mind when considering a topic such as noise. Everything from using tone generated noise, like white noise in the designing of sound effects, to a technical discussion on different types of dither algorithms, but when I kept thinking about noise, one slightly different viewpoint of the word "noise" kept coming … [Read more...]
Sonic/Temporal Ambiguity as Evidence of Psychosis in Martha Marcy May Marlene
"Where are we?" "Connecticut." "No. How far are we?" "From what?" "Yesterday." Directed by Sean Durkin, Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) centers around the damaged psyche of Martha, portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen. Martha is a young woman who, through the time spent living as part of a small farm commune, has lost nearly all sense of boundaries...from social through temporal. … [Read more...]