Now that yesterday's global silliness is behind us, it's time to announce April's theme: "broken". What can I say?! We like the open ended topics that provide ample opportunity for interpretation. As sound designers, we rely on manipulation...pushing materials beyond their limits to see what interesting sounds they create under stress, or at that threshold where they go … [Read more...]
The Voice In…
Michel Chion is a well known voice in film sound theory. A lot of people have heard of, and possibly read, his book Audio Vision. For some reason, The Voice in Cinema is a little less popular. This post isn't really meant to be about Michel Chion or his books though. We're focusing on the idea of "voice" this month, and it's hard to come up with a header image that is relevant. … [Read more...]
As Bobby Darin said, “If I Could Talk to the Animals…”
Might want to be careful if you're going to try recording this critter! We use animal sounds all the time in sound design. Whether it be the twenty some-odd creatures that went into the sound of the Velociraptor in Jurassic Park, or the Elephant bray used in the destruction of the Titanic, they seem to find their way into every situation...sooner or later. This month, we've … [Read more...]
Happy New Year…All Hail the King!
A very "Happy New Year" to everyone in our community from the team at Designing Sound! We're starting off the year with something we don't often associate with sound design. I'm going to assume you've seen The Wizard of Oz before. Recall that scene described in the script above, and remember everything that came before it. Picture the sudden burst of color when you get your … [Read more...]
All Those Important Little Touches…
Sometimes selling the story isn't about how cool that weapon sounds, how intimidating the monster vocal is, or how eerie the wind feels. Sometimes, the sounds that are needed most are those tiny little touches we take for granted. Getting just the right footfall, the rattle of keys as they're shoved into a pocket, or the gentle rustle of fabric that comes with the turn of a … [Read more...]
Templates and Work-flow
Another month come and gone! Time to move to start shifting to our next subject. If you're anything like me, or that little Lego Man in the image above, the blank canvas can sometimes be a little intimidating. I've found that often the hardest things is simply figuring out where to begin. Maybe that's not the case for you. Maybe you've always got a perfectly clear idea of where … [Read more...]
Voices of Collaboration
The start of September. The start of a new topic! We're going out on a limb this month and doing something really different. "No one is an island." "You don't work in a vacuum." "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." We are but one small piece in a complex system that builds art. I know many sound professionals who are happy to talk about becoming story … [Read more...]