Image from LinkedIn In the 6th part of his Science of Storytelling series, Keith Bound PhD outlines the specific psychological effects of common horror-thriller sounds on moviegoers. "When a diegetic sound resonates with the viewers as a recognizable threat to the protagonist or themselves the viewer, it not only elicits a strong anxiety response but does so very … [Read more...]
postPerspective: Audio post for Netflix docu-series Wild Wild Country
Image from postPerspective In this article, Jennifer Walden explores the work of Brent Kiser and the Unbridled Sound team on Chapman and Maclain Way's docu-series Wild Wild Country. “The material hadn’t been maintained, and there were these weird VHS bleeds; the audio had a huge hum. Initially, we tried to clean it up a bit, but in the end we decided to just let it roll … [Read more...]
Creative Props – Hunting for Insipration
The most fun and creatively satisfying part of sound design, to me, is finding everyday objects and using them in a way no one designed them to function. Recording your own material is rewarding and something I urge everyone to do. In this I want to outline my process in finding new and creative props to create new and creative sounds.. Sometimes the sound you need is sitting … [Read more...]
The 30-Day SFX Challenge
Sound effects libraries are the essential toolkit of every sound designer: they are convenient and practical. Furthermore, in a time where deadlines seem to get shorter and shorter, why would one bother to hike their way into field recording when we have all the tools we need within a click from our reach? As with every overindulgence, relying on sound effects libraries for too … [Read more...]
Free sounds from Justin Macleod
Justin Macleod was one of the many winners in a community give away we ran in December of 2016. He sent me this message for the community a few months ago, but it was temporarily lost when we were experiencing issues with the site that ultimately led to us switching servers. Justin wanted to give back to the broader community. So, here's the message and some free sounds for all … [Read more...]
A Conversation with Ben Burtt on Perseverance
This interview was originally conducted for inclusion in our "Failure" theme. Some extenuating circumstances kept it in the wings for a while, but it's Ben Burtt. How could we not post it?! ...and, you know, better late than never! DS: This month we’re looking at the subject of failure... BB: [Laughs] Really? DS: Yeah, we’re going a little self reflective with our theme … [Read more...]
And the Grand Prize Winner is…
When we designed this event, we wanted to reward people for their participation and involvement in the little arm of the community that is Designing Sound Exchange. We also generally kept the various methods we used to select winners secret until we were no longer using them. We wanted people to participate in a natural manner, not try to game the system. It was early in the … [Read more...]