Short Film: Frank

Created 2013:

The was a group project that entailed the production of a HDV short film with Foley Sound replacement, ADR dialogue replacement and sound design. The aim was to achieve expertise in the use of cameras, lighting, audio-recording, editing and sound-design.

My Role:

I undertook the responsibility of managing the sound. Dissimilar to our previous projects, I was required to explore the techniques used specifically for sound recording in greater detail. As a team, we decided that all of our audio attributes of the short film would comprise of Foley and ADR methods. Both of these techniques are implemented during the postproduction of a film. As our team captured footage, my sound recording colleague and myself recorded the raw sounds. By recording these raw sounds during filming and then add our own in postproduction, we had complete control over the timing, quality, and relative volume of the sound effects. Same rule applied to how we captured dialogue. Our entire dialogue was re-recorded within the studio. Once we finished capturing the film, we were then able to make a full list of dialogue and Foley requirements. Trying to create the correct recipe for an accurate replication took a few trials. Not all-sound replacement was recorded in the studio. We recorded live atmospheres, birds, cars, door sounds etc. using a Rode microphone. We did this because these sounds were elements that were hard to imitate within the Foley studio. A constant reference to levels was also pivotal. The setup within the studio provided us the opportunity to capture a professional standard of sound recording, making the most of auxiliaries’ sends, buses, headphones, monitors, dual room communication etc. All of our sounds were recorded dry and later effects such as reverb, panning, filtering were added. We put strong use to our knowledge about proximity effect, region recording, and loop playbacks. We recorded several versions of each Foley effect and Dialogue replacement and then selected the best fitting. Once all are sounds were recorded and edited, they were then prepared to be located correctly within the film. The end goal is to make these Foley and ADR’s sounds seem as natural as possible.

Screenshots:

On Set

On Set

On Set 2

On Set 2

On Set 3

On Set 3

Final Product:

Viral Video

Created 2013:

This project was undertaken by myself and my group. Our objective was to create a short clip with the hope that it could go viral. It was an opportunity for us to show case our enhanced skills in editing and also incorporate a green screen into one of our projects for the first time, introducing chroma keying technique.

As described by in the video description, the software that was used was:

Adobe After Effects CS6 (rotoscoping, compositing, chroma-keying)
Adobe Premier Pro CS6 (editing, audio timing)
Adobe Audition CS6 (recording, processing, mixing)
IK Multimedia T-RackS Custom Shop (reverb, EQs, dynamics processing)
Adobe Illustrator CS6 (creating vector lettering for mask)
Adobe Photoshop CS6 (creating ‘Jumbo Hot Dogs’ mask

Short Film: 101 CSIS

Created 2012:

The purpose of this project was to demonstrate our skills regarding video production. The process involved strengthening my knowledge in the correct use of lighting and sound, as well as operating the camera, when recording. This was a team based project and I felt we functioned very well together. Delegating roles and using time efficiently is always key within working as a unit. My primary roles within this project was directing and editing the footage using Final Cut Pro. Our objectives were as follows :

  • Invent a story
  • Draw storyboards / Write a dialogue script / Extract a shot-list
  • Timetable our action
  • Shoot the footage, enhancing your scene with lighting for indoor shots
  • Record at least some of your audio with external microphones
  • Log & Capture in PAL anamorphic not HDV
  • Import additional songs / Voice-Overs / ADR / Sound-design / Commentary

In comparison to previous video projects, I felt we handled our time management a lot better which gave me time to closely edit the short film (it even gave us time to re shoot and add scenes). This was a project I thoroughly enjoyed, specifically the editing duties. The short film itself self is a form of documentary comedy which was influenced by a John Mayor skit. Thought we aimed to be entertaining and provide good acting, our ability to use the equipment and software tools were our primary goals.

Final Product: