Sound Design “Stories aren’t about sound- they are created using sound!”

What Is Sound Design?

Foley

What is a Foley artist?

A Foley artist is a person who re-creates sounds for film, video, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. They replace sounds that cannot properly be recorded on set.

The term ‘Foley’ comes from Jack Foley (1891-1967), a sound effects pioneer. He worked with Stanley Kubrick but never received much credit besides the term itself.

Types of Sound In Your Edit

• Mono
• Stereo
• 5.1

Dialogue (DX)- Mono

Voice from filmed interview or audio from telephone or audio recording

Music (MX)- Stereo

Vocal and instrumental

Atmosphere (ATMO)- Stereo

Environmental sounds. Location and tone.

Audio Effects (FX)- Mono?

Door slamming, tress rustling, rain drops

Sound In Documentary Film/TV

These programmes cross the boundary between drama and documentary.

Ethics

Artist interpretation verses actuality.

What does the audience need to learn about?

What do they expect?

Sound Recording Techniques For Documentary

Soundscape

The word "soundscape" was coined by composer R. Murray Schafer to identify sounds that "describe a place, a sonic identity, a sonic memory, but always a sound that is pertinent to a place"

Wagstaff, Gregg (2000), "From the Isles of Lewis and Harris", Soundscape, The Journal of Acoustic Ecology, 1/1, p. 19.

Task

Design and produce a 1 minute soundscape based on one of the following themes:

• Horror
• Relaxation
• Nature

You should record all of the foley yourself. You may use samples for difficult to find sources.

Try Garageband on iOS or N-Track Studio on Android. On desktop try Garageband, Audition or Premiere.

Further Reading