Sound for Screen

Microphones

Key words:

Audio Recording - Sound recording. Variety of different recording environments. 

ADR - Additional Dialogue Recording. Re-dub for clarity if not clear enough.

Shot-gun Mic - Acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. Common for outdoor use.

Condenser Mic - Used for capturing high quality sound. 48V Phantom Power to operate.

Onboard Condenser Mic - Useful for stereo. 

Studio Condenser Mic - Used for controlled environments.

 XLR Cable - Used to connect a mic to a recording device.

Critical App

      Today's lesson was spent with the class divided in two, one learning about BARB and the other about RAJAR. We then spent the remaining time of the lesson teaching the other half about what we had learnt. Here I have created two individual Prezi's about each one :)

Critical Approaches Brief

Assignment number and Title - Unit 6: Critical Approaches to Media Products
Assignment Title - How do Media Producers think about their audiences?
Assignment number - 1

Date of issue - 29th September 2013
Hand in date - 21st October 2o13, 4pm 

Assignment Task;

In the form of a sketchbook, preferably A4, examine these topics and display your findings and thoughts in your own style and words (typed). Use visual images from newspapers, magazines, websites etc. to reinforce your explanations and ensure your work is clear and detailed. Ensure you define all of the key concepts that have been explored this term. Be certain to cover the following:

• Definition of niche, mainstream and alternative. Use examples.
• Define demographic and psychographic. Use examples of Media Products that are aimed at both.
• Design the front cover of a magazine for a specific demographic/psychographic target audience. Explain who the audience is and justify your design choices and how they meet the needs of your target audience.
• Explain Selby's Psychographic Clusters. Use examples of advertising which would appeal to each group. Good/bad way of classifying audience?
• Explain the VAL's system. Use examples of media products to illustrate your understanding.
• Explain how audiences are segmented using Socio Economics. ABC1 C2DE.
• Define the term Stereotype. 
• Explain Geodemographics.
• Discuss how the BBC segments its audience and provide different types of radio stations for them. Use examples.
• What do BARB, RAJAR and NRS do? Give a brief outline and whether you believe this to be helpful to Media Producers when it comes to segmenting audiences.

Pre-Production and Research

      Lately we've been learning about various research techniques, involving Primary, Secondary, Qualitative and Quantitative. Here is a Prezi I have created as part of our homework to learn about the different research techniques :) 

Critical Approached L3

Defining Audiences

Key Terms:

Mainstream - wide audiences, big budget, large distribution channels.

Demographics - cannot be changed, age, gender, race.

Selby - idea of the psychographic clusters.

Alternative - one audience, doesn't follow traditional film-making rules.

ABC1 C2DE - social class, high or low.

Stereotype - assumptions made on a person or a group of people without knowledge.

Psychographics - personality, things that can change.

Segmentation - groups for audiences.

Socio-economic - social class.

Niche - low budget, narrow audience, specific demographics. 

VAL's - Values Attitudes Lifestyles

                My primary: Striver. My secondary: Maker

Sound for Screen L2

Today we added a little more to our work on Logic Pro, but used a reverberator to add depth for example to certain sound FX, making it sound more realistic. This is extremely useful when two characters in the clip fall off the cliff and we wish to make their fall sound realistic and tense.

Key words:

Leitmotif -  Short musical passage or theme you associate to a character.

There are some familiar one's we all know of;

Harry Potter Hedwig's Theme 

Pirates of the Caribbean

Star Wars

What we also looked at today and thought about was Sound. How much do sound actually add to a film? We then watched a clip from the Disney film 'Up', both with and without sound.  The difference between both clips is insane. The added depth, emotion, feeling, understanding and pace that is added when a musical score is involved truly adds to the film. It really is true when they say the film is lost without sound.  

Encounters Film Festival 2013!!

Encounters - 19th September 2013

Today we went to Encounters, the Short Film and Animation Festival in Bristol. We watched 'INT 3: The Human Factor'; a 1 hour 31 minute collaboration of 6 individual short films.

"The complexity of family ties, the comfort of friends, the thrill of fleeting encounters with complete strangers... From Portugal, France, Switzerland, Brazil, Australia and The Netherlands,

 the diverse and compelling short films in this programme chart the

 beauty, danger and elation of human relations."

1. De Huid Voelt (Skin Feels)
2. 
   

   Cigano (Gypsy)
3. Faraways
4. Man Kann Nicht Alles Auf Einmal Tun, Aber Man Kann Alles Auf Einmal Lassen (You can't do everything at once, but you can leave everything at once)
5. Atlantic Avenue
6. A Onda Traz Vento Leva (Ebb & Flow)

Each short film was a masterpiece in itself, some of which were very heartfelt stories, closely related to the Director. At the end of the viewing we were permitted to vote for one. This was a rather tough decision, each film was so beautiful in it's own right, emotional and strong on story lines. Yet in the end I voted for 'Ebb & Flow'. This short film bought a tear to my eye because of it's beautiful story: a young deaf man from northeast Brazil who worked installing car stereos. We saw him in his day to day life and the taking care of his daughter, which showed the breaking of his heart as he struggled to communicate with her and she often rebelled against him, hurting him deeply yet without realizing. This in depth story became a journey and by the end we felt a bond had been built with him and for these reasons alone I decided to vote. 

Critical Approaches L2

Socio-economic status is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or family's economic and social position to others, based on income, education and occupation.

Primary and Secondary Research

A primary source is an original document containing first-hand information. It may be referred to as first-hand research. Methods include observation, experiments, interviews or questionnaires to obtain desired information. 

Common examples of primary sources are: 

• Diaries/Observations
• Interviews - email, in person, on phone.
• Letters
• Original works of art
• Photographs
• Works of Literature
• Questionnaires

A secondary source contains commentary on, or discussion about a primary source. Second hand data refers to data that may have been collected by another person and may or may not be directly related to the proposed idea.

The most important feature of secondary sources  is that they offer an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources.

Common examples of secondary sources are:

• Biographies
• Bibliographies
• Journal articles
• Newspaper articles
• Books
• Internet

Qualitative and Quantitative Data

Qualitative Research

• Number of responses is not important
• Ideas and opinions that people express are important
• Can be obtained from questionnaires if questions are 'open

Quantitative Research

• Produces audience figures for cinema/broadcasting
• Produces readership figures for print products
• Gives you numbers and reveals trends
• Can be obtained through the use of 'closed' questions

In this lesson, I worked with Amy and Lizzie to find out as much about the X Factor as possible, using these forms of research, but without the internet. Within the hour we had to create short surveys to distribute between students and teachers, put our heads together to gather any information we knew ourselves and make short phone calls to people out of our reach for further research. 

Documentary L4

Psychographic Clusters

TRENDIES - crave the admiration of their peers

EGOISTS - seek pleasure

PURITANS - wish to feel virtuous

INNOVATORS - wish to make their mark

REBELS - wish to remake their world in their own image

GROUPIES - just want to be accepted

DRIFTERS - not sure what they want

DROP-OUTS - shut commitments of any kind

TRADITIONALISTS - want things to stay as they are

UTOPIANS - want the world to be a better place

CYNICS - have to have something to complain about

COWBOYS - want easy money

Documentary L3

Modes & Formats

Today we learnt about the different modes and formats to Documentaries. They are;

Expository

Observational

Participatory

Performative

Reflexive

Docudrama

Expository

Addresses its audience directly.

Usually a narrator.

1930 ~ 'Voice of God' (to speak with authority)

Used for Scientific and and Natural History documentaries.

Observational 

Also known as 'direct camera'.

Like a 'fly on the wall'. No disruption to the scene.

Footage of people going about their daily business.

Participatory

Where the subject interact or converse with the crew.

Also known as 'Cinema Verite'.

Encounter between subject and crew can become a key elemenBt.

Performative

Film crew creates many of the events to be filmed by their own intervention or through events carried out for the sake of the film.

Reflexive

Brings the documentary itself into question.

Often deals with the difficulty of achieving a reliable balanced argument.

Often used to undermine corporations/political figures.

Poses moral dilemmas.

Docudrama

Features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events.

Based on narrative and fiction.

Focuses on the facts of the events as they are known.

Some minor facts may be adjusted or embellished for the sake of enhancing the story.

Filming/Editing Bands L1

Camera

• Framing
• Angle
• Lens usage
• Movement
• Special kinds of shot

Types of Shots

• Establishing shot
• Wide shot
• Long shot
• 3/4 shot
• Mid shot
• Close up
• Extreme close-up
• High angle
• Low angle
• Canted angle
• Birdseye
• 2 shot
• P.O.V shot
• Reaction shot 
• Cutaway
• Insert
• Jump cut

Movements

• Pan
• Tilt
• Tracking (Dolly)

Sound for Screen L1

Sound for Screen

Screen shot of Logic Pro

      Today we watched a really interesting, short clip on the sound design for a Lord of the Rings film.  LOTR2 Sound Design Video We were then given a shorter clip ourselves in which we had to add sound to. Using Logic Pro we searched all the loop and Sound FX categories to find sounds that matched each action. We then had to cut it, shape it and change the sound to fit perfectly with both the action and the timing.

Foley artist watching the footage and recording the sound for the action.

Sound types

• Diegetic - Heard by characters within the scene.
• Non-diegetic - External sounds from the scene. E.g. narrator, musical score.
• Internal diegetic - Voices inside a characters head.
• External diegetic - Sounds heard by all characters in a scene.

Sound editor, recording and editing the sounds created by a Foley.

Documentary L2

Lesson 2

Issues

• Research, Quality and Range - In depth facts and widespread research.
• Reliability of Contributors - Contributes to the programme. Reliable sources (people there, experts, uniform, authority etc)
• Up to date information - Accurate, valid and reliable. Facts, down to the day.

Balance

(all sides of the argument considered)

• Impartiality - NO association with the subject.
• Opinion - Personal view.
• Bias - Personal negative view.
• Subjectivity - Relating to, or emanating from a persons emotions and prejudices etc.
• Objectivity - Not influenced by personal emotions, interpretations or prejudice, based on facts, unbiased.

Challenges to Objectivity

• Film-makers own pre-conceptions.
• Perspectives from which the event was witnessed.
• The way the documentary is edited.
• Impact of the camera.

Other issues...

• Access
• Privacy
• Representation
• Contract with viewer (channel)

Photography L1

This was only a short and brief lesson, but we spoke about a few Photographers the class knew of and liked. We then had the task of taking 4-6 pictures of people in their environment when we go to Encounters on Thursday.

Pictures from Thursday:

Pre-Production L1

Lesson 1

Pre-Production

Pre-production is the process of preparing all the elements involed in a film, play or other performance, There are three parts in a production. Pre-production, Production and Post-production. Pre-production ends when the planning ends and the content starts being produced.

Research 

                Within creative media industries.

                Methods and techniques.

                Present results of feedback.

Pre-production 

                        Requirements for a specific media product.

                        Prepare pre-production documentation.

                        Apply planning for a median product.

Communication Skills

                                    Extract information from written sources.

                                    Create a report in a context.

                                    Pitch a proposal using appropriate technology.

                         

Documentary L1

Lesson 1

Documentary is a broad term to describe a programme/film that in some way 'documents' or captures reality. They are usually used to reveal an unusual, interesting or unknown angles.

• Factual Programme - a genre of non-fiction TV programming that documents actual events and people.

• Strong and Interesting Premise - tells a good story, keeping the audience interested with solid points which back-up their premise.

• Characters - include interesting characters who are trying to achieve something.

• Voice-over/Presenter - this keeps the audience updated with videos and images whilst telling a story.

• Presentation of Facts - a programme will back up its statements with facts and evidence to add credibility. 

• Interviews/Experts - used to show realism and facts or give witness accounts making it more believable.

• Music - Often used to add different emotions to a programme, or heighten suspense.

• Use of suspense, concealing outcome - only revealing the outcome at the end of a  programme, keeping the audience interested throughout.

• Hand-held camera - Often used in programmes where they have to be on the move alot. Nothing is staged or set up. It keeps the audience ready for the next piece of action. Makes the audience feel involved with the action.

• Editing/Montage - a selection of short clips edited together, into a sequence to condense space, time and information. This adds information quickly or slowly (depending) and suggests a passage of time.

• Slow motion - slowing down the footage to heighten or accentuate a moment.

• Archive footage, films and photo's - using stored, or old footage and photo's withing the programme.

Critical Approaches L1

Lesson 1

Grading Criteria

1. Understand how media producers define audience for their products.
2. Understand how media producers create products for specific audiences.
3. Understand how media audiences respond to media products.
4. Be able to develop responses to media products.

Key words:

• Mainstream - appeal to a wide audience and generally make large products. Usually big budget productions.
• Niche - aimed at satisfying specific general needs. Aimed at a narrowly defined market segment. Generally lower budget.
• Alternative - doesn't try to maximize profits. Seeks broad and non-elite audience.

Segmenting Audiences

(How media producers define their audiences)

• Demographics - Gender, age and social class. How people are grouped together.
• Psychographics - Study of personalty, values, attitudes, interests and lifestyles.