MD5317 Evaluation of Audio-Visual Composition and Soundtrack for a Commercial Project brief
This evaluation is broken into two parts. The first part will evaluate the final Audio-Visual composition for the video 'The Sugar Rush' and the second one will assess the soundtrack for the silent film 'Restrict' then all the parts will be concluded as one.
Audio-Visual Composition 'The Sugar Rush'
The idea for this composition was the behaviour of kids after being exposed to sugar, their hyperactivity and need for constant movement.
Working with a child was not an easy task, takes had to be repeated many times, and in the process of which Jesse (the main character) would get tired and disinterested, these kinds of problems are to be expected from working with a young child. During the production, the locations would change very often this was also troubling regarding commuting. All of the above caused the production to take three days, and this created another issue which was that the main character would have different clothes on. This problem was solved by shooting the scene in which camera spins around the character. There were three takes done in different outfits, then at the editing stage, this was transformed into one scene in which the viewer can see t-shirts quickly changing on the character.
The footage was taken in many locations around Cheltenham. This was done to give diversity in the video and to keep the audience interested for longer. I have chosen the third-person point of view as the main one thus this represents the 'Observe' concept from the perspective of the audience. For the shots in the video intro where the main character eats ice cream, 'the medium shot' was utilised, aiming to capture facial expressions and the activity combined with characters body language.
The footage for the Audio-Visual Composition was captured with the use of the mobile phone Samsung Galaxy S6 with the additional stabilisation from a gimbal. This setup was chosen mainly because of its compact form, availability and the almost professional quality that it gives. The Samsung camera in conjunction with the gimbal allowed for full HD picture capture that is stable (this was very helpful during the runs with the camera behind the character) and provided the illusion of the video stabilisation equipment that professionals use.
The audio for this video is uptempo music inspired by the EDM genre, because like sugar keeps children restless, same the powerful driving beat keeps the ravers dancing all night. The drumbeat features accents falling on the three this reflects movement represented in the video. The music also features synths being the primary instrumentation for this piece. The choice of the instrumentation is due to the specifics of the club based music, of which the use of synthesisers is prominent. The video had two moments in which the character slowly walks, and this forced the structure of the track to be different from the typical EDM piece and having two parts in the middle in which the beat drops.
The soundtrack for the silent film 'Restrict.'
The film ‘Restrict’ tells a sad story about a women waking up in her consciousness. She is perplexed and has no idea where she is later down the line she commits suicide by swallowing pills. This kind of sad film calls for specific instrumentation, so in the video, I have used Stringed instruments, grand piano, sound design for creating atmospheric synths, Tibetan bowls, orchestral percussive sounds and reversed reverb effect. The film has different scenes, each of which carries out different mood types from sadness and confusion to memories of arguments between partners/friends. Each of these scenes calls for the different kinds of musical phrases. To keep all the soundtrack cohesive I have decided to use strings in all of the compositions consisted in the soundtrack. The other reason why I have chosen to use a strings section was that this kind of instrumentation was used in music for moving image since the first films. Strings can build up the tension, represent sadness and imitate cry or scream. The Tibetan bowls in the soundtrack sound odd and are detuned, and the sound is remenisant of a marble rolling down a metal sheet which strengthens the feeling of drama. The film edits required the music to be synced with the film to the frame. Especially the scene in which the main charter stands in the dark space there is a moment of calmness followed by the sudden appearance of a second character that pushes the main character on the floor. This was a moment that should surprise the audience, to achieve this I have used a diminished chord in conjunction with a powerful orchestral hit on a drum and china cymbal. In the end, an added heart beat like drum sound going into the music of a flat line when she dies played by a flute. In all of the musical phrases contained in the soundtrack, I have been using diminished chords, minor scales and chords with an embellished 11th. All of these reflecting emotions carried by the film.
The work on both projects allowed me to practice many aspects of working and syncronising music to moving images. One thing essential was proper time management as this is essential for this line of work. In my opinion, I have chosen the wrong video because working with this kind of depressing narrative caused me to take more time as I would not be able to work with it for extended periods. However, this only thought me how to work with unfamiliar and challenging material, and have a more professional approach to doing so.
