Sound & Foley Editing

For the past 2 weeks I have been doing the foley and sound editing for our group thriller 'Mask'. I have been using garage-band to produce audio for the film. This has been really effective in creating suspense and tension with the soundtrack used, I split the soundtrack into various parts and positioned it depending on the level of tension the music acquired and matched that level of tension with a certain part of the film. By doing this, I have also created rhythmic editing, in which actions in the film match the tempo and tension levels of the soundtrack.  

Various foley sounds were used during this process, I wanted to create a realistic atmosphere through the audio, as well as keeping a suspenseful mood to it. That's why I used police sirens as they provide tension, but did not use birds tweeting as they create a more calm, relaxed atmosphere, which is the polar opposite of what I'm looking for regarding sound. I also adjusted the volume of certain sounds, depending on whether I wanted certain sound effects to acquire more or less noise.

Sound effects were also adjusted to create more realism, for example I did not want footsteps to overlap the noise of traffic and police sirens as this is not realistic. I also made sure sounds were congruent with the actions occurring in the film, this helped massively in conveying realism through sound. Lastly, I edited the volume of the backing soundtrack to make sure it did not clash with other foley sounds used.

My Work In Lesson

 5th February 2012 - In todays lesson I have been adding Foley sounds to various scenes, this helps incorporate a more realistic effect towards the film. I have been using garage band to add foley, editing the sound by fading out and ensuring Foley matches the scene. I have learnt how to edit sound effectively and add sounds relevant to the thriller genre, and subsequently add suspense to our group film.

Individual Rough Cut: "Mask"

This is my own individual edit of my group thriller film "Mask". I have cut a lot of scenes to create continuity and match on action. I think some colour grading in shots do not match other shots within the film opening. I would say the camera shots are all quite even and the MICRO elements are used effectively in conveying the film is that of a thriller genre. In comparison to other student films I analysed previously; the lighting, colour grading and use of editing to control pace and suspense are things I could improve on to get a high level 4. I believe right now the film is at a high level 3, I am yet to add music, foley sound and titles. I believe adding these elements can potentially boost it up to a high level 4. I have within my group decided the order of titles used, the decision that titles will be mixed within jobs involving production and post-production, and the last title being in my opinion the most important - the director.

The Editing Process

This is evidence showing my work in creating my own individual rough cut of the film opening "Mask" I have produced with Toby Gearing. The editing process involved a lot of work in creating match on action, continuity throughout a scene, adjusting uneven camera shots, colour grading, cutting shots with in and out points, and controlling pace to build the films suspense. This was the first time individually using final cut and I now believe I am competent in my skills within the editing process and using final cut.