What I propose to do

Hey guys, feeling under the weather at the minute but you all still need to be updated so I've written a piece as to what I want to do, why and who/what influenced me to do it.

So for our final end of year productions, I will hopefully be the sound engineer on two of the productions. Here I will outline what a sound engineer does and why they are important, who is a major influence on me and what techniques they use that can help me.

What is a “sound engineer”?

As prospects.ac.uk describes it, ‘Sound technicians are required to assemble, operate and maintain the technical equipment used to record, amplify, enhance, mix or reproduce sound.’ They would be in charge of anything that is heard during a scene or shot (expect for the soundtrack), whether that be a car in the background or people talking. Depending on the size of production, there can be one sound engineer for the whole duration of the production or there can be multiple, with various aspects having dedicated individuals to them, for example there can be sound assistants, sound recordists, sound supervisors¸ dialogue editors, dubbing mixers, production mixer, and even Foley artists, who would add in sound effects during post-production.

In the production stage:

Out of the roles listed above the assistants, recordists and supervisors would all be on set. The assistants would help get the equipment ready, setting up the recorders and mixers to the correct settings, repairing equipment if needs be, literally assisting the recordist in any way possible. The recordist would be in charge of the actual recording, going from the microphone to the recorder, ensuring that it is crisp and that the recordings are as good as possible. If a boom microphone is required, the assistant may help to hold the boom pole. They are also able to call a stop to the scene if there is something wrong with the audio. The supervisors will consult with the producers and the actors to determine the microphone type required and ensure the entire set is suitable for recording, getting people to turn off cars or generators if they are making unwanted noise for example.

In the post-production stage:

The dialogue editors, dubbing mixers, production mixers and Foley artists are all involved in the post-production stage, working with the video editor to sort any inconsistences in the edit. The dialogue editors would synchronise the footage with the audio, guaranteeing the audio is perfect and usable for the final edit. If not, they would use ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) or dubbing to perfect the dialogue. The dubbing mixers are included in this process, helping the dialogue editor to synchronise the original footage with the new dubbed over dialogue. Production mixers would use the dialogue, wild track and any additional audio and combine in order to mix the audio to a sufficient standard to be used in the final edit, with the Foley artists adding any extra sound effects required.

The most influential sound engineer (to me) would be Ben Burtt, of Star Wars fame.

Ben Burtt – Stars Wars series, WALL-E (2008), Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

Ben Burtt is arguably one of the most famous sound engineers of the 20^th and 21^st centuries. He is the creator of many iconic characters, including Chewbacca, R2-D2, Darth Vader and WALL-E. The sound effects he has created are second to none, with over 2,600 files alone for WALL-E. When working on the Star Wars franchise, much of his best work came through a mix of different sounds. The character Chewbacca was vocally created through combining the roars of bears, lions, walruses, badgers and even sick animals to achieve this emotional animal that sounds realistic. The instantly-recognisable lightsaber sounds came accidently to him – he walked past a television set that was on with a live microphone and picked up a buzz, combining that with the motor of an old projector he was able to create initial hum from a lightsaber and when needed he would move the microphone about to recreate the movement of the lightsaber.

A film that has recently moved me through the use (and on occasion no use) of sound would be Sicario (2015).

Sicario (2015) – William Sarokin (Sound mixer) Alan Robert Murray (Sound editor), Jóhann Jóhannsson (Composer)

For each aspect of this film, it knocks it out of the park. The narrative, editing and cinematography (which Roger Deacon deservedly was given an Oscar nomination for) blew my mind throughout the film. But the aspect that keeps bringing me back to Sicario is the sound. The sound editing alongside a phenomenal sound track help the film create a gritty atmosphere in a chaotic world. Points of eerie silence timed perfectly alongside a dark minimalistic soundtrack definitely makes the film into a suspenseful thriller. There is a point in the film that embodies what I loved about it. Without spoiling anything, two main characters are having a conversation that becomes an argument, but not only does the crisp clear dialogue and delivery by the actors make it good, it’s the silence around them after each of their words (they are in the desert in the middle of the night) accompanied by a drilling score that almost makes what is happening seem real. With both Alan Robert Murray and Jóhann Jóhannsson getting nominated for Oscars this year in Best Sound Editing and Best Original Score respectively, I’m extremely pleased that I wasn’t the only person to recognise the work that the sound department put in.