David Workshop Evaluation

Kieran McNeill 

Media Workshop 1 - Voice Over

For this assignment we were tasked with a variety of different workshops to take part in and produce a piece of work for each one. We started with voice over, going into voice-over I didn't have any idea what I wanted to do, because of this I did some research online via sites like YouTube to maybe find any possible ideas to use. After enough research I decided I wanted to voice-over an animal clip and go with a David Attenborough esque style

YouTube a large volume of animal clips

To start I did some research for possible animal clips that would seem appropriate for what I wanted to voiceover. After enough research I found that built onto window computers is a default video clip which is used to show you the quality of your computer, the clip is roughly 30 seconds and involves different scenes of animals running, sitting, resting and just being themselves, I decided to use this as not only it was built in but also it was already in High-Definition which saved me a lot of time that could be used for the actual voiceover. 

After I found the clip and had it on the Mac I decided that it would be best to simply watch the clip and voiceover what I think as it goes along. Since the classroom was too noisy I had to record with my phone in a different location and watch the clip on a laptop I brought with me. Apple doesn't publish the full microphone specifications, but it's not farfetched to assume that the mic is  that of an omnidirectional, with a frequency range of a typical smaller microphone of 50-15,000. While the goal was to record and voice my thoughts as the clip played I did decide to do around one or two retakes as my words got jumbled up sometimes and it made the audio sound quite off. After a few takes I was more than happy with the audio and decided I was ready to edit the two. I sent my self the voice clips via email as it was easier to access and I I added them into GarageBand where I moved around and edited the audio and video clip so it was in sync.

I was overall very happy with the result and don't think I would change much next time, the only thing I would be interested to do is get a better microphone that lists the full specifications on it. 

Media Workshop 2 - Dubbing

The next workshop task was related to us dubbing over a scene of our choice. For this workshop me and my partner decided to dub over a scene from The Matrix, more specifically where Neo meets Morpheus for the first time. We decided to dub this scene because of there only being two males speak throughout the whole thing meant it was easier to do in pairs, also the scene didn't contain any music so we didn't have to worry about it sounded to off since we weren't able to add any music on top.

Transcript of the Meeting Morpheus Scene

After we both agreed to do this scene we had to find a transcript of the scene so we would know what we would have to say, we also agreed that I would voice Morpheus while my partner, Alfie would voice Neo.

We managed to find a transcript of the film and after enough time we agreed that we would do the recording over the software GarageBand. 

We planned two different ways to record, one was to record one at a time so I would say my lines along with the video (muted) and then Alfie would say his lines along with the video and then after we would edit them together with the video to make it sound realistic.  

The other was to do it all in one recording, so I would say my lines and then Alfie would say his along with me saying mine, after we would then cut it up and match it up with the original video to make the dubbing successful.

After some thought we decided to record both methods and then choose which one sounded the most realistic.

The original plan to record each others lines separate 

We started by recording our lines together so I would speak my lines and Alfie would follow up with his. We didn't include any pauses in this as we would later go and cut up the recording to match the pauses with the actual video. This method of recording was the easiest one as we were able to have the transcript up on the same screen alongside GarageBand so it was hard for us to get the recording wrong. Even though we hard the transcript up we slightly messed up the recording times so we had to do 2 takes before we got our first recording happily done.

The four audio clips we had to choose from

After that we started recording our line separate, it was much more easier then the previous method to record so no complaints there. This lead us with 4 different audio clips (2 of each method) and we had to then decide which method we were actually going to continue on with. We decided to use our 2nd recording of our lines being spoken as a conversation as it sounded the most natural and we knew we could just cut it up to match alongside the original clip. 

We then downloaded the audio clip to another garage band file so that we could start cutting it to match up the actual clip. While I started cutting the audio clips I started to realise that it was going to sound much more unnatural since in the scene Morpheus speaks a lot slower and in my recording I spoke quite fast paced, also I didn't leave much pause between my words being spoken which meant in some of the audio cuts you could hear small snippets of words from previous line at the start of the new line.

The process of cutting up the audio clips to match the scene

I was still able to make it match up with the original scene perfectly in terms of the lip sync but it just sounded a bit more off then what we would have preferred. Alfie decided that he work complete the work at home on a separate piece of software as he didn't see the need to learn a whole new piece of software when he was quite experienced with the software he had at home, Camtasia Studios.

To conclude for this task, both me and Alfie were able to complete our audio dubbing clip within the same day, while the final product turned out very well in terms of matching the lip syncing, there are some things I would personally do different next time to help make the audio sound more natural to fit the scene.



                                                      Media Workshop  3 - Interviewing

For this workshop me and my partner, Alfie, decided to interview each other with random topics we decided upon. Because our interview only used audio and no filming it meant it was much easier to do in pairs, because it was also an interview it meant we didn't have to worry about adding anything in post production.

The Questions we were going to ask each other

We started by drafting up topic ideas we would decide to ask questions about, we just wrote the first ideas that came into our head and then we both selected for ourselves what topic we would feel more comfortable answering questions for.

After we had decided on a topic we then decided to draft some questions out and rehearse them to get an idea on the kind of answers we would respond with and if we felt comfortable with the questions. Since Alfie wanted to keep his favourite and least favourite food a secret until the actual recording I used "X" and "Y" as a placeholder for whatever the answer was going to be.

The final product of Alfie's Interview

We also changed a few of the questions and the way they were worded to make it sound more professional and what you would expect to hear from an interview. After we were happy with the questions that were going to be asked we decided to find a location to record, we decided on a empty area where no one else was so we wouldn't have any unneeded background noise for the most part, finding a location that fit this environment was easy enough for the most part. We started off by doing Alfie's interview where I asked him questions relating to food, the recording itself went perfectly fine for the most part, I did mispronounce a few words during recording and Alfie let out a few bursts of laughter but we were finished with Alfie's interview within 5 takes. Then we moved onto my interview, for this one we decided to do it in the canteen so there was a bit of talking in the background but not too much so the audio couldn't pick me up. This time Alfie asked me questions about Politics and my views on it and I answered accordingly, we didn't need to do as many retakes as Alfie's interview so we finished a lot faster.

We decided for time efficiency and ease of use we would record using my iPhone 5s and the built in microphone and record audio using the voice record application, Apple doesn't publish the microphones specifications, but it's reasonable to assume that the mic is omnidirectional, with a frequency range of typical smaller microphones of 50-15,000 cycles which made it sufficient enough to record audio and make it come out sounding as professional as possible.

After we had finished recording the next step was to get the audio clips on Garageband so we could edit the clip in, thankfully, because I recorded on my iPhone I was able to send Alfie the audio clips via email which didn't take up any time what so ever, once we had access to the files on the Macs we opened Garageband and dragged and dropped the audio into a Garageband file which when then saved. We didn't need to edit the audio at all because it was an interview and I wanted to keep the natural sounds.

To conclude, going into the interviews I believe that me and my partner handled it really well, we were able to plan quite a bit with the script which helped when it came to the actual recording. However, one thing I would do differently is get a few more audio clips in different locations to spread out the variety of the interview audio.

                                   Media Workshop 4  - Adding music to a scene

For this workshop we had to add music to a scene. The goal of the audio was to help change the mood slightly compared to what the original music created. I started by drafting ideas in my head of iconic scenes that I could add music to, I searched youtube for certain iconic scenes but was unable to find any that didn't have no music. Because of this I decided to search up on YouTube movie scenes without music. This search provided a variety of videos for me to use for my work and was able to come across a scene I wanted to use.

I decided to use the iconic training montage scene from Rocky (1976) which featured the protagonist Rocky training and preparing for his biggest fight against Apollo Greed. I converted the video into a download which I could open up in Garage Band where I was making all edits to the videos. Once i had the video clip I went through a variety of different ideas that may change the mood of the scene but would still fit the montage. I decided to use I like It Like That by Pete Rodriguez which was a Latino style of song, the song was upbeat enough to fit into the Rocky Montage while also providing a different light on the scene.

After that I downloaded the song by Rodriguez into a downloadable file so that I could use it within Garage Band, after getting both the music and video clip I dragged both of them into the Garage Band and moved around the song to make sure it would start playing at a reasonable timing without seeming out of place too much. I also decreased or increased the volume of the music depending on the timing in the actual scene. For example, there's some parts of the scene where the audio stops completely and I decided to lower the music volume to match that.

After rewatching it a few times I found that there was something missing as the start was completely quiet, I decided to take this as a joke and planned to have the start to the My Little Pony theme song play at the start of the montage to throw people off of what to expect for when I Like It Like That starts to play. I had to align the My Little Pony theme perfectly as I didn't want the theme lasting too long but just long enough to throw some people off. After a bit of editing I was quite pleased with how it turned it out as I was able to utilise 2 different music pieces.

For the second piece of work I decided to use a scene from Spiderman (2002)  which featured the protagonist Peter, acting quite smug down the streak while acting quite cringe. Likewise with the Rocky clip I converted the video into a download which I could open up in Garage Band where I was making all edits to the videos. I decided to use I like It Like That by Pete Rodriguez which was a Latino style of song, the song was upbeat enough to fit into the Rocky Montage while also providing a different light on the scene.

To conclude, I believe the adding music to a scene projects went really well and I was more than happy with the outcome. I wouldn't have changed anything that I did.

                                     Media Workshop 4.2  - Adding original music to a scene

For this next piece we were tasked with adding some original music of our own that was made in GarageBand to a scene without any music. I started by drafting a number of ideas in my head that was possible to make a decent soundtrack score for in GarageBand, after a number of ideas I went on YouTube and searched through their scenes without music to see if there was any scene that I felt like I could add something to. After a while of researching I came across the 10th Doctors Regeneration scene from Doctor Who. This scene was a scene of happiness and despair as the 10th Doctor says his goodbyes as he Regenerates into the new 11th Doctor. Because of this the original music was quite sad but had an element of hope included in it to signify the birth of the 11th Doctor. 

Configuring your Keyboard to fill in the place of a Piano

I converted the video clip into an Mp4 file which I was then able to upload into GarageBand and go from there, due to the fact that GarageBand has an almost limitless amount of different choices for creating different sounds it made it harder to know where to go from. However after watching the scene a bit more I decided that the main focus should be on string instruments as they best fit the scene. I experimented with various string sounds such as the Violin, Cello, Harp etc. and ended up using the Cello to start. When creating music on GarageBand you can configure a few things so that your keyboard can fill the place of an actual Piano which is what I did, after that I went for a simple hold one note down then pause,  hold two notes down then pause, hold three notes down then pause etc. approach, this was to build up tension to the actual regeneration of the Doctor with it getting louder and more hope-like sounding with each second to the regeneration taking place. When the generation actually takes place the music I created no longer fit the scene, a regeneration is a powerful meaningful phase and the string sounds didn't fit this part, I decided to add a variety of additional sounds to help build up the impact of the regeneration sequence. 

The keyboard on Garage Band will appear as the image above

After a few more experiments and tests I decided to add more powerful string instruments such as multiple Harps. This is because string instruments fit the regeneration process as well but I just needed some more powerful string sounds for the actual regeneration itself. I added in two rows of Harps so I can make double the effect with a slight delay on each so I could really capture the power of a phase that should feel powerful and cool such as a regeneration. 

To conclude I would say I was quite pleased with how it turned out. Next time I would like to do a bit more research on the more advance creations possible with GarageBand as I believe I could have done something even better then what I did and it would have been amazing. 

                                


                                         Media Workshop 5- Adding sound effects to a scene

For this workshop we were tasked with adding sound effects to a scene with no sound effects whatsoever. Like the previous workshop, the goal was seeing what different paths I could take when adding in my own sound effects and see if I was able to create a whole new mood to the scene just by my different choice in sound effects over the original. To start off I browsed the popular video uploading website, YouTube in hope for some animations that had their sound removed. I knew going into this that I didn't want to use a scene from a block buster film so it did narrow down my options quite a bit.

After a while I did stumble upon a short animation simply titled, Destiny Animation (See left) which had been a re-upload of the Destiny Animation but as the title suggests, the re-upload that I found had no sound. After watching the animation I decided that the animation was perfect and it was what I would be using for the workshop. After I had picked the video I was doing I converted the video online into an MP4 file which I then uploaded onto Garageband which was where I would be editing. Next came the sound effects, the majority of sound effects used in my final piece came from online libraries, with one of the scenes containing one I made myself in the form of a Foley sound effect. The 2012 animation is based on a man who is obsessed with clocks, he wakes up and goes through his perfectly synchronised morning routine before he steps out and gets hit by a bus. After getting hit by the bus he wakes up instantly to find himself back in his bed but a few seconds behind a ghost like figure of himself performing the same exact routine in the exact same time frame as he did before the bus hit him.

Because I knew the plot of the animation quite well it meant downloading the appropriate sound effects wasn't an issue. Besides the Foley sound effect all of the other ones I used were downloaded from a website called Freesound.com. The very first thing that happens in the animation is the protagonists alarm clock goes off, this meant the first sound effect I downloaded was that of an alarm clock ticking briefly for a few seconds and then the ringing sound of the alarm clock as it goes off. An important thing to note about the Desinty Animation, the protagonist is obsessed with clocks, because of this it means there's clocks ticking in the background in almost every scene. This meant alongside downloading the appropriate sound effects for the alarm clock I also downloaded a various number of ticking clock sound effects that would alternate and play throughout my edit.

After the waking up scene the protagonist sits up from his bed and then gets out, this is where I added my own sound effect, I recorded the sound of my duvet moving around as if I was getting out of bed. After the recording and uploading it onto GarageBand I was able to add in my Foley sound alongside the clock ticking. I did have to re-record my duvet a few times to make sure I ended with one that fit the scene perfectly. After that I added in some additional sound effects such as the protagonist yawning. The next part of the scene has the protagonist get out of his bed and walk over to his wardrobe to get out a shirt. I downloaded the appropriate sound effects from Freesound.com such as hearing the footsteps walk across the floorboards and also the sound of a wardrobe opening and closing and the sound of the door opening as he moves onto the next scene.

In the next scene the protagonist proceeds to start walking down the stairs with a ton of clocks ticking away in the background, he stops halfway through and holds one of the clocks back to make sure its still working. To add sound to this scene I had to download more different sounds of clocks ticking, I also added a walking on stair case effect to fit the scene, when he holds one of the clocks I muted the sound for that clock while he holds it in the animation and resume the sound when he lets go and carries on walking down the stairs.

The last scene that I added sound for had the protagonist in his Kitchen, the first thing the scene shows us is him turning on a kettle, followed by pushing down some toast in the toaster and then grabbing a box of cat food and pouring it into a food bowl, after this the kettle is ready to be poured into a cup and the toast pops up and the protagonist catches it inside his lunchbox. To do this scene I downloaded a kettle boiling sound effect to play during the rest of the scene, I also decided to do another Foley sound effect here which I used my toaster for, I took around 5 different sound recordings of my toaster being pushed down before I was happy with one which I included, I then had to download the appropriate sound effects for a food bowl being filled up with food which I found on Freesound.com. The last sound effects I required for the part of the scene I was doing was a cup being filled up with the liquid that was inside the kettle and the toaster pushing out the toast, both were easy to find and then once I had all of the following sound effects, I dragged them all into GarageBand, and organised them accordingly to match the video clip and then ended my editing there.

Overall I was very happy with how it turned out, there were a large variety of sound effects that were required at the beginning which allowed me to show off what I could do and was something I was overall quite proud of. I don't believe there is much I would change about the overall edit as I was pleased with it in its entirety.