I also created a few schedules throughout filming to make sure I had time to get all the sounds, especially if I had missed some.
Friday, 28 February 2014
Scheduling
I also created a few schedules throughout filming to make sure I had time to get all the sounds, especially if I had missed some.
General Research into documentaries and techniques from them
Firstly, we had to establish what kind of documentary this was going to be as there are various approaches we can take.
Participatory - This focuses on the conversation between interviewer and interviewee. This type of documentary would ensure that we hear the interview questions being asked - like a conversation.
Observational - This type of documentary focuses more on the subject telling a story and getting rid of the interviewer. Focuses on opening up a subject matter. Loose structure and natural.
Reflexive - A self aware form of documentary filmmaking. Focuses on assumptions and opinion more. Does not add to what the audience might already be aware of.
Performative - Raises questions. Focuses less on the argument and more on the subject matter and developing a more emotional response, especially from it's contributors.
We decided the best way to tell the story of Jayden was observationally. This means that Eleanor can guide us naturally through his journey and how it affects their family. This story needs to feel personal and emotional and hearing the interviewer makes it feel to staged and rehearsed.
To get an idea of how an observational documentary works and how to plan for one, I researched existing documentaries.
Bordwell & Thomspon: Film art; an introduction.
On page 352, Chapter 10 I found an interesting section on truth and opinion in documentary. It says that sometimes documentaries state opinions but this does not make the documentary inaccurate which is important as we intend to ask Eleanor questions about what SHE thinks - opinion. However, it's important when making our documentary that we include correct facts about Jaydens cancer. This chapter says that even if it is inaccurate it still counts as a documentary because it still has the information it's just misleading - such as some stories in the media. When making our documentary I think getting the correct facts is highly important as we really want people to be aware of just how rare Jaydens form of cancer is.
Brat Camp:
http://vimeo.com/11805605
This is an example of observational documentary. What I noticed throughout especially at 01:45 was that the interviews didn't have questions, it was almost like they were just sharing with the audience and the camera was just there to record it and be almost unnoticeable. It felt really natural and made you engage more with what the characters are saying. I also noticed that the camera just followed the action from a slight difference which again, makes it seem like it wasn't there. I like that you do observe the characters rather than intimidate them with questions that they might not know how to answer. Using just the answer makes it less structured and more guided. What I also picked up was the narration throughout. I didn't like the use of narration as I felt it made the characters feel like too much of an experiment, which does work for Brat Camp but will not work for our story at all. I think it won't work because we just want Eleanor to explain her story and a different narrator will take too much away from how personal this particular story is.
Rough Aunties:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0zf4_Vxbb8
This documentary in my opinion was the epitome of observational. What stood out to me the most was the sound. I liked that there was no/minimal music which just kept you focused entirely on the dialogue and what they had to say. I think this technique makes it more hard hitting and keeps you engaged. The sounds in general were really powerful to me and I found a lot of techniques I wish to use in our documentary. For example, I really liked that you could hear what was happening in the background as it made it seem more factual to me and these are sounds you would hear if you were observing, which we are. I felt this was a really important observational example and has more techniques I wish to use compared to Brat Camp. I also noticed the subject matter was very touching and something important that needs awareness, similar to ours so it really inspired me overall. I think when I record sound, using minimal music/foley etc... will really draw in attention.
Sound ideas now:
- Really focus on the importance of what the characters are saying
- Quite minimal sound can be really effective
- Don't make the sound too sentimental
- Use sound as a way of drawing in key factors
- Use background noise to make it more observational
- Get the interviewee to answer the question within the answer
Participatory - This focuses on the conversation between interviewer and interviewee. This type of documentary would ensure that we hear the interview questions being asked - like a conversation.
Observational - This type of documentary focuses more on the subject telling a story and getting rid of the interviewer. Focuses on opening up a subject matter. Loose structure and natural.
Reflexive - A self aware form of documentary filmmaking. Focuses on assumptions and opinion more. Does not add to what the audience might already be aware of.
Performative - Raises questions. Focuses less on the argument and more on the subject matter and developing a more emotional response, especially from it's contributors.
We decided the best way to tell the story of Jayden was observationally. This means that Eleanor can guide us naturally through his journey and how it affects their family. This story needs to feel personal and emotional and hearing the interviewer makes it feel to staged and rehearsed.
To get an idea of how an observational documentary works and how to plan for one, I researched existing documentaries.
Bordwell & Thomspon: Film art; an introduction.
On page 352, Chapter 10 I found an interesting section on truth and opinion in documentary. It says that sometimes documentaries state opinions but this does not make the documentary inaccurate which is important as we intend to ask Eleanor questions about what SHE thinks - opinion. However, it's important when making our documentary that we include correct facts about Jaydens cancer. This chapter says that even if it is inaccurate it still counts as a documentary because it still has the information it's just misleading - such as some stories in the media. When making our documentary I think getting the correct facts is highly important as we really want people to be aware of just how rare Jaydens form of cancer is.
Brat Camp:
http://vimeo.com/11805605
This is an example of observational documentary. What I noticed throughout especially at 01:45 was that the interviews didn't have questions, it was almost like they were just sharing with the audience and the camera was just there to record it and be almost unnoticeable. It felt really natural and made you engage more with what the characters are saying. I also noticed that the camera just followed the action from a slight difference which again, makes it seem like it wasn't there. I like that you do observe the characters rather than intimidate them with questions that they might not know how to answer. Using just the answer makes it less structured and more guided. What I also picked up was the narration throughout. I didn't like the use of narration as I felt it made the characters feel like too much of an experiment, which does work for Brat Camp but will not work for our story at all. I think it won't work because we just want Eleanor to explain her story and a different narrator will take too much away from how personal this particular story is.
Rough Aunties:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0zf4_Vxbb8
This documentary in my opinion was the epitome of observational. What stood out to me the most was the sound. I liked that there was no/minimal music which just kept you focused entirely on the dialogue and what they had to say. I think this technique makes it more hard hitting and keeps you engaged. The sounds in general were really powerful to me and I found a lot of techniques I wish to use in our documentary. For example, I really liked that you could hear what was happening in the background as it made it seem more factual to me and these are sounds you would hear if you were observing, which we are. I felt this was a really important observational example and has more techniques I wish to use compared to Brat Camp. I also noticed the subject matter was very touching and something important that needs awareness, similar to ours so it really inspired me overall. I think when I record sound, using minimal music/foley etc... will really draw in attention.
Sound ideas now:
- Really focus on the importance of what the characters are saying
- Quite minimal sound can be really effective
- Don't make the sound too sentimental
- Use sound as a way of drawing in key factors
- Use background noise to make it more observational
- Get the interviewee to answer the question within the answer
How to achieve techniques and approaches.
Before I went to record sound I researched and looked at tutorials on how to create the sound I wanted. Also, as a contingency we recorded via the microphone set up and also via the dslr cameras built in microphone although, this audio wasn't as clear. I wanted to find out how to achieve clear interview sound as I had never recorded an interview and I already knew how to create atmospheric sound because of the previous experimental project.
Creating good interview sound is really important as its the main focus of our story and it needs to feel personal and clear.
I firstly went on YouTube to view tutorials... I looked firstly at basic interview techniques and ways to record clear sound which I can use as a back up and also because I have never recorded an interview.
YOUTUBE. (2014) [online]. Last accessed 24 February 2014 at www.youtube.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w7slHB65eo
This video just highlighted the basics for recording an interview which helped me when figuring out how to set up for the interview this helped me achieve clear audio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR9Zz4PjyrU
This video explained using in camera sound which I then decided to use as a contingency. As it explains, the sound isn't as clear as the sound is usually further away from the camera. However, this could be boosted in post production and should only be used if something goes wrong with our sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGukxTM23-g
This video showed an interesting way of recording outdoor atmospheric sounds. We see a zoom microphone in the corner of a garden, linked up to a laptop. I could do this to record all the atmospheric sounds by using an audio box linked up to a laptop and microphone and put this in a corner to pick up nice, natural and unexpected sounds such as birds, the children playing, general chatter.
VINCENT, Sean (2008) How to record good quality audio for film & TV. [online]. Last accessed 24 February 2014 at: http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-record-high-quality-audio-for-film-tv--audio-641
This website taught me what to do when recording sound such as why it's important to listen back to your sound after it's been recorded so you can decide if it needs doing again or not. It also says to record strong audio with a boom it needs to be placed directly above the mouth. So when we're interviewing I will constantly ensure that the audio is all correct.
Creating good interview sound is really important as its the main focus of our story and it needs to feel personal and clear.
I firstly went on YouTube to view tutorials... I looked firstly at basic interview techniques and ways to record clear sound which I can use as a back up and also because I have never recorded an interview.
YOUTUBE. (2014) [online]. Last accessed 24 February 2014 at www.youtube.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w7slHB65eo
This video just highlighted the basics for recording an interview which helped me when figuring out how to set up for the interview this helped me achieve clear audio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR9Zz4PjyrU
This video explained using in camera sound which I then decided to use as a contingency. As it explains, the sound isn't as clear as the sound is usually further away from the camera. However, this could be boosted in post production and should only be used if something goes wrong with our sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGukxTM23-g
This video showed an interesting way of recording outdoor atmospheric sounds. We see a zoom microphone in the corner of a garden, linked up to a laptop. I could do this to record all the atmospheric sounds by using an audio box linked up to a laptop and microphone and put this in a corner to pick up nice, natural and unexpected sounds such as birds, the children playing, general chatter.
VINCENT, Sean (2008) How to record good quality audio for film & TV. [online]. Last accessed 24 February 2014 at: http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-record-high-quality-audio-for-film-tv--audio-641
This website taught me what to do when recording sound such as why it's important to listen back to your sound after it's been recorded so you can decide if it needs doing again or not. It also says to record strong audio with a boom it needs to be placed directly above the mouth. So when we're interviewing I will constantly ensure that the audio is all correct.
Directors Notes
These were the notes given to me from the Director before we went to Liverpool. Obviously, I took these on board to help me get prepared for the days of filming. This helped to give me some structure when recording sound.
Monday, 24 February 2014
Sound logs
I logged the sound on the shoot to help the editors pick the best bits of audio to use as I made sure to record more than enough sound and obviously some of it wasn't good enough to be used as we did many takes of each clip. However, most of the atmospheric sounds were already really good and natural on the first take as people didn't really notice the recording.
My sound log tells the editor when the good sound comes in, what take, what the sound is and notes on that sound. It helps digest the large amount of sound we had and chooses the best bits to put in the edit. I went over the logs with the director, editor and sound editor and discussed what would work best and how the sounds I recorded would work within the edit. Although my log seems like it doesn't actually have much sound this is because I recorded mainly 1-5 long takes of the same sound and left the microphone running in the background.
Equipment List
Making sure I had all the correct equipment saved time on the shoot as I was well organised and had planned for each audio shot I would be recording.
Audio Technica - This was the microphone I used throughout the shoot. It was the best microphone to use to record the interviews as it picked up the voices really well and directionally. We tried using Lapel microphones but found that these were often too quiet and picked up too much movement especially with clothes.
Boom Pole - This was used to ensure the microphone was placed correctly e.g. overhead. It ensures that the microphone wasn't in shot but still recorded clear, crisp sound.
Zoom recorder - This was the device we used to record the sound into. It meant that we could easily transfer the sound over.
Headphones- Using headphones to the sound made sure that the sound was clear and not picking up any unwanted sounds from outside. Making sure the levels were high enough so you could actually hear the sounds.
USB Cables- We used these to transfer the sounds on to a hard drive straight away so we could back them up.
Audio Technica - This was the microphone I used throughout the shoot. It was the best microphone to use to record the interviews as it picked up the voices really well and directionally. We tried using Lapel microphones but found that these were often too quiet and picked up too much movement especially with clothes.
Boom Pole - This was used to ensure the microphone was placed correctly e.g. overhead. It ensures that the microphone wasn't in shot but still recorded clear, crisp sound.
Zoom recorder - This was the device we used to record the sound into. It meant that we could easily transfer the sound over.
Headphones- Using headphones to the sound made sure that the sound was clear and not picking up any unwanted sounds from outside. Making sure the levels were high enough so you could actually hear the sounds.
USB Cables- We used these to transfer the sounds on to a hard drive straight away so we could back them up.
Planning for the role and shoot.
To get a better idea of my role I looked at what a typical sound recordist does and how I will incorporate this professionalism into my work and achieve the best from my role and plan for it.
I went on Skillset which is really useful and told me exactly what sound recordists do:
http://www.creativeskillset.org/tv/jobs/sound/
- Sound recordists work on set wether that's in a studio or out on location
- Work closely with the director and sound editor.
- Need to think creatively.
As the sound recordist I will be responsible for making sure the recording goes smoothly.
I will make sure that:
The sound levels are correct.
The sound is in sync.
The boom is picking up sound directly and clearly.
The zoom microphone is set up correctly.
I have sound lists and log sound as it's recorded.
I will also operate the boom and be listening to the sound live via headphones to ensure it sounds correct. By logging the sound it will help the editors pick the clearest sound. I created a sound list before we went to shoot so I could be certain of sounds we needed to record and it gave us time to find new sounds we didn't anticipate.
You can see on my sound list I have included all the sounds and how long I will record each sound for. This ensures that we get enough sound to work with and use incase some of it isn't as clear as we hoped. I have planned time to record lots of sound for contingency. The equipment we will use is the same for each shot as we found this was the best way to record after doing various mic tests on the first day of shooting. Using a simple boom pole and zoom microphone set up we found that this was the easiest and simplest way to create good atmospheric sounds in Eleanors house. Using this sound list really helped make sure that we had recorded everything we needed and didn't leave anything out. We also recorded lots of audio and repeated the interview several times to make sure the sound was clear and ensure we were prepared for a contingency should something go wrong.
Bordwell & Thomspon - Film art; an introduction.
Page 268 - Chapter 7.
I looked at this chapter when planning for my sound as I felt it was important to look into the importance of sound. I looked specifically at how sound directs our attention which is exactly what I need to do for my role. In this section it talks about how a door creaking will make us anticipate and expect that someone is entering and coming into the shot, however this could be different in the horror genre as we're more likely to anticipate something is wrong because the previous shot could be a character looking nervous. This shows that sound can work in any way you want it to to create a feeling or emotion. In my documentary I will take this into context as I record sound. For example, I can record a door opening which will anticipate someone coming into the shot. It really works with the footage and makes sense to the audience.
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