AO4 - Evaluate the finished soundtrack

For unit 19 I set about to making a soundtrack for a horror trailer. This began with me doing research on how sound elements are used in other horror trailers, so I could make notes and learn what kind of elements I should use. Such as Paranormal activity and The Blair witch project as they both use key sound effects to provoke fear in their films. In my group which contained Ruhee Ali and Alex Crowcombe, we sat down and planned our ideas for a horror trailer; as of course to make a soundtrack for a horror trailer we first needed the footage to apply it to. We brainstormed, scripted and storyboarded our idea which we all did sections of. From here we created our trailer with a mini DV camcorder and tripod. Ruhee and Alex were the main actors, and I featured in one small part. This was then edited into something we could use as the basis for our soundtrack. From here we each individually made our own soundtracks for the trailer.

I created a paper timeline showing where I was going to put sounds at every second, so that when I made the soundtrack it was already planned and I knew what I was doing. In terms of the technical quality of what I have produced I had to include third party sounds which I took from the iTunes library, such as sound effects to give my soundtrack more depth. These included low bass tones to add to the mood created; and changes in register to put the piece on different levels. I also included a sound effect of a symbol crashing to add to the tension of the piece. These were all edited into the final cut which I feel has a very smooth finish and I managed to manipulate the third party sounds so that they are all coherent. Therefore constantly building the tension and creating suspense which is key in a horror trailer. These particular sounds have really helped the piece to come together, as they fill in any missing gaps in effects; a couple examples are clearly shown at 00:00:08 to 00:00:12 and 00:00:16 to 00:00:18. I feel overall that the pieces I used in my soundtrack were very effective in fulfilling their job.

Particular elements have been used to reinforce emotions which have to suit the target audience, as it is a horror trailer you would expect certain types of emotions such as fear, shock, tension, suspense and unease etc. As the trailer had to be suitable for 15 year olds the sounds have quite a space to work with but there were still limits as you don't want to scare them to death. It is only for entertainment purposes so you don't want to stop them sleeping, you want them to want to see it again and again. In my trailer emotions such as fear are clearly experienced through the dialogue and other elements, but it is clearly present at 00:00:50 in Alex's voice when he asks 'Who's there?' as he is clearly scared of the response; this fear is then put on the audience as they are tense waiting for a response themselves. This connection will relate to the target audience as they will feel they are experiencing the same emotions as the characters. The coherence of shots also appeals to the target audience as they want everything to make sense the stopping and starting of sounds allows them to easily flow into one another. This is present when silence leads to sound like at 00:00:12, this makes clarity very simple. Sound also explains action like the footsteps following at 00:00:13, which appeal to the target audience by making the scene more realistic and believable. The deepness and creepyness of the footsteps also clearly identifies the genre as you would not hear them in such way, other than in a horror genre piece. It adds a real spooky feel to the piece with a lot of characteristics. 

Certain sound elements do attract attention to the screen which appeals to the target audience as they are sounds they can relate to. Such as footsteps and screaming. Both the scream at 00:00:41 and the sting that follows at 00:00:42 attract attention because they are sudden and sharp. This appeals to the target audience because it fits well with the horror genre and fits with the age group in question. Within the target audience you can have specific audience members effected by sounds, for example the scream may effect different people in different ways. Some people could be scared, others nostalgic as it reminds them of something, others think it is nothing as they are not scared easily etc. 

  

In my soundtrack I also had to use wild tracks, dialogue and externally recorded sounds, these were the effects I used the most; so I had to use them effectively. I used various externally recorded sounds like footsteps and banging which can be heard at 00:00:13, and also wild tracks like Ruhee dropping her phone on the table at 00:00:23. These are so important to use in a soundtrack as they truly raise the standard to another level, and it takes various skills and techniques to make them. I feel that I incorporated them very well into the final cut as I was able to adjust the volumes on the clips, and make sure they fitted with the accompanied image in the trailer. They was also some dialogue as Alex and I both have a couple of lines such as at 00:00:42 and 00:00:50. I think the trailer was edited well enough that the dialogue blended in nicely with the sounds around it. I also used a lot of voiceover snippets which associated well with the moving imagery in the trailer, I feel they kept a nice coherence to the piece; keeping it at a good pace that was easy to follow. This was a very good insertion and placement of sound bites as they were used effectively in the piece’s overall presentation. 

Many sounds have been adjusted to suit relative levels as they create different effects on the audience, For example like mentioned in the paragraph before it can create tension and suspense which is demonstrated at 00:00:13 when Alex is walking as the footsteps have been made purposely louder to add to the mood of the scene; when Ruhee is watching. It can also help to explain an action which the footsteps also do but it is also present at 00:00:18 when Ruhee breathes heavily, which is adjusted to be purposely louder to emphasis the action. This explains the action by showing that Ruhee is angry when you can't see the emotion on her face, and you can see she is upset because Alex is in a relationship and she likes him. This clip also shows reinforcing emotions as you are shown clearly that she is upset, anger is also reinforced when she drops the phone at 00:00:23. This connotes to the viewer that things are about to start kicking off as Ruhee's anger builds. The loudness of the breathing also reinforces the emotion due to the volume. The dropping of the phone (thereby creating a loud noise) also attracts attention to the screen due to the drop being made blatantly loud for a reason.

There are other reasons for sound levels being adjusted to suit relative levels such as to create a specific effect on audiences like making them feel scared or uncomfortable. Emotions such as this are being created at various points like at 00:00:33 when there is a sting at the knife's arrival to shock the viewer. Thereby provoking effects on specific audiences as is the build up to the knife's arrival when the popping sound is present to build suspense. Accentuating treble and bass are two things that can also be adjusted to suit relative levels such as to affect the mood, the treble is accentuated at 00:00:41 when there is a scream as it makes it clearly a girl and as it comes from silence it makes it more intense if it is at a higher pitch. A point when the bass is accentuated is at 00:00:47 when Alex is scared as there is a deep banging; by making it deep and low it makes the scene have more tension then if the treble had been accentuated. This is because it suggests something strong and tough is banging that is dangerous or aggressive, not weak and friendly that a high pitch treble would suggest. At 00:00:12 it is made nearly silent so that the footsteps quality was made clearer and louder, this then improved the clarity of the clip so it made that section better. The trailer having different relative levels made the trailer's overall quality better anyway, as it provided clarity when needed by having different volumes, and accentuated treble and bass at different times as discussed in my work.

I was also able to create more coherence between shots in terms of equalisation; as you can tell when the moving image changes due to the change in sound pitch. For example 00:00:27 when Alex moves out of the shot to reveal Ruhee the sound changes with the image, but this is most noticeable due to the pitch of the equalisation. There are also times when more clarity is needed through equalisation such as at 00:00:42 when I go to speak there are no other sounds present to provide clarity by equalising all the other clips present at the time. The same clip also reinforces emotions as by equalising the clip my fear at what has just happened is reinforced more so by doing it. The near silence before the scream at 00:00:39 makes the scene build so when the scream arrives at 00:00:42 it attracts attention through the equalisation adjustments. The scream also creates effects on specific audiences as it might scare younger audiences more than older if it comes suddenly as a shock, granted our trailer isn't that scary but the concept is there. This is portrayed in the soundtrack though the audience's mood is constantly changed by my use of equalisation to change the pace and tone of the piece. 

Equalisation is also really important when talking about the accentuation of the treble range, mid range and bass range. There are various cases of this in my soundtrack in fact they most commonly follow each other such as at 00:00:40-00:00:44, when bass range is used to fill the near silence and is constantly in the background to give those specific moments an intense feel. This is then followed by the opposite end of the spectrum with a treble range by the scream that is then heard, which has been explained before as to why it is so high pitched in tone. Mid range is most commonly known as the use of the human voice as it has so much range to it, that our natural voices are the mid tone. Therefore following the scream my dialogue is heard providing the mid range in this section of 4 seconds. I think it is good that I was able to include all 3 ranges within a matter of 4 seconds as it shows the amount of range in terms of equalisation that I have provided, therefore showing I have clearly thought about it in advance. An example of where the quality of a specific clip has been improved is present in various places one that is particular noticeable is at 00:00:12, when the scene changes between Alex being on the inside changing to the outside. This equalisation was done specifically to improve the clips quality as it meant the next sound was purposely louder. The overall quality was also improved by the voiceovers and dialogue being made distinctively clearer due to reduced sound effects when this sounds occurred, this equalisation allowed words to be easily heard and understood when accompanying the moving image.

When it comes to the effectiveness of the wild tracks and externally recorded sounds, I thought of very different methods to create the sounds I wanted. I was quite creative and even recorded myself scrapping a pencil across wooden panelling, which turned into a great effect that was used at 00:00:50. All the original sounds I recorded were made quite inventively, so I was very happy with the creating process and did not particularly come across any issues other than a quiet space to record in. This made the creation process very effective, and even in the editing I didn't really come across any problems. I recorded them on the mini DV camcorder again but separated the audio from the visual product, allowing me to place to audio elsewhere and delete the unnecessary footage. Therefore both the creating and editing of original sounds were done at a very high standard and appear to be very effective.

A lot of the sound clips I used have been overlaid and positioned at different levels in the track to create a greater depth to the piece; this is certainly clear at 00:00:16. But it is technically present through the whole soundtrack, as there is always a noise or voice over; other than when there is intentional silence in place. The clips were adjusted so that they were quieter when the voice over and dialogue were being used, so that all words could easily be heard and understood. Also wild tracks had to be adjusted to the actual volume they would be at in the scene, so this also took some time to work out. I feel it was carried out very effectively and the clips were all set at the appropriate volume and have been adjusted relatively well to the track.

The change in levels have allowed me to create very different effects in how my soundtrack is presented; as sounds are made to fade out and explain conventional aspects of the trailer, such as the beginning and end, and changes in pace like at 00:00:04. This was put in effectively and allowed me to create mood changing effects, to certain extents. In this way I included many technical elements of a decent quality, allowing my soundtrack to have different components to be as full and detailed as it could be. When it comes to appropriateness for the moving image there are many elements used to effect different things. For example to accentuate visual aspects of the visual action I faded the sound before the scream and voiceover to make it clearer at 00:00:39, in the same clip I also amplified the sound to amplify visual aspects of the visual action by making the voiceover volume louder. By turning the music down and the voiceover up, I was able to accentuate and amplify the sound which made those few seconds have great clarity. It fitted the image appropriately as I made the screen black to make sound the only thing that was relevant.

00:00:18 is quite contrapuntal as though the next scene makes sense, Ruhee is looking at the screen and the heavy breathing and upset is not explained to the next scene. This is why the image could be seen as contradicting the sound element. But as it follows through in the next image this is not an issue for the trailer. Therefore it is appropriate for the moving image but only when put in context of the next shot. New layers of intrigue are added to the soundtrack at 00:00:44 by having several layers of sound at one time to build the scene up. There is dialogue, sound effects and various sound elements that all create an in depth section; these are appropriate for the moving image product as they give the horror trailer detail and intrigue to a certain extent. Tone and mood are added to the piece by the sound elements used in most places of the soundtrack but particularly at 00:00:12 when it suddenly cuts, this creates a specific mood and tone which sits well with the horror genre. This therefore is very appropriate for the moving image as it smoothly goes into the next sound fitting with the horror genre theme.

In terms of the aesthetic quality of what I produced there were many reasons why I used the sounds I did, especially the various types of elements I used. I used so many different types of audio so that there were a lot more skills included in my soundtrack, like a voice over, wild tracks and Garageband. I chose to use a lot of banging and deep bass tones, as they all fit the horror genre really well and explain the emotions in the trailer. There is rationale for all the clips I added but some are more obvious than others, like footsteps when Alex is walking at 00:00:15 which the reasoning is clear for. Then you have others like brief piano playing, but in my soundtrack I do this to add to the mood not explain a movement in the scene. I use rationale for all my elements in the same way as they are all precisely placed not random at all in anyway. Other sounds include scratching on wood, screaming, and others etc including dialogue which is placed in particular places.

My soundtrack was specifically designed to accompany my trailer, so every sound is set to match the image or mood at that second of the trailer. Like the dropping of Ruhee’s phone on the table and again Alex’s footsteps. One of the best accompanied sounds to image moments is the screaming to indicate the body has been found, as it takes the trailer and soundtrack in a new direction from the point it was at 00:00:41. I planned every sound down to the second so that it fit as well as it could with the moving images of my trailer. I feel the sounds I used are very appropriate for my trailer as they all keep with the mood and create a chilling atmosphere. There is always room for improvement but I feel I achieved a soundtrack of a very high standard in terms of how appropriate it was in comparison to the visual elements.

When it comes to how my soundtrack meets my target audience it is very accurate as it fits with the horror genre, and meets with appropriate age ranges. It contains no inappropriate dialogue or voice over’s and the sounds are not offencive in a way as far as I am concerned. The soundtrack I have produced is suitable for all ages as far I am aware but as it is of a horror genre I wouldn’t recommend for young children in case they get scared by the scream etc. But my soundtrack is appropriate for my target audience. I also used a lot of equalisation in that I made the bass deeper in particular areas such as at 00:00:15 when Alex has footsteps that are made very distinctive. Another example would be at 00:00:18 where the bass is very low to allow for the heavy breathing provided by Ruhee. One last example could be at 00:00:30 when Ruhee appears with the knife this again makes the bass very low so not to overdo the scene. There my also be a few others embedded into it. I then touched this sound up with the use of volume control as I needed to make the voiceover louder when it came on therefore the soundtrack became lower in volume when words were spoken. Like at 00:00:40 when there is a scream with only the voiceover with it and very little sound as the volume has been adjusted right down. It was easier to make the footage louder than the soundtrack quieter as particular points, so this is how I mostly adjusted what was being heard.

In comparison with equivalent professional soundtracks, though mine is quite well presented it is of a lower standard to professional soundtracks. Mine is of a lower quality to ones I have heard in other trailers, but I feel it is still an accomplishment to create something that is of a great level for the skills I possess. One of the biggest differences between my soundtrack and professional ones is the equipment they use. Obviously owning to my status as a college student I do not have access to the level of professional standards of technology, which proper trailers do. They also have better composed backing tracks that are consistent throughout their trailers, whereas mine has a lot of varied elements. Examples that I could compare it to include the Jaws soundtrack which is very famous and while simple, it is iconic and has a lot of depth in its use of equalisation and real life instruments. It has no dialogue or speech, or wild tracks to my knowledge; but it does use silence but is a mostly composed track. Mine lacks this, but the volume follows the same type of theme in that they both change pitch frequently adding tension and suspense. Compared, Jaws creates more tension and suspense and gives coherence, but mine attracts more attention and reinforces emotions with the moving image. But in comparison to the soundtrack of 'The ring' it is very eerie but calming not very much bass or loud crude sounds that attract attention. Again it is more similar to Jaws in that it is a composed piece of music and uses no sound effects or dialogue. 

Mine changes pace a lot more which I think adds a lot more depth to my piece. 'The ring' creates emotion by having a lot of layers that add to the mood and genre, the pitch and volume are quite different to mine as it stays at a lower register. Compared, The Ring reinforces emotions more and has an effect on a specific audience; however mine has more tension and suspense (though not more than Jaws). One last comparison could be to 'The grudge', mine has a lot of tempo on reflection whereas that one has a slower consistent tempo that has a lot of equalisation.  But again this is a composed piece of music, the professional soundtracks I have looked at have all taken this route. Mine explains action better and coherence, but The Grudge has a specific audience effect and attention drawing level of soundtrack. Though I had a piece that was put together, mine was very different in comparison. My piece has a complex sound texture, it is calm and fluid in places such as in the middle when the plot begins to thicken. So that it can build tension and provoke emotions that add to the scene and create variety in the pitch. It is spiked and grated in other places such as 00:00:08 when Ruhee's face appears for effect. This makes the sounds overlay each other with wild tracks and voiceovers. Overall I feel my soundtrack was very successful and there are always things that could be improved such as the tone of the voice over and the consistency of sound effects.