RoboCop Soundtrack Evaluation

Evaluation


I think that my soundtrack works fairly successfully in context of what you can hear and what you can see in the scene. Especially the sounds of the ED-209 moving and its speech. The sound effects and the visuals on screen work well together and are synched up to a high standard.

I think that my soundtrack reflects professional standards in the aspects of the ED-209's speech and actions, every noise that should be present in the scene is present and most, if not all of the sound effects do not sound out of place. 

I think that the ways that my soundtrack could be improved to meet professional standards are in terms of the ambiance and the sounds coming from the other business executives as they could have been more specific. Also, the gun fire noises from the ED-209 could have been more precise as well. They are fine as they are, but they could have been better in my eyes.

Robocop Soundtrack treatment

Treatment

Name of Production: RoboCop

What feel or mood are you hoping to achieve with the sound for this clip (i.e. how do you want the audience to feel and at which points in the scene?  Does the sound have a narrative role?)

The feel I’m trying to achieve is that all the sounds that are heard are appropriate for the situation and the mood I’m trying to get is the humour that the original sound had.

Describe the music are you going to add to the clip  (pace, tone, style, pitch) and what response you hope to illicit in a listener.  Where will you get your music from? (pre-recorded music; public domain, licensed, own)

I have chosen not to use any music because the original clip had no music and personally, I think that using music would be inappropriate for the scene.

What foley sounds are you going to record in the studio and add to this clip and what will they add to the scene:

I am going to add the mechanical movement noises of the ED-209 as well as ADR its speech. I will also add the ADR of Dick Jones. The rest will be made in the stock library of the Soundtrack Pro software. The sounds will add the effect of the robot really being there as well as the speech of the robot to add an intimidation factor.

Do you need to record any sounds out on location, if so which?

No

 Who will be in your recording crew to help you get your sounds and what are their individual roles and responsibilities?

I will be recording the sounds and ADR myself because so little live recording actually has to be done.

Jaws Scene Soundtrack Analysis

Jaws Scene Soundtrack Analysis

I will be discussing soundtrack and effectiveness thereof of the ‘Hooper In the Cage’ scene from the film Jaws (1975). The scene involves the film’s character Hooper trying to put a tracking device on Jaws while inside a protective underwater cage.

            

            The leitmotif in the scene (beginning from 00:17 onwards, as Hooper Is being attacked by Jaws) is the theme song and leitmotif of the titular Jaws and acts accordingly, only being heard when Jaws himself is actually onscreen. The leitmotif in the scene works well to manipulate the audience’s feelings as, from the theme alone, you can tell that Jaws is a dark, ominous and (in certain situations) universally scary force of nature, much like the ocean itself. The audience recognises Jaws’ presence within the scene and immediately knows that bad things are in store when the leitmotif plays. The leitmotif works hand in hand with the amplitude and the dissonance that occur within the soundtrack also. 

            

            The amplitude in the scene (beginning at same time as the leitmotif) is the varying volume of the soundtrack and it works to make the audience empathise with Hooper and his experience. We only hear the leitmotif when Hooper sees Jaws and the amplitude affects the leitmotif and the other music surrounding Jaws is totally dependent on when Hooper can see Jaws and how he feels. When Jaws far away from Hooper, the music is very quiet and only gets louder as Jaws gets closer to Hooper. When Hooper can’t see Jaws, the music is not audible, only becoming so when Hooper knows that Jaws is present. This helps the audience experience what Hooper is experiencing, manipulating their feelings and feeling scared, initiating the audiences ‘fight-or-flight’ responses.

            

            The dissonance in the scene (beginning at the same time as the leitmotif and variations in amplitude) would be the clash of high and low pitches and notes that make up the melody of the soundtrack. This works in the scene to make the audience feel uneasy and add an element of horror to the scene, incorporating the aforementioned ‘fight-or-flight’ response (The fight or flight response being the instinctual reaction to certain 'dangerous' situations, these reactions either being fight - to attack and try to defeat the danger, or flight - to run away and try to escape the danger). Dissonance, by its very nature, is unpleasant to the ear and even if it’s on a subconscious level, makes the person listening to the dissonant melody feel uncomfortable. This works into the soundtrack’s favour as the way it [dissonance] works its way into the soundtrack of the scene, helps the audience feel scared for both Hooper and themselves.

            

            The use of melody in the scene (starting at 01:31 onwards) is how the notes and pitches in the music work together as a cohesive whole. In the scene, the melody works into forming a dissonant melody (see dissonance). This melody, in turn, works to make the scene even scarier for the audience as it keeps them on edge, waiting for Jaws to come in and be scary. The melody is the base for the rest of the soundtrack’s effectiveness to help the film be a scary film.

            

            The ‘L Cut’ in the scene (starting and ending at 01:54 to 01:57 respectively) is when the audio from the previous cut is continued into the next one. It is used to make cuts less jarring to the audience and help them ease into the next cut as it were and it is also useful for seeing different characters’ reactions to what’s being focused on the scene. In this context, the ‘L Cut’ is used to see both Hooper’s facial expression while screaming and to see why Hooper is screaming in the first place (this reason being Jaws ramming the cage). This helps the audience identify with Hooper as we can not only see why he is screaming, but we can also see that he is screaming for a suitable reason and we may scream also.

JAWS SOUNDTRACK TERMS THINGS

Amplitude, Melody, Leit motif, Score, Instrumentation, Parallel Sound, Dissonance, Diagetic Sound, Non diagetic sound, Establish a place

Recording plan link

Recording plan

Soundtrack Treatment

Treatment

Name of Production: Shaun of the Dead

What feel or mood are you hoping to achieve with the sound for this clip (i.e. how do you want the audience to feel and at which points in the scene?  Does the sound have a narrative role?)

The feel I’m trying to achieve is that all the sounds that are heard are appropriate for the situation and the mood I’m trying to get is the humour that the original sound had.

Describe the music are you going to add to the clip  (pace, tone, style, pitch) and what response you hope to illicit in a listener.  Where will you get your music from? (pre-recorded music; public domain, licensed, own)

The music I have chosen is a sort of rock riff thing that repeats. With it I hope to create a feeling of action and excitement when the music first starts. I made the music myself.

What foley sounds are you going to record in the studio and add to this clip and what will they add to the scene:

I am going to add the rustling of the cutlery and plates and things in the drawers and the bucket that they use in the clip. I am also going to add the sounds of the objects flying through the air and hitting against the zombies and stuff behind the zombies. I will also add in the ADR and sounds of ambience as well. I will also add ADR to the clip using both mine and Aidan’s voices.

Do you need to record any sounds out on location, if so which?

No

 Who will be in your recording crew to help you get your sounds and what are their individual roles and responsibilities?

Myself and Aidan Magson. I will record the foley with Aidan as he checks the sound levels while doing so.

50 word Soundtrack Homework

1- Tension

2- Suspense

3- Triumph

4- Humour

5- Joy

6- Pressure

7- Victory

8- Levity

9- Wonder

10- Bombastic

11- Bravery

12- Jubilation

13- Excitement

14- Nostalgia

15- Fun

16- Adventure

17- Fantastic

18- Thrilled

19 - Ecstatic

20- Catchy

21- Sensational

22- Spectacular

23- Amazing

24- Rhythmic

25- Fast-Paced

26- Science

27- Action

28- Journey

29- Discovery

30- Close Call

31- Determination

32- Positive

33- Romp

34- Build Up

35- Light Hearted

36- Serious

37- Blue

38- Orange

39- Family friendly

40- Cheerful

41- Woeful

42- Dynamic

43- Time Travel

44- Extraordinary

45- Upbeat

46- Innovation

47- DeLorean

48- The 1980s

49- Problems

50- Eureka