In the 3rd “studio session” of this project, I’ve dedicated mainly to editing SFX. In this category, three main subgroups are edited separately but mixed all together. Those are:
- BACKGROUNDS/AMBIENCES (BG/AMB): sounds that build each scene’s location and consist entirely of elements, not scenes on screen. Some editors prefer to differentiate BGs from AMBs. The only thing that might differ is their visibility on camera.
- HARD FX (FX): realistic sounds that are driven by what’s on camera or action.
- SOUND DESIGN: elements that need to be created from scratch or a lot of processing to fulfil its function.
In this post, I’m mainly going to expose my ideas on backgrounds.
BACKGROUNDS
I am pretty happy with the result that I’ve got with ambiences so far. The production sound was good on certain occasions, but overall it sounded bland – no depth nor exciting elements that could enhance the story. For each sequence, there were different solutions. Here’s a list of all the locations relevant for this editorial:
Digital Processed Ambiences: At first, I considered using an actual recording of a handy camera in a forest near London. However, I remember that solving sound editorial issues is not always objective as it might look. For example, my first ever foley session was chaotic because I didn’t have enough knowledge to understand that some sounds aren’t reproduced only by their source. Furthermore, not all handy cameras have that retro feeling that the spectator is expecting. Cinema not always uses truth to be truthful. Cinema is a clever lie developed by professionals. Therefore, for all scenes with the handy camera, I used one of RC-20 presets (Retro Color 20 by XLN Audio) and applied it in the other food groups for those scenes only.
Mountains: There were only two scenes with this shot. A big mountain can be seen with some low clouds. Some electrical interference damaged the production sound, so I had to recreate the ambience. Nonetheless, I didn’t particularly appreciate how it sounded concerning the film’s leitmotif. This scene is quite essential to establish a modality. I added wind sounds, made it more airtight, and gave it a little time location. Time is an interesting topic to debate about this film. There’s no perception of time throughout the whole short film.
Inside the Forest: Most of the actions where the characters interact are taken place inside the forest among tall pines. Some shots portray a confusing and labyrinthic forest which the production sound couldn’t express. I decided to recall my personal experiences whenever I was in a pine forest. They are quite common in Iberia, but they all differ in terms of the soundscape. One of the most characteristic sounds related to them is the wood creaking by the force of the wind. It reminds us of a woodpecker or something big moving. When we try to locate those sounds, we can’t trace what’s provoking them. Therefore, I decided to add them dispersed throughout all the scenes that became silent. It gave a different perspective towards the story and the action and helped engage the eerieness out of those sequences.
Outside the Forest: These scenes were crucial to separate the two worlds represented in the short film. Inside the forest seems like there’s something very obscure lurking in the shadows. Whereas outside of it, there is an entirely different world, full of rich sound elements that relocate the characters in a wild but yet familiar scenario such as the cow fields. When I showed my editorial to Harry Charlton, a course colleague, he was intrigued by the cowbell sounds that were “everywhere”. I didn’t realise how powerful that sound was in terms of geographical context. I did a little research on cowbells usage, and I came across something like a founding for me – the traditional usage of cowbells are almost exclusive of the Iberian Peninsula. Could it be confusing for other spectators? I think not. I think it’s part of its identity.