Sound Design: 6 Essential Tips for Cinematic Sounding Films

Sound design is an essential part of the filmmaking process. It can be a time consuming process and most of the professional films you see today have outsourced studios dedicated to just this element of filmmaking do the work. Not everyone’s budgets can account for this so here are the 6 essential things you need to know for cinematic sound design. 

Using Sound Effects

Sound effects are a critical component to creating cinematic sounding films. What sound effects do for our films is add realism to our visual content and set the mood for each moment within our story. There are a plethora of techniques for using sound effects but a couple of the most important are layering and using ambience.

Layering sound effects together is an easy way to make your films sound unique and original.  You can use layering to add more depth to your sound like adding transient sounds to match a visual such as footsteps. 

Using ambience sounds can make a sequence of shots feel more coherent with each other. If you are filming deep and close in a city filled with traffic, capturing what your characters hear immerses your audience within the scene. Using the sounds of gridlock traffic up close is a good starting point into doing that. 

Adding Background Music

Use background music to elevate the story you are trying to tell. Background music is used to evoke emotion especially in the absence of dialogue. It sets the mood of a scene and can be used to represent a character’s feelings and emotions. Background music is also a great tool to alert the audience of things unseen or unknown by your characters in the story. 

A good rule of thumb when sound designing is to score first. Setting up a foundation with the overall framework or rhythm of your sequences with music or other sound effects used for scoring purposes can allow for all the other elements of sound design to fall into place naturally. It ensures that every beat and impact hits where intended! 

If you have a scene with no background music, you can still score the scene with clever sound effects. Using repetition of sound effects can give the illusion of a score and keep a consistent theme within your piece. 

DIY and Foley

When you don’t have or can’t find the right sound to portray the certain emotion you want to portray, record Foley yourself during post-production or create sounds using custom plug-ins offered in your video editor or a DAW. Foley itself is a great way to add realism to the sound of your film.

You don’t have to be an expert to add custom foley into your projects. Try recording everyday sounds or sounds that peak your interest and enhance your work with truly one of a kind sound effects. 

Another way to DIY your sound design is to use effects and plug-ins to modify existing sounds. Pitch shifting a sound for example can be an effective way to change the mood of a sound. Generally, pitching sounds up will make them sound more serene, while pitching sounds down can make them sound more intense and terrifying. 

Dialogue

Dialogue is the main motivating factor that keeps audiences captivated in your films so it should be your top priority when sound designing. 

Keep your dialogue as clear as possible. Be mindful of background noise when recording dialogue and choose to record lines of dialogue in isolation from each other. It’s best to use post-production to your advantage in this case to stitch together pieces of dialogue with fades. This way, you have full control over every line spoken and can make the dialogue flow seamlessly.  

Another tip when working with spoken dialogue is to use an equalization plug-in to enhance the vocal frequencies. Many plug-ins tend to have presets built specifically for this!

Effects and Plug-ins

Modifying sounds with effects and plug-ins are an important part of sound design ‒ even if the intended outcome is subtle. Using techniques such as increasing the intensity of a sound, panning a sound from ear to ear, or adding reverb to a sound can enhance the sound of a film tremendously. All of these can be done by using effects and plug-ins!

A riser is a specific type of sound effect that builds intensity with sound. You can create a riser with a consistent tone just by starting with the volume low and then raising the volume exponentially. Doing this when leading up to a climactic moment in your film can be an easy way to fully immerse your audience and raise their heart rate.

Panning sounds such as foley or dialogue can be a good way to add depth to your films. Let's say a car is to drive past the frame from right to left. Using foley sounds of the car driving past adds to the realism of the sequence but if you also pan the shot accordingly to move the sound in 2D space from ear-to-ear, you can effectively increase the realism of the sound even more with minimal effort. 

Adding reverb to sound effects can alter the scale of the sound at a dramatic scale. Reverb increase the scale and distance of a sound. Use it wisely to add weight to your sound.

Focus on Telling a Story

Sound design as a whole is a tool filmmakers use to tell their story. It’s one thing to add matching sound effects to a sequence to simply add realism to your work, but it’s another thing to add sounds that portray the mood of the film purposefully throughout a sequence. So at the grand scale, always have sound design in mind before starting production. 

Try to look for the right sound effects, music, and foley that match the mood you are trying to portray. The feeling of your scene is what matters the most when it comes to cinema! An example of this is using powerful hits of sound (also known as an impact sound) to punctuate an impactful moment within your story.  

Conclusion

And those are 6 of the most important tips to keep in mind when sound designing cinematic films. Use sound effects, background music and ambience to marry your visuals with sounds that fit the mood you are going for. When in a bind, look to creating sounds yourself and using effects to enhance existing sounds. And lastly, always keep your dialogue clear and always prioritize what story you are trying to tell when choosing the perfect sounds for your film.

Written by Zeeshan Khamis

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How to Create a Video Storyboard

Sometimes, the process of producing a video can be intimidating. If you’ve clicked on this link, you’re probably a video creator of some sort whether it be live-action, animation, stop motion etc. and you want to elevate your video content. Well, you’ve come to the right place because I can guarantee you that creating a storyboard for your video is a key step in your overall process to producing your video with the highest quality. 

What is a Storyboard?

Now you may have created video content but have never heard of a storyboard. Storyboarding dates back all the way to the 1930s when Walt Disney developed the idea and was first created for the Disney short “The Three Little Pigs”. Storyboarding is a visual representation of how the story of your video will unfold, shot by shot. It is made up of ordered pictures or illustrations/drawings of what the shot is going to be. Underneath the visual representation, there is usually a description of the action, the type of shot and angle it is, and any dialogue from the script that is going to accompany the shot. 

The Different Kinds of Storyboards

Like most things in life, there are different approaches and kinds of storyboards that have been discovered and developed over the years. There are 3 different kinds, those being:

• Traditional storyboards

• Thumbnail storyboards

• Animated storyboards

Traditional Storyboards 

Traditional storyboards are various pencil or ink drawings that assist in visualising the story of a video before beginning to fim. They can be displayed sequentially in a sketchbook or hung up on a wall. This method allows you to be as detailed or simple as you want. 

Several traditional storyboards also have written notes under the drawings to describe what is happening in the scene. These notes can be in point form and brief. 

Thumbnail Storyboards 

The second type of storyboard is thumbnail storyboards. Like a thumbnail for a YouTube video, a thumbnail storyboard shows a representation of what the premise is. Thumbnail storyboards call for tiny sketches - the size of a postage stamp - that shows your shots in your video on pieces of paper. 

However, due to the miniscule size of these sketches, it leaves little room for detail. This version of storyboarding is beneficial for quickly outlining  your ideas before making a more detailed version of your storyboard using a method such as the traditional storyboard. 

Animated Storyboards

The world of technology is always evolving, making it possible to create things such as live animations helping to create animated storyboards. Animated storyboards have dialogue and music. They are composed of sketches strategically filmed to show timing, pacing and flow of a scene and it is much easier to get your story across. 

Why Should You Storyboard?

Have you ever watched a book-to-movie adaptation and was disappointed because it wasn’t what you pictured? I’m sure there are many cases like this. A storyboard helps you to share your vision with others and really help sell the story whether it is a campaign for a commercial to a big Hollywood film.You can then get feedback from others and make changes. They may help you to fill in gaps that were missing in the story so that everything that happens in your story flows with no loose ends. If just a storyboard can move people and connect the audience to the characters, imagine how the end product will be recieved!  By making a storyboard, it helps your pre-production process and helps you to remember what shots you need. By having the story all laid out before production begins, it saves a lot of time and energy and will make sure you are using your time efficiently. 

Creating a Storyboard

You may be thinking to yourself, “Wow, a new step to the process?” Don’t worry, it’s fairly simple. Storyboarding is fairly similar to a shot list. However, storyboards are laid out in a much more story-like manner.

The process of creating a storyboard can be as simple or elaborate as you want to make it. Before storyboarding was first developed, animator Webb Smith was credited by Disney for the idea of drawing out scenes on separate sheets of paper, pinning them up on a bulletin board to create a sequence of a story, thus creating the first ever storyboard

Storyboards can be very simple and you don’t have to be an artist to create a storyboard. You can make one as simple as drawing stick figures using a professional program. The choice is up to you and your ability level. Choose what suits you. 

There are many different methods of storyboarding. 

You can use:

• Sketches with descriptions

• Google slides

  • Insert pictures into a slide with  bullet-point descriptions 

• Google docs

  • Create a table and insert pictures into the columns

  • Make sure you number the pictures accordingly

  • Underneath the pictures, add descriptions 

• Celtx

• Storyboarder (It’s paid but a great option for artists)

  • Draw in depth illustrations of the shot to clearly visualise the story with 6 different drawing tools

  • Enter dialogue and action underneath the panel. You can also include the timing information and shot type

These are just some of the many options to create a storyboard. 

Not all storyboards have to be created from sketches or drawings. You can also go to your filming locations with your actors and take pictures that will help visually represent the shot and action. In my opinion, taking pictures of the shot is much more efficient as you will have a clear, visual representation of the shot and angle you will need when it comes to production time. Since  it is harder within illustrations to create 3D depth, a photo will help you to understand exactly what your vision is, along with the description that will be provided under each picture in your storyboard. 

Do you know what you want your video to accomplish? What is the purpose for the video and what is the message you want to get across? What feelings are you trying to evoke in the audience? Make sure this is clear and set goals for your video. If you are getting feedback from others that your idea is evoking the emotions you wanted, you know you are on track. 

To create a storyboard, you first want to break down your script into actions as you will need to describe the action of each shot when you storyboard. You want to draw/import images that will move the action along. Too many images can be overwhelming and you will waste time that could be spent on other details. On the other hand, too little images will make your storyboard hard for people to understand. Know the right amount. 

Then, you will want to make multiple blank panels and number them in order.  There are many storyboarding outlines online or you can create your own. 

Next you will want to write up a description that includes the action, the type of shot and angle and dialogue that will accompany the shot. 

You don’t have to stop there! You can make multiple storyboards and revise and edit through the process. 

All storyboards should include:

• The project name 

  • Even if you don’t have one, create a working title and you can rename this later

• The scene number

  • Numbering scenes is important so you don’t get the order of your story mixed up

• Page number

Conclusion

There you have it! This is everything you need to know about storyboarding and how to create your very own video storyboard. You now know what a storyboard is, the different types of storyboards, why you should storyboard and how to create a storyboard. Do you think this will help you to improve your video production? Let us know in the comments below!

Written by Amy Anstett

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What is Audio Production?

Audio production is most often used interchangeably with the term “music production.” However, the two words have different meanings. Audio production is a broad term representing multiple tasks regarding audio and recording. In addition, there are other industries besides music that require audio production.

With today’s digital technology, it can be more accessible than ever for music artists, podcasters, and independent filmmakers to perform audio production work. However, understanding how audio production works to create a final music piece or master recording involves many steps.

The skills necessary for audio engineers, producers, and musicians include having a keen ear to detect various sounds and identify what makes high quality. Experts in the music industry who have been working with sounds for a long time understand what helps provide enhanced audio and what tools are necessary to achieve the best sound.

Many parts encompass the whole of audio production, so understanding each aspect that audio production entails is essential. In this piece, you will realize what audio production is and what tools are utilized in audio production. 

Audio Production for Musicians

As an independent or aspiring musician, the idea of audio production involves everything from songwriting to the complete master of an original piece of music. Music producers do not typically work alone; some people handle different areas within the production, from the songwriting by the musician to the recording, mixing, and mastering by sound engineers. 

The scope of audio production is a way for musicians to take something they have created and give it life. A piece of music is not valid until it can be recorded and listened to by others. Sound, mixing, or mastering engineers play integral roles in audio production, but don’t assume that they are any less creative than the musician; positioning of recording equipment and alterations done on the backend of recordings can drastically alter and change sounds. 

Music production oversees the song flow and brings about certain emotions by utilizing instruments and voices specifically. Here is a breakdown of the different parts of audio production for musicians.

Song Composition

The lyrics and initial melody of music are known as songwriting, which kick starts the audio production process. Musicians in bands may collaborate and work together to develop the song, while individual artists may consult with a music producer for assistance. 

Audio production works with the song’s foundation and builds upon it. Since the music is still the basis at the beginning of the audio process, if it is not good enough, no amount of audio work will make it better. 

Arrangement and Editing

Decisions regarding the arrangement of the song include multiple steps, such as:

• Length of introduction, verses, and chorus

• Instruments to be brought out in different parts of the song

• Instrumental breaks or vocal breaks

• Changes in keys or notes

• Builds to crescendos and decrescendos

• Ending to the song

Kristina K., a piano instructor with Music to Your Home, says that “chord progression and instrumental choices are key to establishing an original piece of music and vital to the structure of the song.” In addition, music producers often assist musicians through the arranging and editing process without going against the artists’ vision or changing too much of the song’s original intent.

Feedback can also be helpful during this time, so musicians will sometimes work with audio and music producers to gain insight into what might help the song sound better. For example, sometimes suggestions recommending other instruments, rhythms, or vocals can help develop the song’s arrangement more rich or full.

Once the arrangements and parts have been recorded, next comes the editing. Audio engineers can listen to multiple recordings of a song and decide which one has the best quality or what parts they can take from each recording to splice together. 

This part of the audio process also involves cleaning up the sound, such as taking away any unwanted or extra background sound, removing sharp intakes of breath or “pops” from words with a “p” or “t.” They also pay close attention to timing and pitch so that the recordings all fit together well.

Mixing and Mastering

The next stage of audio production is mixing and mastering the song. Mixing also involves some more clean-up of the audio sound, but there are added elements using audio software and hardware. These plugins include tools that are used, which have some of the following:

• EQ (Equalizer)

• Compression

• Reverb

• Delay

• Vocal Tuning

• Expansion or Noise Gates

These effects for production allow the sound to become more high-quality and mastered. There should be a vast difference between the original, unmixed recording and the final master recording. The song should still contain that all instruments and vocals keep their initial sounds and allow the music to meet industry standards while making an impact.

How Audio Production is Used Elsewhere

The film industry, podcasts, video games, and other media platforms utilize audio production in their work. If you think about the crystal clear audio quality you hear when watching television or movies, there is a lot of audio editing and mastering that occurs for it to sound just right.

Likewise, podcasters frequently will hire podcast managers to work on audio production for their episodes. Since podcasts utilize people talking, there is a lot of editing to remove breath sounds, extra background noises, and clean up filler words that are used like “uh” and “um” for a smooth flow.

Learning Audio Production

If you want to learn how to do audio production yourself, there are many options for taking courses or finding out how to do your own composition, arranging, mixing, and mastering. Of course, taking an online course focusing on production can be most helpful. Still, you can also search YouTube since it will have plenty of free tutorials on different audio software and hardware for you to learn, however this option will be a lot more time consuming, less focused and harder to find the right information.

When working on audio production, it is crucial to stay persistent, record ideas often, and get inspiration from listening to a lot of music, podcasts and listening to audiobooks to help you develop and build upon your creativity.

Equipment is another necessary aspect of audio production. While you can easily record using a high-quality smartphone, you may eventually want to invest in some equipment such as software, microphones, pop filters, maybe even a soundbox or foam panels to build your own in-home recording studio. 

Don’t rush into anything; start small and invest in your knowledge of learning first, so you can decide what is best to help you grow. Just start simple to build your understanding of audio production, and soon enough, you can become an expert within the industry.

Written by Nicole McCray

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