Audio/Music Production for Visual Media

Syllabus

Lesson 1: Storytelling with Sound: The Anatomy of a Soundtrack

• See a Dog, Hear a Dog?
• Why Sound?
• Terminology in Filmmaking
• Workshop: Terminology in Filmmaking
• The Development of Sound in Cinema—A Brief History
• Assignment 1: Spotting “Once Upon a Time in the West”

Lesson 2: Actors Talking! Introduction to the Technology

• The Specific Problem of Location Sound
• Camera, Actors, Sound: The Location Audio Team in Detail
• Equipment on the Film Shoot: Microphones
• Equipment on the Film Shoot—Special Case: The Boom Microphone
• Equipment on the Film Shoot: The Nagra
• Equipment on the Film Shoot: Multitrack Recorders
• Equipment on the Film Shoot: Timecode
• Equipment on the Film Shoot: The Clapper
• Equipment on the Film Shoot: Carts and Bags
• Sounds Other Than Dialogue
• Outside Noises
• Actions by the Actors
• Assignment 2: ADR Spotting Notes for “You Got Nothin’: Café Scene”

Lesson 3: In-Depth Location Audio and the Dialogue Edit

• Picture and Sound Are Completed Separately
• Workflow for Film: Division of Labor after the Shoot
• About Telecine
• The Sony U-Matic Video Machine
• Workflow for Digital Cinema: Quite a Bit Simpler
• Digital Video Files Are Huge
• Other Media: Sound Created Entirely in “Post”
• Conforming
• About Synchronization
• Sync in Audio Post
• SMPTE Timecode
• Analog Synchronizers
• SMPTE Code and Pro Tools
• Typical Challenges Faced by Dialogue Editors
• iZotope RX: The Magic Bullet
• Assignment 3: Cleaning Up Audio Clips

Lesson 4: Environments & Backgrounds: Creating the Static “Reality”

• Where Are We, and What Does Where We Are Sound Like?
• Whose Experience Is This, Anyway?
• Cues
• The Problem(s) of Non-Dialogue Location Sound
• Some Sounds Don’t Belong!
• Finding, Designing, and Editing Environmental Sounds
• Assignment 4: Spotting Document for Backgrounds/Recordings of Environmental Sounds

Lesson 5: Performing Reality: A Look at Foley

• Foley: A Definition for Us
• The Sounds Made by Characters’ Bodies
• Bringing Human Action to Life
• Feet, Props, Movements: Subdividing the Work and Managing the Tasks
• Audio Puns
• We Can Edit Sound Effects from Libraries. Why Perform Them?
• The “Music and Effects” (M&E) Mix
• Laying Out Your Pro Tools Session to Prepare for Foley Recording
• Assignment 5: Creating Sounds with Foley Techniques

Lesson 6: Finding Reality: Sound Libraries, Collections, and the Outside World

• Editorial Artistry: Pro Tools Wizardry
• Takes on Pro Tools Mastery
• Happy Hunting Grounds: Sound Effects Libraries, Haystacks, and Needles
• Putting an Effect Together
• Perspective Cuts
• Checkerboarding
• Library Management
• Some Examples of How Sounds Might Be Worked Up
• Assignment 6: Sound Effects for a Car

Lesson 7: Warping, Mangling, Massaging, and Preparing Sound Effects

• Out of Nowhere: Sound Effects from Synths
• Warping and Mangling: Overview
• Creating a Style through Effects
• Layering
• Movement in Space: Doppler Effects
• Focus on Distortion Effects
• The Problem with Level-Maximizing
• A Little Crazier
• Into the World (The Cinema World, That Is)
• Building the Session and Delivering to the Mix
• Assignment 7: Distorting Your Layers and Using Your Body to Create Sound

Lesson 8: Music? Why Is There Music?

• Do the Characters Hear It? Score, Source, and “Scource”
• The Role of Music in Film
• Score: Working or Not Working?
• Tipping the Gag
• Other Functions of Music in Film
• The Composer’s Process
• The Music Team
• Developing and Producing the Music
• Preparing and Conducting a Scoring Session
• About Click Tracks
• Assignment 8: Listening to Score

Lesson 9: How to Mix Film Music in One Easy Step

• The Totally Non-Intimidating Craft of Recording Orchestras
• Preparation Steps
• Prepping Click Tracks
• Reference Audio Other Than the Mockup
• Getting to the Scoring Stage
• Prepping the Stage
• The Main Event
• Monitoring in the Booth and on the Stage
• Recording!
• What Are “Stems” in Film Music?
• Stemming It Out
• How Will the Music Play with the Other Audio?
• Wide and Deep: 5.1 and Beyond in Score Mixing
• Assignment 9: Mixing in Stems

Lesson 10: Data Coming and Going: The Flow of Information

• Keeping the Story Straight: The Most Important Metadata
• Location Data Capture
• Whoa, Whoa, Whoa; Back Up a Minute!
• Data Protection from Theft
• What Is a Predub? Perspectives on Interim Deadlines
• Making Commitments: How Many Options to Deliver
• Advanced Tools for Conforming to Picture Changes
• Some of the Automated Conforming Tools in Action
• Special Case: Preparing Music for the Dub
• Assignment 10: Conforming to Picture Changes

Lesson 11: Toward and Beyond the Final Dub

• Deliverables: What Do They Want?
• Predubs
• Dolby Atmos: An Overview
• The Dub (a.k.a., the Main Event)
• The Predubs Are Done; Now on to the Final Mix
• A Modern Dubbing Workflow
• Synchronization and Satellite Link
• Who Is in the Room?
• The Scalable Mix: Facilities of All Sizes
• Smaller Stages
• After the Dub: Print Mastering and Multiple Formats
• Assignment 11: Creating a Dub Mix

Lesson 12: Beyond Technique and into Art—Beyond Art and into Business

• Where Is All This Work Going?
• How Does It All Translate?
• Paths and Destinations in Audio Postproduction
• The State of the Business