I hired a rifle microphone from the university's photography hatch and was given clear instructions on how to use it. I was excited to use a new piece of equipment and found it easy and efficient to use. When researching I found that to minimise background noise you should surround yourself with soft furnishings, like pillows and blankets, so the image below shows me and my model surrounded by a blanket. I did not have a problem with background noise in the recordings, however I think if it was very faint it could have added an eery, ghostly effect. I chose to use my model for the heavy breathing and whispers to make it more realistic; however the breathing will not be synced with the footage. We recorded multiple recordings but I selected the most effective to show below.
Whispering Voices
My model and I found it easiest to have some writing in front of us so we could vaguely read it; however we had to be careful not to make our voices too clear as I wanted the voices to be very unclear and ambiguous. There were only two of us whispering; however if I wanted more voices I could ask the music technician to layer them. We made sure we recorded more than we needed incase some parts didn't sound as hoped or layering was necessary. When I played these back on my computer I made sure I removed any obvious words that might be picked up by the audience, as I want them to be very muffled and unclear.
https://soundcloud.com/user-600796940/mono-002
Heavy Breathing and Quick Inhale
We initially experimented with the model having shaking breathing to emphasise her anxiety; however it sounded too dramatic and we found it difficult to make it sound realistic and not theatrical. We therefore took inspiration from Screw by Nick Knight and recorded a more consistent heavy breathing. The more relaxed breathing allows the viewer to interpret it in different ways, is it the model breathing or someone watching her? My model seemed to make quick gurgle noises when breathing and doing the quick inhale so I will have to ask my music technician to edit these out as they break the flow of the breathing. We found it easier to hear what was being recorded when wearing the attached headphones, meaning we didn't have to constantly download each file and listen to it on the laptop. We noticed we had to keep the microphone very still as it picked up any movement. I was pleased that we were able to create such a crisp sound with no background noise.
https://soundcloud.com/user-600796940/heavy-breathing-sound-effect
Electrical Noise
I wanted to incorporate an electrical noise into my film to reflect the feeling that someone is always watching you, so the electrical noise represents a malfunctioning security camera watching She in her cell. I found the most effective noise was tuning a radio in and out on an old fashioned record player. It created a crackling, buzzing noise that could be translated to a security camera. I only wanted to use sections of this music suddenly entering the footage; however I still recorded more sound than I needed so I could be selective in the editing process. I used different stations and frequencies to get a variety of electrical noises, ranging from quiet buzzing to loud crackling and beeping. I incorporated quick bursts of people talking from the radio to give an eery, unsettling sound, suggesting someone is watching and monitoring She. I used the rifle mic to record these sounds.
https://soundcloud.com/user-600796940/use-mostly-this
I will select all my favourite sound recordings, label them clearly and place them in a folder with the other music clips so Tony (music technician) can easily access them.
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| Image of equipment used. |
Movement/Object Sound Effects
I wanted to record a sound effect for my models' movements as they brushed against their clothes. Initially I used my phone and experimented with a variety of materials, but found the results were very crackly and didn't seem realistic when played against the footage. Secondly I tried to use the computer's own microphone, but again the results were really crackly, particularly when using synthetic materials, and very quiet. I finally decided to rent out a rifle microphone again, but still had difficulty recording such a quiet sound and researched how best to use this microphone online. This confirmed the mic had to have its tip directed at the sound and that the sides of the mic were not designed to record; I had been mistakenly experimenting with recording via the side of the mic thinking this would pick up sounds from a wider area. Additionally I discovered the rear end of the mic being held by my assistant would also pick up any unintended noise, which we were careful to avoid. I also learnt more about using the appropriate input level for different sounds, trying to keep the level below 0 to achieve a good sound quality.
I therefore re-recorded all the necessary sound footage, moving on to scene 2 with my model anxiously scribbling seated at a table, making sure I checked the input level for each individual clip; for example, scribbling and hitting the table needed a much lower level to the quiet sounds of material brushing against material. I found it fun but stressful ensuring the sounds exactly matched my models' movements and kept re-recording sound clips until totally satisfied with the results.
This whole process was very time consuming, but I was determined to record sounds I felt worked with the footage and I am glad I continued to work on my recordings until I managed to achieve the desired effect. I was pleased how crisp and sharp the recordings sounded when matching the model's movements at the table and felt the sounds of the models' clothes being brushed by their arms or moving sounded realistic but at the same time quite eery, at times almost like someone else breathing whilst watching She.
Reference:
VIERS, R., 2008. The Sound Effects Bible. California: Michael Wiese Productions
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