Before heading to recording I thought it would be beneficial to familiarize myself with specific techniques that are implemented by sound designers in my films specific genre, post apocalyptic. To do this I would watch various films in this section and read key books to better my understanding of the genre.

 

To start this research I would look through various interviews online that introduced key connotations of the genre and how some of the fields best engineers get it done. I took a lot of influence from two key players in the sound engineering field, Nigel Christensen and Mark Mangini, both of which have recently won awards for their work on Mad Max: Fury Road. Whilst conducting this research I stumbled upon a panel show in which the sound team of Mad Max discuss designing soundscapes, the practicalities of designing sound and working with world renown directors. Here are some of my key findings;

 

Mad Max sound engineers panel

– Throughout this interview they really push the idea of creating rich atmosphere especially when the film in question has very little dialogue in sections.

– No matter how big of a production the film is, you have to account for the environment in which you record in. Mad Max was mainly shot in all real locations with very little sound stages, similarly to us who won’t be using any form fabricated sets.

– Always discuss your approach to recording with the director. For example; bring up problems that might arise with various camera set ups for the sound engineers. Only mention in a later slate though due to the fact an opportune time to capture clean isolated recordings may occur.

– Within post production, always take into the consideration the possibility of blending certain tracks to create a desired sound effect. Don’t be afraid to take elements from various recordings to create a singular mono sound effect.

– In this interview we see the engineers talk about the important of creating a soundscape that’s wider than what you see on the screen therefore creating an immersive piece. It was interesting to hear how they went about layering up a singular shot of a busy New York street, adding in various n0n-diegetic sounds such as a couple arguing. They do also get the point across of picking relevant feasible sounds though, especially in a piece that is somewhat period like Mad Max. This is something I will have to take into consideration when it comes to layering our final piece.

– Making sure you have a narrative sound structure even in a film that is incredible dense in sound effects.

 

Mad Mad: Fury Road 

After watching this interview and a few others I decided it’d be beneficial to watch this film itself. The film itself does a great job of immersing you within the era of this film whilst also including quite an abstract soundscape including various stings and modernized music. For our own film it’s important we take influence from Mad Max in the sense of being quite literal due to the period of the film but also maintaining an constructed form of mood building audio that doesn’t take away from the storyline, overall this could potentially be quite challenging yet very rewarding.

 

The location sound bible  

This book was written by Ric Viers in 2012 and offers a detailed look into the world of location sound. The book itself takes an extensive look into the equipment used and how to use it.

– Starts of with a defined job description. “Location sound is vital to the final flow of the track. Whether its capturing audio that gets in the final mix, or if it lays a guide track for sound to be replaced”

– Gets over the importance of not being offended when certain aspects of the recording don’t get used but also brings up the fact that you should never go into a location recording session with the attitude of “we’ll add it in post”.

– The book goes into detail about microphone choices when it comes to recording sound on location, bringing up the tribulations and pitfall of various microphone types. The fact that certain shotgun microhpones are more direct than others meaning that we have to consider microphone placement for every shot we take.

– The book also features vital information under an aptly named “Booma sutra” chapter that focuses around how to hold a boom microphone without getting extreme back and arm pain. Although it’s something I often consider, it was good to read a detailed run through of how the professionals avoid the problem.

– The most important takeaway I got from the text was the information in regards to microphone selection. This played into perspective, do you want to select a microphone that picks up the whole sonic environment or something just do it from the perspective of the boom? This is a choice for me and Ed to carefully consider before we head out to record.