Tip #75: Don't forget the bonus audio commentary!

By Dan Parkes (Director)

It has become a reasonably recent phenomena: the indepth audio commentary with cast and crew explaining as you watch the film how and what went into making it. Apparantly the very first audio commentary was on the 1984 laserdisc version of the original "King Kong" movie, with film historian Ronald Haver. Then later in 1997 the DVD version of the film "Contact" contained a bonus audio commentary with cast and crew which at the time was considered a gimmick to show off the capacity of new DVD technology. Now it is almost expected on DVDs and Blu-Ray, with most cast and crew happy to provide one, although directors Woody Allen and Steven Spielberg have yet to record a commentary believing a film should speak for itself.

While often the source of parodies and used for entertainment value, audio commentaries can serve a very useful purpose -allowing behind-the-scenes glimpses and filmmaking tips as the scene unfolds before your eyes. No doubt there has been a lot of thought and hard work that has gone into the production and this can also be an occasion in which to point out possibly overlooked work done by cast and crew. Maybe there is an unknown backstory or message behind a piece of dialogue or a production design decision that can be highlighted.

Rider Strong and Eli Roth recording their
audio commentary for the "Cabin Fever" DVD.

The recording of an audio commentary uses essentially the same tips as outlined in the previous two blogs on ADR (http://bit.ly/ADRtips) and Voice Over (http://bit.ly/voiceovertips). But here are some extra things to think about:

1. Before recording your commentary think of as many cast and crew who might want to be involved
2. Prepare beforehand by making notes of things you don't want to forget to mention
3. If there is going to be more than one person speaking decide beforehand of any particular scene they might want to speak about so you can co-ordinate it.
   
4. Have a method of syncing your audio commentary in post -using visual or audio cues at the beginning or end of the record session.
   
5. During playback make sure the commentators are wearing headphones to listen to the film itself at low volume
6. Commentaries do not have to be one hundred percent of the time -allow occassion for the original film audio to be heard.
   
7. Once you have finished recording your commentary it may need to be edited (to remove mistakes etc)
8. You will need to mix it with the original film's audio, with film's audio very low in the background but if there are moments of no commentary then bring it back up to almost full volume.
9. Add it is a separate track on the DVD that can be selected via a DVD menu option.

Tip #74: Try 5.1 surround sound

By Dan Parkes (Director)

Recording and mastering 5.1 surround sound has until recently been the domain of big budget studios. However many relatively inexpensive audio software packages allow for multi-channel mixing and there was for many years a frustrating gulf between the ability to mix 5.1 and the inability to master a DVD with it. For Ambleton Delight we made the decision to experiment with 5.1 surround using a combination of software.

Firstly, lets define what 5.1 surround sound is. Technically it is actually six channels; the .1 refers to the low frequency bass channel. It normally comprises of six actual speakers: a front left and right, a center channel, two surround (rear) speakers plus a sub woofer (bass, or LFE). While there is the possibility of recording 5.1 on location for us it was all done in post, using Adobe Audition 3.
Our workflow:

1. All of the audio in the film was divided into 5 main tracks: dialogue, foley, atmospheric sound effects, atmospheric music and score.
2. In Adobe Audition 3 each of these tracks was then pointed to various speakers using its surround sound panner. For example the dialogue track (mono) was pointed to the centre speaker channel only. Foley effects were pointed to the front left and right. Atmospheric sound effects and music were spread around all of the speakers
3. Surround sound "moments": There are one or two moments in the film when sound was actually pointed to the rear speakers -for example when someone shouts off screen. These should be used sparingly as they can draw extra attention to themselves.
4. Score reverb. For the score of the film to be in 5.1 we created a "bus" so that a separate track was created containing just the reverb of the score which we then pointed to the rear speakers.
5. Once the 5 main tracks of the film had been organised into which speaker they would be pointed, we then exported from Audition 3 six uncompressed mono 48K WAV files, each WAV file being for each speaker.
6. We then imported these six WAV files into a freeware piece of software called "WAV to AC3 Encoder" which as its name suggests combined the six WAV files into one AC3 file.
7. We then imported the AC3 file into Adobe Encore DVD authoring software as an "asset" and then added an extra audio track to the film's timeline (track 2 -it is best to have track 1 as the stereo track as this will be the default audio) and put the AC3 file onto the track -making sure it matched the length of the video.
8. We created a menu option on the DVD to select the 5.1 track.

NOTE: Of course, this is very much improvised, poor man's 5.1! If you want it done properly it requires specialised skills as the art of surround sound is not easy to master. Also, it is best to use licensed Dolby encoders and software and have it validated by Dolby for official Dolby Digital branding that can then be put on your DVD and advertising!

Tip #73: Record high quality voice over

By Dan Parkes (Director)

"In a world...."

We are now all familiar with the seemingly ubiquitous deep film trailer voice that sounds like he has smoked a hundred cigarettes a day... (epitomised by the legendary late "Don" LaFontaine -picture left- who never smoked!). But that deep, crisp and velvet like voice over is now something possible for even low budget filmmakers to achieve.

In Ambleton Delight we had narration as voice over that starts and finishes the film and this was recorded in a living room.

Here are some tips on what we learned along the way:

1. Is voice over really necessary? There are times when it is a too easy or safe option. Other times it is necessary for backstory.
2. Reading written narration can -depending on the person- be quite an art form and require some practice to make it sound natural. Audition and rehearse as you would for any speaking part.
3. If you can't record in an actual studio then try to replicate one. Reverb and echo is what will ruin your recording -eliminate it by recording in a small enclosed space, or by creating one using duvets, sleeping bags, blankets, cardboard, egg crates etc
4. Treat the recording session the same as when directing actors on set -give as much or as little direction, back-story, motivation as required.
5. Don't underestimate the power of a good microphone. That does not necessary mean an expensive one -you could possibly borrow or hire one for the day. Generally speaking capacitor microphones are better than dynamic for voice over.
6. Make sure you have a pop guard -something that goes between the microphone and mouth to help reduce the puffs of wind from such things as the letter 'p'. You can use stockings to create one.
7. Have large-print print-outs of the voice over, double spaced and a paragraph or less to a page. Don't have any notes that require page-turning as this will make a noticeable noise.
8. Use a music stand to hold the voice over notes.
9. Record high quality uncompressed digital files such as 48K WAV files.
10. Make sure someone is monitoring with headphones and have this option also for the voice over artist so they can monitor themselves.
11. Number takes and label accurately.
12. Add compression and other effects as required afterwards (Pro Tools has a 'voice over' setting).

Tip #72: ADR - Avoid Dialogue Replacement

By Dan Parkes (Director)

ADR stands for "Automated Dialogue Replacement" and is the dubbing or re-recording of dialogue during post-production. Apparently in the UK it is called "post-synchronisation" or "post-sync".

This process is normally required due to technical issues such as poor on-location sound or interference. It can sometimes also be a creative choice -adding extra dialogue to make a scene make more sense. Or sometimes for creating different versions due to classification issues. Samuel L. Jackson famously had his key piece of dialogue from "Snakes on a Plane" rerecorded to replace the offensive language resulting in the dubbed version in he which says "monkey fighting snakes on this Monday to Friday plane"!

Sometimes up to a third or more of film can end up being rerecorded via ADR. However some directors such as Chris Nolan are well known for insisting on using on-location sound only, as quite often ADR -despite the best recordings- never rings true. So it certainly is best to avoid if at all possible.

ADR sessions mostly take place in a recording studio with the original actor watching a looped playback of the shot and then trying to recreate the necessary dialogue. For Ambleton Delight we created a similar process, although it was recorded in a living room. Here are some tips we learned along the way....

1. It really must be a last resort -despite the best efforts it will never match the real thing! Get it right on location as much as possible.
2. Don't just record the word or sentence as it most likely will be too difficult to match the feel of the original dialogue. Record the entire scene or as much of it as possible, to ensure audio continuity.
3. Treat ADR the same as when directing actors on set -give as much or as little direction, back-story, motivation as required.
4. Have the actor move around to imitate the body positions on the screen -especially if it involves walking, running or jumping, as this affects the tone and breathing
5. Use the same or as similar microphones as was used to record the original dialogue. Don't use a voice over microphone unless you need that effect.
6. If recording in a non-studio location be aware of acoustics and reverb and try to match or simulate what the original environment was like.
7. Provide a visual reference -a TV monitor or laptop. Beware that some TVs and laptops make high frequency noise that could affect the recording
8. Loop the scene, with both video and audio continually repeating for at least three times, then the fourth is silent allowing the actor to fill in the audio.
9. Have a visual or audio cue so the actor knows when the looping piece begins so they can time when to start.
10. Do it in small sections. Don't expect an actor to be able to match precise mouth movements over several sentences. But balance this with the need for momentum and being "in-character".
    
11. Not every word has to be exactly in-sync. Some timing can be assisted through audio editing -but of course better to get it as close as you can during the ADR session.

Tip #71: The Final Sound Mix

By Dan Parkes (Director)

The impact of sound on a film should never be underestimated. Often clever and appropriate use of sound effects can really sell a shot, help with continuity and make visual effects come to life.

For Ambleton Delight, it was initially mixed using Logic on a MacBook. The final mix took place using Adobe Audition 3 on a PC (to create a 5.1 mix which we will detail in a later blog).

In addition to obviously a good recording of the original dialogue and sound (detailed here: ), the important components of an audio mix are:

1. A "Wild track"
A wild track is an audio recording made at the time of filming, normally when on location, of background sound and atmospheric noises when the cameras are not rolling. Whenever possible we recorded room tones and exterior sounds. These are incredibly valuable to help match shots in the edit or to cover holes in the audio. On one occasion we recorded the different sounds of the village councillors....grumbling, happy, complaining, applauding etc that we could then use when appropriate in the edit.


2. Foley
Foley is the art of recording live sound effects during post, like shoes on a pavement or a door closing, to match the film. In our case we recorded a number of foley effects during the post-production stage. For example I was used by Colin Bradley, the sound engineer, to cut vegetables and make all sorts of banging sounds in his kitchen for use in the film.

3. Sound effects library
If a sound is too difficult to record as foley, then there are a large number of libraries on-line with thousands of sound effects. Some are completely free while others may require payment. Here are a few you might want to check out:

www.soundsnap.com/
www.audionetwork.com/sound-effects/
http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/


4. Final Mix
You should now have dialogue, foley, room tones/wildtracks, other audio (radio/piano/CD player/TV) and score. Some effects may need further work -such as adding reverb or tweaking of treble and bass etc. Once ready you need to mix these altogether ensuring that the levels are correct and sound natural (some sounds work better if very subtle. The master volume must be set to a level that adheres to in-house or broadcast standards (for example -6db).

In the next few blogs we will specifically look at recording ADR, voice over, 5.1 and audio commentaries.

Tip #70: Colour grading

By Dan Parkes (Director)

Colour grading or timing is the art of enhancing, correcting or sometimes completely changing the colour and look of a film.

In our case a very simple colour pallete had already been decided upon by the production designer before we started filming. The plan was for the gritty flashback scenes to be completely in black and white, and the village scenes to be in heavily saturated colour. The camera system we used was thus set to capture a heavily saturated image which meant we were able to do a lot of the colour grading in camera. In fact very little of the village scenes were colour corrected.

Black and white flashblack scene colour grading

Here are some basics of colour grading

1. Software

Many NLEs come with colour correction filters which can do basic changes. However I recommend using Synthetic Aperture's Color Finesse, as it runs as a free plugin in Adobe After Effects and is an extremely powerful tool.

Color Finesse software

2. Primary

The first step of colour correction is to set the black, grey and white. In effect this is like doing a camera white balance - you are telling the software what is pure white and black and can be used to correct an incorrect white balance. This is also an opportunity to crush blacks (make them darker) and to check levels -making sure the colour and luminance are within safety levels. You may also need to adjust the brightness of the image.

3. Secondary

Once the the whites and blacks and are all consistent you can then change the feel of the image with either broad colour changes or subtle colour replacement. A common Hollywood colour grade is teal and orange (check an interesting article on this 'virus' here (http://theabyssgazes.blogspot.com/2010/03/teal-and-orange-hollywood-please-stop.html) but also the Matrix green or the 'Saving Private Ryan' bleach bypass.

The teal and orange 'virus'

In our film the most notable secondary colour correction were the day for night shots. Otherwise most other grading was for continuity.

Tip #69: Scoring to picture

By Dan Parkes (Director)

In the previous blog we looked at the benefits of having a tailor-made score rather than production library material. But what kind of workflow can be used when getting a score written by a composer? Here are some things that worked for us:

1. Communication
Of course, it is critical to work together and discuss the project at all times, but in our case the composer lived on the other side of the country and so the entire process was by e-mail followed up by discussions on the phone. If a director is not musically-minded he will have to ensure he can efficiently communicate what is required. A director must communicate their vision but at the same time allow room for the composer's own style and artistic licence.

2. Different cuts
A composer will likely not start work until a first cut has been made. There will obviously be subsequent cuts and so it is important to keep the composer up to date as this will affect what he has to work with and in particular timing for music cues. A good naming system is essential to avoid confusion.

3. How much?
An easy mistake that novice directors and composers can fall into is scoring too much of the film. There can be more power in silence. During initial discussions the director should impart their vision of where music is necessary or unnecessary. It may also be a good idea to leave that decision to the composer, who may come up with some surprises. Nevertheless it is important to allow the composer an opportunity to see the entire film regardless, so they have context.
4. Workflow
We had already divided the film into five 'reels' and we used this system with the composer. We would send through specific sections of the film that required scoring using a small compressed Quicktime file that was labelled and had timecode, so that it could then be used to help sync the music with the finished picture. The composer would then send back the same video but along with a preview of the music he had scored so we could see it against picture.

5. Temp tracks /scratch music
It is not uncommon for editors to use temp tracks when cutting a film. A temp track is an existing piece of music that helps set the pace and mood of a scene, giving the composer an indication of what will work. Composers often find temp tracks frustrating as it limits their creativity, but sometimes they are necessary when it is difficult to express in words what music will work, or when timing and pace needs to be established before a score is written.

6. Rushes/rough mix It is prudent for a composer to come up with musical 'sketches' first before composing or orchestrating the piece to completion. These can also be used with the early cuts of the film, with test audiences, to see what is working. However this does call for an understanding that it is there to give a rough idea of how it could work, rather than being a finished piece -we can prove difficult for those lacking in imagination to comprehend!

7. Master/final mix
Once a rough preview of the music has been decided upon the composer can then fully orchestrate it and send high quality master files (in our case 48K WAV files) which will then be edited and mixed into the final edit. We used DropBox rather than YouSendIt etc to exchange the files and found it to be an excellent system.

You can hear the award nominated score to Ambleton Delight at the following link:
http://www.ambletondelight.co.uk/music.html

Tip #68: Get a score tailored to your film

By Dan Parkes (Director)

While there is some very good production library material to choose from, absolutely nothing beats having a composer write music that is tailored to your film. Here are some reasons why:

1. Emotion
A favourite expression of mine is that 'music is shorthand in emotion.' While you have likely spent considerable time developing emotional arcs for your actors to perform, along emotionally dramatic story lines, it can actually take only one or two well selected notes of music to impart just as powerful an emotional impact. This subtle power of music to engage an audience emotionally by adding layers of depth to a scene should never be underestimated.

2. Themes/Characters
A tailor-made score can provide a unique theme for your film that can be used later in trailers and DVD menus. An identifiable main theme and minor themes for characters or plot points can help guide an audience on a journey through your story. The selection of a certain type of music or particular instrumentation can give your film an entirely different feel.

3. Pace
A score can help set and change the pace of the film -slower music for scenes that are gradually unfolding, faster music to quicken the pace for an action scene. While it may be easier to cut to library music, a composer can score it to match how it was filmed.

4. Cues
It is quite difficult if not impossible to use production library music for cues -for example dramatic cues that introduce surprise elements or that build for a reveal. A good composer can create cues for exact moments in the film, timed to fit precisely with the on-screen narrative.

5. Continuity
An underscore can also help create continuity, linking elements in a scene together which may otherwise seem disjointed.

6. Soundtrack album
With a strong tailored-made score for your film by a talented composer, you have the opportunity of also releasing a standalone soundtrack album.

There are many composers out there wanting an opportunity to show what they can do. However, there are some important things to look out for when finding an ideal composer for you film:

1. Film experience
What experience do they have writing music for an actual film? Being able to write a good piece of music is not a prerequisite for film scoring. Film soundtrack music is quite a different genre in its own right and a novice can often fall into common traps if lacking experience.

2. Subtlety
Soundtrack music needs to accompany not dominate a film. There are times when there should be no music at all. Or the music should hint at rather than tell an audience what is happening.

3. Genre
Has the composer ever written the kind of music that you are wanting for your particular film? While a composer who has experience writing techno dance music may want to broaden their horizons with something orchestral, you are taking a great risk if this is going to be their first foray into the genre.

3. Reliability
A composer is often brought in during the final post-production stage and can often only begin work once a rough cut of the film is coming together. Make sure your composer is both available and reliable enough to ensure you hit your final deadlines.

4. Communication
If you do not understand musical terminology you will need to find an effective means of communication. It is most important that this communication is clear from the beginning, as there is nothing worse than having a composer spends hours creating a score that you then have the painful process of explaining is not at all what you were wanting....

In the next blog we will look at the process of writing music for screen and how it works within the film's overall workflow.

Tip #67: Get excellent music from solo artists and bands

(Interview with musicians Phil and Joe Gooch)

Rather than the tedious and expensive method of trying to licence a famous music track for your film, why not look at using the just as good (and sometimes better) music from the many relatively unknown solo artists and bands out there. All you need to do is find a great track (e.g. on MySpace), ask, and then make sure they sign a waiver if they say yes. We interviewed London musicians Phil and Joe Gooch, whose solo and band music (as MellowSun) was used in the feature film Ambleton Delight, about why they said yes.

1. What kind of musical background do you have?

Phil Gooch: I learnt the cello up to the age of 17, then decided to teach myself the guitar. I played in a few bands at University, and have been dabbling in writing guitar music ever since!

Joe Gooch: I have had no formal training in singing or composition but that hasn't stopped me from singing in a variety of bands and writing songs since 1990. Since the late 90's I have been writing songs with my brother Phil in our acoustic band MellowSun. In 2004ish I started writing instrumentals.

Phil Gooch

2. How do you write/record music together?

Phil: Usually one of us will already have a basic chord structure that we want the other to contribute to: in my case, it would need lyrics, a melody and vocal parts, in Joe's case, he might want a guitar part. We tend to use Reason and Logic, and record and mix directly on the laptop.

Joe: Phil will play me what he's been working on. While I'm listening, I will start to get vocal line ideas. Phil will then record what he has come up with and I will take it away and work on the lyrics and possible structure ideas. We'll then get together and work through the track and make any adjustments.

3. What inspires you to write?

Phil: On my own, I might get inspired by an existing loop or drum pattern, and come up with a guitar part, or I might just be noodling on the guitar and develop it into an entire piece, or just a loop pattern.

Joe: When I write my instrumentals, I am fortunate enough to get a lot of song ideas, melodies and titles from dreams. When that happens, hopefully I will wake up soon enough after dreaming it to sing it into my phones voice recorder to work on it at a later date.

4. Why did you allow your music to be used in the film?

Phil: Mutual respect for each others' work really. Also, I was interested to see how the music I'd written might be used in a film: for example, how would someone else interpret it and decide which scenes a certain piece would be appropriate for?

Joe: I had a small part in Ambleton Delight as the London Head Chef. I also think it's a win-win situation for both the film and us, as they get to use our music for the film's soundtrack and we as musicians or composers get our music out there to an audience who probably haven't heard our music before. I was also promised that if I let Dan use our tracks in the film he would reprise the character of London Head Chef in a spin-off film where he works as a chef by night and solves crimes by day in The Ambleton Murders. I'm still waiting for that to materialise...

Joe (foreground) and
Phil Gooch

5. What do you recommend filmmakers do when they want to have indie or other music in their film?

Phil: Rather than just put out a general request for 'unsigned' music, I think it really helps if the film-makers directly approach bands and musicians whose work they like. For musicians just starting out, it's great to be approached and asked if your music can be used in another medium - it shows that it has some resonance in some way outside of the confines of the song or piece itself.

Joe: Just contact the band or individuals and be upfront in regards to payment, or lack there of! I would think most independent bands and artists would love to be asked for the use of their music as part of a film's soundtrack. Not only is it nice to know that a film maker likes your work enough to want it to play a part in his or her film, but every band or artist wants their music heard by as many people as possible and this is another great way to do just that.

MellowSun MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/mellowsunuk/music

Phil's solo work:
http://www.icompositions.com/artists/PhilGooch

Joe's solo work:
http://www.icompositions.com/artists/joegooch

Tip #66: Special effects... that aren't too special.

By Dan Parkes (Director)

'Less is more' as they say and this can very true when it comes to visual effects. If you don't notice the effect, then it has served it's purpose. Ambleton Delight surprisingly contains many visual effects, from town name replacements and logo removals, to day-for-night shots, image stabilisation (to correct shaky dolly shots) and adding atmospheric elements such as smoke and rain. But there is only one obvious visual effect which is when a static picture in a newspaper transforms into an actual moving image that itself then transforms from day-to-night.

All the visual effects were completed using basic tools in Adobe After Effects. However, effects is not primarily about the software. The key to an effective effects workflow is to work backwards; firstly establish the desired end product in as much detail as possible (even storyboarding it) and then work out what elements and particular shots (maybe angles or durations) are required to achieve it.

Take a look at three basic effect shots we did and how they were done (click on the images for an enlarged version):

1. Ambleton sign replacement
We shot a master plate ensuring even lighting and no camera movement. The original letters from the Alfriston sign were then recreated to read Ambleton using primarily the clone tool in Photoshop. The new letters were then added to the shot in After Effects by motion tracking the image (as there is very subtle movement). Then the final shot is colour corrected -an important ingredient to 'selling' any shot that has elements from different sources. The village signs were so effective that many did not notice the difference...even the camera operator who shot it!

2. Logo/graffiti removal
There are dozens of shots in the film that had logos removed for one reason or another. In this example, a very obvious 'Christmas '08' is written on the fence behind the action in a scene which is supposed to take place in the late 80s or early 90s. So it clearly had to go! In After Effects it was removed frame-by-frame by masking out areas and replacing the graffiti with a cloned part of the fence.

3. Moving newspaper image
In this effect the lead actor opens a newspaper to an article and we then zoom in on the main picture of the restaurant which transforms into live action footage of a day-to-night time-lapse. This was accomplished by firstly filming a shot of the actor opening a real newspaper, inside of which we placed some green motion tracking markers. In After Effects we then tracked and replaced these with a digital article about the restaurant, complete with a headline, story and photographs. The main photograph is in a fact a freeze frame of time-lapse footage which in itself is a day for night effect shot.

For more information on the day-for-night technique, please refer to this earlier blog.

There are some great places where you can find tutorials on using After Effects. Here are some of my favourites:

http://www.videocopilot.net/
http://ae.tutsplus.com/
http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/