Video and Sound Production - Project 1

06/05/25 - 14/05/25 (Week 3 - Week 4)

Chang Wing / 0367807 

Video and Sound Production / Bachelors of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Video and Sound Production - Project 1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Lectures

2. Instructions

3. Exercises
4. Project 1: Exercise 1

5. Reflection

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LECTURES

Week 4

Production Stages

1. Development
Where a film begins. A producer or screenwriter comes up with an idea and assembles a package, including script, director, and potential cast to attract financing. If approved, the project will be carried on to the next stage.

2. Pre-Production
In this stage, the film is planned out in detail. The team is hired, locations are scouted, and visual elements like storyboards and shot lists are created. The budget and shooting schedule are finalised.

3. Production
The filming phase, where cameras roll and scenes are captured. The crew sets up lighting, sound, and camera equipment while actors perform their roles. It’s typically the most intense and costly part of the process.

4. Post-Production
After filming, the footages are edited and assembled. Visual effects, sound design, colour grading, and music are added to complete the final cut of the film.

5. Distribution
The finished film is sold or licensed to distributors who release it to cinemas, streaming platforms, or home media. Marketing campaigns are launched to promote the film to audiences.

Production Crew

1. Director

Oversees whole production and makes sure the creative vision comes to life. Works with cast and crew to plan scenes, guide actors, and decide the film’s style and feel.

2. Producer Handles logistics and budget. Finds funding, hires the team, manages schedules and locations, and keeps the project on track and within budget.

3. Cinematographer Focuses on film’s visual look. Teams up with the director to pick cameras, lenses, and lighting that set the mood for each scene.

4. Production Designer Designs film’s visual: sets, costumes, props. Works with director and cinematographer to create a consistent and immersive environment.

5. Sound Designer Manages all the audio: dialogue, effects, music. Ensures sound matches the visuals smoothly by collaborating with director and editor.

6. Editor Puts the footage together to create a clear narrative. Shapes the film’s pace and tone with input from the director and sound designer.

Figure 1.1 Film production crew

Week 5

Key Elements of Mise en Scène

1. Setting and Environment
Refers to the physical space and time period in which the story takes place. This includes realistic or symbolic locations, as well as the historical era, both of which influence the design of the set, costumes, and props to support the narrative context.

2. Props and Objects
These are items characters use or that appear in the scene. They can reveal deeper themes, reflect a character’s traits, or move the story forward.

3. Costume and Makeup
Outfits and makeup choices help define a character's personality, social class, profession, or mental and emotional condition.

4. Lighting
Lighting shapes atmosphere and directs attention. The use of brightness, shadows, and contrast can build tension or highlight specific visual elements.

5. Composition and Framing
Refers to how visuals are arranged within the frame, from camera angles in film to actor placement in theatre. These choices influence how the audience interprets character relationships and power structures.

6. Acting and Performance
The way actors move, speak, and express themselves physically adds emotional depth and helps communicate underlying meaning or tension.

7. Color Scheme
The colours used in set design, costumes, and lighting to manifest a specific emotion or represent larger themes.

8. Spatial Arrangement
The positioning and distance between characters or between characters and objects can suggest closeness, rivalry, dominance, or isolation.

In the video shown below (Figure 1.2), the analysis of the iconic Jokers played by three different actors, Ledger, Nicholson, and Phoenix demonstrates how costume and prop design could portray the same character in different personalities and societal backgrounds within different narrative frameworks.

Figure 1.2 Joker Analysis - Comparing Heath Ledger, Nicholson and Phoenix's Villains. Link: https://youtu.be/7KjHsurAJpc?si=4oQIY6VtHDZogpV8

Week 8

Audio Shaping

Mr. Martin showed us how to adjust the graph in the Parametric Equalizer to create sound in different environments, like a phone call, something muffled, or with reverb.

Figure 1.3 Sound Shaping Lecture.

Link: https://youtu.be/RR7K0BImofA?si=rbVbuffr0MLdM1xo.

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INSTRUCTIONS

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EXERCISES

Lecture Quiz

Figure 2.1 Week 4 Quiz (1) result

Figure 2.2 Week 4 Quiz (2) result

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PROJECT 1: EXERCISE 1

Week 4 Exercise: Audio Dubbing (15%)

Instruction

Audio dub a 36-second clip from Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), which include voicing over the dialogue, inserting sound effects, and ambient sounds using Adobe Premiere Pro.

Process 

Working in groups, we divided the clip into sections and planned out the types of sounds needed for each part. Then, we researched and sourced suitable sound effects from Freesound and copyright-free music platforms. We compiled the links in an Excel spreadsheet to speed up the process of importing and assembling the audio in Premiere Pro later on.

Before sourcing the sounds, I first looked for the original clip to use as a reference for the original audio.

Figure 3.1 Original Audio

Next, I recorded my voiceovers using the recording app on my phone. I watched the video while recording to ensure that the dialogue aligned with the characters' mouth movements.

Figure 3.2 Voiceover

Then, I searched for suitable sound effects and ambience sound on Freesound.

Figure 3.3 Freesound

After gathering all the audio components, I arranged the dialogue, sound effects, and ambient sounds accordingly on the timeline in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Figure 3.4 Inserting voiceover and sound effects

I applied the Pitch Shifter effect to all dialogue clips, adjusting Waymond’s voice to a slightly lower pitch (but not too low, since Waymond has relatively higher vocal pitch within the typical male range), and raising the pitch for Evelyn and the officer.

Figure 3.5 Pitch shifter

Lastly, I used the Audio Mixer to monitor volume levels across all audio tracks. I maintained dialogue approximately between -6 dB and -12 dB and ambience sound below -20 dB. I also made sure that none of the audio tracks peaked in the meter to prevent any sound break

Figure 3.6 Monitoring audio level

Final Outcome

Figure 3.7 Audio Dubbing Exercise (Final Outcome)

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/x-eI_sCuaUo

PROJECT 1: EXERCISE 2

Week 8 Exercise: Sound Shaping 

Instruction

Record your own voice for 5 seconds for Exercise 2 submission.

1. Voice of phone call.

2. Voice coming from inside of closet.

3. Voice of toilet/bathroom.

4. Underground cave.

5. Alien/ Orc voice

Phone Call Sound Effect

Brought down BASS, TREBLE, raised MID RANGE between 500Hz to 2kHz.

Figure 3.8 Curve for the phone call sound  effect

Muffled Sound Effect (Voice coming from inside of the closet)

BASS remained, TREBLE to the bottom, raised MID RANGE to top.

Figure 3.9 Curve for the muffled sound effect

Reverb Sound Effect (Underground Cave Sound Effect)

Applied REVERB.

Figure 3.10 Curve for the underground cave sound effect

Alien / Orc Sound Effect

Applied Pitch Shifter > Presets: The Dark Lord > Increased Semi-tones to 12.

Figure 3.11 Curve for the alien / orc effect

Final Outcomes

Figure 3.12 Original Audio

Figure 3.13 Phone Call Sound Effect

Figure 3.14 Muffled Sound Effect (Voice coming from inside of the closet)

Figure 3.15 Reverb Sound Effect (Underground Cave Sound Effect)

Figure 3.15 Alien / Orc Sound Effect

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REFLECTION

Through this project, I’ve gained valuable knowledge about how to effectively dub a film and realised just how crucial the sound aspect of a video truly is. The audio needs to align precisely with the visuals, whether it’s matching the mouth movements or syncing transitions so everything feels cohesive.

I also learnt how sound can elevate the narrative, like how suspenseful background music builds tension. I also noticed how much impact even small sound effects can make in adding realism and emotion to a scene. Learning to use the Audio Mixer to monitor and balance sound levels was especially important in preventing audio peaks and ensuring clarity. The sound shaping exercise, where I recorded and manipulated my own voice, was a fun and eye-opening experience that broadened my perspective on how sound effects can be crafted in post-production using Adobe Audition.