January 2017 – BW

January 30, 2017Ben Ward No Comments

Tutorial Session #1

What we looked at – For the first tutorial session David discussed over my Audio Project to gain a clearer understanding of the project as a whole and the client that I am working with. We looked at the aims and objectives that I had planned and discussed with the client.

What needs to be done – For the next tutorial I need to crystallise my objectives and separate my learning outcomes.

Steps taken – I have looked at both the objectives and learning outcomes and made each point specific and clear for the final project. These have been updated on the blog and are now live and finalised, unless needing to be changed after the next tutorial.

January 26, 2017Ben Ward No Comments

Environment Update #1

This set of screenshots documents a small part of the environment produced by Colossal Creations. They showcase the beginning of the centre piece of the level. Because the screenshots show a partial and unfinished environment, there isn’t a huge amount of planning that can be started. The only SFX that is needed at this part is for the waterfall that is on the final screenshot, which I believe will be panned past relatively fast, so only a few seconds of audio is required.

The next set of screenshots that Nick will send over, shall be almost or entirely complete with all assets placed in, so planning stages can fully begin.

January 22, 2017Ben Ward No Comments

Research #1 – The Role of a Sound Designer

According to our wonderful friends over at Wikipedia, the role of a sound designer is;

“Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production, radio and video game development.” – Wikipedia (Sorry, David).

For the most part I agree with this statement, however the role of a Sound Designer within the world of the video game world is much more than that. With video games often being interactive worlds, it is important for a the sound designer to understand how the audio will be implemented and how that audio will be interacted with. Rob Bridgett explains in his article, The Role of an Audio Director in Video Games, “The title of ‘sound designer’, and I guess the role, has changed somewhat significantly over the past 10 years or so to encompass the implementation stage as a crucial part of the sound design process itself. By that I mean that creating the sound effects and then creating and setting up the rules and behaviors under which those sounds will be played back in the game are two parts of the same ‘sound design’ process”. With the evolution of technologies used in the video game industry, we have seen the role develop from a Sound Designer to a Technical Sound Designer, a term which was coined by Gene Semel (Epic Games, ex-Naughty Dog & PlayStation).

January 18, 2017Ben Ward No Comments

Colossal Creations – Indie Games Development Company

Colossal Creations (CC) will be creating a series of levels/3D environments to display their house style to the industry. For the company this will be the start of the development and recruitment process for themselves, to eventually start work on developing their own game. The team currently consists of Nick Ward, who is the founder and lead artist and Joshua Andrews, who is the co-founder and lead designer.

The specific environment that I shall be working on with the team is a temple based on H.P Lovecraft’s character Cthulhu. The team have left me free reign over how the environment sounds. However, I shall be working alongside them to ensure that the product they receive is of the professional standard that they aim to deliver.

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January 16, 2017Ben Ward No Comments

Aim & Objectives & Learning Outcomes

Aims – The aim of this project is to work alongside Colossal Creations to create sound design for their 3D Environment/Games level based off of H.P Lovecraft’s Cthulhu.

Objectives –

Liaise with client to clearly understand their vision.
Record a wide range of audio and create sound effects for the clients environment but also building my own sound library for future projects.
Compose music working to clients vision; getting feedback from client throughout the process.
Build sound to picture on a linear timeline using Pro-Tools.
To create a finished piece of work which can be discussed and explored further into my personal portfolio.

Learning Outcomes –

To improve skills with working to a client project at a professional standard for the real world industry.
To understand the standard work flow and job role of a Sound Designer within the games industry.
To have researched sound design techniques & sound designers that can aid my personal development in reaching the games industry.
To identify the key skills needed for a graduate needed to enter the games industry.