February 2017 – BW

February 26, 2017Ben Ward No Comments

Environment Update #2

I have now been sent the second set of screenshots for the environment update, again we are looking at the main centre piece of the level, however it is now full of all of the assets that are going to be our key focus of spot sound effects. With the environment being correctly lit, we’re also able to gain a sense of feeling on what direction the composition needs to be taken in.

The video from this section shows the ‘particle effect’ which has been applied to the trees and vines, giving them movement throughout the level. With the trees being relatively thin you can assume that the ‘weight’ of the sound of rustling would be light. An idea for this is to record the natural breeze in either an isolated park, such as the Sabraon Memorial Park off of Dunkirk Road in Lincoln. Or alternatively an isolated section of woodland, such as sections of the South Commons in Lincoln or Cauldwell Woods in Mansfield. The sound of this doesn’t have to be overpowering and will sit subtly in the mix as to not overpower the composition.

The entrance to the centre of the level doesn’t move or open within the video, however the camera does move through it. For this I’m going to add in some creaking wood or metal sound effects to give a sense of weight an pan it to follow the movement of the camera. This will hopefully create a sense of weight for the listener.

Again, we’ll be using a similar use of light swaying for the trees and vines. Another prominent spot effect that will be used shall be the fire effects. For this, as it’ll only be a short sound as the camera pans past, however there are going to be quite a few of these so I need to record a long section to avoid repetition in the sound for the viewer.

I’ve been toying with the idea of creating a monster style scream as the camera pans around the statue. The idea would be to have the sound very distant within the mix and highly reverberated, almost as a flashback to the monster’s past. I have seen a few videos online of how to create something like this and the technique would to be to scream and make horrific noises into a microphone and then process through a sampler and modulated with distortion, reverbs, reverses etc. This isn’t a high priority on my to-do list, however it could potentially polish off the final piece.

February 26, 2017Ben Ward No Comments

Email from Colossal Creations

I received an email from Nick at Colossal Creations in regards to the project that they are doing. CC have ‘designed and produced’ a jungle environment that explores a temple in reference to the work of H.P Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos. The email shows details what the company are looking for in regards to the sound design and composition for the music to work with the video provided. Colossal Creations are expecting a high level of work to a professional standard to showcase the environment; which is shown at a ‘very significant part of the game’s narrative’; the work has to be ‘meaningful’, which will be used to create a ‘lasting impact on [their] players’. Further conversations have been had over a Skype call with Nick at CC discussing what ‘meaningful’ meant to him and where he saw the composition go. For Nick, the music is all about being able to immerse yourself into that environment and to have a long standing ‘nostalgia’ factor. References were made to examples such as Nate‘s Theme from the Uncharted series (Composed by Greg Edmonson) and also the music throughout the Tomb Raider series, specifically on the PS4 (Composed by Jason Graves). Nick enjoyed the use of ‘traditional’ instruments, such as orchestral instruments, as that sound was typical within video games that he has grown up playing. However, he also wanted to add a ‘modern’ aspect into the mix, which is where I suggested the use of electronic elements to add more depth and layers within a composition. We have seen these techniques being used within games such as the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series (Composed by Stephen Barton). I showed Nick a video on YouTube by composer and producer ‘Varien’ a.k.a Nick Pittsinger, where he gives a tutorial on how electronic elements can be integrated within an orchestral setting. This is something that Nick is fully on board with, however wants to give me some creative space, so demo ideas will be bounced back and forth until we have found the sound that CC are looking for.

The email also covers the other elements of sound design that CC want to be heard within the finished product. These include atmospheric sounds as well as spot effects. Within this blog, there will be screenshots of different parts of the environment which will have more detail on my plans for these. In the Skype calls with Nick, he has been fairly relaxed as he has heard previous work and knows we both have the same outcome for the effects.

Sections of the video have been sent over to me, so I am able to get a feeling of how fast the camera is moving throughout the enviroment and also to begin planning of the sound that needs to be recorded over the next month.

To read the full email – Click below.

Tutorial Session #3

What we looked at – This tutorial was to finalise and mark off the Aims, Objectives and Learning Outcomes. Myself and David then discussed the next steps taken in order to complete the research for the project.

What needs to be done – For the research to begin I need to explore the role of a sound designer within the video games industry and to identify the key skills which are expected to gain entry into the industry. To aid this research I will talk to industry professionals, such as Nick Dixon (Sound Designer @ Deepsilver Dam Buster Studio, Nottingham). Barney Oram (Junior Sound Designer @ Cloud Imperium Games, Manchester). Martyn Stonehouse (Freelance Audio Designer).

Steps taken – I have made initial contact with a few people in the industry via Twitter and I am doing more in-depth research into the role of a sound designer.

February 6, 2017Ben Ward No Comments

Tutorial Session #2

What we looked at – For the second tutorial session we looked over my aims, objectives and learning outcomes to finalise and sign them off. We also discussed what steps need to be taken to move forward with the project.

What needs to be done – I need to amend the objectives and learning outcomes with the feedback which David gave me in the session. I also need to begin the research process and explore games, levels, sound designers, companies that I can take aspects from to influence my work.

Steps taken – Both the objectives and learning outcomes have been updated and posted on the blog. I have begun the research process and amended the current research in the blog to help aid my project.