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The idea of the ”sound designer” being responsible for creating a film’s soundtrack has been with us since the 1970s when Walter Murch first received the credit on Apocalypse Now. But the potential of sound for storytelling and its relationship to other aspects of a film’s production is often ignored in favour of a largely technical approach.
In this 4-day practical workshop, we deconstruct the soundtrack exploring how each component of sound expresses character, place and story, and how the practical application of these concepts positions the audience in relation to the screen and the narrative. In effect, the soundtrack allows the filmmaker - and the story - to ‘speak’ to the audience. The talks and exercises will help you become aware of how the soundtrack should be part of an organic collaboration of all aspects of a film production and allow you to re-evaluate sound design merely as a post-production process.
The course is aimed at those with experience of sound or music (in film or other media) who want to take their technical knowledge into a more creative understanding of how sound works with image. It is as relevant for directors, writers and producers as for sound designers, editors and composers.
The course will cover:
What is sound design?
The relationship between the soundtrack and the image and that relationship’s affect on the audience.
The component layers of a soundtrack - dialogue, atmosphere, sound effects - their function and how the audience perceives them.
Writing for sound: The script as a source of inspiration for sound, the text acting as a stimulus for interpretation.
Recording, editing and mixing: Looking at the soundtrack from pre-production to the final mix. (As French sound designer, Daniel Deshays, says, “Sound design begins at the microphone.”)
Practical exercises experimenting with the ways sound defines space, off-screen action, character, mood, emotional colour and the world of the film.
The relation between sound, music, editing and story.
The soundtrack as the result of creative collaboration.
Where ideas for the soundtrack originate.
Using techniques from other art forms in creating a soundtrack.
Comparing sound in fiction, documentary and animation.
A working knowledge of ProTools is required.
Please fill in the application form, attaching your CV.
If you need any assistance please contact us at shortcourses@nfts.co.uk or call us on 01494 677 903