In choosing the audio documentary part, my main focus was creating a elaborate soundscape designed to evoke a sense of fear, especially at the start of the piece. My goal was to convey this emotion effectively, aligning with the studio’s emphasis on exploring non-pro-filmic subjects.
To guide the audience through my narrative, I used my own voice as a navigational tool. This allowed me to establish clear transitions and demarcating each segment. This approach helped with the smooth progression and enhanced the listening experience.
I wanted to use a skill I learnt in class, the ‘j cut’, a technique used in film where audio precedes the visuals, but in my case as there were no visuals. An example of this was introducing the sounds of waves, people and seagulls, allowing listeners to envision an ocean scene before my brother described it.
Another intentional choice was to highlight key punchlines from my siblings’ dialogue. Before they delivered each punchline, I layered a heightened sound effect to underscore the humour.
Additionally, I wanted to prioritise giving the audience space to fully experience each sound before moving to the next. This intentional pacing helped emphasise the layered textures in the soundscape, therefore enhancing the emotional impact. It also helped to encouraged listeners to become more absorbed in each element, building a sense of anticipation for what would come next.
One improvement, I believe I could work on is keeping a consistent tone. I believe I set a horrifying and sinister tone at the beginning but was hard to keep it throughout, as I didn’t want to rely on horror music.
Credits:
Staring: Peter Duong, Tina Duong, Tiana Duong
Audio Effects and Music: FreeSound